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Warner-Czyz AD, Anderson SR, Graham S, Uhler K. Expressive vocabulary word categories of children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. JOURNAL OF DEAF STUDIES AND DEAF EDUCATION 2024; 29:362-376. [PMID: 38240124 DOI: 10.1093/deafed/enad066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
This study investigated the acquisition of early expressive vocabulary among young children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH; n = 68) using auditory technology (hearing aids and cochlear implants). Parents completed a standardized vocabulary checklist, which allowed analyses of (i) the size of their child's spoken vocabulary; (ii) composition of the expressive lexicon (e.g., parts of speech such as nouns and verbs; semantic categories such as routines and body parts); and (iii) demographic and audiologic factors (e.g., chronologic age, degree of hearing access) potentially associated with these metrics. Young children who are DHH and use auditory technology acquired fewer spoken words than peers with typical hearing (TH) matched for chronologic age but more spoken words than peers with TH matched for listening experience. Action verbs-not nouns-significantly increased the odds of a child who is DHH achieving a vocabulary quotient within the normative range. These findings support the exploration of early expressive vocabulary size and composition-especially the number of active verbs-to guide clinical management and decision-making for young children who are DHH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea D Warner-Czyz
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
- Callier Center for Communication Disorders, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Sean R Anderson
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Colorado University Anschutz School of Medicine, Denver, CO, United States
| | - Sarah Graham
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Kristin Uhler
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Colorado University Anschutz School of Medicine, Denver, CO, United States
- Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver, CO, United States
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2
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Li X, Peng Y, Lu Y, Zhang Y. The effect of recasting by mothers with different conversational styles on the communication behavior of autistic children: Lag sequential analysis. Autism Res 2024; 17:125-137. [PMID: 37964721 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Recasting is the adult rephrasing of a child's immediately preceding utterance. It has been shown to have outstanding effects on promoting language development in autistic children. This study used lag sequential analysis to explore the impact of mothers' conversational styles on the communicative behavior of autistic children when using recasting. This study recruited 30 Chinese autistic children (aged 3-6 years) and their mothers. The utterances of the children and their mothers during 30-min interactions were transcribed, coded, and analyzed. The mothers' conversational styles were determined by the percentages of child-dominant, mother-dominant, and equality styles. The results indicated that mothers' conversational styles were predominantly child-dominant, differing from the expected mother-dominant style that is typical in Eastern cultures and traditions. However, some mothers still demonstrated a significant proportion of mother-dominant style in their conversation, while some exhibited a considerable amount of equality style. Moreover, mothers with a mainly child-dominant style and minimal use of mother-dominant and equality styles used recasting after the child's response, triggering the child to initiate new topics. Mothers with a child-dominant style combined with prominent mother-dominant features implemented untargeted self-recasting, the children did not respond significantly. Mothers with a child-dominant style combined with prominent equality features used recasting after the children responded, initiated, or expanded the conversation, which often facilitated the child's expansion of the conversation. These findings provide suggestions for designing parent-mediated early language interventions for autistic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Li
- College of Education, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yonghan Peng
- College of Education, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yiting Lu
- College of Education, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yumin Zhang
- College of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
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3
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Fusaroli R, Weed E, Rocca R, Fein D, Naigles L. Caregiver linguistic alignment to autistic and typically developing children: A natural language processing approach illuminates the interactive components of language development. Cognition 2023; 236:105422. [PMID: 36871399 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Language development is a highly interactive activity. However, most research on linguistic environment has focused on the quantity and complexity of linguistic input to children, with current models showing that complexity facilitates language in both typically developing (TD) and autistic children. AIMS After reviewing existing work on caregiver engagement of children's utterances, we aim to operationalize such engagement with automated measures of linguistic alignment, thereby providing scalable tools to assess caregivers' active reuse of their children's language. By assessing the presence of alignment, its sensitivity to the child's individual differences and how well it predicts language development beyond current models across the two groups, we showcase the usefulness of the approach and provide initial empirical foundations for further conceptual and empirical investigations. METHODS We measure lexical, syntactic and semantic types of caregiver alignment in a longitudinal corpus involving 32 adult-autistic child and 35 adult-TD child dyads, with children between 2 and 5 years of age. We assess the extent to which caregivers repeat their children's words, syntax, and semantics, and whether these repetitions predict language development beyond more standard predictors. RESULTS Caregivers tend to re-use their child's language in a way that is related to the child's individual, primarily linguistic, differences. Caregivers' alignment provides unique information improving our ability to predict future language development in both typical and autistic children. CONCLUSIONS We provide evidence that language development also relies on interactive conversational processes, previously understudied. We share carefully detailed methods, and open-source scripts so as to systematically extend our approach to new contexts and languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Fusaroli
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Jens Chr Skous vej 2, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark; Interacting Minds Center, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Jens Chr Skous vej 4, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark; Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania, 3600 Market St, Suite 810, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2653, USA.
| | - Ethan Weed
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Jens Chr Skous vej 2, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark; Interacting Minds Center, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Jens Chr Skous vej 4, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Roberta Rocca
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Jens Chr Skous vej 2, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark; Interacting Minds Center, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Jens Chr Skous vej 4, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Deborah Fein
- Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 0629-1020, USA
| | - Letitia Naigles
- Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 0629-1020, USA
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4
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Smith J, Chetcuti L, Kennedy L, Varcin KJ, Slonims V, Bent CA, Green J, Iacono T, Pillar S, Taylor C, Wan MW, Whitehouse AJO, Hudry K. Caregiver sensitivity predicts infant language use, and infant language complexity predicts caregiver language complexity, in the context of possible emerging autism. Autism Res 2022; 16:745-756. [PMID: 36563289 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
While theory supports bidirectional effects between caregiver sensitivity and language use, and infant language acquisition-both caregiver-to-infant and also infant-to-caregiver effects-empirical research has chiefly explored the former unidirectional path. In the context of infants showing early signs of autism, we investigated prospective bidirectional associations with 6-min free-play interaction samples collected for 103 caregivers and their infants (mean age 12-months; and followed up 6-months later). We anticipated that measures of caregiver sensitivity/language input and infant language would show within-domain temporal stability/continuity, but also that there would be predictive associations from earlier caregiver input to subsequent child language, and vice versa. Caregiver sensitive responsiveness (from the Manchester Assessment of Caregiver-Infant interaction [MACI]) predicted subsequent infant word tokens (i.e., amount of language, coded following the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts [SALT]). Further, earlier infant Mean Length of Utterance (MLU; reflecting language complexity, also derived from SALT coding) predicted later caregiver MLU, even when controlling for variability in infant ages and clear within-domain temporal stability/continuity in key measures (i.e., caregiver sensitive responsiveness and infant word tokens; and infant and caregiver MLU). These data add empirical support to theorization on how caregiver input can be both supportive of, and potentially influenced by, infant capacities, when infants have social-communication differences and/or communication/language delays suggestive of possible emerging autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodie Smith
- School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Psychology, Counselling and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lacey Chetcuti
- Department of Psychology, Counselling and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Lyndel Kennedy
- Department of Psychology, Counselling and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kandice J Varcin
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Vicky Slonims
- Children's Neurosciences, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Catherine A Bent
- Department of Psychology, Counselling and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jonathan Green
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Teresa Iacono
- Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah Pillar
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Carol Taylor
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Ming Wai Wan
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew J O Whitehouse
- Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Kristelle Hudry
- Department of Psychology, Counselling and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Mohammadzaheri F, Koegel LK, Soleymani Z, Khosrowabadi R, Bakhshi E. Neural Correlates of Enhancing Question Asking and Initiations in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Soc Neurosci 2022; 17:181-192. [PMID: 35296214 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2022.2054858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate challenges in various areas of social communication. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) targeting question-asking on brain activity in twenty 6-12-year-old autistic boys, using a Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) design. Verbal children, diagnosed with autism, who lacked question asking in their communication were matched based on age and mean length utterance (MLU) and were randomly placed in either PRT intervention or treatment as usual (TAU) groups. Sessions were individually administered, lasting for 60 minutes three days a week for a two-month period. All children were tested before and after intervention to assess behavioral areas (questions, general communicative skills, and MLU) and both groups underwent electroencephalography for 10 minutes in open and closed eye resting-state conditions to assess neural correlates. Data were analyzed using covariance analysis and post-hoc using Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon methods. Significant behavioral improvements in the PRT group were observed after intervention that correlated with changes in Electroencephalography (EEG) oscillations at several brain regions compared to the TAU group. The results of this study support other studies suggesting collateral neural changes following the PRT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fereshteh Mohammadzaheri
- Department of Speech Therapy, Rehabilitation College, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Lynn Kern Koegel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
| | - Zahra Soleymani
- Department of Speech Therapy, Rehabilitation College, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Khosrowabadi
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University GC, Tehran, Iran
| | - Enayatollah Bakhshi
- Department of Biostatics and Epidemiology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Santapuram P, Feldman JI, Bowman SM, Raj S, Suzman E, Crowley S, Kim SY, Keceli-Kaysili B, Bottema-Beutel K, Lewkowicz DJ, Wallace MT, Woynaroski TG. Mechanisms by which Early Eye Gaze to the Mouth During Multisensory Speech Influences Expressive Communication Development in Infant Siblings of Children with and without Autism. MIND, BRAIN AND EDUCATION : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL MIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION SOCIETY 2022; 16:62-74. [PMID: 35273650 PMCID: PMC8903197 DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Looking to the mouth of a talker early in life predicts expressive communication. We hypothesized that looking at a talker's mouth may signal that infants are ready for increased supported joint engagement and that it subsequently facilitates prelinguistic vocal development and translates to broader gains in expressive communication. We tested this hypothesis in 50 infants aged 6-18 months with heightened and general population-level likelihood of autism diagnosis (Sibs-autism and Sibs-NA; respectively). We measured infants' gaze to a speaker's face using an eye tracking task, supported joint engagement during parent-child free play sessions, vocal complexity during a communication sample, and broader expressive communication. Looking at the mouth was indirectly associated with expressive communication via increased higher-order supported joint engagement and vocal complexity. This indirect effect did not vary according to sibling status. This study provides preliminary insights into the mechanisms by which looking at the mouth may influence expressive communication development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Santapuram
- Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jacob I Feldman
- Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Sarah M Bowman
- Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Present Affiliation: Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership at the Medical College of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Sweeya Raj
- Neuroscience Undergraduate Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Evan Suzman
- Master's Program in Biomedical Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Shannon Crowley
- Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Boston, MA, USA
| | - So Yoon Kim
- Present Affiliation: Department of Teacher Education, Duksung Women's University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Bahar Keceli-Kaysili
- Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | | | - Mark T Wallace
- Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Frist Center for Autism & Innovation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Tiffany G Woynaroski
- Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Frist Center for Autism & Innovation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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7
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Lin KR, Wisman Weil L. Word imageability is associated with expressive vocabulary in children with autism spectrum disorder. AUTISM & DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS 2022; 7:23969415221085827. [PMID: 36382067 PMCID: PMC9620684 DOI: 10.1177/23969415221085827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Throughout typical development, children prioritize different perceptual, social, and linguistic cues to learn words. The earliest acquired words are often those that are perceptually salient and highly imageable. Imageability, the ease in which a word evokes a mental image, is a strong predictor for word age of acquisition in typically developing (TD) children, independent of other lexicosemantic features such as word frequency. However, little is known about the effects of imageability in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who tend to have differences in linguistic processing and delayed language acquisition compared to their TD peers. This study explores the extent to which imageability and word frequency are associated with early noun and verb acquisition in children with ASD. METHODS Secondary analyses were conducted on previously collected data of 156 children (78 TD, 78 ASD) matched on sex and parent-reported language level. Total expressive vocabulary, as measured by the MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventory (MB-CDI), included 123 words (78 nouns, 45 verbs) that overlapped with previously published imageability ratings and word input frequencies. A two-step hierarchical linear regression was used to examine the relationship between word input frequency, imageability, and total expressive vocabulary. An F-test was then used to assess the unique contribution of imageability on total expressive vocabulary when controlling for word input frequency. RESULTS In both the TD and ASD groups, imageability uniquely explained a portion of the variance in total expressive vocabulary size, independent of word input frequency. Notably, imageability was significantly associated with noun vocabulary and verb vocabulary size alone, with imageability explaining a greater portion of the variance in total nouns produced than in total verbs produced. CONCLUSIONS Imageability was identified as a significant lexicosemantic feature for describing expressive vocabulary size in children with ASD. Consistent with literature on TD children, children with ASD who have small vocabularies primarily produce words that are highly imageable. Children who are more proficient word learners with larger vocabularies produce words that are less imageable, indicating a potential shift away from reliance on perceptual-based language processing. This was consistent across both noun and verb vocabularies. IMPLICATIONS Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature describing early word learning in children with ASD and provide a basis for exploring the use of multisensory language learning strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly R Lin
- Kimberly R Lin, Department of Communication
Sciences and Disorders, Emerson College, 216 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116,
USA.
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8
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Binns AV, Casenhiser DM, Shanker SG, Cardy JO. Autistic preschoolers' engagement and language use in gross motor versus symbolic play settings. AUTISM & DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS 2022; 7:23969415221115045. [PMID: 36382076 PMCID: PMC9620676 DOI: 10.1177/23969415221115045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Background and aims: Although adjustment of the environment is recommended as a support strategy in evidence-based interventions for children with autism, the impact of doing so (and the how and why) is not well understood. One essential environmental factor to consider when providing supports for preschool-aged autistic children is the play setting, specifically, the materials available in the child's play context. The aim of this study was to compare engagement states and number of utterances produced by preschool-aged autistic children within symbolic vs. gross motor play settings. Examining the relationship between gross motor play settings and children's social engagement and spoken language use is particularly important to explore for autistic children given differences in their sensory processing, motor skill development, and choice of and interaction with toys relative to neurotypical peers. Methods: Seventy autistic children aged 25-57 months were videotaped during natural play interactions with a parent. Children's social engagement and number of spoken utterances were examined in five minutes each of play with symbolic toys and play with gross motor toys. Continuous time-tagged video coding of the child-caregiver engagement states was conducted, and the child's frequency of spoken language was identified using language sample analysis. The specific variables examined were; (a) engagement with caregiver, (b) engagement with objects only, (c) unengaged (no evident engagement with objects or people), and (d) total number of spoken utterances. The relationship between play setting (symbolic vs gross motor) and child language and engagement state variables was examined with linear mixed effects modelling. Results: Significant main effects were revealed for the interaction between play setting and autistic children's engagement. Young autistic children were more likely to engage with caregivers in play environments with gross motor toys (moderate effect) and also were more likely to have periods of unengaged time (not overtly directing their attention to objects or people; small effect) in this setting. Further, when in a setting with symbolic toys, autistic children were more likely to spend their time focusing attention solely on objects (large effect). No interaction was found between play setting and total number of utterances spoken by autistic children. Conclusions and implications: This study confirmed the importance of continued research focused on understanding the relationship between children's play settings and their social engagement and language use. Although preliminary, findings support the idea that there is an interaction between preschool-aged autistic children's social engagement and their play settings. Further, our results suggest that there can be value in clinicians differentiating children's play settings (i.e., gross motor vs symbolic) when assessing and supporting social engagement capacities of young autistic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda V Binns
- Amanda Binns, Health and Rehabilitation
Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada, N6G 1H1.
| | | | | | - Janis Oram Cardy
- />Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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9
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Grzadzinski R, Amso D, Landa R, Watson L, Guralnick M, Zwaigenbaum L, Deák G, Estes A, Brian J, Bath K, Elison J, Abbeduto L, Wolff J, Piven J. Pre-symptomatic intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD): defining a research agenda. J Neurodev Disord 2021; 13:49. [PMID: 34654371 PMCID: PMC8520312 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-021-09393-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) impacts an individual's ability to socialize, communicate, and interact with, and adapt to, the environment. Over the last two decades, research has focused on early identification of ASD with significant progress being made in understanding the early behavioral and biological markers that precede a diagnosis, providing a catalyst for pre-symptomatic identification and intervention. Evidence from preclinical trials suggest that intervention prior to the onset of ASD symptoms may yield more improved developmental outcomes, and clinical studies suggest that the earlier intervention is administered, the better the outcomes. This article brings together a multidisciplinary group of experts to develop a conceptual framework for behavioral intervention, during the pre-symptomatic period prior to the consolidation of symptoms into diagnosis, in infants at very-high-likelihood for developing ASD (VHL-ASD). The overarching goals of this paper are to promote the development of new intervention approaches, empirical research, and policy efforts aimed at VHL-ASD infants during the pre-symptomatic period (i.e., prior to the consolidation of the defining features of ASD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Grzadzinski
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Program for Early Autism Research Leadership and Service (PEARLS), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Dima Amso
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rebecca Landa
- Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Linda Watson
- Program for Early Autism Research Leadership and Service (PEARLS), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Michael Guralnick
- Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Gedeon Deák
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Annette Estes
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington Autism Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jessica Brian
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Kevin Bath
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Jed Elison
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Leonard Abbeduto
- University of California, Davis, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Jason Wolff
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Joseph Piven
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Bottema-Beutel K, Crowley S, Kim SY. Sequence organization of autistic children's play with caregivers: Rethinking follow-in directives. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2021; 26:1267-1281. [PMID: 34560824 DOI: 10.1177/13623613211046799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT In this article we use a qualitative method, conversation analysis, to examine videos of caregivers interacting with their young autistic children who are in the early phases of language learning. Conversation analysis involves preparation of detailed transcripts of video data, which are then analyzed together to understand how interactional moves (e.g. talk, gestures, and physical conduct) are linked with prior and subsequent interactional moves. We analyzed data from 15 participants, and focused on instances when caregivers made a proposal about something the child was playing with. In previous research, similar instances have been referred to as "follow-in directives." We found that these proposals were embedded in sequences that had a similar structure, and were prefaced with a 'pre-proposal'; where the caregiver established the child's interest in a joint activity and signaled the upcoming proposal. The caregiver's talk was also provided in such a way that there was a clear "slot" for the child's turn, which made it easy for the child's actions to become part of an interactional sequence. In addition, proposal sequences were very negotiable-the caregivers do not usually insist that the child follow through on the proposal, only that they produce an action that could be taken as a response. Finally, there were some instances where the child's turn was very precisely timed to occur right at the end of a caregiver's proposal; this precise timing could signal the child's understanding of how interactional turn-taking works. We suggest that this method of examining caregiver-child interactions provides new insights into how interactions proceed, which could be useful for future intervention research.
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11
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Bottema-Beutel K, Kim SY, Crowley S. Developmental associations between joint engagement and autistic children's vocabulary: A cross-lagged panel analysis. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2021; 25:566-575. [PMID: 33143458 PMCID: PMC8284930 DOI: 10.1177/1362361320968641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT In this study, we used a cross-lagged panel analysis to examine correlations over time between two types of engagement between children and their parents and children's later expressive and receptive vocabularies. This kind of design can help researchers understand which early developmental achievements "drive" later developmental achievements. It is important for intervention researchers to know which developmental achievements happen first, so that they can set intervention goals appropriately. The two joint engagement variables we examined were (a) higher order supported joint engagement, which occurs when caregivers influence their child's play with toys and the child reciprocally responds to the caregiver, but does not manage the interaction by shifting gaze between the toys and the caregiver, and (b) higher order supported joint engagement that co-occurs with caregiver's follow-in talk (higher order supported joint engagement + follow-in). Follow-in talk occurs when the caregiver talks about objects and events that the child is focused on. Ninety-one autistic children (n = 91) with language delay (mean chronological age = 39 months) participated, along with their primary caregivers. Each of the four variables was measured twice, 8 months apart. Our statistical procedures showed that early higher order supported joint engagement and early higher order supported joint engagement + follow-in were significantly associated with later expressive and receptive vocabulary. In contrast, associations between early vocabulary variables and later joint engagement variables were not significant. Our results suggest that higher order supported joint engagement and higher order supported joint engagement + follow-in may be useful initial intervention targets, for developmental interventions aimed at promoting language development in autistic children who are initially language delayed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - So Yoon Kim
- Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College
| | - Shannon Crowley
- Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College
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Bottema-Beutel K, Kim SY. A Systematic Literature Review of Autism Research on Caregiver Talk. Autism Res 2020; 14:432-449. [PMID: 33377301 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Describing how caregivers' talk to their autistic children, and how their talk may influence social and language outcomes, has important implications for developmental theory and intervention research. In this systematic literature review, we examine 294 caregiver talk variables extracted from 65 studies, provide a narrative overview of research findings, and link measurement approaches to various theories of language development. The majority of variables included only talk directed to children (90%), and specified the speech act being performed (57%). More than one-third of variables measured talk that was responsive to children's attention, activities, or communication (38%), and slightly less than a third measured variables that elicited children's communication or engagement. Semantic aspects of talk were specified in 41% of variables, structural features were measured in 20% of variables, and suprasegmental features were measured in only 1% of variables. Talk quantity (without reference to other aspects of talk) was measured in 8% of variables. We found strong support that talk related to children's attention is implicated in autistic children's language development, but this construct has been measured inconsistently in terms of semantic, structural, and functional features. There is also evidence for bi-directional relationships between caregiver's talk and autistic children's development on a variety of semantic and structural variables. LAY SUMMARY: In our review, we found many differences in how researchers measured caregiver's talk, but also some promising leads. Researchers should continue examining caregiver talk related to children's focus of attention to clarify how this type of language contributes to autistic children's development. We also found interesting research on how children influence caregiver's talk, and encourage researchers to continue to study how this occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Bottema-Beutel
- Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
| | - So Yoon Kim
- Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
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