Joint attention and set-shifting in young children with autism

Executive function deficits in autism have been consistently found in many studies, using a wide range of measures, but usually involving older children and adults and those of higher IQ. The interpretation of executive function deficits is difficult because the concept itself is poorly defined (inhibition of prepotent responses, set-shifting, action planning etc.). Analyses have focused mainly on the attention participants pay to physical entities (object handling and problem solving) rather than social ones. The present study investigated whether these two types of attention are linked in autistic development. Fifteen children with autism (mean mental age = 24 months) were compared to 21 normally developing children (mean mental age = 25 months). A strong correlation was found between joint attention and set-shifting in the typically developing children but not those with autism. The results are discussed from a psychopathological perspective on development.