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Gesture Production in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders volume 51, pages 1658–1667 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate delayed and atypical communication development. These deficits constitute a core criterion for the diagnosis of ASD, though information regarding gestural communication in toddlers with ASD remains limited. The present investigation implemented a robust gesture classification system in order to obtain quantitative measures of gesture production in a cohort of toddlers with ASD (n = 40) and controls (n = 40) during 10-min, play-based interactions with caregivers. Children with ASD produced fewer overall gestures and gesture subtypes compared to controls. The ASD group also displayed atypical patterns of gesture production. These findings highlight the need for evidence-based screening, assessment, and intervention protocols pertaining to gestural communication in toddlers with ASD.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge all of the caregivers and their children for their participation in this research study, and for their contribution to the advancement of our understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication Disorders, Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield, CT, 06825, USA

    Avinash Mishra, Victoria Ceballos, Kelsey Himmelwright & Shannon McCabe

  2. Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA

    Lindsay Scott

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  1. Avinash Mishra
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  2. Victoria Ceballos
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  3. Kelsey Himmelwright
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  4. Shannon McCabe
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Contributions

AM conceived of the investigation and participated in study design, data collection and analyses, and interpretation. LS participated in data collection and analyses. All authors participated in conceptualization of the study and manuscript preparation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Avinash Mishra.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Mishra, A., Ceballos, V., Himmelwright, K. et al. Gesture Production in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 51, 1658–1667 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04647-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04647-5

Keywords

  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Gesture
  • Communication
  • Pediatrics