Bridging the Gaze: Multimodal Patterns linked to Joint Attention during Mother-Infant Interactions with Infants at Elevated Likelihood for Autism

Abstract

Background: Joint attention is achieved through a combination of verbal and non-verbal cues interacting in systematic ways. Nonetheless, existing studies examining multimodal pathways to joint attention focus on the co-occurrence of a limited set of domains, using methods like lag-sequential analysis. Yet, alternative computational methods, such as temporal pattern analysis (T-pattern), provide a multivariate approach which may better capture the temporal dynamics of behaviour. Methods: Mother-infant interactions were recorded at 10 months (n = 20) and coded for parent-initiated bouts of joint attention, speech, touch, deictic and representational gestures. T-pattern analysis was applied to coded interactions to detect recurring patterns of behaviour leading up to and sustaining joint attention. Results and conclusion: Findings demonstrate that maternal behaviour both eliciting and sustaining joint attention exhibits an organised and complex structure of recurring temporal sequences. Linguistic speech represented the highest relative contribution to detected T-patterns. Moreover, T-patterns sustaining joint attention were more frequent and showcased a wider range of dimensional pathways, compared to those eliciting joint attention. These findings demonstrate a proof-of-concept that T-pattern analysis may be particularly effective in uncovering underlying structures of parent behaviour. By homing in on subtle differences in interactive behaviour on an individual level, potential challenges in social communication could be highlighted