Uses of Semiotic Objects and Mediation in Early Triadic Interactions in Siblings of Children Diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina.

Background: Latino children are diagnosed with ASD later in life, usually with more severe symptoms, compared with non-Latino children. Possible reasons for such disparities could be due to lower levels of parent education, lower socioeconomic status and limited knowledge of parents about autism spectrum disorder.(Montiel, Chacín et al. 2017) Our study proposes lines of research in the early development in search of risk indicators that allow to favor policies of early intervention in the context of our region. The learning of the conventional use of objects occurs in triadic units and through operations with signs. Thus, communicative interactions are fundamental in the semiotic processes involved in the child's entrance to the socially shared uses of objects. Taking into account that communication is one of the dimensions of development in which children with ASD present their main alterations, it is possible to think that the genesis of socially shared uses of objects also follows a particular course.

Objectives: Describe the development of triadic child-adult-object interactions in children from Santa Fe at risk of ASD, from 3 to 15 months of age

Methods: Understanding that the prospective longitudinal study with population at risk is recommended (eg. Zwaigmbaum et al., 2013); and considering that siblings of children diagnosed with ASD are at particular risk, a longitudinal, prospective case-based evolutionary design is performed. The sample is of the intentional type composed of 4 infants at risk of developing ASD, between 3 and 15 months of age, in accordance with the ages studied in the previous typical development research, in which this project is framed (Cárdenas, Rodríguez, & Palacios, 2014; Moreno-Núñez, Rodríguez & del Olmo, 2017).

Results: Through a pilot study, the preliminary categories of this research were reviewed, taken from our previous studies: rhythmic uses, non conventional, proto conventional, conventional, instrumental, symbolic and private / self-regulation of objects; as well as the production of gestures in contexts of triadic interaction. They analyze both the adult and the child, their communicative means, gestures, expressions, looks, language and uses of objects. The work emphasized the importance of considering the ostensible actions of the adult as a communicative tool, which favors the joint attention and action. Second, distant demonstrations of the uses of objects, structured in character, represent the most effective rhythmic-sound manifestations to attract the attention of the child, allowing their involvement in the pauses it generates. The mentioned data are analyzed with attention in the semiotic performances that the adult unfolds for the child with the selected object. Preliminary results indicate some variations, compared to previous studies in typical development, in triadic interactions, where the communicative intention is still the responsibility of the adult.

Conclusions: The findings indicate the need to continue investigating the early development of signs in the at-risk population. This allows to develop new instruments that contribute to the evaluation of alarm indicators, as well as to the development of early intervention tools consistent with the evaluation of the uses of objects in the light of a pragmatic semiotic approach.