Cultivating the imagination: Caregiver input during pretend play with toddlers at elevated likelihood for autism.
Kathryn B Altman, Samantha N Plate, Emily Roemer Britsch and 1 others
PMID 39367701WHAT IT FOUND
Caregiver talk about pretend play increased from 18 to 36 months, with more references to objects than self.
At 36 months, caregivers of toddlers diagnosed with autism used less pretend play talk and matched their child's actions less often than other groups.
Key findings
01From 18 to 36 months, the proportion of caregiver utterances about pretend play rose from 40% to 46%, and relatedness to the child's active play rose from 37% to 60%.
02At 36 months, caregivers of toddlers with an autism diagnosis produced a significantly smaller proportion of pretend play utterances than caregivers of toddlers with no diagnosis.
03At 36 months, caregivers of toddlers with an autism diagnosis had a significantly smaller proportion of pretend play utterances related to their toddlers' play behaviors compared to caregivers of typically developing toddlers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (52 dyads), and most participants were white and native English speakers, limiting generalizability. The play session was brief (three minutes) and used a standard set of toys, which may have prompted more pretend talk than occurs in daily life. The study observed naturalistic interaction but did not test an intervention, so it cannot prove that changing caregiver talk improves child outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the National Institute of Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lower rate of related play talk in caregivers of toddlers with autism as a lack of skill or effort. The study shows these caregivers still talk about pretend play frequently, but the children's spontaneous engagement levels may naturally drive less reciprocity. This is a descriptive finding about interaction patterns, not evidence that these caregivers are failing to support their children.