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The Utility of Natural Language Samples for Assessing Communication and Language in Infants Referred with Early Signs of Autism

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Abstract

Natural Language Sampling (NLS) offers clear potential for communication and language assessment, where other data might be difficult to interpret. We leveraged existing primary data for 18-month-olds showing early signs of autism, to examine the reliability and concurrent construct validity of NLS-derived measures coded from video—of child language, parent linguistic input, and dyadic balance of communicative interaction—against standardised assessment scores. Using Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) software and coding conventions, masked coders achieved good-to-excellent inter-rater agreement across all measures. Associations across concurrent measures of analogous constructs suggested strong validity of NLS applied to 6-min video clips. NLS offers benefits of feasibility and adaptability for validly quantifying emerging skills, and potential for standardisation for clinical use and rigorous research design.

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Data Availability

Data are available directly from the authors, upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the infants and caregivers for their time commitment to participate in this research. Collection of primary data for this study was supported by funding from the La Trobe University Understanding Disease Research Focus Area, Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism, Western Australian Children’s Research Fund, and Angela Wright Bennett Foundation. Aspects of novel data coding analysed and reported here were undertaken towards a Bachelor of Psychology Honours research thesis by Lyndel Kennedy. Andrew Whitehouse is supported by an Investigator Grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1173896). Jonathan Green is a UK National Institute for Health Research Senior Investigator. The views expressed are those of the authors, and the funders of investigators and the trial and the trial sponsor have had no role in the study design, manuscript drafting or decision to submit for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Counselling and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia

    Kristelle Hudry, Jodie Smith, Catherine A. Bent, Lacey Chetcuti & Lyndel Kennedy

  2. School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia

    Jodie Smith

  3. Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

    Sarah Pillar, Kandice J. Varcin, Maryam Boutrus, Alena Clark, Alicia Lant, Jemima Robinson Lake & Andrew J. O. Whitehouse

  4. Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia

    Kandice J. Varcin

  5. Cooperative Research Centre for Living With Autism, Brisbane, QLD, 4068, Australia

    Maryam Boutrus, Lacey Chetcuti & Andrew J. O. Whitehouse

  6. Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia

    Cheryl Dissanayake & Lyndel Kennedy

  7. Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University, Bendigo, VIC, 3550, Australia

    Teresa Iacono

  8. Australian Centre for Precision Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia

    Leonie Segal

  9. Children’s Neurosciences, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    Vicky Slonims

  10. Division of Neuroscience & Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 PL9, UK

    Carol Taylor & Ming Wai Wan

  11. Division of Psychology and Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 PL9, UK

    Jonathan Green

  12. Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, M25 3BL, UK

    Jonathan Green

Authors
  1. Kristelle Hudry
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  2. Jodie Smith
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  3. Sarah Pillar
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  4. Kandice J. Varcin
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  9. Cheryl Dissanayake
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  10. Teresa Iacono
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  11. Lyndel Kennedy
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  16. Carol Taylor
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  17. Ming Wai Wan
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  18. Jonathan Green
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  19. Andrew J. O. Whitehouse
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Contributions

Conceptualization: KH, JS, SP, AW; Methodology: JS, SP, CB, MB, LC, AC, LK, AL, JRL; Formal analysis and investigation: KH, JS, SP; Writing – original draft preparation: KH; Writing – review and editing: JS, SP, KV, CB, MB, LC, CD, TI, LK, LS, VS, CT, MWW, JG, AW; Funding: N/A; Resources: KH, AW; Supervision: KH, JS, SP, KV, AW.

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Correspondence to Kristelle Hudry.

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This study was approved by the Child and Adolescent Health Services Ethics Committee (Ref 2016008EP).

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Parents/caregivers provided written informed consent for their own and their infants’ participation.

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Hudry, K., Smith, J., Pillar, S. et al. The Utility of Natural Language Samples for Assessing Communication and Language in Infants Referred with Early Signs of Autism. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 51, 529–539 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-01010-3

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