A Cross-sectional Study of Shared Attention by Children With Autism and Typically Developing Children in an Inclusive Preschool Setting. Issue 3 (July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rice, Catherine E.; Adamson, Lauren B.; Winner, Ellen; McGee, Gail G.
• Is Part Of: Topics in language disorders. Volume 36:Issue 3(2016:Jul./Sep.)
• Publication Date: 2016-07
• Subjects: autism -- autism spectrum disorder (ASD) -- development -- joint attention -- preschool -- shared attention; Language disorders -- Periodicals; Language disorders in children -- Periodicals; Language Disorders -- Periodicals; Speech-Language Pathology -- Periodicals; 616.855
• DOI: 10.1097/TLD.0000000000000099
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0271-8294

Abstract

Abstract : This study examined the ways in which young children with autism and typical children focus their engagement with objects and people (peers and adults) in an inclusive preschool setting. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of 30 typical children and 30 children with autism, with 10 different children from each group at 3 different ages (2, 3, and 4 years), interacting with both adults and peers available as partners. By the age of 3 years, typically developing children engaged in coordinated joint attention (CJA) with others at a stable rate. At 4 years, children with autism exhibited more sharing attention to objects and events with others compared with groups with autism at 2 and 3 years. However, episodes of shared engagement remained low, and joint engagement involved more episodes of supported joint engagement compared to typical peers, with an adult as their primary partner. Typical children at 4 years of age showed a trend toward increasing their shared attention with peers. Individual children in both groups had a great deal of variability in their joint engagement with others. Children with autism were much less likely to initiate joint episodes and were much more likely to engage in a joint state for instrumental purposes than were their typical peers. These patterns of engagement are likely to have significant impact on the learning opportunities available to these groups of children.