Longitudinal prediction of language emergence in infants at high and low risk for autism spectrum disorder

This study used a prospective longitudinal design to examine the early developmental pathways that underlie language growth in infants at high risk (n = 50) and low risk (n = 34) for autism spectrum disorder in the first 18 months of life. While motor imitation and responding to joint attention (RJA...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDevelopment and psychopathology Vol. 29; no. 1; pp. 319 - 329
Main Authors Edmunds, Sarah R., Ibañez, Lisa V., Warren, Zachary, Messinger, Daniel S., Stone, Wendy L.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.02.2017
Subjects
Attention
Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology
Child development
Female
Humans
Infant
Language
Language acquisition
Language Development
Language Development Disorders - psychology
Male
Prospective Studies
Psychopathology
Regular Articles
Risk factors
Vocabulary
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Summary:This study used a prospective longitudinal design to examine the early developmental pathways that underlie language growth in infants at high risk (n = 50) and low risk (n = 34) for autism spectrum disorder in the first 18 months of life. While motor imitation and responding to joint attention (RJA) have both been found to predict expressive language in children with autism spectrum disorder and those with typical development, the longitudinal relation between these capacities has not yet been identified. As hypothesized, results revealed that 15-month RJA mediated the association between 12-month motor imitation and 18-month expressive vocabulary, even after controlling for earlier levels of RJA and vocabulary. These results provide new information about the developmental sequencing of skills relevant to language growth that may inform future intervention efforts for children at risk for language delay or other developmental challenges.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:0954-5794
1469-2198
DOI:10.1017/S0954579416000146