Early Gesture and Vocabulary Development in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

J Autism Dev Disord. 2018 Jan;48(1):55-71. doi: 10.1007/s10803-017-3297-8.

Abstract

This study examined longitudinal growth in gestures and words in infants at heightened (HR) versus low risk (LR) for ASD. The MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory was administered monthly from 8 to 14 months and at 18 and 24 months to caregivers of 14 HR infants diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD), 27 HR infants with language delay (HR-LD), 51 HR infants with no diagnosis (HR-ND), and 28 LR infants. Few differences were obtained between LR and HR-ND infants, but HR-LD and HR-ASD groups differed in initial skill levels and growth patterns. While HR-LD infants grew at rates comparable to LR and HR-ND infants, growth was attenuated in the HR-ASD group, with trajectories progressively diverging from all other groups.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Gesture; Infant siblings; Vocabulary development.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder / diagnosis
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder / epidemiology
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder / psychology*
  • Child
  • Child Development / physiology*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Gestures*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Language Development Disorders / diagnosis
  • Language Development Disorders / epidemiology
  • Language Development Disorders / psychology*
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Siblings / psychology*
  • Vocabulary*