Joint attention interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background A core social‐communication deficit in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited joint attention behaviours—important in the diagnosis of ASD and shown to be a powerful predictor of later language ability. Various interventions have been used to train joint attention skills...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of language & communication disorders 2016-05, Vol.51 (3), p.236-251
Main Authors: Murza, Kimberly A., Schwartz, Jamie B., Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie L., Nye, Chad
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attention
Autism
autism spectrum disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder - diagnosis
Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology
Autism Spectrum Disorder - therapy
Child
Children
Confidence intervals
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Intervention
Joint attention
Medical diagnosis
Meta-analysis
Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care)
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Social Communication Disorder - diagnosis
Social Communication Disorder - psychology
Social Communication Disorder - therapy
Studies
Systematic review
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Summary:Background A core social‐communication deficit in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited joint attention behaviours—important in the diagnosis of ASD and shown to be a powerful predictor of later language ability. Various interventions have been used to train joint attention skills in children with ASD. However, it is unclear which participant, intervention and interventionist factors yield more positive results. Aims The purpose of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to provide a quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of joint attention interventions aimed at improving joint attention abilities in children with ASD. Methods & Procedures The researchers searched six databases for studies meeting the inclusion criteria at two levels: title/ and full‐text stages. Two independent coders completed data extraction using a coding manual and form developed specifically for this research study. Meta‐analysis procedures were used to determine the overall effects of several comparisons including treatment type, treatment administrator, intervention characteristics and follow‐up. Main Contribution Fifteen randomized experimental studies met inclusion criteria. All comparisons resulted in statistically significant effects, though overlapping confidence intervals suggest that none of the comparisons were statistically different from each other. Specifically, treatment administrator, dosage and design (control or comparison, etc.) characteristics of the studies do not appear to produce significantly different effects. Conclusions & Implications The results of this meta‐analysis provide strong support for explicit joint attention interventions for young children with ASD; however, it remains unclear which children with ASD respond to which type of intervention.
ISSN:1368-2822
1460-6984
DOI:10.1111/1460-6984.12212