Comparing gesture frequency between autistic and neurotypical individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

While diagnostic assessments for autism routinely screen for reduced frequency of gestures, evidence supporting reduced gesture production in autism is inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to clarify differences in frequency of gestures between autistic and neurotypical individuals. Included studies compared frequency of gestures between autistic and neurotypical individuals. Database searches (APA PsycInfo, ERIC, MEDLINE, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global) and a call for unpublished data on the International Society for Gesture Studies listserv identified research from January 1994 to March 2023. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Quasi-Experimental Designs. Quantitative synthesis involved a narrative review of all findings and meta-analysis of articles allowing effect size calculations, stratified by the type of gesture. Thirty-one articles comparing frequency of gestures between 701 autistic and 860 neurotypical individuals were included in the narrative review, 25 of which were also included in the meta-analysis. Compared to neurotypical individuals, meta-analyses found that autistic individuals produced significantly less total, deictic, and emblematic gestures. While the number of iconic gestures appeared comparable between groups, studies investigating iconic gestures exhibited an almost equal trend of both positive and negative effect sizes, which were mostly nonsignificant. The way gesture production was measured, age, observer familiarity, and task structure (but not overall study quality) moderated the effect size, albeit inconsistently across the types of gestures. Findings have implications relating to profiling gesture use in diagnostic assessments for autism and highlight gaps in our understanding of differences in gesture production in autism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The relationshipbetween anxiety and social outcomes in autistic children and adolescents: A meta-analysis.

Anxiety is one of the most frequently reported co-occurring conditions for autistic children and adolescents. The relationship between anxiety and social outcomes in autistic youth has been the focus of a range of studies, with mixed results. This meta-analysis aimed to identify the strength of the association between anxiety and a frequently researched social outcome (social competence) in autistic young people and whether that association is influenced by individual or research design factors. A previous preregistered systematic review was updated with a search of the same three databases (CINAHL, ERIC, and PsycINFO) as the original review. Through this, 20 studies with sufficient data on a neurotypically-defined measure of social competence and anxiety were identified. Results were synthesised using a mixed effects model. The meta-analysis on 2,321 participants (from 22 samples) highlighted wide heterogeneity in results. The findings show that anxiety has a significant, small negative impact on social competence (d = - 0.48; 95% CI = - 0.71, - 0.26), meaning that as scores on measures of anxiety increase, scores on measures of social competence decrease. This relationship between anxiety and social competence was moderated by age, becoming weaker as age increased. Whilst this is an important finding for supporting mental health and well-being of autistic young people, the large amount of variance left unexplained suggests that multiple factors, including the use of measures designed for neurotypical people and the potential impact of camouflaging on such measures, need to be considered in future designs.

Longitudinal studies of challenging behaviours in autistic children and adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Autistic children and adults are at increased risk of showing behaviours that may be described as challenging, however, little is known about whether or how these behaviours may change over time. Given the profound impact that challenging behaviour can have on both the autistic individual and their support network, it is critical that the trajectory of challenging behaviours be better understood. This systematic review and meta-analysis identified and synthesised observational longitudinal studies of challenging behaviour in autistic individuals. Fifty-six studies were included in the systematic review, and the effect sizes of 37 independent samples arising from 34 of these reports were examined through meta-analysis. Crucially, across the 37 samples, scores on the measures of challenging behaviour reduced by a small, yet significant, extent over time. Although age of the sample at baseline assessment did not moderate the effect, the time between the baseline assessment and final follow-up and age at final follow-up both moderated the magnitude of the effect, with challenging behaviour scores reducing to a larger extent in (a) studies with longer intervals between baseline and final follow-up and (b) studies with older samples at follow-up. The results from the current systematic review and meta-analysis have both theoretical and practical implications for understanding challenging behaviour over time in autistic individuals. Avenues for future research are also highlighted that may allow better understanding, and therefore support of, challenging behaviour in autistic individuals.

A Hands-On Approach to Learning: Gesture Production During Encoding and its Effect on Narrative Recall.

Research has shown that gesture production supports learning across a number of tasks. It is unclear, however, whether gesture production during encoding can support narrative recall, who gesture production benefits most, and whether certain types of gestures are more beneficial than others. This study, therefore, investigated the effect of gesture production during the encoding of a narrative on subsequent narrative recall, and whether individuals' levels of verbal and nonverbal memory moderated this effect. Additionally, this study investigated whether producing certain types of gestures during encoding was more beneficial than others. Participants (N = 90, Mage = 20.43) read aloud a narrative while under instruction to produce gestures, under no specific instruction to produce gestures, or were required to keep their hands behind their back to prevent them from gesturing. Participants completed measures assessing verbal and nonverbal memory. While gesture production during encoding benefitted narrative recall (as measured through specific questions), verbal memory moderated the effect, such that gesture production was more beneficial for individuals with higher than lower verbal memory. Furthermore, producing representational gestures during encoding benefitted recall of points in the narrative at which those gestures were produced, while beat gestures had no effect. Findings have implications for understanding the mechanisms underlying the links between gesture and learning, as well as practical implications in instructional settings.

Form, Function and Feedback on the School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised in Children on the Autism Spectrum.

School refusal is more prevalent in children on the autism spectrum than among their peers. The function of school refusal can be explored using the school refusal assessment scale-revised (SRAS-R) but its relevance to children on the spectrum has not been investigated. Parents of 121 children (M age 11.9 years) on the autism spectrum completed the SRAS-R and provided feedback on it applicability. Confirmatory factor analysis suggests unsuitability of the original four-factor structure proposed for neurotypical students. Only 41.7% of parents considered the questionnaire an adequate method for reporting on school refusal in children on the autism spectrum with the majority (90%) identifying additional questions to evaluate factors associated with school refusal in autism.

Short report: Learning through iconic gesture in autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND: Understanding and therefore recalling spoken messages, including narratives, can be challenging for children with autism. While observing gesture can benefit narrative recall in typically developing children, whether observing gesture facilitates narrative recall in children with autism is unclear. AIMS: This paper examines whether observing iconic gestures affects narrative recall in children with a diagnosis of autism. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: We first identified iconic gestures to be observed by participants in the main study. Once appropriate iconic gestures had been identified, children with autism watched one video narrative with iconic gestures and one without gestures. While watching the video narratives, children wore Tobii Pro Glasses-2 to track their eye-movements. After watching each narrative, children were asked questions about the narratives to assess recall. OUTCOMES: Iconic gestures significantly benefitted narrative recall in children with autism beyond watching no gestures, and eye-tracking results suggested gestures helped children focus on the narrator. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Through identifying appropriate iconic gestures and producing them alongside a verbal narrative, gestures may successfully enhance learning in children with autism.

Lending a hand to storytelling: Gesture's effects on narrative comprehension moderated by task difficulty and cognitive ability.

Compelling evidence suggests observing iconic gestures benefits learning. While emerging evidence suggests typical iconic gestures benefit comprehension to a greater extent than atypical iconic gestures, it is unclear precisely when and for whom these gestures will be most helpful. The current study investigated factors that may moderate when and for whom gesture benefits narrative comprehension most, including the type of gesture, task difficulty, and individual differences in cognitive ability. Participants were shown a video narrative in which they observed either typical gestures (commonly produced gestures, highly semantically related to accompanying speech), atypical gestures (gestures that are seldom produced), or no gestures. The video narrative was either viewed with interference (background noise to increase task difficulty) or no interference (no background noise). To determine whether the effects of gesture observation and externally imposed task difficulty on narrative comprehension further depend on an individual's cognitive abilities, participants completed four measures of cognitive abilities (immediate and delayed non-verbal memory, attention, and intellectual ability). Observing typical gestures significantly benefitted narrative comprehension compared with atypical and no gestures combined, which did not differ significantly. Participants with below average and average levels of delayed non-verbal memory benefitted more from typical gestures than atypical or no gestures compared with those with an above average level of delayed non-verbal memory. However, this interaction was only significant when the task was difficult (i.e., with interference) but not when the task was simple (i.e., no interference). This finding suggests that the type of iconic gesture observed may affect gesture's beneficial effect on narrative comprehension, and that such gestures may be more beneficial in difficult tasks, but only for certain individuals.

The Limited Effect of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis.

Anxiety disorders are common mental health problems amongst youth with harmful impacts often extending into adulthood. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have become increasingly popular for addressing mental health issues, particularly in schools; however, it remains unclear how effective they are for reducing youth anxiety. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and effect moderators of MBIs on anxiety outcomes in children and adolescents. Eligible studies were published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of MBIs conducted with participants aged 18 years or younger, investigating anxiety outcomes using a well-validated anxiety scale. A systematic search of RCTs published through to February 2019 identified 20 studies for inclusion (n = 1582). A random effects model was used to synthesise MBI effects. Stratified meta-analyses as well as individual, random effects meta-regressions were performed to examine how effects varied by age group, intervention setting, control type, research location, and intervention dosage. Although, across all studies, there was a small beneficial effect of MBIs on anxiety post treatment (d = 0.26), this was significantly moderated by research location, with RCTs conducted in Iran producing large effects (d = 1.25), and RCTs conducted in Western countries demonstrating no significant beneficial effect compared to controls (very small, d = 0.05). Effects were non-significant at follow-up assessment points. Post-treatment effects were significant for MBIs conducted with children (d = 0.41) and for MBIs when compared to passive controls (d = 0.33), but non-significant for adolescents (d = 0.21), for MBIs conducted in schools (d = 0.30) and in clinics (d = 0.13), and when MBIs were compared to active controls (d = 0.12). Results suggest that MBIs are likely to have a small to medium, yet temporary effect in reducing anxiety symptoms in children (not adolescents), but amongst Western youth populations the most likely outcome, from RCTs to date, is that MBIs produce no beneficial effect in anxiety reduction. Results revealed a lack of evidence to support investment in school-based MBIs to address youth anxiety.

When our hands help us understand: A meta-analysis into the effects of gesture on comprehension.

Speech and gesture are two vital components of communication. Gesture itself provides an external support to speech, potentially promoting comprehension of a spoken message. The question of whether gesture promotes comprehension is not new, with research dating back to the 1970s. However, when gestures are most beneficial to comprehension is poorly understood. This meta-analysis explored 2 questions: whether and when gestures benefit comprehension of verbal information. We examined the effect sizes of 83 independent samples. Within each sample, a learner's comprehension was measured when gestures accompanied speech, compared with speech alone. Across all samples, gesture had a moderate, beneficial effect on comprehension when either produced or observed by a learner. Further stratified tests revealed that gestures significantly benefitted comprehension under a variety of circumstances, dependent on the type of gesture used, the information provided by gesture, the function of the gesture, the age of the learner, and the way comprehension was measured. The function of the gesture moderated the magnitude of the effect, with studies investigating the effect of producing gestures on comprehension yielding significantly larger effect sizes on average than studies investigating the effect of observing gestures on comprehension. The results from the current meta-analysis have theoretical and practical implications for gesture-related research and highlight new avenues for future studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Donald Duck's garden: The effects of observing iconic reinforcing and contradictory gestures on narrative comprehension.

Both speech and gesture play a vital role in human communication. Gesture itself provides an external support to a spoken message. As a consequence, when presented together with speech, gesture has the ability to benefit learning across a variety of tasks, including narrative comprehension. However, the exact mechanisms underlying how the observation of gestures benefits learning are yet to be well understood and cannot be understood without further investigation into the types of gesture that benefit learning. Specifically, gestures themselves are not a homogeneous set, with different kinds of gestures having varying effects on learning. In the current study, we examined the effects of observing iconic gestures that either reinforce (i.e., reinforcing gestures) or contradict (i.e., contradictory gestures) the content of accompanying speech on narrative comprehension in preschool-aged children. Children were presented with a short video narrative that contained either reinforcing gestures, contradictory gestures, or no gestures accompanying the verbal narrative. Results indicated that observing reinforcing gestures significantly benefited narrative comprehension beyond when no gestures were observed. However, observing contradictory gestures was neither significantly beneficial nor significantly detrimental to narrative comprehension beyond observing reinforcing or no gestures. The results from the current study provide valuable insight into the benefits of observing different kinds of iconic gestures on narrative comprehension in preschool-aged children.