Functional Communication Profiles of Children and Youth with Autism: A Roadmap to Therapeutic and Educational Interventions

Abstract

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) entails varied developmental pathways along the entire lifespan, demanding early and ongoing diverse and responsive interventions to children’s needs. This study examined in situ education and development attained by children and youth with ASD in a school with a therapeutic and educational curriculum. Objectives: (1) Construct individual communication profiles in educational and developmental aspects. (2) Examine for associations between variables. (3) Demonstrate the clinical and educational utility of including cognitive-linguistic integrative variables. (4) Showcase how the profiles guide interventions tailored to students’ individual needs. Methods: Functional communication profiles (FCPs) of 21 students, aged 5.0–16.8 years, mostly from bilingual middle-high socioeconomic status families, were constructed with input from their educational and therapeutic staff. Students’ performance was examined with an array of instruments and tasks, including person and clock drawings, false belief, and bouba-kiki metaphor screens. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed to uncover associations, weaknesses, and strengths. Results: The profiles revealed associations between cognitive, linguistic, social, and educational abilities, indicating that some abilities from different domains tend to co-occur. Conclusions: Including cognitive linguistic integrative variables was a novelty that revealed additional aspects of the children’s abilities. Staff feedback confirmed the utility of FCPs in providing “a roadmap” to needed individual and common curriculum adjustments.