The influence of maternal language responsiveness on the expressive speech production of children with autism spectrum disorders: A microanalysis of mother–child play interactions

Adult responsiveness is related to language development both in young typically developing children and in children with autism spectrum disorders, such that parents who use more responsive language with their children have children who develop better language skills over time. This study used a mic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Autism : the international journal of research and practice 2015-05, Vol.19 (4), p.421-432
Main Authors: Walton, Katherine M, Ingersoll, Brooke R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autism
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Bayley Scales of Infant Development
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child, Preschool
Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales
Comparative Analysis
Cues
Early Social Communication Scales
Expressive Language
Female
Humans
Infant
Interaction
Interpersonal Communication
Language
Language Development
Language Usage
MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory
Male
Mother-Child Relations
Parent Child Relationship
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Play and Playthings
Preschool Children
Preschool Language Scale
Speech
Speech Communication
Toddlers
Verbal Behavior
Video Technology
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Summary:Adult responsiveness is related to language development both in young typically developing children and in children with autism spectrum disorders, such that parents who use more responsive language with their children have children who develop better language skills over time. This study used a micro-analytic technique to examine how two facets of maternal utterances, relationship to child focus of attention and degree of demandingness, influenced the immediate use of appropriate expressive language of preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorders (n = 28) and toddlers with typical development (n = 16) within a naturalistic mother–child play session. Mothers’ use of follow-in demanding language was most likely to elicit appropriate expressive speech in both children with autism spectrum disorders and children with typical development. For children with autism spectrum disorders, but not children with typical development, mothers’ use of orienting cues conferred an additional benefit for expressive speech production. These findings are consistent with the naturalistic behavioral intervention philosophy and suggest that following a child’s lead while prompting for language is likely to elicit speech production in children with autism spectrum disorders and children with typical development. Furthermore, using orienting cues may help children with autism spectrum disorders to verbally respond.
ISSN:1362-3613
1461-7005
DOI:10.1177/1362361314523144