scholarly journals Psychometrics of the Pragmatic Rating Scale for School-Age Children With a Range of Linguistic and Social Communication Skills

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Emily Dillon ◽  
Calliope Holingue ◽  
Dana Herman ◽  
Rebecca J. Landa
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Peer Acceptance ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
School Age ◽  
Communication Impairment ◽  
Social Communication Skills ◽  
Pragmatic Communication

Purpose Social communication or pragmatic skills are continuously distributed in the general population. Impairment in these skills is associated with two clinical disorders, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and social (pragmatic) communication disorder. Such impairment can impact a child's peer acceptance, school performance, and current and later mental health. Valid, reliable, examiner-rated observational measures of social communication from a semistructured language sample are needed to detect social communication impairment. We evaluated the psychometrics of an examiner-rated measure of social (pragmatic) communication, the Pragmatic Rating Scale–School Age (PRS-SA). Method The analytic sample consisted of 130 children, ages 7–12 years, from five mutually exclusive groups: ASD ( n = 25), language concern (LC; n = 5), ASD + LC ( n = 10), social communication impairment only ( n = 22), and typically developing (TD; n = 68). All children received language and autism assessments. The PRS-SA was rated separately using video-recorded communication samples from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Assessment data were employed to evaluate the psychometrics of the PRS-SA. Analysis of covariance models were used to assess whether the PRS-SA would detect differences in social communication functioning across the five groups. Results The PRS-SA demonstrated strong internal reliability, concurrent validity, and interrater reliability. PRS-SA scores were significantly higher in all groups compared to the TD group and differed significantly in most pairwise comparisons; the ASD + LC group had the highest (more atypical) scores. Conclusions The PRS-SA shows promise as a measure of social communication skills in school-age verbally fluent children with a range of social and language abilities. More research is needed with a larger sample, including a wider age range and geographical diversity, to replicate findings. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.15138240

Integrating Written Text and Graphic Cues Into Peer-Mediated Interventions: Effects on Reciprocal Social Communication Skills

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-28
Author(s):  
Todd M. Miller ◽  
Kathy Thiemann-Bourque
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Written Text ◽  
Social Skills Instruction ◽  
Social Communication Skills ◽  
Text Cues ◽  
Peer Mediated Intervention

A growing body of evidence has supported the use of peer-mediated interventions to increase the social-communication skills of students with a variety of developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Despite these promising results, however, many practitioners may struggle to effectively implement peer-mediated interventions across the diverse presentation and skill profiles of students with ASD, specifically in accommodating the unique language and communication needs of their students. This article presents an example of integrating written-graphic and text cues into a peer-mediated intervention for three elementary-age students with ASD. Emphasis is placed on describing the teaching procedures used to encourage students with ASD and peers to participate in shared games and activities together, using written-graphic and text cues to support appropriate social communication. Additionally, strategies for selecting and including typically-developing peers to participate in social skills programming are reviewed. Data collected throughout the peer-mediated intervention demonstrates the positive effect of systematic social skills instruction for both students with disabilities and their peers.

Technology-Aided Interventions for Individuals With Autism: Implications for Policy and Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy V. Pham ◽  
Kyle D. Bennett ◽  
Heidy Zetina
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Functional Capabilities ◽  
Social Communication Skills ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Assisted Instruction

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by pervasive difficulties in reciprocal social-communication skills and restricted, repetitive interests and behaviors. Advances in assistive technology can potentially improve the functional capabilities of individuals with ASD. This article reviews current legislation and professional standards related to educating students with ASD with an emphasis on technology and evidence-based practices. In particular, the article summarizes technology-aided interventions (e.g., speech-generating devices, computer-assisted instruction, video-based instruction, virtual reality, and robot-mediated interventions) that focused on social-communication skills among individuals with ASD. Implications and future directions of technology-aided interventions are discussed.

scholarly journals Walking Ability is Associated with Social Communication Skills in Infants at High Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Infancy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 674-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Bradshaw ◽  
Cheryl Klaiman ◽  
Scott Gillespie ◽  
Natalie Brane ◽  
Moira Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Social Communication Skills

scholarly journals Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder: Another name for the Broad Autism Phenotype?

Autism ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 1982-1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Flax ◽  
Christine Gwin ◽  
Sherri Wilson ◽  
Yuli Fradkin ◽  
Steve Buyske ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Repetitive Behavior ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Communication Disorder ◽  
Restricted Interests ◽  
Communication Impairment ◽  
Pragmatic Communication

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (5th ed.) Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder is meant to capture the social elements of communication dysfunction in children who do not meet autism spectrum disorder criteria. It is unclear whether Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder captures these elements without overlapping with Autism Spectrum Disorder or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (5th ed.) Language Disorder. Standardized behavioral assessments administered during a family genetics study were used to evaluate the social communication impairment and the restricted interests and repetitive behaviors in persons with autism spectrum disorder, language impairment, or neither. Social communication impairment and restricted interests and repetitive behavior were significantly correlated in all family members regardless of affection status. Rates of social communication impairment and restricted interests and repetitive behavior were highest in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. One-third of family members with language impairment presented with at least mild/moderate levels of social communication impairment (36.6%) and restricted interests and repetitive behavior (43.3%). A subset of unaffected members also presented with mild/moderate levels of social communication impairment (parents = 10.1%, siblings 11.6%) and restricted interests and repetitive behavior (parents = 14.0%, siblings = 22.1%). The majority of child family members with mild/moderate levels of social communication impairment had similar restricted interest and repetitive behavior levels reflecting criteria representing the Broad Autism Phenotype. These data suggest that social pragmatic communication disorder does not capture the profiles of children who have both social communication impairment and restricted interests and repetitive behavior but are in need of clinical services.

An Empirical Review of Peer-Mediated Interventions: Implications for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison L. Zagona ◽  
Ann M. Mastergeorge
Keyword(s):  
Social Communication ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Social Communication Skills ◽  
Communication Needs

Peer-mediated instruction and intervention (PMII) is a systematic, evidence-based method for addressing the social-communication needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite existing research on this practice, gaps remain in the implementation of PMII. The purpose of this empirical review was to examine recent applications of this evidence-based practice and systematically assess the quality of the analytic approaches implemented. Recent studies selected for this review included participants with ASD and targeted social-communication skills. The Scientific Merit Rating Scale (SMRS) was used to review the quality of the research studies, and the results suggest that PMII continues to be an effective practice. These results indicate that future research should focus on larger study Ns, particularly for those who are preschool-age, and include measures of generalization and maintenance as well as treatment integrity measures of peers’ actions. The effectiveness of PMII relative to positive developmental outcomes is discussed.

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