Abstract
This longitudinal study examined how a young child with autistic disorder reacted to nursery teachers, in the development of pointing behavior. Observations of this child were conducted from the age of 2 years 10 months to 6 years 2 months, in a nursery school for handicapped children. Data were divided into three periods in relation to the child’s pointing behavior (1: no comprehension or production of pointing, 2: only comprehension of pointing, and 3: comprehension and production of pointing). The main findings were as follows. First, the young child showed greater responsiveness to nursery teachers’ approaches involving physical proximity and/or contact, and the teachers’ manipulating of a toy to which the girl paid attention. Second, the child demonstrated more avoidance of teachers’ approaches that did not follow the child’s focus of attention. Third, with the development of joint attention, the relationship between the teachers’ approach and the young child’s response changed. These results indicate that the approaches of teachers must not only elicit the child’s attention and interest, but also must change according to the child’s developmental level.
