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Longitudinal prediction of language emergence in infants at high and low risk for autism spectrum disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2016

Sarah R. Edmunds ,
Lisa V. Ibañez ,
Zachary Warren ,
Daniel S. Messinger  and
Wendy L. Stone
Sarah R. Edmunds*
Affiliation:
University of Washington
Lisa V. Ibañez
Affiliation:
University of Washington
Zachary Warren
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University
Daniel S. Messinger
Affiliation:
University of Miami
Wendy L. Stone
Affiliation:
University of Washington
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Sarah R. Edmunds, University of Washington, Box 351525, Seattle, WA 98195; E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

This study used a prospective longitudinal design to examine the early developmental pathways that underlie language growth in infants at high risk (n = 50) and low risk (n = 34) for autism spectrum disorder in the first 18 months of life. While motor imitation and responding to joint attention (RJA) have both been found to predict expressive language in children with autism spectrum disorder and those with typical development, the longitudinal relation between these capacities has not yet been identified. As hypothesized, results revealed that 15-month RJA mediated the association between 12-month motor imitation and 18-month expressive vocabulary, even after controlling for earlier levels of RJA and vocabulary. These results provide new information about the developmental sequencing of skills relevant to language growth that may inform future intervention efforts for children at risk for language delay or other developmental challenges.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 29 , Special Issue 1: Developmental and Social–Ecological Perspectives on Children, Political Violence, and Armed Conflict , February 2017 , pp. 319 - 329
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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