Labels increase attention to novel objects in children with autism and comprehension-matched children with typical development.
Saying the name of a new toy helps toddlers with ASD look at it longer—just like it does for typical kids.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched toddlers with autism and same-age typical peers while they played.
Each child saw pairs of new toys.
For half the pairs an adult said the toy’s name.
Eye cameras tracked how long each child looked.
What they found
When the adult said the name, both groups stared longer at the new toy.
Kids with autism still looked less overall, but the label gave the same boost.
A simple word acted like a spotlight for every child.
How this fits with other research
Hempkin et al. (2025) later added pointing and excited voice.
They got the same attention lift plus better naming, showing the label effect grows when you pair it with social cues.
Carnerero et al. (2014) went further: after kids just watched picture-name pairs, the children started naming the items themselves.
That leap—from hearing a label to speaking it—builds directly on the 2006 attention spark.
Eikeseth et al. (2009) used a similar idea in therapy.
They taught object sounds first, then switched to the object name.
The earlier sound acted like an attention hook, making the name easier to learn.
Why it matters
You already have this tool in your pocket: the child’s name for a new item.
Next time you introduce a toy, picture, or kitchen tool, say the name first.
Watch the child’s eyes.
If they look longer, you have joint attention—now you can model, prompt, or reinforce.
No extra materials, no data sheet, just your voice turning novelty into a teachable moment.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study used an intact group comparison to examine attention following in 34 children aged 2 years diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) matched pairwise for vocabulary comprehension with a group of typically developing toddlers. For both groups of children, the presence of verbal labels during a referential task increased attention to a novel object over and above the attention-facilitating effect of child-directed talking without labeling. The typically developing children displayed more attention following than comprehension matched children with ASD across experimental conditions and there was no significant difference between the groups in the facilitative effect of hearing verbal labels. Implications for word-learning theory, intervention strategies and future research are considered.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2006 · doi:10.1177/1362361306063287