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Infant joint attention skill and preschool behavioral outcomes in at-risk children

Stephen J Sheinkopf1, Peter Mundy, Angelika H Claussen

  • 1E P Bradley Hospital, Brown Medical School, East Providence, RI 02915, USA. Stephen_Sheinkopf@brown.edu

Development and Psychopathology
|October 19, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Infant joint attention (JA) skills predict later social behaviors in at-risk children. Specific JA types, like initiating joint attention, differentially impact disruptive, withdrawn, and social competence outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Child Psychiatry

Background:

  • Prenatal exposure to cocaine is linked to developmental challenges.
  • Early social-communication skills, like joint attention (JA), are crucial for later social development.
  • Understanding predictors of social behavior in at-risk populations is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if infant joint attention (JA) skills predict social behaviors in preschool children with prenatal cocaine exposure.
  • To examine differential effects of distinct JA types (Initiating JA, Responding to JA, Requests) on behavioral outcomes.
  • To explore the relationship between early JA and later disruptive, withdrawn behaviors, and social competence.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 30 at-risk preschool children.
  • Joint attention behaviors assessed at 12, 15, and 18 months using the Early Social and Communication Scales.
  • Behavioral outcomes (disruptive, withdrawn behaviors, social competence) measured at 36 months.

Main Results:

  • Infant JA skills predicted behavioral outcomes, even after controlling for language and cognitive ability.
  • Initiating JA negatively predicted disruptive behaviors.
  • Requests positively predicted disruptive behaviors, while infant Responding to JA negatively predicted withdrawn behaviors and positively predicted social competence.

Conclusions:

  • Functionally distinct types of infant joint attention have differential impacts on later social behavior.
  • Early joint attention skills are important predictors of social adjustment in children with prenatal substance exposure.
  • Findings contribute to understanding the variability in joint attention skill expression and its developmental consequences.

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