Communication Skills in Children with Cerebral Palsy and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

While the literature focusing on communication deficits in children with cerebral palsy (CP) is extensive, few researchers have analyzed this construct in individuals with CP and a comorbid Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine impairments in communication in infants and toddlers (18 to 35 months of age) who had CP and comorbid autism, CP and comorbid pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and CP alone. A total of 42 children met inclusion criteria for this study. Those diagnosed with CP and a comorbid ASD were found to possess significantly greater communication impairments as assessed by the Baby and Infant Screen for aUtIsm Traits-Part 1 (BISCUIT-Part 1) than participants who only had a diagnosis of CP. The autism and PDD-NOS groups did not significantly differ from one another on the communication domain of this measure, however. Implications of these results are discussed.