Tuononen, K. J. S., Laitila, A., & Kärnä, E. (2014). Context-situated communicative competence in a child with autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Special Education, 29(2), 1–14. http://www.internationalsped.com/index.php/ijse/index
This study examined the use of eye-gaze for joint attention by an 8-year-old student with autism spectrum disorder and limited speech while interacting with a parent and adult tutors at various technology-based activity centers (i.e., symbol matching station, dance mat station, LEGO building station), using both quantitative and microanalytic analysis. The student’s use of eye gaze was situation and context dependent. At the symbol matching station, the student was successful at playing the games and thus his orientation was often elsewhere; he used eye gaze at communication partners’ faces or gaze shifts from the technology to faces following successful task completion in order to signal adult feedback and praise, or to observe surroundings while waiting for the next item. At the LEGO building station, the student and communication partner sat side-by-side in a co-operative activity that required adult support; After a task was completed, the student gazed toward the communication partners’ body or action to signal help in initiating the next task, and the student gazed toward an object/direction referenced in response to an adult bid. The dance activity station included challenges with the technology as well as the motoric activities; following technology difficulties, the student used gaze shifts between the communication partners’ face and an object to signal a request for help, or he would orient to the communication partners’ face after engaging in acts that showed resistance to participation.