Social Communication Disorder Research Articles

Problems in the development of professional communicative competence in socially oriented spheres of activity — the example of typical mistakes in the use of the state language of the Russian Federation in legal documents

«Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Язык и литература» — научно-теоретический журнал, публикующий научно-исследовательские статьи и критические научные рецензии на русском и английском языках, призванные отразить актуальную проблематику современной лингвистики, литературоведения и междисциплинарных гуманитарных исследований, а также представить многообразие существующих здесь подходов и плюрализм мнений исследователей.

Autism spectrum disorder and cognitive profile in children with Dravet syndrome: Delineation of a specific phenotype.

SummaryObjectiveWe aimed to assess a cohort of young patients with Dravet syndrome (DS) for intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using standardized tools and parental questionnaires to delineate their specific profiles.MethodsWe included 35 patients with DS aged 24 months to 7 years, excluding patients with a developmental age (DA) <18 months (n = 5). We performed specific tests adapted for ID (Psychoeducational Profile, Third Edition [PEP‐3]), in addition to the Child Development Inventory (CDI) and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition (VABS‐II) questionnaires. We used 2 standardized tools for ASD: the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS‐2) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview‐Revised (ADI‐R). We compared the with parental questionnaires and the VABS‐II, and with ASD characteristics.Results PEP‐3 subscales showed pathologic development in all but one patient (97%): ID in 23 of 30 (77%), and borderline cognitive functioning in 6 of 30 (22%). Eleven patients (39%) had ASD and 2 (7%) had a Social Communication Disorder (SCD) diagnosis. We found no difference between PEP‐3 and CDI categorization except for fine motor skills. We found significant negative correlations between ADOS‐2 and PEP‐3 for the majority of scores. For patients aged older than 50 months, 2 groups emerged (ASD/no ASD) with significant difference in DA. The logistic regression for ASD diagnosis explained by VABS‐II showed a significant effect for Socialization, Motor Skills, and Adaptive Behavior.SignificanceWe found a high prevalence of ID in patients with DS. ID is characterized by expressive and comprehensive communication deficits in addition to visuospatial difficulties. ASD showed a specific profile with a relative preservation of social skills, emphasizing a possible underdiagnosis. Parental questionnaires can provide a good assessment of cognitive profile and might allow the difficulty of addressing cognitive scales in DS to be overcome. The profile of ID and ASD should help to establish early adapted rehabilitation programs and emphasizes the global need for care beyond seizures in DS and other developmental epileptic encephalopathies.

Влияние детско-родительских отношений на развитие коммуникации у младших школьников с расстройством аутистического спектра (РАС)

The problem of providing psychological and pedagogical assistance to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families has recently been extremely urgent. ASDs are a group of pervasive developmental disorders, the main manifestations of then are the lack of ability to social interaction, communication disorders and stereotyped behavior. With the recognized practical and theoretical significance of the study of the communicative sphere and the abundance of serious studies devoted to this topic, the problem of studying the communicative characteristics of children with autism, as is well known, still remains poorly understood. The article presents the results of scientific research in the field of developmental and clinical psychology: the mechanisms of formation of communication in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a comprehensive study of the influence of parent-child relationships on the communication's development of primary school children with autism spectrum disorders. According to the results of studies of the influence of parent-child relations on the development of communication in primary school children with ASD, the diagnostic complex for the study of communication in primary school children with ASD and styles of parent-child relationships in families raising children of this category was offered. Practical psychologists can use the results of the study during work with children with ASD and their families. The purpose of the article is to present the results of the study of the influence of parent-child relationships on the communication's development of primary school children with autism spectrum disorder.

Intranasal administration of exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells ameliorates autistic-like behaviors of BTBR mice

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by three core symptoms that include social interaction deficits, cognitive inflexibility, and communication disorders. They have been steadily increasing in children over the past several years, with no effective treatment. BTBR T+tf/J (BTBR) mice are an accepted model of evaluating autistic-like behaviors as they present all core symptoms of ASD. We have previously shown that transplantation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to the lateral ventricles of BTBR mice results in long lasting improvement in their autistic behavioral phenotypes. Recent studies point exosomes as the main mediators of the therapeutic effect of MSC. Here, we tested whether treatment with the exosomes secreted from MSC (MSC-exo) will show similar beneficial effects. We found that intranasal administration of MSC-exo increased male to male social interaction and reduced repetitive behaviors. Moreover, the treatment led to increases of male to female ultrasonic vocalizations and significant improvement in maternal behaviors of pup retrieval. No negative symptoms were detected following MSC-exo intranasal treatments in BTBR or healthy C57BL mice. The marked beneficial effects of the exosomes in BTBR mice may translate to a novel, non-invasive, and therapeutic strategy to reduce the symptoms of ASD.

Social Cognitive Reinforcement Program for Children with Social Communication Disorders

Objectives The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a social cognitive reinforcement program for children with social communication disorders and to substantiate its effects by comparing it with social skills training programs. Methods Twenty-one children with social communication disorders were selected through CCC-2, K-SCQ, K-WISC-III and clinical interviews. Children were randomly assigned to each of two experimental groups, and control group. Experimental group 1 received 10 sessions of the social cognitive reinforcement program, whereas experimental group 2 received 10 sessions of a social skills training program. No interventions were provided to the control group. Results and Conclusion The results of this study are as follows. First, when compared to the results of the other groups' post-tests by groups, experimental group 1 displayed significant differences in Stroop, digit span and Reading the Mind in the Eyes tests, as well as comprehension, nonverbal communication, self-assertion, and self-control. Experimental group 1 was also demonstrated a significant increase in the scores for CCTT-2, picture arrangement, read the mind, and picture completion. Second, in a three-month follow-up, the experimental group 1 showed a significant differences in executive function, Reading the Mind in the Eyes test results, picture arrangement, mind reading, picture completion, pragmatic communication, and social skills. Keywords: social communication disorders, social cognitive reinforcement program, social cognition, executive function, communication skill, children

The perception of emotional facial expressions by children with autism using hybrid multiple factorial design and eye-tracking

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have the deficits in emotional facial expression recognition and understanding, which is considered as the core source of their social communication disorder and stereotype behaviour. Previous studies have suggested that individuals with ASD have the deficits in the perception of static emotional facial expressions, but results are inconclusive. The use of 3D or dynamic facial stimuli that express emotions at different levels of intensities may produce more robust results, since these resemble the expression of emotions in daily life to a greater extent. In this study, 30 children (aged 2–7 years) with ASD and 51 age-matched children with typical development (TD) performed an emotion recognition (ER) task, in which morphs, presented on a computer screen, depicted facial expressions associated with two basic emotions (happiness and fear) at four levels of emotional intensity(25%–100%). Using a hybrid-design experiment and eye-tracking technology, we explored the influencing factors of ER in children with ASD and their interaction. In addition, we analyzed the gaze characteristics and processing patterns of children with ASD during the ER, and their impact on ER. The results showed that the type of subject, expression category, and intensity of expression had the main effect on recognition accuracy, and there was interaction among the factors that affected the emotional face recognition ability of the children with ASD. Moreover, children with ASD and TD both had an advantage when recognizing dynamic expressions rather than static expressions in 2D or 3D. The recognition accuracy of 3D expressions of children with TD was higher than that of 2D expressions, but children with ASD had the opposite result. The recognition accuracy of fearful expression for both ASD and TD groups was significantly better than that of happy expression. There was an interaction effect between gender and expression category, but age was not significant. In particular, girls’ facial expression recognition ability was superior to that of boys. The eye-tracking results showed that children with ASD have face-specific processing mechanisms: avoidance of eye contact, increased focus on the mouth and background information, and a preference for local feature processing. In conclusion, this study suggests that the material, category, and intensity of facial expression combines with the age and gender of subjects to affect the emotional expression recognition ability of children with ASD. Children with autism have the advantage of dynamic processing and mouth-directed gaze. In addition, dynamic facial expressions may be used as effective training and intervention materials for ER. Abnormal face processing and eye-tracking characteristics can help to understand the social disorders of ASD and provide behavioral characteristic indicators for early identification of ASD.

Group Based Treatment for Persons With Social Communication Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

Group Based Treatment for Persons With Social Communication Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

Social communication disorder: a narrative review on current insights.

Social communication disorder (SCD) is a novel diagnosis listed under the rubric of communication disorders within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) and it is reported to be characterized by impairment in use of verbal and nonverbal communication for social aims. This review attempts to summarize the current understanding of the SCD concept along with its evolution and presents data from previous studies conducted. Suggestions for further research are also delineated. As listed in DSM-5, the criteria for this novel diagnosis are vague, display elevated comorbidity with other neurodevelopmental disorders and other childhood psychopathologies, and show partial overlap with autistic spectrum disorders both in terms of genetics and family histories. Data on cross-cultural presentations and temporal stability are also limited. The social communication model proposed by Catani and Bambini may help integrate the neurobiological findings pertaining to SCD. Valid and reliable assessment methods need to be developed for SCD. This may involve either development of novel instruments capturing the DSM-5 criteria or application of statistical methods such as item response theory to existing instruments. The relationships between broad autism phenotype, pragmatic language impairment, nonverbal learning disorder, learning disorders, autistic spectrum disorders, and SCD should be evaluated with further studies.

사회적 의사소통장애 아동을 위한 중재 프로그램 및

사회적 의사소통장애 아동을 위한 중재 프로그램 및

The Way It Used To Be

The Way It Used To Be

Measuring the Diagnostic Features of Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder: An Exploratory Study.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition introduced a new neurodevelopmental disorder, social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD), that is characterized by deficits in 4 areas of communication. Although descriptions of these areas are provided, no assessment tools for SPCD are recommended. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which items from measurement tools commonly used in assessing pragmatic language impairment and related disorders might be useful in assessing the characteristics of social communication that define SPCD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Based on a literature search, 594 items from assessment tools commonly used to measure social communication abilities in people with pragmatic language impairment were identified. The first author judged whether each item reflected 1, more than 1, or none of the 4 SPCD diagnostic characteristics. After a brief training process, 5 second raters independently mapped subsets of items to the 6 categories. We calculated the percentage of agreement and Cohen's kappa for each pair of raters in assigning items to categories. Percentages of agreement ranged from 76% to 82%, and Cohen's kappa values ranged from .69 to .76, indicating substantial agreement. Sources and item numbers for the 206 items that both raters assigned to the same SPCD feature are provided. These items may provide guidance in assessing SPCD and in designing standardized screening and diagnostic measures for SPCD.

The development of autistic social traits across childhood and adolescence in males and females.

Autism is a dimensional condition, representing the extreme end of a continuum of social competence that extends throughout the general population. Currently, little is known about how autistic social traits (ASTs), measured across the full spectrum of severity, develop during childhood and adolescence, including whether there are developmental differences between boys and girls. Therefore, we sought to chart the trajectories of ASTs in the general population across childhood and adolescence, with a focus on gender differences. Participants were 9,744 males (n=4,784) and females (n=4,960) from ALSPAC, a UK birth cohort study. ASTs were assessed when participants were aged 7, 10, 13 and 16years, using the parent-report Social Communication Disorders Checklist. Data were modelled using latent growth curve analysis. Developmental trajectories of males and females were nonlinear, showing a decline from 7 to 10years, followed by an increase between 10 and 16years. At 7years, males had higher levels of ASTs than females (mean raw score difference=0.88, 95% CI [.72, 1.04]), and were more likely (odds ratio [OR] =1.99; 95% CI, 1.82, 2.16) to score in the clinical range on the SCDC. By 16years this gender difference had disappeared: males and females had, on average, similar levels of ASTs (mean difference=0.00, 95% CI [-0.19, 0.19]) and were equally likely to score in the SCDC's clinical range (OR=0.91, 95% CI, 0.73, 1.10). This was the result of an increase in females' ASTs between 10 and 16years. There are gender-specific trajectories of autistic social impairment, with females more likely than males to experience an escalation of ASTs during early- and midadolescence. It remains to be discovered whether the observed female adolescent increase in ASTs represents the genuine late onset of social difficulties or earlier, subtle, pre-existing difficulties becoming more obvious.

Do children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a different gait pattern? Relationship between idiopathic toe-walking and ADHD

Abstract Introduction Idiopathic toe-walking (ITW) is described as a gait pattern with no contact between the heels and the ground in children older than 3 years. The diagnosis is clinical, making it necessary to rule out other neurological and orthopaedic conditions. A relationship between ITW and vestibular dysfunction and/or proprioceptive sensibility has been proposed. Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (autism, language and cognitive disorders) often have ITW. Objectives To determine the frequency of ITW in children with attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity (ADHD). Patients and method A study was conducted on children diagnosed with ADHD, with normal neurological examination, with no alterations in MRI scan, cognitive disorder or autism. A complete clinical anamnesis was performed and Achilles shortening was measured with a goniometer. Results The study included 312 children with a mean age of 11 years (73.7% boys). The ADHD combined subtype was the most frequent (53.8%), followed by the inattentive (44.9%), and hyperactive (1.3%). ITW was observed in 20.8% of patients, particularly in the combined subtype (P = .054). Only 32 of them (49.2%) had Achilles shortening. ITW was associated with sociability disorders (P = .01), absence of pain in legs (P = .022), and family history of ITW (P = .004). Only 11% had previously visited a doctor for this reason. Conclusions As in other neurodevelopmental disorders, children with ADHD have frequently more ITW and Achilles shortening than controls, especially if they presented with a social communication disorder or a family history of ITW. An early diagnosis is essential to establish effective treatments.

Social functioning following pediatric stroke: contribution of neurobehavioral impairment

ABSTRACTPediatric stroke can result in long-term neurobehavioral impairments including cognitive, language, and motor deficits, all of which may disrupt the normal development of social skills. This study aimed to examine specific components of social function at 5-year poststroke at a group and individual level and explore the contribution of neurobehavioral impairment. Thirty-one children with arterial ischemic stroke participated in the study. Assessment included parent-rated questionnaires measuring social adjustment and social participation as well as behavior and fatigue. Children underwent testing of social cognition and neurobehavioral abilities (intellectual function, attention, pragmatic language, motor function, and neurological impairment). Group means for social function were generally within the normal range, with social adjustment poorer than normative expectations. Examination of impairment rates showed a significant proportion of children had impaired function across social domains. Childhood stroke was associated with poorer social adjustment and a range of neurobehavioral outcomes, compared to neonatal stroke. Social function was found to be impacted by fatigue and intellectual function, but not by attention, pragmatic language, behavior, motor function, or neurological impairment.

A modified ketogenic gluten-free diet with MCT improves behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder

PurposeThe ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, moderate protein, high-fat diet that has emerged as a potential treatment for autism spectrum disorder. Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder of social communication, and restricted, repetitive behaviors and interests in need of novel therapies. An open-label clinical trial was done in Honolulu, Hawaii to test a modified ketogenic diet for improvement of core clinical impairments in children with ASD. InterventionA modified ketogenic gluten-free diet regimen with supplemental MCT was completed in 15 children ages 2 to 17 years for 3 months. Clinical (ADOS-2, CARS-2) and biochemical measures were performed at baseline and 3-months on the ketogenic diet. Main outcomeChildren administered a modified ketogenic gluten-free diet with supplemental MCT significantly improved core autism features assessed from the ADOS-2 after 3 months on diet (P = 0.006). No significant difference was observed in restricted and repetitive behavior score (P = 0.125) after 3 months on the diet protocol. Substantial improvement (>30% decrease ADOS-2 total score) was observed in six participants, moderate improvement (>3 units) in two participants, and minor/no improvement in seven participants. Ten participants assessed at a six-month time point sustained improvement in total ADOS-2 and social affect sub-domain scores comparing baseline and 6 months (P = 0.019; P = 0.023), but no significant improvement in restricted and repetitive behavior scores were noted (P = 0.197). Significant improvements in CARS-2 items after 3 months of the modified ketogenic protocol were observed in imitation, body use, and fear or nervousness (P = 0.031, P = 0.008, P = 0.039). The percent change on ADOS-2 score from baseline to 3 months was associated with baseline high-density lipoprotein levels (ρ = −0.67, P = 0.007) and albumin levels (ρ = −0.60, P = 0.019). Moreover, the percent change from baseline to 3 months in ADOS-2 scores was significantly associated with percent change in high-density lipoprotein levels (ρ = 0.54, P = 0.049) and albumin levels (ρ = 0.67, P = 0.010). ConclusionsA modified gluten-free ketogenic diet with supplemental MCT is a potentially beneficial treatment option to improve the core features of autism spectrum disorder and warrants further investigation. Trial registrationTrial Registry: Clinicaltrials.govRegistration Number: NCT02477904URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02477904?term=ketogenic+diet&cond=Autism&rank=1

Using Language Sample Analysis to Assess Pragmatic Skills in School-Age Children and Adolescents

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, addition of social (pragmatic) communication disorder has underscored the need for development and refinement of clinical tools to accurately identify pragmatic language deficits in clinical populations. One of the 4 required social (pragmatic) communication disorder diagnostic criteria is difficulty following rules for conversation and storytelling. As such, language sample collection and analysis is an important assessment tool for identification of this disorder. This tutorial describes a language sampling protocol and reviews analysis techniques for the purpose of documenting pragmatic language skills in school-age populations.

Social (pragmatic) communication disorders and autism spectrum disorder

Social (pragmatic) communication disorders and autism spectrum disorder

Differentiating Autism from Typical Development: Preliminary Findings of Greek Versions of a Pragmatic Language and Social Communication Questionnaire

Objective: A social pragmatic communication disorder is one of the primary characteristics of children with autism. Although several measures of pragmatics and social communication exist, many are not comprehensive, do not examine the quality of interactions across contexts and interlocutors, and cannot be easily administered and interpreted. The aim of this article is to report on preliminary data collected using the Greek version of comprehensive social communication and pragmatic language questionnaires completed by parents and teachers interacting with young children in different contexts. Methods: A Greek translation of the social communication and pragmatic language questionnaires was administered to parents and teachers of 31 children diagnosed with autism and of 51 typically developing children aged 3.0–6.0 years. Analysis and Results: The performance on the Greek versions of the social communication and pragmatic language questionnaires of typically developing children was compared with the performance of the children with autism using a series of independent t tests. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics and performances on the measure. Preliminary results showed that significant differences with moderate effect sizes were found between groups on 63% of the 30 test items. Conclusions: The performance of children on questionnaires may lead to the development of easily administered and interpretable assessments for differentiating children with pragmatics and social communication impairments, such as children with autism, from typically developing children.

“So that's the way it is for me — always being left out.” Acquired Pragmatic Language Impairment and Social Functioning following Traumatic Brain Injury

Our ability to interact appropriately in everyday interpersonal situations is fundamental to successful social integration. Impaired pragmatic competence correlates significantly and substantially with indices of social function across several domains for adults with acquired neurological disorders. In particular, evidence supports the negative impact of pragmatic impairments on the development and maintenance of relationships and community integration more generally.Pragmatic language competence sits in a complex, multifactorial space characterised by interacting associations with cognitive and psychological functions and social and environmental parameters. This complexity is evident in much of the research seeking to unravel the nature and magnitude of interactions between pragmatic language competence and social outcomes in adults with acquired neurological disorders.Over recent years our understanding of the impact of pragmatic impairments on social outcome has benefited substantially from inclusion of the insider's perspective in our research evidence base. Indeed, a methodological inclusion of constructivist paradigms has enabled the development of a rich understanding of the devastating social impact of impaired pragmatic competence.The aim of this paper is to review pragmatic language impairment in the context of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and detail its impact on social functioning from the perspectives of people with TBI and their intimate partners/spouses and friends. With these perspectives as background, the paper concludes with consideration of therapeutic developments and a brief look at a novel intervention designed to reduce the negative impact of pragmatic deficits and improve functional language use following TBI.

Collaborative competence in dialogue: Pragmatic language impairment as a window onto the psychopathology of autism

BackgroundPragmatic language, including conversational ability, can be difficult for people with autism. Difficulties with dialogue may reflect impairment in interpersonal engagement more than general language ability. MethodWe investigated conversational abilities among children and adolescents with and without autism (n=18 per group) matched for language proficiency and productivity. Videotaped conversations from the Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule (ADOS, Lord, Rutter, DiLavore, & Risi, 2001) were rated according to the Collaborative Competence in Dialogue (CCD) scale featuring six verbal and non-verbal ‘cues’ that conversational partners use to sustain dialogue. ResultsParticipants with autism produced significantly fewer ‘typical’ communicative cues and more cues rated as intermittent or rote/stereotyped, even when non-verbal items (gaze) were removed from consideration. Within the autism group, competence in dialogue was not correlated with ‘general’ language ability, but was correlated with a measure of pragmatic ability. ConclusionsDifficulties with collaboration in dialogue may mirror the intermittent or incomplete interpersonal engagement of children with autism. ImplicationsAssessment of language ability in autism should include observation in unstructured social settings.