Poster #45 - The Gesture-Language Association over Time in Toddlers with and without Language Delays

• In Event: 1-061 - Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Section - Developmental Disabilities

Integrative Statement

Background: Reduced gesture use has been reported in toddlers with language delays (LD) and is a prominent prodromal feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Findings from studies examining gesture use in toddlers with LD have been mixed, and suggest that differences may relate to the magnitude or type of LD. In contrast, gesture deficits have consistently been identified as one of the earliest social communication indicators in toddlers with ASD. Thus, this study aimed to: (1) examine the production of gestures types (deictic and conventional) for two communicative functions (behavior regulation and joint attention) across two observational contexts in a sample of 18-month-old toddlers with LD with and without ASD outcomes, and (2) examine if and how early gesture use is associated with later language.
Methods: Toddlers with significant LD (n=30) or typical development (TD; n=62) were drawn from longitudinal studies of early LD as a risk factor for ASD. Toddlers identified with early LD were classified based on a diagnosis of ASD (LD-ASD; n=12) or non-ASD (LD-NonASD; n=18) after an evaluation at 36 months. Gestures were coded from video recordings of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile-Behavior Sample (CSBS) and a naturalistic parent-child interaction (PCI) obtained at 18 months. Language outcomes included receptive and expressive age equivalents from the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the number of words produced on the McArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories.
Results: Results of negative binomial generalized linear models revealed that at 18 months, toddlers with LD showed reduced deictic and conventional gesture use in both the CSBS and PCI compared to TD. Within the early LD group, toddlers with an ASD diagnosis at outcome also produced significantly fewer deictic gestures than those without an ASD diagnosis across both communicative functions and observational contexts (see Table 1). As shown in Figure 1, while all groups of toddlers gestured more in the CSBS, the mean difference in gesture use between the CSBS and PCI was significantly larger in toddlers with TD than LD for deictic gestures. The difference between the two contexts did not vary as much by group for conventional gestures. In the full sample, a significant association was found between deictic gestures in the CSBS and both receptive language at 36 months, and change in the number of words produced from 18 to 36 months, accounting for significant confounders of maternal education, age, and nonverbal cognitive development.
Conclusions: Toddlers with early LD, regardless of whether ASD was later diagnosed, showed reduced deictic and conventional gesture use compared to toddlers with TD across contexts. In addition, within the early LD group, a more pronounced deficit in deictic gestures was observed in toddlers with an ASD diagnosis at outcome. Importantly, deictic gesture use, but not conventional, was associated with the development of language in toddlers with and without LD. Findings indicate that assessment of young children with LD should include evaluation of types of gestures used and the purpose of their use, with a more semi-structured measure providing more opportunities for gesture production.

Authors

• Stacy Shumway Manwaring, University of Utah
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lauren Swineford, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Danielle L. Mead, San Jose State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Audrey Thurm, NIMH
  Presenting Author