Psychology major co-authors language acquisition study

Molly Galdston '09 is the co-author of a study on language development in children with autism that has been presented at two international conferences. The study points up important differences between bilingual and monolingual children with autism that could help refine treatment and intervention methods.

With the support of a Wheaton Community Scholars stipend, the psychology major served as a clinical intern and research assistant on the retrospective study at the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC), a developmental pediatric clinic in The Bronx.

During the summer of 2007, Galdston reviewed the clinical charts of 80 children, looking for differences between bilingual (Spanish- and English-speaking) and monolingual (English-speaking) toddlers. The data was collected in a database and later analyzed. 

"We found that although language skills in children with autism deviate from the norm, bilingual children with autism use more gestures than do monolingual children with autism," Galdston said. (Monolingual and bilingual children who are "typically developing" also display such differences in gesture use.)

The CERC study was presented as a poster and published as a monograph abstract at the 2008 International Meeting for Autism Research, the premiere meeting of its kind. The research conference, held in London last year, is the annual meeting of the International Society of Autism Research. 

The study was also published as a poster presentation at the joint meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies and the Asian Society for Pediatric Research. A full article on the study has been submitted to a journal for review.

"Children with autism represent a population with unique language impairment," Galdston said. "Knowing about this difference [in gesture use] can provide a significant advantage when working with bilingual children with autism. In light of their impairment, the use of gesture can serve as a helpful and unique way to break the barrier of communication."

Galdston also noted that the new knowledge could help ensure that bilingual children with autism do not go unidentified.

"In the diagnostic and screening process, the presence of gesture (such as pointing) is typically seen as a sign that the child is not on the autistic spectrum," she said. "Knowing that bilingual children with autism spectrum disorders have a better developed gesture system will ensure that they do not go undiagnosed, and will help guide clinicians toward the most appropriate methodology for intervention."

Galdston added: "Helping children develop their ability to use gestures can serve as an initial means for improving communication and therefore social interaction."

Galdston's interest in child development stems back to her own childhood and adolescence, when she worked as a babysitter and spent time at work with her mother, a speech and language pathologist. 

"In my freshman year I took 'Developmental Psychology,' which to this day remains one of my favorite psych classes," Galdston said. "My interest in child development and developmental disabilities was solidified when I was able to study these topics in the classroom, and my desire to work with children in a clinical setting has only grown stronger since then."

With funding support from the Wheaton Fellows and the Nancy Lyon Porter '43 Community Service Fellows programs, Galdston returned to CERC in the summer of 2008 to assist with a study on the stability of the autism diagnosis in children who are diagnosed under the age of three.

"We found that the diagnosis is stable as the children grow older," said Galdston, adding that this study has been accepted for presentation at the 2009 International Meeting for Autism Research in Chicago.