Brief report: High and low level initiations of joint attention, and response to joint attention: differential relationships with language and imitation.
Point and show skills, plus clear responses to adult bids, drive language and imitation gains in preschoolers with autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Austin et al. (2015) watched preschoolers with autism during play. They coded two kinds of joint attention. High-level: pointing or showing toys. Low-level: only shifting gaze.
They also scored how well the kids responded when adults pointed or looked. Then they checked if these scores predicted language and imitation skills.
What they found
High-level pointing and showing linked to better imitation. Responding to adult bids linked to both language and imitation.
Simple gaze shifts did not predict either skill. Quality of joint attention matters more than quantity of looks.
How this fits with other research
Bottema-Beutel (2016) pooled many studies and found the same key point: responding to joint attention is the strongest language marker in autism.
Neuringer et al. (2007) seemed to disagree. They saw infant siblings with very low responding scores. But they studied babies, not talking preschoolers. The gap closes once language is on the table.
Ingersoll (2012) showed you can boost high-level bids with a short imitation game. The new study tells us why that works: imitation and high-level bids travel together.
Why it matters
Stop counting every glance. During assessment, score pointing, showing, and clear responses. These bits forecast language and imitation months later. If these are weak, start teaching them first. You will save time and see faster gains.
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Add one trial where the child must point or show to share joy; reinforce with social praise and immediate access to the item.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Frequency of high-level (showing/pointing) and low-level (coordinated gaze shifts) behaviors on the Early Social Communication Scales are often used as a measure of joint attention initiations (IJA). This study examined the degree to which these skills and response to joint attention (RJA; e.g. gaze following) were differentially related to measures of language and imitation in 53 children with autism spectrum disorder between the ages of 22 and 93 months. High-level and low-level IJA were not associated with each other, and only high-level IJA was associated with RJA, and language and imitation measures. High-level IJA and RJA were unique predictors of imitation, while RJA was a unique predictor of language. Findings indicate that IJA involves distinct skills, with high-level behaviors more closely related to social-communication skills.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2015 · doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2193-8