Adaptive and Social Communication Skills of Children Diagnosed with ASD from the Perspective of Parents and Teachers

Veronica  Neguțu

doi:10.56663/rop.v14i1.96

Authors

Veronica Neguțu PhD candidate Doctoral School, Educational Sciences, Ion Creanga State Pedagogical University, Chișinău

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56663/rop.v14i1.96

Keywords:

ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, early school age, adaptive skills, social communication skills

Abstract

Improving social communication is a common goal of autism-related services. However, it remains unclear whether existing approaches to social communication align with the perspectives and priorities of parents and teachers. The perspectives of parents and teachers regarding the characteristics and priorities of social communication in children with autism were gathered in our study through questionnaires focusing on the adaptive skills of children aged 6 to 10 diagnosed with ASD, as well as their social communication abilities. Our results illustrated differences in perspective between the two groups regarding the general characteristics relevant to diagnosis (e.g., social skills p<0.001, self-regulation p<0.001, overall adaptive functioning level GAC p<0.001). A possible explanation for these results is that parents of children with ASD tend to overprotect them, which prevents children from experiencing many things. Consequently, these children tend to develop a preference for solitary play, limited interaction with peers, and reduced eye contact. Therefore, a mentoring program for parents and teachers should be implemented, aimed at establishing an objective perspective on the symptomatology and social competence development of children with ASD. This highlights the practical value of our study.

References

Alink, L. R. A., Mesman, J., van Zeijl, J., Stolk, M. N., Juffer, F., Koot, H. M., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van Ijzendoorn, M. H. (2006). The early childhood aggression curve: Development of physical aggression in 10- to 50-month-old children. Child Development, 77(4), 954–966. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00912.x

Briggs-Gowan, M. J., & Carter, A. S. (2008). Social-emotional screening status in early childhood predicts elementary school outcomes. Pediatrics, 121(5), 957–962. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2007-1948

Briggs-gowan, M. J., Carter, A. S., Bosson-heenan, J., Guyer, A. E., & Horwitz, S. M. (2006). Are Infant-Toddler Social-Emotional and Behavioral Problems Transient? Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(7), 849–858. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000220849.48650.59

Briggs-Gowan, M. J., Carter, A. S., McCarthy, K., Augustyn, M., Caronna, E., & Clark, R. (2013). Clinical Validity of a Brief Measure of Early Childhood Social–Emotional/Behavioral Problems. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 38(5), 577–587. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jst014

Brown, S. M., & Bebko, J. M. (2012). Generalization, overselectivity, and discrimination in the autism phenotype: A review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 6(2), 733–740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2011.10.012

Budisteanu, M., Linca, F., Andrei, L. E., Mateescu, L., Glangher, A., Ioana, D., Severin, E., Riga, S., & Rad, F. (2022). Recognition of early warning signs and symptoms by caregivers, general practitioners and paediatricians – the first steps on the road to Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. Annali Dell’Istituto Superiore Di Sanità, 58(3), 183–191.

Campbell, S. B., Shaw, D. S., & Gilliom, M. (2000). Early externalizing behavior problems: Toddlers and preschoolers at risk for later maladjustment. Development and Psychopathology, 12(3), 467–488. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579400003114

Campbell, S. B., Spieker, S., Burchinal, M., Poe, M. D., & NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. (2006). Trajectories of aggression from toddlerhood to age 9 predict academic and social functioning through age 12. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 47(8), 791–800. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01636.x

Cibralic, S., Kohlhoff, J., Wallace, N., McMahon, C., & Eapen, V. (2019). A systematic review of emotion regulation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 68, 101422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2019.101422

De Giacomo, A., & Fombonne, E. (1998). Parental recognition of developmental abnormalities in autism. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 7(3), 131–136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s007870050058

den Houting, J. (2019). Neurodiversity: An insider’s perspective. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 23(2), 271–273. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361318820762

Factor, R. S., Swain, D. M., Antezana, L., Muskett, A., Gatto, A. J., Radtke, S. R., & Scarpa, A. (2019). Teaching emotion regulation to children with autism spectrum disorder: Outcomes of the Stress and Anger Management Program (STAMP). Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 83(3), 235–258. https://doi.org/10.1521/bumc.2019.83.3.235

Fox, N. A. (2004). Temperament and Early Experience Form Social Behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1038(1), 171–178. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1315.025

Gardner, L. M., Murphy, L., Campbell, J. M., Tylavsky, F., Palmer, F. B., & Graff, J. C. (2013). Screening accuracy for risk of autism spectrum disorder using the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA). Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 7(5), 591–600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2013.01.004

Giserman Kiss, I., Feldman, M. S., Sheldrick, R. C., & Carter, A. S. (2017a). Developing Autism Screening Criteria for the Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(5), 1269–1277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3044-1

Giserman Kiss, I., Feldman, M. S., Sheldrick, R. C., & Carter, A. S. (2017b). Developing Autism Screening Criteria for the Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(5), 1269–1277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3044-1

Goldsmith, S. F., & Kelley, E. (2018). Associations Between Emotion Regulation and Social Impairment in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(6), 2164–2173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3483-3

Gross, J. J. (2002). Emotion regulation: Affective, cognitive, and social consequences. Psychophysiology, 39(3), 281–291. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0048577201393198

Heath, A. K., Ganz, J. B., Parker, R., Burke, M., & Ninci, J. (2015). A Meta-analytic Review of Functional Communication Training Across Mode of Communication, Age, and Disability. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2(2), 155–166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-014-0044-3

Jokiranta-Olkoniemi, E., Cheslack-Postava, K., Sucksdorff, D., Suominen, A., Gyllenberg, D., Chudal, R., Leivonen, S., Gissler, M., Brown, A. S., & Sourander, A. (2016). Risk of Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Among Siblings of Probands With Autism Spectrum Disorders. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(6), 622–629. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0495

Kelleher, K. J., Campo, J. V., & Gardner, W. P. (2006). Management of pediatric mental disorders in primary care: Where are we now and where are we going? Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 18(6), 649–653. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOP.0b013e3280106a76

Kruizinga, I., Visser, J. C., van Batenburg-Eddes, T., Carter, A. S., Jansen, W., & Raat, H. (2014). Screening for autism spectrum disorders with the brief infant-toddler social and emotional assessment. PloS One, 9(5), e97630. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0097630

Lasch, C., Wolff, J. J., & Elison, J. T. (2020). Examining criterion-oriented validity of the Repetitive Behavior Scales for Early Childhood (RBS-EC) and the Video-Referenced Rating of Reciprocal Social Behavior (vrRSB). Development and Psychopathology, 32(3), 779–789. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579419001159

Linca, F. I., Budisteanu, M., Popovici, D. V., & Cucu, N. (2022). The Moderating Role of Emotional Regulation on the Relationship between School Results and Personal Characteristics of Pupils with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Children, 9(11), Article 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9111637

Luyster, R. J., Zane, E., & Wisman Weil, L. (2022). Conventions for unconventional language: Revisiting a framework for spoken language features in autism. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 7, 23969415221105472. https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415221105472

McDonald, N. M., Senturk, D., Scheffler, A., Brian, J. A., Carver, L. J., Charman, T., Chawarska, K., Curtin, S., Hertz-Piccioto, I., Jones, E. J. H., Klin, A., Landa, R., Messinger, D. S., Ozonoff, S., Stone, W. L., Tager-Flusberg, H., Webb, S. J., Young, G., Zwaigenbaum, L., & Jeste, S. S. (2020). Developmental Trajectories of Infants With Multiplex Family Risk for Autism: A Baby Siblings Research Consortium Study. JAMA Neurology, 77(1), 73–81. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.3341

Messent, P. (2013). DSM-5. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 18(4), 479–482. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104513502138

Nuske, H. J., Hedley, D., Tseng, C. H., Begeer, S., & Dissanayake, C. (2018). Emotion Regulation Strategies in Preschoolers with Autism: Associations with Parent Quality of Life and Family Functioning. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(4), 1287–1300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3391-y

Pontoppidan, M., Niss, N. K., Pejtersen, J. H., Julian, M. M., & Væver, M. S. (2017). Parent report measures of infant and toddler social-emotional development: A systematic review. Family Practice, 34(2), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmx003

Rad, F., Stancu, M., Andrei, L.-E., Linca, F.-I., Mariana Buică, A., Leti, M.-M., Dobrescu, I., Mihailescu, I., & Efrim-Budisteanu, M. (2022). Diagnosis stability and outcome of psychotic episodes in a Romanian group of children and adolescents. Medicine, 101(34), e30288. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000030288

Reid, M. J., Webster-Stratton, C., & Baydar, N. (2004). Halting the development of conduct problems in head start children: The effects of parent training. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology: The Official Journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53, 33(2), 279–291. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp3302_10

Rispoli, K. M., Malcolm, A. L., Nathanson, E. W., & Mathes, N. E. (2019). Feasibility of an emotion regulation intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder: A brief report. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 67, 101420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2019.101420

Sacrey, L.-A. R., Zwaigenbaum, L., Bryson, S., Brian, J., Smith, I. M., Roberts, W., Szatmari, P., Roncadin, C., Garon, N., Novak, C., Vaillancourt, T., McCormick, T., MacKinnon, B., Jilderda, S., & Armstrong, V. (2015). Can parents’ concerns predict autism spectrum disorder? A prospective study of high-risk siblings from 6 to 36 months of age. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(6), 470–478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2015.03.014

Schmidt, M., Demulder, E., & Denham, S. (2002). Kindergarten Social-Emotional Competence: Developmental Predictors and Psychosocial Implications. Early Child Development and Care, 172(5), 451–462. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430214550

Shaw, D. S., Keenan, K., & Vondra, J. I. (1994). Developmental precursors of externalizing behavior: Ages 1 to 3. Developmental Psychology, 30(3), 355–364. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.30.3.355

Shaw, P., Stringaris, A., Nigg, J., & Leibenluft, E. (2014). Emotional dysregulation and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13070966

Stanciu, A. C., Rad, F., Mihailescu, I., Mateescu, L., Grozavescu, R., Andrei, E., Budisteanu, B., Linca, F., Ioana, D., Iliescu, C., Papuc, S., Arghir, A., Dobrescu, I., & Budisteanu, M. (2021). Multidisciplinary approach in children with autism spectrum disorder. European Psychiatry, 64(S1), S86–S86. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.256

Thomas, R., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2007). Behavioral outcomes of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and Triple P-Positive Parenting Program: A review and meta-analysis. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35(3), 475–495. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9104-9

Van Zeijl, J., Mesman, J., Stolk, M. N., Alink, L. R. A., Van IJzendoorn, M. H., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., Juffer, F., & Koot, H. M. (2006). Terrible ones? Assessment of externalizing behaviors in infancy with the Child Behavior Checklist. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(8), 801–810. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01616.x

Walton, K. M., Borowy, A. R., & Taylor, C. A. (2024). “It just depends”: Parent, teacher, and expert conceptualization of social communication in young autistic children. Autism : The International Journal of Research and Practice, 28(4), 920–931. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231185401