JOINT ATTENTION, DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL, AND SYMPTOM PRESENTATION IN AUTISM

Recent data suggest that a disturbance in the development of joint att ention skills is a specific characteristic of young autistic children. This observation may have both theoretical and clinical significance. However, many pertinent issues remain to be addressed with regard to the parameters of joint attention disturbance in children with autism. This study attempted to address several of these issues. The study ex amines the effects of mental age and IQ on the joint attention skills of children with autism, mental retardation, and normal development. T he study also examined the relation of joint attention behaviors to th e parent's report of symptoms presented by children with autism. The r esults suggested that, differences in IQ and mental age may be related to differences in the type of joint attention skill deficits displaye d by children with autism. The results also suggested that joint atten tion disturbance is associated with a circumscribed, but social cluste r of symptoms observed among young autistic children by their parents. The implications of these findings for developmental models of autism are discussed.