Predictors of Social Communication in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Authors

  • Daniela-Alexandra Began Special Education Department, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, România
  • Cristina Costescu Special Education Department, UBB

Keywords:

ASD, play, vocabulary, social communication

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the relationship between social communication and play, vocabulary and non-verbal communication in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A number of 50 participants, aged between 3 and 6 years with a diagnosis of ASD, took part in the study. The data was collected through standardized questionnaires that were completed by the parents of the children: the Assessment Protocol of Pragmatic Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (PAHPEA) to measure pragmatic skills and communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile Infant-Toddler Checklist to measure play, vocabulary and non-verbal communication.

After collecting and analyzing the data, our results revealed that there is significant positive associations between social communication and play, vocabulary and non-verbal communication. After that, a regression analysis was performed, that revealed that non-verbal communication is a predictor of social communication, more precisely pragmatic skills, in children with ASD. Moreover, we also found that word comprehension could be considered a significant predictor for social communication.

Downloads

Published

2023-02-16

How to Cite

Began, D.-A., & Costescu, C. (2023). Predictors of Social Communication in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The „Black Sea” Journal of Psychology, 13(2), 118–130. Retrieved from https://bspsychology.ro/index.php/BSJoP/article/view/201