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Exploring the Nature of Joint Attention Impairments in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Associated Social and Cognitive Skills

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Abstract

It is generally accepted that joint attention skills are impaired in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, social preference, attention disengagement and intention understanding, assumed to be associated with the development of joint attention, are explored in relation to joint attention skills in children with ASD at the age of 36 months. Response to joint attention was related to intention understanding, whereas the number of joint attention initiations was associated with attention disengagement, and somewhat less stronger with social preference. The level on which children initiated joint attention was related to social preference. Possible interpretations of these findings are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to the parents and children for participating in the study and making this research possible. This study was supported by a grant from the Research Foundation Flanders, Belgium (FWO).

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  1. Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Inge Schietecatte, Herbert Roeyers & Petra Warreyn

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  1. Inge Schietecatte
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  2. Herbert Roeyers
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Correspondence to Inge Schietecatte.

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Fig. 2
figure 2

Examples of social (a) and nonsocial stimuli (b) used in the social preference task

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Schietecatte, I., Roeyers, H. & Warreyn, P. Exploring the Nature of Joint Attention Impairments in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Associated Social and Cognitive Skills. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 1–12 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1209-x

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