Training Early Social Language in Autism

The mirror neuron system (MNS) broadly refers to a network of brain regions that responds both when a person performs an action and when that person observes someone else performing the same action. This system emerges in infancy and develops over time to support more complex social abilities. It has been hypothesized that autism involves fundamental impairments to the MNS, which can explain the deficits in joint attention, imitation, communication and social cognition. This study investigates the MNS in 100 toddlers and preschoolers recently diagnosed with autism or with a suspected diagnosis of autism. First, children with (suspected) autism complete a battery of behavioral measures and MNS activity will be assessed using electrophysiology (EEG; event-related potentials) while the child participates in specific tasks. Then, the children with (suspected) autism will be randomly assigned to one of two behavioral intervention programs (i.e., targeted joint attention intervention or parent education intervention) that will be carried out by interventionists and parents for 10-12 weeks. At the end of the intervention, these children will be re-evaluated on behavioral tasks and EEG to investigate changes as a result of the intervention. The investigators hypothesize that the joint attention intervention will lead to significant changes on both the neural and behavioral measures of MNS functioning.