Adapting measures of motor imitation for use by caregivers in virtual contexts: Reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change.

Early imitation challenges for children with autism are thought to contribute to broader delays in their social communication development. As such, imitation is an important intervention target for young children with and showing early signs of autism, and efforts are underway to disseminate evidence-based imitation interventions into community settings. To our knowledge, there are currently no established imitation assessments that have been validated for use in virtual contexts.

Cultivating the imagination: Caregiver input during pretend play with toddlers at elevated likelihood for autism.

Toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may exhibit less pretend play than their neurotypical counterparts. Previous research suggests that caregivers' input during play influences children's play behavior, and children's behavior may in turn prompt caregivers of differently developing children to talk about play in different ways. Caregiver input about pretend play during toy play at home was examined at 18- and 36-months in toddlers with an older sibling with ASD, who are at elevated likelihood (EL) for ASD (n = 40), and toddlers with typical likelihood (TL) for ASD (n = 12).

Reaching While Learning to Sit: Capturing the Kinematics of Co-Developing Skills at Home.

This study examined the co-development of infant reaching and postural control across the transition to arms-free sitting at home. We observed infants with typical likelihood (TL; n = 24) and elevated likelihood (EL; n = 20) for autism at four biweekly sessions spanning the transition to arms-free sitting (infant age = 4.5-8 months at first session).

Adding to the Conversation: Language Delays and Parent-Child Interactions in the Younger Siblings of Children With Autism.

In their first three years, children begin to maintain topics and add new information in conversation. In turn, caregivers create opportunities for language learning. Compared to children with no family history of autism (typical likelihood, TL), the younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at elevated likelihood (EL) for both ASD and language delays.

Caregiver object labels within supported and coordinated joint engagement during interaction with toddlers at elevated and typical likelihood of autism.

Background: Early in development, caregivers' object labelling contributes to children's word learning. Language development is a bi-directional process, and differences in joint engagement (JE) and language among children with developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may provide caregivers varying contexts and opportunities to provide object labels. However, potential variation in caregivers' production of object labels and its relation to language development remain relatively unexplored among toddlers with ASD.