How many ways can the point be made? Evidence from children with and without autism

Abstract

Previous studies have found a dissociation between two forms of pointing gesture in autism: protoimperative pointing is present, while protodeclarative pointing is absent or impoverished. The latter appears to be part of a joint-attention deficit. In the present study, we searched for a third form, referential pointing, in autism. We predicted that since referential pointing can occur for non-social reasons, and without joint-attention, it might be intact in autism. This prediction was borne out. This new dissociation, intact referential pointing with impaired protodeclarative pointing, suggests that our assessment of this important gesture is becoming more refined, and may hold potential for early diagnosis.

Joint attention and children with autism: A review of the literature

“…Several studies suggest that, although children with autism do engage in some forms of pointing, these do not reach levels seen in typical development. Baron-Cohen [1989] and Goodhart and Baron-Cohen [1993] examined children with autism who had at least single words in their vocabulary and provided further support for the selective pointing deficits described earlier by Curcio [1978]. That is, children with autism appear to produce and understand protoimperative pointing to some extent so that this is a relative strength, but protodeclarative pointing is severely impaired, and often completely absent.…”

Person-Centred (Deictic) Expressions and Autism

“…Typically, a point is understood by a listener with reference to current discourse, so that it is not necessary for a speaker to be geometrically exact in conveying what is meant, only precise enough to communicate which of several alternatives is the referent singled out. By all appearances, children who employed laser-beam looks were doing so with reference to an absolute standard of indication, on the model of establishing the target of a laser-guided bomb (and compare Goodhart and Baron-Cohen 1993, with regard to relatively intact 'referential pointing' among children with autism). Their focus was on the exact location, not the person communicated-with who needed to be informed in a manner that was calibrated according to the pragmatic requirements of the situation and with reference to the 'common ground' (Clark 1996) that frames communication.…”

Operant and Respondent Procedures to Establish Social Stimuli as Reinforcers in Children with Autism

“…However, the language that does emerge early on in individuals with autism is more likely to be imperative rather than declarative (Goodhart & Baron-Cohen, 1993). Loveland and Landry (1986) for example, compared mental age-and mean length of utterance-matched children with autism and developmental delays in their use of gestural joint attention and spontaneous communicative behavior.…”

“…Studies that examine the verbal behavior of children with autism often cite the different levels of protodeclarative (the purely social motive of sharing attention to something) and protoimperative responses (getting another's attention for the sake of obtaining a desired item or change in the environment) (Goodhart & Baron-Cohen, 1993). The general finding in most of these studies is that children with autism do not have substantial deficits in engaging in protoimperative communication, but do have substantial deficits in engaging in protodeclarative communication (e.g., Leekam, Lopez, & Moore, 2000;Loveland & Landry, 1986).…”

“…The general finding in most of these studies is that children with autism do not have substantial deficits in engaging in protoimperative communication, but do have substantial deficits in engaging in protodeclarative communication (e.g., Leekam, Lopez, & Moore, 2000;Loveland & Landry, 1986). In a study conducted by Goodhart and Baron-Cohen (1993), 20 typically developing children and 20 children with autism who had some language were tested on their propensity to spontaneously point, or to point when the experimenter asked about a book. They reported that 90% of all of the children were observed engaging in referential pointing, or pointing that was done to respond to the question "what is in the book?"…”