Attention to Social Communication: An infant siblings project

Dr. Suzanne CurtinUniversity of Calgary

and

Dr. Shirley LeewAlberta Health Services

Big Picture

To examine whether infants at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder exhibit different preferences for speech and communication.

To examine whether attention biases for speech and social communication in infants at risk follow the same developmental time course as typically developing infants

To ascertain if differences in attention preferences, skills and responses by infants at risk are prospectively associated with language abilities and diagnoses of ASD at 3 years of age.

Why early social attention and language development?

We need more information about individual differences in and preferences for attention to predict communication and language outcomes for infants

Later language disabilities may be associated with an underlying attention-to-language deficit or with social communication deficits

Conceptual Model

Our Babysibs Study will…

Provide information about communicative development in infants who are at increased risk for ASD.

Investigate longitudinally 2 groups of age- and sex-matched infants: Later-born infant siblings of children already

diagnosed with ASD (SIBS-ASD)Later-born typically developing infants (SIBS-TD)

Current ProjectTasks:

Speech preference:Speech/Non-SpeechInfant-directed speech/adult-directed speechProcessing Rhythm

Social communicative:NCAST -- caregiver/child interactionCSBS-DP -- joint attention

Language and cognitive development:Mullen -- motor and cognitive developmentCDI -- language development

ASD:AOSI -- autism observation scale

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Attending to Speech

The first step is to separate speech from other acoustic signals in the environment by attending to, and preferring, sounds produced by the vocal tract. Preference for speech

Caregivers modify their speech to draw the infant’s attention to relevant aspects of the speech signal (Infant-directed speech, IDS). IDS is involved in the regulation of arousal and attention

in infants, the learning of emotional intent, and the highlighting of linguistic structure.

Attending to Social Communication

Joint Attention:Capacity of infants/toddlers to coordinate

their attention to an object/event with a social partner and to communicate about their focus of attention.Following the attention direction of their

partner.Spontaneously initiating coordinated or

shared attention with a social partnerThe beginning of referential and symbolic

communication

Attention and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with ASD do not prefer speech over non-speech, nor do they prefer infant-directed speech.

Joint attention is uniquely linked to language development in children with ASD. impairment in joint attention was found to be the most

sensitive measure of social attention, making it useful for identifying children with ASD.

Current Project

MethodsCurrent Enrollment: Infants tested:

Sibs-ASD: 12Sibs-TD: 26

Age SIBS-TD SIBS-A

4m 26 8

6m 24 8

8m 24 7

12m 20 5

18m 6 2

Measures

Age Speech NCAST(CCX)

CSBS(JA)

CDI(Lg)

Mullen(Cog)

AOSI

4 X X X

6 X X X

8 X X X X

12 X X X X X

18 X X X X X

Methods:

Behavioural & physiologicalLooking time and heart-

rate

Speech/Non-Speech Stimuli

Speech Non-Speech

Preliminary Results: 12-months

CSBS - DP

Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI)Identify and monitor early signs of autism

in infants at heightened risk18-item direct observational measure for

infants 6-18 monthsTarget behaviors include (not limited to)

eye contact, atypical motor/sensory behaviour, social interest, shared affect, attentional disengagement…

AOSI

Discussion

Exploration of infants’ preferences for speech and their social communicative development (JA) will allow us to collect prospective data and identify early markers for any potential language problems.

Studies of older children diagnosed with ASD have demonstrated that they do not pattern with typically developing children on a number of these measures.

Atypical patterning might be exhibited early in infancy.

Acknowledgments Team Members:

Danielle DrouckerTavis CampbellMargaret ClarkePeter FarisJoanne VoldenAthena VouloumanosLonnie Zwaigenbaum

Project CoordinatorsSarah WillsMelanie Khu

Community PartnersSociety for Treatment of

AutismPAARTRenfrew

Coders and Volunteers: Jen, Nicole, Tracey, Jenna,

BeckyFunding: Alberta Centre

for Child, Family, and Community Research

Special thanks to the participating families.

SpeechSpeech DevelopmenDevelopmentt LabLab