Rianne Jansen

Intentional communication in nonverbal and verbal low-functioning children with autism.

UNLABELLED In this study we characterized profiles of communicative functions and forms of children with autism and intellectual disability (n=26), as compared to typically developing children (n=26) with a comparable nonverbal mental age (2-5 years). Videotapes of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales - Developmental Profile were analyzed using a standardized observation scheme in which three main functions were distinguished: behavior regulation, social interaction, and joint attention. Different forms of communication were also investigated: gestures, vocalizations/verbalizations, and eye gaze. Results indicated that in typically developing children the proportion of communication for the purpose of joint attention was much higher than for behavior regulation, whereas in children with autism the opposite pattern was seen. Low-functioning nonverbal children with autism mainly communicated for behavior regulation and not or only rarely for declarative purposes. Generally, this subgroup used the least complex forms to communicate. Low-functioning verbal children with autism differed from typically developing children only in the rate, not in the proportion of communication for specific functions. Combinations of three different communicative forms were used by verbal children with autism less frequently than by typically developing children. LEARNING OUTCOMES After reading this paper, readers should be able to: (1) describe early development of communicative functions, (2) explain differences in communication profiles with respect to form and function between verbal and nonverbal low-functioning children with autism and typically developing children matched on nonverbal mental age and (3) discuss clinical implications of the findings for communication interventions in verbal and nonverbal low-functioning children with autism.

Young children with language difficulties: A dimensional approach to subgrouping

A dimensional approach was used to create bottom-up constructed subgroups that captured the behavioral heterogeneity in 36 Dutch-speaking children with language difficulties. Four subgroups were delineated based upon differences in cognitive ability, symbol understanding, joint attention and autism spectrum disorder related characteristics. Children with a different developmental disorder were found within a single cluster. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that bottom-up constructed subgroups might capture the heterogeneous behavioral profiles of young children with developmental difficulties in a more meaningful way. Furthermore, joint attention and symbol understanding seem important skills to assess in young children presenting with language difficulties.