Modelling gesture use and early language development in autism spectrum disorder

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Speech and Language Pathology

Background:

• Nonverbal communication, particularly gesture use, is often impaired in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• The influence of gesture development on other developmental areas in ASD remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between gesture, fine motor skills, and language in young children with ASD.
• To compare these relationships in children with ASD versus a control group using structural equation modeling.

Main Methods:

• 110 children with ASD and 87 controls (aged 12-48 months) were assessed.
• Gesture use was measured using the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales-Developmental Profile Caregiver Questionnaire (CQ) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
• Fine motor skills were assessed using Mullen Scales of Early Learning and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II (VABS-II). Structural equation modeling and regression analyses were employed.

Main Results:

• A unified gesture construct, incorporating parent-reported and observed gestures along with fine motor skills, showed a strong correlation with concurrent expressive and receptive language in all children.
• These gesture-language correlations were comparable between ASD and non-ASD groups.
• In a longitudinal ASD subgroup, early gesture scores predicted later receptive language, but not expressive language.

Conclusions:

• Findings support an underlying construct of gesture use, encompassing fine motor abilities, that is related to language in young children with ASD.
• This highlights the developmental importance of motor and nonverbal communication strategies in early language acquisition.
• The study underscores the interconnectedness of motor skills, nonverbal communication, and language development in ASD.