Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-nwzlb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T04:04:43.668Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Prelinguistic predictors of language development in children with autism spectrum disorders over four–five years

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 July 2010

KAREN D. BOPP*
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia, Canada
PAT MIRENDA
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia, Canada
*
[*]Address for correspondence: The University of British Columbia – Educational Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, 2125 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada. tel: 604 822 9691; fax: 604 822 3302; email: bopp@interchange.ubc.ca

Abstract

This study examined relationships between prelinguistic variables from the MacArthur-Bates CDI and the development of language comprehension and production in children with autism. Forty-four children were assessed at baseline and 6, 12, 24, 33 and 53 months later. Growth Curve Modeling was used to examine the extent to which three composite CDI variables and three CDI item groupings predicted language development over 4–5 years. When examined individually, prespeech and early gestures were significant predictors of change for both comprehension and production, but late gestures were not. In addition, initiating joint attention and games and routines predicted comprehension and production over 4–5 years, and conventional gestures also predicted production. When all factors were considered simultaneously, children's ability to participate in games and routines was the only significant predictor of language production over time. The results are discussed with regard to their implications for understanding the complex factors that affect developmental outcomes.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

This research was funded through a post-doctoral fellowship from the National Alliance for Autism Research/Autism Speaks and a grant from the Ministry of Children and Family Development in British Columbia, Canada. We are grateful to the children and families who participated and to the many evaluators and research assistants involved in the project. Portions of this study were presented at the 2008 International Meeting for Autism Research in London, UK; and the 2008 Conference of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in Chicago, IL.

References

REFERENCES

Abdi, H. (2007). Bonferroni and Sidak corrections for multiple comparisons. In Salkind, N. J. (ed.), Encyclopedia of measurement and statistics, 103107. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Bopp, K. D., Mirenda, P. & Zumbo, B. D. (2009). Behavior predictors of language development over two years in children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 52, 1106–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brooks, R. & Meltzoff, A. N. (2008). Infant gaze following and pointing predict accelerated vocabulary growth through two years of age: A longitudinal, growth curve modeling study. Journal of Child Language 35, 207220.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brownell, R. (2000). Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test. Novato, CA: Academic Therapy Publications.Google Scholar
Charman, T., Drew, A., Baird, C. & Baird, G. (2003). Measuring early language development in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (Infant form). Journal of Child Language 30, 213–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Charman, T., Taylor, E., Drew, A., Cockerill, H., Brown, J. & Baird, G. (2005). Outcome at 7 years of children diagnosed with autism at age 2: Predictive validity of assessments conducted at 2 and 3 years of age and pattern of symptom change over time. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 46, 500513.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chen, H. & Cohen, P. (2006). Using individual growth model to analyze the change in quality of life from adolescence to adulthood. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 4(10) [Retrieved from www.hqlo.com/content/4/1/10].CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cronbach, L. J. (2004). My current thoughts on coefficient alpha and successor procedures. Educational and Psychological Measurement 64, 391418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dale, P. S., Price, T. S., Bishop, D. V. M. & Plomin, R. (2003). Outcomes of early language delay: I. Predicting persistent and transient language difficulties at 3 and 4 years. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 46, 544–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunn, L. M. & Dunn, L. M. (1997). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Third Edition (PPVT-III) Technical Manual. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.Google Scholar
Eaves, L. C. & Ho, H. H. (1996). Brief report: Stability and change in cognitive and behavioral characteristics of autism through childhood. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities 26, 557–69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fenson, L., Dale, P. S., Reznick, J. S., Thal, D., Bates, E., Hartung, J. P., Pethick, S. & Reilly, J. S. (1993). MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories: Users guide and technical manual. San Diego, CA: Singular Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Fenson, L., Dale, P. S., Reznick, J. S., Bates, E., Thal, D. & Pethick, S. (1994). Variability in early communicative development. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development 59, 1173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Francis, D. F., Fletcher, J. M., Stuebing, K. K., Davidson, K. C. & Thompson, N. M. (1991). Analysis of change: Modeling individual growth. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 59, 2737.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hedrick, D., Prather, E. & Tobin, A. (1984). Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development-Revised. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.Google Scholar
Hollingshead, A. (1975). Four factor index of social status. Unpublished manuscript, Yale University.Google Scholar
LeCouteur, A., Lord, C. & Rutter, M. (2003). The Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI-R). Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.Google Scholar
Lord, C., Rutter, M., DiLavore, P. & Risi, S. (2002). Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.Google Scholar
Luyster, R., Kadlec, M. B., Carter, A. and Tager-Flusberg, H. (2008). Language assessment and development in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 38, 1426–38.Google ScholarPubMed
Luyster, R., Lopez, K. & Lord, C. (2007). Characterizing communicative development in children referred for autism spectrum disorders using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI). Journal of Child Language 34, 623–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luyster, R., Qiu, S., Lopez, K. & Lord, C. (2007). Predicting outcomes of children referred for autism using the MacArthur-Bates communicative developmental inventory. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 50, 667–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mervis, C. & Klein-Tasman, B. (2004). Methodological issues in group-matching designs: Levels for control variable comparisons and measurement characteristics of control and target variables. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 34, 7–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mullen, E. M. (1995). Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.Google Scholar
Perry, A., Condillac, R. A., Freeman, N. L., Dunn-Geier, J. & Belair, J. (2005). Multi-site study of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) in five clinical groups of young children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 35, 625–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pilowsky, T., Yirmiya, N., Shulman, C. & Dover, R. (1998). The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale: Differences between diagnostic systems and comparison between genders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 28, 143–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reynell, J. K. & Gruber, C. P. (1990). Reynell Developmental Language Scales (U.S. edition). Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.Google Scholar
Saemundsen, E., Magnússon, P., Smári, J. & Sigurdardóttir, S. (2003). Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale: Convergence and discrepancy in diagnosing autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 33, 319–28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sallows, G. & Graupner, T. (2005). Intensive behavioral treatment for children with autism: Four-year outcome and predictors. American Journal on Mental Retardation 110, 417–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schopler, E., Reichler, R. J. & Renner, B. (1988). Childhood Autism Rating Scale. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.Google Scholar
Schreibman, L. (2000). Intensive behavioral/psychoeducational treatments for autism: Research needs and future directions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 30, 373–78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schumacker, R. E. & Lomax, R. G. (2004). A beginner's guide to structural equation modeling, 2nd edn.Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Semel, E., Wiig, E. H. & Secord, W. A. (1995). Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Third Edition (CELF–3). San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Singer, J. D. (1998). Using SAS PROC MIXED to fit multilevel models, hierarchical models, and individual growth models. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics 24, 323–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singer, J. D. & Willet, J. B. (2003). Applied longitudinal data analysis: Modeling change and event outcome. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, V., Mirenda, P. & Zaidman-Zait, A. (2007). Predictors of expressive vocabulary growth in children with autism. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 50, 149–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sparrow, S., Balla, D. & Cicchetti, D. (1984). Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.Google Scholar
Sparrow, S., Cicchetti, D. & Balla, D. (2005). Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, 2nd edn.Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.Google Scholar
Stone, W. L. & Yoder, P. (2001). Predicting spoken language level in children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism: The International Journal of Research & Practice 5, 341–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Streiner, D. L. & Norman, G. R. (1989). Health measurement scales: A practical guide to their development and use. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Tabachnick, B. G. and Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics, 5th edn.Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.Google Scholar
Wiig, E. H., Secord, W. A. & Semel, E. (1992). Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals—Preschool. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Zhang, Z. & Wang, L. (2009). Statistical power analysis for growth curve models using SAS. Behavior Research Methods 41, 1083–94.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zimmerman, I., Steiner, V., & Pond, R. (1992). PLS-3: Preschool Language Scale-3. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar