Habilidades linguísticas em crianças com transtorno do espectro do autismo: percepção clínica e familiar

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition characterized by deficits in behavioral and communicative aspects at different levels, especially affecting the quality of life of individuals. Delays in linguistic development and changes in social interaction are generally the first signals families observe, leading them to seek professional help. Interventions in language are an important milestone for the development of these individuals, we know that an in-depth knowledge of language skills of both parents and the therapists of these children, is of fundamental importance for the therapeutic progress. The object of this study was to describe the performance of linguistic behavior in children with ASD, considering clinical and family perspectives. Based on responses from parents and therapists, I analyzed the language skills of ten children with ASD of both genders and up to 7 years of age, from the metropolitan region of Recife, Brazil. All children were participants clinical phonological treatment at the Clinical School of Phonology (Clínica Escola de Fonoaudiologia) with Prof. Fábio Lesso of the Federal University of Pernambuco—UFPE—and part of the research project titled ―Phonology and Austism: Know, Intervene, and Include‖ (―Fonoaudiologia e Autismo: Conhecer, Intervir e Incluir‖). The study used two protocols to collect data. The first was the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist—ATEC (RIMLAND; EDELSON, 1999), which was applied with the children’s parents. The second was the Evaluation Protocol of Practical Abilities for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Protocolo de Avaliação de Habilidades Pragmáticas de Crianças com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo – PAHPEA (FERNANDES, 2018), which the therapists responded to. After application of the protocols the data were analyzed through descriptive statistical analysis, through absolute and relative frequency, and inferential statistics through the Association Qui-quadrado test. The results demonstrate that parents as much as therapists of children with ASD point to deficits in levels of morphology, semantics, syntax, and logic, where the semantic aspect was the least compromised. Acosta et al. (2003) point to the importance of evaluation of these components to understand children’s linguistic development. Therefore, the research verified that parents and therapists adopt the same linguistic perspective toward children with ASD, highlighting, the importance of the family during the therapeutic process making them more participatory and present in the process of language development of their children.