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Brief Report: Longitudinal Improvements in the Quality of Joint Attention in Preschool Children with Autism

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Abstract

Children with autism exhibit deficits in their quantity and quality of joint attention. Early autism intervention studies rarely document improvement in joint attention quality. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a change in joint attention quality for preschoolers with autism who were randomized to a joint attention intervention, symbolic play intervention, or a control group. Quality was defined as shared positive affect during joint attention as well as shared positive affect and utterances during joint attention. Interactions of group and time were found for both types of joint attention quality. During the follow up visits, the joint attention and symbolic play intervention groups produced more of these two types of joint attention quality than the control group.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the NIH grant HD035470, the CPEA network, the Autism Intervention Research- Network funded by U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services HRSA, Maternal and Child Health Branch, Grant # UA3MC11055, as well as a center grant (1-P50-HD-055784) from NIH/NICHD. We appreciate the children and caregivers, who took part in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Autism Research and Treatment, University of California, 68-268 Semel Institute, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Kathy Lawton

  2. Psychological Studies in Education and Center for Autism Research and Treatment, University of California, 68-268 Semel Institute, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Connie Kasari

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  1. Kathy Lawton
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  2. Connie Kasari
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Correspondence to Kathy Lawton.

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Lawton, K., Kasari, C. Brief Report: Longitudinal Improvements in the Quality of Joint Attention in Preschool Children with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 307–312 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1231-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1231-z

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