How Parents Impact the Joint Attention-Vocabulary Bond for Children with Autism

Joint attention is a form of socially coordinated attention that has been well-documented to predict language development in children with autism spectrum disorder. Computer-based assessment of early JA behaviors limits our understanding of how real-time attention experiences in social and naturalistic dynamics might be related to language learning. The present study used head-mounted eye-tracking methods during parent-child object play to document how moment-to-moment joint attention experiences are related to children's vocabulary achievement and the role of parental input on the relationship. Results indicate that the joint attention measurements positively predicted early vocabulary development and the relation was moderated by parental object-holding and parental sustained attention to their child's face. The results may offer insights into the development of early parent-mediated autism interventions that focus on parental play behaviors.