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Bottema-Beutel K. Putting autism research in social contexts. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024; 28:1597-1601. [PMID: 38597134 DOI: 10.1177/13623613241245642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
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Delehanty A, Hooker JL, Wetherby AM. Verbal Responsiveness in Parents of Toddlers With and Without Autism During a Home Observation. J Autism Dev Disord 2024; 54:2440-2453. [PMID: 37171767 PMCID: PMC11286669 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-05935-6] [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] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
This study examined patterns of verbal responsiveness in parents of toddlers (Mage = 20 months) later identified with autism (n = 121), developmental delay (n = 46), or typical development (n = 44) during an hourlong home observation. Parent verbal responsiveness (PVR) was compared using MANOVA across groups and by child expressive language phase. Multiple regression analyses controlling for child age and maternal education were employed to examine the extent to which PVR predicted variance in concurrent child social communication and prospective language skills. Parents provided synchronous responses approximately 90% of the time. Parents of children with autism and developmental delay used smaller proportions of responses that added linguistic information (i.e., expansions and follow-in directives for language) than those of children with typical development. Parents of children in the preverbal phase were more likely, on average, to affirm their children's acts of intentional communication or provide a follow-in directive for action that did not necessitate a verbal response than to expand or elicit language. Regression results indicated that parental use of expansions and follow-in directives for language made significant contributions to child language outcomes. The patterns we observed may reflect parents' attunement to their child's developmental level. Responsiveness to a child's focus of attention is vital in the earlier stages of language learning; however, results point to the potential importance of parental expansions and follow-in directives for promoting language development across groups in this sample. Directions for intervention research targeting PVR and language skills in toddlers with autism and developmental delays are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Delehanty
- Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA.
| | - Jessica L Hooker
- Florida State University Autism Institute, 2312 Killearn Center Blvd., Building A, Tallahassee, FL, 32309, USA
| | - Amy M Wetherby
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4300, USA
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Ferreira JM, Bottema-Beutel K. The Interactional Structure of Accounts During Small Group Discussions Among Autistic Children Receiving Special Education Support in Finland. J Autism Dev Disord 2024; 54:1928-1946. [PMID: 36749456 PMCID: PMC11136803 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-05916-9] [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] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Through a conversation analytic approach, we investigate the emergence of accounts provided by autistic children in small-group discussions. Nine Finnish children (7-10 years old) attending school with special support participated in a five-month-duration pedagogical practice purposefully designed to enhance children's participation in groups. We analyzed videos of sharing circles where children discussed their ideas and interests. Our data show three different account structures, which created different modes of children's participation and gradually changed how they positioned themselves in the group. Results show how accounts can create different focuses of attention; reveal children's reflections on what is relevant to them, and how to promote the exchange of ideas within a small group. Implications for the development of educational practices are discussed.
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Delehanty A, Lorio CM, Romano M, Brown JA, Woods JJ, Wetherby AM. Social Communication and Parent Verbal Responsiveness Across Interaction Contexts in Toddlers on the Autism Spectrum. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2024; 33:1266-1282. [PMID: 38407116 PMCID: PMC11081527 DOI: 10.1044/2024_ajslp-23-00319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Interactions with caregivers during the ordinary activities that occur as families go about their everyday lives are critical to supporting children's acquisition of social communication and language skills. The purpose of this study was to examine child communication and parent verbal responsiveness across interaction contexts in 211 children (Mage = 20 months) on the autism spectrum (n = 121), with developmental delay (n = 46), or with typical development (n = 44). METHOD Families participated in up to eight activities during an hour-long, video-recorded home observation. We tested differences in the strength of associations between diagnostic group and interaction context using linear mixed-effects models, with child rate per minute of communication and proportions of parent follow-in comments and directives as outcome variables. Child communicative functions expressed across contexts were also examined. RESULTS Children across groups communicated at significantly higher rates per minute during book sharing and play with people compared to other interaction contexts. Most child communication was for the function of joint attention during book sharing, for social interaction during play with people, and for behavior regulation during necessary activities such as family chores and meals. On average, parents of children responded using proportionally more follow-in comments during book sharing and play compared to necessary activities, during which parents used more follow-in directives. CONCLUSION Results provide a glimpse into the dyadic communication that may occur within everyday activities at home, which supports the need for future intervention research and may aid clinicians seeking to identify activities that serve as important contexts for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Delehanty
- Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Ciera M. Lorio
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, Illinois State University, Normal
| | - Mollie Romano
- School of Communication Science and Disorders, Florida State University, Tallahassee
| | - Jennifer A. Brown
- Mary Frances Early College of Education, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Juliann J. Woods
- Emeritus Professor, School of Communication Science and Disorders, Florida State University, Tallahassee
| | - Amy M. Wetherby
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee
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Hutchins TL, Knox SE, Fletcher EC. Natural language acquisition and gestalt language processing: A critical analysis of their application to autism and speech language therapy . AUTISM & DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS 2024; 9:23969415241249944. [PMID: 38784430 PMCID: PMC11113044 DOI: 10.1177/23969415241249944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Background and Aim Recently, there has been a lot of interest surrounding the term gestalt language processor (GLP) which is associated with Natural Language Acquisition (NLA): a protocol intended to support the language development of autistic people. In NLA, delayed echolalia is presumed raw source material that GLPs use to acquire language in a stage-like progression from delayed echolalia to spontaneous speech. The aim of this article is to evaluate NLA in light of relevant literatures to allow scrutiny of NLA claims. Main contributions First, we review the notion of gestalt language and situate it in the broader literature on language styles to update understanding of its significance. We then review the links from gestalt language processing to autism and identify definitional and conceptual problems and clarify the construct 'episodic memory'. We discuss the 'raw material view of delayed echolalia' and identify theoretical and empirical shortcomings. Finally, we review Blanc's language stages and their accompanying assessment and language support recommendations and challenge their validity. Conclusions & Implications The term 'gestalt language processor' is definitionally and conceptually troubled, the assertion that autistic people are GLPs is misleading and unhelpful, and evidence is lacking that GLP represents a legitimate clinical entity. The theoretical basis of NLA lacks empirical support. NLA stages are implausible and their accompanying assessment and support recommendations lack justification. We recommend the use of alternate, individualized, theoretically-sound, evidence-based, neurodiversity-affirming supports that are sensitive and responsive to the heterogeneity that defines autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany L Hutchins
- Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Sophie E Knox
- Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
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Fusaroli R, Weed E, Rocca R, Fein D, Naigles L. Repeat After Me? Both Children With and Without Autism Commonly Align Their Language With That of Their Caregivers. Cogn Sci 2023; 47:e13369. [PMID: 37905374 PMCID: PMC11223774 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13369] [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: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Linguistic repetitions in children are conceptualized as negative in children with autism - echolalia, without communicative purpose - and positive in typically developing (TD) children - linguistic alignment involved in shared engagement, common ground and language acquisition. To investigate this apparent contradiction we analyzed spontaneous speech in 67 parent-child dyads from a longitudinal corpus (30 minutes of play activities at 6 visits over 2 years). We included 32 children with autism and 35 linguistically matched TD children (mean age at recruitment 32.76 and 20.27 months). We found a small number of exact repetitions in both groups (roughly 1% of utterances across visits), which increased over time in children with autism and decreased in the TD group. Partial repetitions were much more frequent: children reused caregivers' words at high rates regardless of diagnostic group (24% of utterances at first visit), and this increased in frequency (but not level) over time, faster for TD children (at final visit: 33% for autism, 40% for TD). The same happened for partial repetition of syntax and semantic alignment. However, chance alignment (as measured by surrogate pairs) also increased and findings for developmental changes were reliable only for syntactic and semantic alignment. Children with richer linguistic abilities also displayed a higher tendency to partially re-use their caregivers' language (alignment rates and semantic alignment). This highlights that all children commonly re-used the words, syntax, and topics of their caregivers, albeit with some quantitative differences, and that most repetition was at least potentially productive, with repeated language being re-contextualized and integrated with non-repeated language. The salience of echolalia in ASD might be partially explained by slight differences in frequency, amplified by lower semantic alignment, persistence over time, and expectations of echolalia. More in-depth qualitative and quantitative analyses of how repetitions are used and received in context are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Fusaroli
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University
- Interacting Minds Center, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University
- Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania
| | - Ethan Weed
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University
- Interacting Minds Center, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University
| | - Roberta Rocca
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University
- Interacting Minds Center, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University
| | - Deborah Fein
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut
| | - Letitia Naigles
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut
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Krupa M, Boominathan P, Sebastian S, Raman PV. Joint Engagement in Mother-Child Dyads of Autistic and Non-Autistic Children Among Asian Indian Tamil Speaking Families. J Autism Dev Disord 2023:10.1007/s10803-023-06062-y. [PMID: 37642866 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06062-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
This study profiled various levels of engagement and related communication behaviours among 50 Asian Indian Tamil autistic children (AUT) and their mothers. The interaction was compared with two groups of mother-child dyads of non-autistic (NA) children, 50 in each group, matched for chronological age (CA), and for language level (LL). Results indicated that despite mother's efforts to engage with their children, autistic children were often 'engaged with objects' or remained 'unengaged' due to children's preference for solitary play, while NA children were often engaged in 'co-ordinated' and 'people engagement'. Across the three groups, mothers predominantly took the lead and dominated the interaction, irrespective of children's language levels. These initiations by the mothers were often to provide instructions and to ask 'What' questions. Autistic children initiated communication predominantly to ask for an object and responded often in the form of negations and protests with limited verbal output or non-verbally. Most of the communication behaviours of both children and mothers in AUT group was quantitatively and qualitatively different when compared to those in both the NA groups, indicating unique nature of interactions despite matching for CA or LL. The observations from the study highlights the need for considering adult's contingent behaviours also, while assessing communication skills of autistic children in order to provide effective intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murugesan Krupa
- Department of Speech Language Pathology, Sri Ramachandra Faculty of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education & Research (Deemed University, Porur, Chennai, 600 116, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Prakash Boominathan
- Department of Speech Language Pathology, Sri Ramachandra Faculty of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education & Research (Deemed University, Porur, Chennai, 600 116, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Swapna Sebastian
- Audiology & Speech Language Pathology Services, Department of ENT, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Padmasani Venkat Raman
- Department of Paediatric Medicine, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education & Research (Deemed University, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Kushner EH, Britsch ER, Iverson JM. Caregiver object labels within supported and coordinated joint engagement during interaction with toddlers at elevated and typical likelihood of autism. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2023; 58:672-686. [PMID: 36424697 PMCID: PMC10318544 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12809] [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: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early in development, caregivers' object labelling contributes to children's word learning. Language development is a bi-directional process, and differences in joint engagement (JE) and language among children with developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may provide caregivers varying contexts and opportunities to provide object labels. However, potential variation in caregivers' production of object labels and its relation to language development remain relatively unexplored among toddlers with ASD. AIMS This study characterized the structural and functional features of object labels produced by parents of children with typical (TL) or elevated likelihood (EL) of ASD during naturalistic toy play. We examined features of object labels within two JE contexts, supported and coordinated JE, which are differentiated by a child's use of eye contact, as well as their relations with concurrent and future child language skills. METHODS & PROCEDURES The present study included 55 (TL = 12, EL = 43) children who completed a naturalistic parent-child interaction in the home at 18 months of age. Children's expressive and receptive language was assessed at 18, 24 and 36 months. At 36 months, EL children were assessed for ASD and classified as either EL-No Diagnosis, EL-Language Delay or EL-ASD. Videos of interactions were divided into discrete engagement states, including supported and coordinated JE. All parent speech was transcribed and coded to capture structural (types, tokens, mean length of utterance (MLU), sentence position) and functional (follow-in comments, directives, lead-in labels) features of object labels as well as parent prompts for the child to produce a label. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Parents of toddlers across outcome groups labelled objects at similar rates within each engagement state. However, parents of EL-ASD children provided the lowest rates of prompts for labels in supported JE and the highest rate of labels as the final word of an utterance (sentence-final position) in coordinated JE. Additionally, parent prompts in supported JE were related to concurrent child expressive language. Labels in sentence-final position were positively related to later language outcome when delivered in supported JE but were associated with poorer language outcomes when delivered in coordinated JE. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS Subtle differences in parent object labels across outcome groups demonstrate the role that child language and social engagement can play in influencing parent input and the cascading impact of this input on language development. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS What is already known on this subject Variations in caregiver object labelling can impact child language development. However, child characteristics such as language ability also actively shape the input caregivers provide, demonstrating the bi-directionality of language development. What this paper adds to existing knowledge The present study demonstrates that characteristics of the engagement context in which a label is delivered may be important for understanding how object labelling relates to child language acquisition and whether this relation varies for children who face challenges in language learning. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? As child differences in social engagement emerge, parents may be more attuned to moments their children are engaging with eye contact. Caregiver-mediated interventions might consider strategies that guide caregivers in recognizing engagement without eye contact as a similarly meaningful opportunity for learning and encourage the use of rich input within these moments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jana M Iverson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Dingemanse M, Liesenfeld A, Rasenberg M, Albert S, Ameka FK, Birhane A, Bolis D, Cassell J, Clift R, Cuffari E, De Jaegher H, Novaes CD, Enfield NJ, Fusaroli R, Gregoromichelaki E, Hutchins E, Konvalinka I, Milton D, Rączaszek-Leonardi J, Reddy V, Rossano F, Schlangen D, Seibt J, Stokoe E, Suchman L, Vesper C, Wheatley T, Wiltschko M. Beyond Single-Mindedness: A Figure-Ground Reversal for the Cognitive Sciences. Cogn Sci 2023; 47:e13230. [PMID: 36625324 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
A fundamental fact about human minds is that they are never truly alone: all minds are steeped in situated interaction. That social interaction matters is recognized by any experimentalist who seeks to exclude its influence by studying individuals in isolation. On this view, interaction complicates cognition. Here, we explore the more radical stance that interaction co-constitutes cognition: that we benefit from looking beyond single minds toward cognition as a process involving interacting minds. All around the cognitive sciences, there are approaches that put interaction center stage. Their diverse and pluralistic origins may obscure the fact that collectively, they harbor insights and methods that can respecify foundational assumptions and fuel novel interdisciplinary work. What might the cognitive sciences gain from stronger interactional foundations? This represents, we believe, one of the key questions for the future. Writing as a transdisciplinary collective assembled from across the classic cognitive science hexagon and beyond, we highlight the opportunity for a figure-ground reversal that puts interaction at the heart of cognition. The interactive stance is a way of seeing that deserves to be a key part of the conceptual toolkit of cognitive scientists.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marlou Rasenberg
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
| | - Saul Albert
- Discourse and Rhetoric Group, Loughborough University
| | | | - Abeba Birhane
- Mozilla Foundation
- School of Computer Science, University College Dublin
| | - Dimitris Bolis
- Independent Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences
| | - Justine Cassell
- School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
- Paris Artificial Intelligence Research Institute
| | - Rebecca Clift
- Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex
| | - Elena Cuffari
- Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College
| | - Hanne De Jaegher
- IAS-Research Center for Mind, Life and Society, Department of Philosophy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)
| | | | - N J Enfield
- Department of Linguistics, The University of Sydney
| | - Riccardo Fusaroli
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science & Semiotics, Aarhus University
- Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University
- Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania
| | | | - Edwin Hutchins
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego
| | - Ivana Konvalinka
- Section for Cognitive Systems, DTU Compute, Technical University of Denmark
| | | | | | | | - Federico Rossano
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego
| | | | - Johanna Seibt
- Research Unit for Robophilosophy and Integrative Social Robotics, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University
| | - Elizabeth Stokoe
- Discourse and Rhetoric Group, Loughborough University
- Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, London School of Economics
| | | | - Cordula Vesper
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science & Semiotics, Aarhus University
- Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University
| | - Thalia Wheatley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College
- Santa Fe Institute
| | - Martina Wiltschko
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Universitat Pompeu Fabra
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Escher J, Yan W, Rissman EF, Wang HLV, Hernandez A, Corces VG. Beyond Genes: Germline Disruption in the Etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 2022; 52:4608-4624. [PMID: 34596807 PMCID: PMC9035896 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05304-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Investigations into the etiology of autism spectrum disorders have been largely confined to two realms: variations in DNA sequence and somatic developmental exposures. Here we suggest a third route-disruption of the germline epigenome induced by exogenous toxicants during a parent's gamete development. Similar to cases of germline mutation, these molecular perturbations may produce dysregulated transcription of brain-related genes during fetal and early development, resulting in abnormal neurobehavioral phenotypes in offspring. Many types of exposures may have these impacts, and here we discuss examples of anesthetic gases, tobacco components, synthetic steroids, and valproic acid. Alterations in parental germline could help explain some unsolved phenomena of autism, including increased prevalence, missing heritability, skewed sex ratio, and heterogeneity of neurobiology and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill Escher
- Escher Fund for Autism, 1590 Calaveras Avenue, San Jose, CA, USA.
| | - Wei Yan
- The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Emilie F Rissman
- Center for Human Health and the Environment and Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Hsiao-Lin V Wang
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Arturo Hernandez
- Maine Medical Center Research Institute, MaineHealth, Scarborough, ME, USA
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Victor G Corces
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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