The major objective of this research is to determine whether nonverbal social-communication skills are impaired in young mentally retarded children.
The second aim i s to determine whether an association exists between levels of nonverbal communication skills and language abilities within samples of normal and retarded children. Finally, the third goal of this research is to address the hypothesis that differences in care-giver behavior are associated with nonverbal social-communication skills in normal and mentally retarded children. In order to identify impairments in the nonverbal social-communication skills of mentally retarded children, developmentally matched samples of normal and mentally retarded children will be observed in structured child-adult interactions designed to measure a well-defined set of nonverbal communication competencies. The generality of nonverbal social-communication impairments related to mental retardation will be assessed by including samples form different diagnostic subgroups of mental retardation and different developmental levels. In order to determine whether an association exists between nonverbal communication skills and language ability the normal and retarded children will be assessed on measures of receptive and expressive language. In addition, observational measures of caregiver-child interaction will be used to test our hypotheses that the caregiver's responsiveness to the child's behavior is an important correlate of early communication skills and that caregivers will be less responsive to young mentally retarded children than to normal children. This examination of social-communication skills will advance our understanding of the development of communicative and social competence in the young mentally retarded child, and it is a first step toward designing interventions aimed at enhancing social and communicative competence in these children.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01HD017662-04
Application #
3314645
Study Section
Human Development and Aging Subcommittee 1 (HUD)
Project Start
1983-03-01
Project End
1991-08-31
Budget Start
1987-09-01
Budget End
1988-08-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Los Angeles
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
119132785
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90095
Siller, Michael; Sigman, Marian (2002) The behaviors of parents of children with autism predict the subsequent development of their children's communication. J Autism Dev Disord 32:77-89
Travis, L; Sigman, M; Ruskin, E (2001) Links between social understanding and social behavior in verbally able children with autism. J Autism Dev Disord 31:119-30
Sigman, M; Ruskin, E; Arbeile, S et al. (1999) Continuity and change in the social competence of children with autism, Down syndrome, and developmental delays. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev 64:1-114
Sigman, M (1998) The Emanuel Miller Memorial Lecture 1997. Change and continuity in the development of children with autism. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 39:817-27
Kasari, C; Sigman, M (1997) Linking parental perceptions to interactions in young children with autism. J Autism Dev Disord 27:39-57
Dissanayake, C; Sigman, M; Kasari, C (1996) Long-term stability of individual differences in the emotional responsiveness of children with autism. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 37:461-7
Mundy, P; Kasari, C; Sigman, M et al. (1995) Nonverbal communication and early language acquisition in children with Down syndrome and in normally developing children. J Speech Hear Res 38:157-67
Sigman, M; Arbelle, S; Dissanayake, C (1995) Current research findings on childhood autism. Can J Psychiatry 40:289-94
Ruskin, E M; Mundy, P; Kasari, C et al. (1994) Object mastery motivation of children with Down syndrome. Am J Ment Retard 98:499-509
Arbelle, S; Sigman, M D; Kasari, C (1994) Compliance with parental prohibition in autistic children. J Autism Dev Disord 24:693-702

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