Pointing in autism: Improvement in comprehension and production after six months of early intervention

The pointing gesture, which in typical development appears towards the end of the first year, is considered to be crucial in the development of communication and language acquisition since, among other things, it provides access to a triadic communication comprising self, other, and object. The pointing gesture is usually considered dysfunctional in autism. It is either absent, or occurs less frequently than in typical development, or with less diverse functions. The objective of the research presented here was to examine the effect of a social development intervention on the production and understanding of the pointing gesture in 34 children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) aged 19 to 43 months. Data resulted from tests carried out with the ECSP—the French version of the Early Social Communication Scales (Guidetti & Tourrette, 1993/2009) before and after a six-month-long early intervention focused on social abilities. The results show a substantial improvement in the production and comprehension of pointing gestures after the intervention. We discuss these results from the perspective of the effects of autism intervention on communicative dysfunctions.