Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Examining Gesture Production in the Presence of Communication Challenges
Published on: January 26, 2024
Analysis of social interaction gestures in infants with autism
Siobhan E Colgan1, Elizabeth Lanter, Cara McComish
1School of Education, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599, USA. siobhan_colgan@unc.edu
Abstract:
This study analyzes the emergent use of gestures used among 9-12-month-old infants with autism and typical development using retrospective video analysis. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the frequency, initiation, prompting, and diversity of types of gestures used for social interaction purposes. It was hypothesized that a restricted variety in type(s) of gestures as well as fewer child-initiated gestures and more prompted gestures would be associated with later diagnosis of autism. Logistic regression analysis found that decreased variety in type of gestures used was significantly associated with autism status. Neither number of total gestures nor initiation of gestures (child-initiated vs. prompted) was significantly associated with autism status.
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