Peer Play Profiles and Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk in Korean Preschoolers: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

Although peer play behaviors in naturalistic settings provide important insights into young children’s development, few studies have examined their utility for identifying early autism spectrum disorder risk. We investigated peer play profiles among a normative sample of Korean preschoolers and their associations with autism spectrum disorder likelihood. We included 1,018 children from the Panel Study on Korean Children, whose preschool teachers rated classroom play behaviors. Latent profile analysis revealed three profiles: sociable (n = 640), rough-and-tumble (n = 325), and isolated (n = 53). Children in the isolated group—marked by high disconnection, low interaction, and elevated disruption—showed greater likelihood of autism spectrum disorder than peers in other groups. Our findings suggest that teacher-reported peer play profiles represent practical, developmentally appropriate indicators of neurodevelopmental risk. Peer play profiling may serve as a scalable, low-cost tool in preschool settings to support early identification and referral before formal diagnostic assessment.

Keywords

at risk for developmental delays/disabilities autism spectrum disorder early identification peer interactions play

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