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. 2019 Jan;90(1):e1-e18.
doi: 10.1111/cdev.12973. Epub 2017 Oct 9.

An Expanded View of Joint Attention: Skill, Engagement, and Language in Typical Development and Autism

Lauren B Adamson  1 , Roger Bakeman  1 , Katharine Suma  1 , Diana L Robins  2
Affiliations

An Expanded View of Joint Attention: Skill, Engagement, and Language in Typical Development and Autism

Lauren B Adamson et al. Child Dev. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

This study provides an expanded view of joint attention and its relation to expressive language development. A total of 144 toddlers (40 typically developing, 58 with autism spectrum disorder [ASD], 46 with developmental delay [DD]) participated at 24 and 31 months. Toddlers who screened positive for ASD risk, especially those subsequently diagnosed with ASD, had poorer joint attention skills, joint engagement during parent-toddler interaction, and expressive language. Findings highlight the dynamic relation between joint attention and language development. In the ASD and DD groups, joint engagement predicted later expressive vocabulary, significantly more than predictions based on joint attention skills. Joint engagement was most severely impacted when toddlers did not talk initially and improved markedly if they subsequently began to speak.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: Diana L Robins is co-holder of the copyright for the M-CHAT and M-CHAT-R and co-owner of M-CHAT, LLC, which receives royalties from companies that incorporate the M-CHAT into commercial products. All other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagnostic group means for the initial-visit rating items. Error bars represent standard errors of the mean. N = 144 (58, 46, and 40 for ASD, DD, and TD groups, respectively).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Language group means for the initial-visit rating items. Error bars represent standard errors of the mean. N = 104 (76 and 28 for not-talking and talking groups, respectively; excludes TD children).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Language change group means for the initial-visit and follow-up-visit rating items. Error bars represent standard errors of the mean. N = 78 (28, 30, and 20 for the N-N, N-T, and T-T groups, respectively; excludes TD children).
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References

    1. Adamson LB, Bakeman R. The development of shared attention during infancy. In: Vasta R, editor. Annals of Child Development. Vol. 8. London: Kingsley; 1991. pp. 1–41.
    1. Adamson LB, Bakeman R, Deckner DF. The development of symbol-infused joint engagement. Child Development. 2004;75:1171–1187. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00732x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Adamson LB, Bakeman R, Brandon B. How parents introduce new words to young children: The influence of development and developmental disorders. Infant Behavior and Development. 2015;39:148–158. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2015.02.008. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adamson LB, Bakeman R, Deckner DF, Nelson PB. From interactions to conversations: The development of joint engagement during early childhood. Child Development. 2014;85:941–955. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12189. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adamson LB, Bakeman R, Deckner DF, Nelson PB. Rating parent-child interactions: Joint engagement, communication dynamics, and shared topics in autism, Down syndrome, and typical development. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2012;42:2622–2635. doi: 10.1007/s10803-012-1520-1. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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