Associations Between Early Social Communication and Play Skills and Conversation Quality in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (original) (raw)
Related papers
2019
Numerous studies have investigated the predictors of language in pre-verbal toddlers and verbally fluent children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study investigated the concurrent relations among expressive language and a set of empirically-selected social communication variables—joint attention, imitation, and play—in a unique sample of 37 minimally verbal (MV) children and adolescents with ASD. Results revealed that imitation and play were significantly correlated with expressive language, even when controlling for non-verbal IQ, but joint attention was not. Imitation was the only predictor variable to reach significance within the regression model. Findings demonstrate that predictors of expressive language vary for subpopulations of the autism spectrum, and have broader implications for intervention design for older, MV individuals with ASD.
This study investigated the unique contributions of joint attention, imitation, and toy play to language ability and rate of development of communication skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Sixty preschool-aged children with ASD were assessed using measures of joint attention, imitation, toy play, language, and communication ability. Two skills, initiating protodeclarative joint attention and immediate imitation, were most strongly associated with language ability at age 3-4 years, whereas toy play and deferred imitation were the best predictors of rate of communication development from age 4 to 6.5 years. The implications of these results for understanding the nature and course of language development in autism and for the development of targeted early interventions are discussed.
2022
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Social Communication and pragmatic skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Language Disorder Comunicação social e habilidades pragmáticas em crianças com transtornos do espectro do autismo e distúrbio do desenvolvimento da linguagem
Journal of Child Language, 2007
ABSTRACTCharacterizing early communicative development in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is valuable for understanding profiles of ability in this population. The current investigation was modeled on Charman, Drew, Baird & Baird (2003b). Analyses explored parent report of early vocabulary, non-verbal communication, functional object use and play skills on the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) in 93 children with ASD, 31 children with developmental delay (DD) and 29 typically developing children. Results were generally consistent with those of Charman and colleagues (2003b), suggesting that skills improve with increasing non-verbal mental age and chronological age but that most children with ASD are delayed in receptive and expressive vocabulary and non-verbal communication, functional object use and play skills. Vocabulary profiles in the ASD sample were similar to those in the comparison samples, as was the developmental pattern of gesture and...
Developmental changes of expressive language and interactive competences in children with autism
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2009
It is well established that language development in children with autism is disturbed in a number of ways, and evidence is accumulating that their emerging linguistic skills may be related to interactive competences such as joint attention, imitation and certain aspects of play as has been found in normally developing children. The present study examined developmental changes in expressive language in relation to these variables in 132 children of the autistic spectrum aged 5-8 years using standardized tools for language measurement and psychological assessment. The results corroborated reports on relationships between expressive language level and joint attention, interpersonal communication with and without the use of objects, and play but contradicted data on the importance of imitation. Play and language level were found to be firmly related suggesting that children with autism draw more on ''conceptual understanding'' than ''symbolizing ability''-a possible contributing factor to their language deficits. An evaluation of expressive language and interactive abilities of the entire sample corroborated evidence on developmental pathways and developmental psychopathology.
International journal of speech-language pathology, 2018
This study trialled a play-based, peer-to-peer intervention with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to identify suitable instruments for measuring changes in pragmatic language following the intervention, and evaluate preliminary effectiveness. It also aimed to investigate the appropriateness of the intervention for participants. Ten children with ASD, their typically developing peers, and parents participated. The Pragmatics Observational Measure (POM), Social Emotional Evaluation (SEE) and Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech Communication (PEPS-C) measured the participant's social communication skills before, after, and 2-months following the intervention. Parent interviews were conducted two months after the intervention and responses were analysed using a thematic approach. Children demonstrated gains in pragmatic language on the POM (χ(3) = 11.160, p = 0.011) and related higher-level language on the SEE (χ(2) = 6.686, p = 0.035). The PEPS-C did not produce any...
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2012
ABSTRACT Whilst impairments in joint attention, imitation, and pretend play are well documented in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the developmental trajectories of these symptoms remain unknown. The main objective was to explore these trajectories in a sample of children at risk for ASD between the ages of 2 and 4 years. After screening positive for ASD, 17 children were prospectively followed with 6-monthly assessments of social communicative skills and general development. During this study, 9 children were diagnosed with ASD. Results showed that there was growth in imitation skills and in pretend play ability. Also, a slightly increased amount of initiation of joint attention was noted. However, the quality of joint attention behaviours did not significantly improve and growth rates did not significantly differ between children with ASD and non-ASD cases. There was a great intra-individual variability, especially in the performances on the imitation tasks. Also interindividual variability was apparent: some children with ASD showed a delayed development of imitation or pretend play, whereas others had a more clearly deviant developmental profile. The importance of looking at individual trajectories and variability in the study of social communicative development in children with ASD is discussed.
Play and Communication in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Framework for Early Intervention
Journal of Early Intervention, 2012
The association between object play and intentional communication was examined in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Meta-analysis of concurrent and longitudinal correlational studies revealed significant associations between object play and intentional communication in young children with ASD. One well-conducted and internally valid, randomized, controlled trial suggests a bidirectional causal relationship between object play and intentional communication. Further experiments are needed to replicate these findings and test a play-asstronger-cause hypothesis. Findings of the review have implications for development and implementation of effective interventions for young children with ASD when communication is the target and play serves as the context for intervention strategies. One model for conceptualization of treatment is proposed. E ngagement in object play and communication occupies much of a child's time early in development. Yet, the strength and degree of evidence for, and direction of the causality of, the association between object play and communication remains difficult to ascertain. Understanding the nature of such an association has potential implications for providing effective intervention to young children with disabilities, including children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Meta-analytic and narrative techniques are needed to summarize the empirical evidence of an association between play and communication in young children with ASD. In addition, a theoretical framework is needed for both the changing and mutual influence of play and communication in early childhood, as well as a model for conceptualizing intervention involving play and communication in children with ASD.
2020
Aiming at acquiring language and play skills for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), this study uses multiple baseline design from single-subject research models supported by qualitative data. In the study, the data for storytelling, train building and playing, role playing skills were obtained through checklists, observations and interviews, and analyzed graphically and descriptively. Two children, one with high functional ASD and the other with typical development (TD), were included. The study was conducted in a home environment and a total of twenty-one teaching sessions were carried out. From the data obtained in the study process, it was concluded that peer interaction was effective in acquiring the skills of storytelling, train building and playing, role playing, and that these skills were generalized and permanent among different environments, persons and materials. In addition, non-targeted social and communicative gains were obtained in individuals with ASD. T...