Attention to Social Communication: An infant siblings project Dr. Suzanne Curtin University of...
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Transcript of Attention to Social Communication: An infant siblings project Dr. Suzanne Curtin University of...
Attention to Social Communication: An infant siblings project
Dr. Suzanne CurtinUniversity of Calgary
and
Dr. Shirley LeewAlberta Health Services
Big Picture
To examine whether infants at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder exhibit different preferences for speech and communication.
To examine whether attention biases for speech and social communication in infants at risk follow the same developmental time course as typically developing infants
To ascertain if differences in attention preferences, skills and responses by infants at risk are prospectively associated with language abilities and diagnoses of ASD at 3 years of age.
Why early social attention and language development?
We need more information about individual differences in and preferences for attention to predict communication and language outcomes for infants
Later language disabilities may be associated with an underlying attention-to-language deficit or with social communication deficits
Our Babysibs Study will…
Provide information about communicative development in infants who are at increased risk for ASD.
Investigate longitudinally 2 groups of age- and sex-matched infants: Later-born infant siblings of children already
diagnosed with ASD (SIBS-ASD)Later-born typically developing infants (SIBS-TD)
Current ProjectTasks:
Speech preference:Speech/Non-SpeechInfant-directed speech/adult-directed speechProcessing Rhythm
Social communicative:NCAST -- caregiver/child interactionCSBS-DP -- joint attention
Language and cognitive development:Mullen -- motor and cognitive developmentCDI -- language development
ASD:AOSI -- autism observation scale
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Attending to Speech
The first step is to separate speech from other acoustic signals in the environment by attending to, and preferring, sounds produced by the vocal tract. Preference for speech
Caregivers modify their speech to draw the infant’s attention to relevant aspects of the speech signal (Infant-directed speech, IDS). IDS is involved in the regulation of arousal and attention
in infants, the learning of emotional intent, and the highlighting of linguistic structure.
Attending to Social Communication
Joint Attention:Capacity of infants/toddlers to coordinate
their attention to an object/event with a social partner and to communicate about their focus of attention.Following the attention direction of their
partner.Spontaneously initiating coordinated or
shared attention with a social partnerThe beginning of referential and symbolic
communication
Attention and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Children with ASD do not prefer speech over non-speech, nor do they prefer infant-directed speech.
Joint attention is uniquely linked to language development in children with ASD. impairment in joint attention was found to be the most
sensitive measure of social attention, making it useful for identifying children with ASD.
Current Project
MethodsCurrent Enrollment: Infants tested:
Sibs-ASD: 12Sibs-TD: 26
Age SIBS-TD SIBS-A
4m 26 8
6m 24 8
8m 24 7
12m 20 5
18m 6 2
Measures
Age Speech NCAST(CCX)
CSBS(JA)
CDI(Lg)
Mullen(Cog)
AOSI
4 X X X
6 X X X
8 X X X X
12 X X X X X
18 X X X X X
Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI)Identify and monitor early signs of autism
in infants at heightened risk18-item direct observational measure for
infants 6-18 monthsTarget behaviors include (not limited to)
eye contact, atypical motor/sensory behaviour, social interest, shared affect, attentional disengagement…
Discussion
Exploration of infants’ preferences for speech and their social communicative development (JA) will allow us to collect prospective data and identify early markers for any potential language problems.
Studies of older children diagnosed with ASD have demonstrated that they do not pattern with typically developing children on a number of these measures.
Atypical patterning might be exhibited early in infancy.
Acknowledgments Team Members:
Danielle DrouckerTavis CampbellMargaret ClarkePeter FarisJoanne VoldenAthena VouloumanosLonnie Zwaigenbaum
Project CoordinatorsSarah WillsMelanie Khu
Community PartnersSociety for Treatment of
AutismPAARTRenfrew
Coders and Volunteers: Jen, Nicole, Tracey, Jenna,
BeckyFunding: Alberta Centre
for Child, Family, and Community Research
Special thanks to the participating families.
SpeechSpeech DevelopmenDevelopmentt LabLab