Atypical Associations Between Emotion Regulation Strategies and Parent-Child Neural Synchronization in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights from fNIRS Hyperscanning

Background Emotion regulation (ER) is critical for mental health in autistic children. Existing studies have shown that autistic children use more maladaptive and fewer adaptive ER strategies, yet the neural mechanisms underlying these ER patterns remain underexplored. Methods This study examined the associations between ER strategies and interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) among autistic ( n  = 30) and neurotypical ( n  = 30; NT) children during naturalistic parent-child interactions. Brain signals in both parents’ and children’s prefrontal cortex were assessed while they completed a cooperative puzzle task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning. Parents reported their children’s use of ER strategies across multiple social situations. Results INS between autistic children’s left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and their parents’ right frontopolar cortex was lower than that in NT dyads. INS-based classification distinguishing autistic from NT children achieved an accuracy of 74.55%. Furthermore, group (autistic versus NT) moderated the associations between INS and specific ER strategies. Specifically, more frequent use of passive reactions was associated with higher INS in NT dyads but not in autistic dyads, whereas more frequent use of venting was linked to lower INS in autistic dyads but not in NT dyads. Limitations: Findings should be considered preliminary until they are replicated in a larger sample. Conclusions Autistic children exhibit reduced INS with their parents during social interactions. This reduction is characterized by atypical associations with maladaptive ER strategies. These findings provide insights for advancing INS-based diagnostic markers and developing family-centred interventions focusing on emotion co-regulation within parent-child interactions in autism.