The behaviors of parents of children with autism predict the
subsequent development of their children's communication.
Siller M, Sigman M.
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles 90024-1759, USA.
siller@ucla.edu
The present study focused on behaviors that caregivers of children with autism
show during play interactions, particularly the extent to which the caregiver's
behavior is synchronized with the child's focus of attention and ongoing
activity. The study had two major findings. First, caregivers of children with
autism synchronized their behaviors to their children's attention and activities
as much as did caregivers of children with developmental delay and caregivers of
typically developing children, matched on language capacities. Second,
caregivers of children with autism who showed higher levels of synchronization
during initial play interactions had children who developed superior joint
attention and language over a period of 1, 10, and 16 years than did children of
caregivers who showed lower levels of synchronization initially. These findings
suggest a developmental link between parental sensitivity and the child's
subsequent development of communication skills in children with autism.
Implications for parent training interventions are discussed.
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