Individual Differences in Multisensory Attention Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Predict Language and Symptom Severity: Evidence from the Multisensory Attention Assessment Protocol (MAAP).

The sample was small, with 21 children with autism and 21 matched typically developing children, and the paper says it was likely underpowered for smaller effects. There was no comparison group of children with general developmental delays matched on mental and chronological age, so it is unclear which attention differences are specific to autism rather than developmental delay. The paper reports exclusions of 1 child with autism and 4 typically developing children, but the final analysed sample is not clearly reconciled with the stated participant numbers. There were more social than nonsocial trials, 16 versus 8, which may make social estimates more stable, although the paper reports equivalent individual variability. There was only 1 female child with autism, so sex differences could not be assessed. The pathway models used small samples and an estimation method designed for smaller samples, so the models need replication. The paper calls for longitudinal designs to understand developmental trajectories, so the current associations cannot establish cause.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest or competing interests relevant to the article. Families received $10–$30 gift cards for participating; the paper does not report an external funder.

Do not conclude that attention training will improve language or autism symptoms. The study did not give any training intervention; it measured attention and language at one time in a small group, and the findings are associations rather than proof that changing attention changes outcomes.