Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) produce fewer deictic gestures, accompanied by delays/deviations in speech development, compared to typically-developing (TD) children. We ask whether children with ASD-like TD children-show right-hand preference in gesturing and whether right-handed gestures predict their vocabulary size in speech. Our analysis of handedness in gesturing in children with ASD (n = 23, Mage = 30-months) and with TD (n = 23, Mage = 18-months) during mother-child play showed a right-hand preference for TD children-but not for children with ASD. Nonetheless, right-handed deictic gestures predicted expressive vocabulary 1year later in both children with ASD and with TD. Handedness for gesture, both hand preference and amount of right-handed pointing, may be an important indicator of language development in autism and typical development.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.