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Mechanisms by Which Early Eye Gaze to the Mouth During Multisensory Speech Influences Expressive Communication Development in Infant Siblings of Children with and Without Autism

Mechanisms by Which Early Eye Gaze to the Mouth During Multisensory Speech Influences Expressive... Looking to the mouth of a talker early in life predicts expressive communication. We hypothesized that looking at a talker's mouth may signal that infants are ready for increased supported joint engagement and that it subsequently facilitates prelinguistic vocal development and translates to broader gains in expressive communication. We tested this hypothesis in 50 infants aged 6–18 months with the heightened and general population‐level likelihood of autism diagnosis (Sibs‐autism and Sibs‐NA; respectively). We measured infants' gaze to a speaker's face using an eye‐tracking task, supported joint engagement during parent–child free play sessions, vocal complexity during a communication sample, and broader expressive communication. Looking at the mouth was indirectly associated with expressive communication via increased higher‐order supported joint engagement and vocal complexity. This indirect effect did not vary according to sibling status. This study provides preliminary insights into the mechanisms by which looking at the mouth may influence expressive communication development. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png "Mind, Brain, and Education" Wiley

Mechanisms by Which Early Eye Gaze to the Mouth During Multisensory Speech Influences Expressive Communication Development in Infant Siblings of Children with and Without Autism

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References (80)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Journal Compilation © 2022 International Mind, Brain, and Education Society and Blackwell Publishing, LLC
ISSN
1751-2271
eISSN
1751-228X
DOI
10.1111/mbe.12310
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Looking to the mouth of a talker early in life predicts expressive communication. We hypothesized that looking at a talker's mouth may signal that infants are ready for increased supported joint engagement and that it subsequently facilitates prelinguistic vocal development and translates to broader gains in expressive communication. We tested this hypothesis in 50 infants aged 6–18 months with the heightened and general population‐level likelihood of autism diagnosis (Sibs‐autism and Sibs‐NA; respectively). We measured infants' gaze to a speaker's face using an eye‐tracking task, supported joint engagement during parent–child free play sessions, vocal complexity during a communication sample, and broader expressive communication. Looking at the mouth was indirectly associated with expressive communication via increased higher‐order supported joint engagement and vocal complexity. This indirect effect did not vary according to sibling status. This study provides preliminary insights into the mechanisms by which looking at the mouth may influence expressive communication development.

Journal

"Mind, Brain, and Education" – Wiley

Published: Feb 1, 2022

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