Priscilla Faria Sousa-Morato

Fonoaudiologia e autismo: resultado de três diferentes modelos de terapia de linguagem

BACKGROUND language and communication disorders are essential features of the autistic spectrum disorders, and are part of the diagnostic criteria. AIM to verify the existence of observable differences in the functional communicative profile and in the social cognitive performance of autistic children and adolescents receiving language therapy in three different situations. Assessment focused on the period of modified intervention and on the following period. METHOD subjects were children and adolescents with psychiatric diagnosis within the autistic spectrum. Participants were divided in three groups according to the intervention received during a period of six months. RESULTS determined observable differences, but not statistically significant. The group that presented the most progress was the one in which the subjects received therapy in pairs. The fact that none of groups presented a decrease in their progress indicators, as well as the fact that in a few situations the number of subjects who presented progress increased after this period was not expected. CONCLUSION the results of the present study reinforce that the procedures used to determine the individual abilities and inabilities were useful in planning the intervention procedures.BACKGROUND: language and communication disorders are essential features of the autistic spectrum disorders, and are part of the diagnostic criteria. AIM: to verify the existence of observable differences in the functional communicative profile and in the social cognitive performance of autistic children and adolescents receiving language therapy in three different situations. Assessment focused on the period of modified intervention and on the following period. METHOD: subjects were children and adolescents with psychiatric diagnosis within the autistic spectrum. Participants were divided in three groups according to the intervention received during a period of six months. RESULTS: determined observable differences, but not statistically significant. The group that presented the most progress was the one in which the subjects received therapy in pairs. The fact that none of groups presented a decrease in their progress indicators, as well as the fact that in a few situations the number of subjects who presented progress increased after this period was not expected. CONCLUSION: the results of the present study reinforce that the procedures used to determine the individual abilities and inabilities were useful in planning the intervention procedures.

Adaptação sócio-comunicativa no espectro autístico: dados obtidos com pais e terapeutas

PURPOSE: To verify if the application of the social-communicative adaptation protocol with different information sources, in this case, parents and therapists, is effective to identify individual differences in children of the autistic spectrum. METHODS: Subjects were 48 children, with ages ranging from three to 11 years and ten months, with psychiatric diagnosis included in the autistic spectrum. The parents of those children (46 mothers and two fathers) and 15 speech therapists, who were, respectively, legal caregivers and responsible for their speech-language therapy for at least 12 months, were also subjects of the study. They answered a questionnaire regarding each childs social relation performance. RESULTS: Generically, it is possible to say that the answers obtained from different sources (parents and therapists) were similar. However, the analysis of raw data showed that parents consistently presented higher number of positive answers when compared to therapists, in questions regarding social performance. CONCLUSION: The determination of data about social-communicative adaptation could characterize these subjects, demonstrating that this protocol can be used with different information sources; the answers provided by parents and therapists were homogeneous, confirming data reliability despite of significant differences in the comparison among social-communicative stages and levels. The application of the questionnaire and the social communicative protocol to different information sources can provided homogeneous results, allowing a reliable characterization of these childrens social abilities.

Desempenho sócio-cognitivo e adaptação sócio-comunicativa em diferentes grupos incluídos no espectro autístico

BACKGROUND: researches about the relationship between language, cognition and socialization have evolved since the 70s. Language mediates social development allowing the individual to participate in social situations that include balanced communicative exchanges. AIM: to assess the effectiveness of the Social-Communicative Adaptation Protocol in two groups of children and adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders and to verify the relationship between the referred protocol and the Social-Cognitive Profile. METHOD: participants were 16 children and adolescents with ages between 8.0 and 16.0 years, of both genders, who were diagnosed within the autistic spectrum by neurologists and/or psychiatrists. All participants were receiving, once a week, specialized language therapy by a speech-language pathologist for a period of at least six months. Participants were assessed using the Social-cognitive Profile and the Social-Communicative Adaptation questionnaire. RESULTS: the analysis of the results indicated absence of significant statistical differences in the Social-Cognitive Profile between the two groups. The Social-Communicative Adaptation demonstrated to be extremely variable among the participants. CONCLUSION: this research shows that autistic spectrum children do not have a symmetric and linear development of language, socialization and cognition.

Correlatos entre o perfil comunicativo e adaptação sócio-comunicativa no espectro autístico

OBJETIVO: verificar se ha correlacoes significativas entre os dados referentes ao perfil funcional da comunicacao e os dados da adaptacao socio-comunicativa obtidos por meio de entrevistas individuais com os pais e as terapeutas de criancas com Disturbios do Espectro Autistico. METODOS: foram sujeitos deste estudo 48 criancas, com diagnostico clinico incluido no espectro autistico com os quais foram coletados os dados para a determinacao do perfil funcional da comunicacao por meio de situacao ludica, buscando a espontaneidade comunicativa. Participaram ainda, os responsaveis, legais e pelo atendimento fonoaudiologico especializado, das 48 criancas, ou seja, 46 maes e dois pais e 15 terapeutas, respondendo individualmente a um questionario sobre o relacionamento social das criancas citadas. RESULTADOS: pode-se observar que os resultados referentes a adaptacao socio-comunicativa obtida a partir de entrevistas com terapeutas e pais apresentaram correlacoes significativas com o perfil funcional da comunicacao. De forma geral, o estudo das correlacoes entre os aspectos do perfil comunicativo e da adaptacao socio-comunicativa nao apresentou um grande numero de correlacoes, sendo este numero ainda menor quando os pais foram os informantes, demonstrando a interdependencia das areas estudas. CONCLUSAO: uma das maiores evidencias deste trabalho e que mesmo que as criancas do espectro autistico apresentem um desenvolvimento deficitario das habilidades de linguagem, cognicao e socializacao, ainda assim elas sao capazes de extrair pistas linguisticas e nao-linguisticas do meio comunicativo, e utiliza-las de forma contextual em sua vida social, associando-as com os ganhos na linguagem e no desempenho socio-cognitivo.

Perfil funcional da comunicação e a adaptação sócio-comunicativa no espectro autístico

Rev Soc Bras Fonoaudiol. 2007;12(4):347 Trabalho realizado no Departamento de Fisioterapia, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia Ocupacional da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo – USP – São Paulo (SP), Brasil, para obtenção de título de Doutora em Lingüística pela Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas da Universidade de São Paulo – USP – São Paulo (SP), Brasil, sob orientação da Profa. Dra. Fernanda Dreux Miranda Fernandes. (1) Doutora, bolsista CNPq pelo Departamento de Fisioterapia, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia Ocupacional da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo – USP – São Paulo (SP), Brasil. Endereço para correspondência: Pricilla Fraia Sousa-Morato. R. Cipotânea, 51 Cidade Universitária, São Paulo SP, CEP 05360-000. E-mail: prifono@hotmail.com Perfil funcional da comunicação e a adaptação sócio-comunicativa no espectro autístico