Almehmadi Wesam, Tenbrink Thora, Sanoudaki Eirini
School of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, Bangor University, United Kingdom.
J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2020 Jul 20;63(7):2308-2321. doi: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00265. Epub 2020 Jun 16.
Purpose This study investigates the features of pragmatic and conversational skills in the language of Arabic-speaking adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by comparing them with typically developing (TD) Arabic-speaking adolescents in Saudi Arabia. It aims to identify the differences in the pragmatic skills of the two groups and the perception of those skills by caregivers, with respect to four main pragmatic areas: discourse management, communicative function, conversational repair, and presupposition abilities. Method Data for this study were collected from 15 Saudi adolescents with ASD and a control group of 15 TD adolescents, matched for gender and language abilities. All the participants were in the normal IQ range. The caregivers of the adolescents with ASD and TD adolescents also participated in this study. Data were collected on the adolescents' performances using the Yale in vivo Pragmatic Protocol. In addition, the Pragmatics Profile of Everyday Communication Skills (PPECS) was used to collect data on the caregivers' perceptions of the adolescents' abilities. The combination of tools in this study allows for a unique comparison between actual performance and caregivers' perceptions. Results As expected, both the adolescents' performances and the caregivers' perceptions reflected an overall deficit in the pragmatic and conversational skills of adolescents with ASD. However, we also identified an inconsistency between the caregivers' estimation of the participant's pragmatic abilities and the actual abilities demonstrated by the adolescents. In particular, TD adolescents performed significantly better than adolescents with ASD in the pragmatic areas of turn-taking, topic maintenance, and topic initiation, but the caregivers did not detect differences between the two groups in these discourse management abilities. Conclusions This study has important implications for both ASD interventions and assessment. It provides a comprehensive assessment approach for measuring pragmatic skills, including both direct (participants' performances) and indirect (caregivers' perceptions) measures. Future research may benefit from adopting the combined approach used in this study to explore pragmatics in ASD. Differences between caregivers' perceptions and the performances of individuals with ASD should be considered, as well as the influence of various factors on their communication.
目的 本研究通过将患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的阿拉伯语青少年与沙特阿拉伯发育正常（TD）的阿拉伯语青少年进行比较，调查他们在语言方面的语用和会话技能特征。其目的是确定两组在语用技能方面的差异以及照顾者对这些技能的看法，涉及四个主要语用领域：话语管理、交际功能、会话修复和预设能力。方法 本研究的数据收集自15名沙特ASD青少年以及15名TD青少年组成的对照组，两组在性别和语言能力上相匹配。所有参与者的智商都在正常范围内。ASD青少年和TD青少年的照顾者也参与了本研究。使用耶鲁现场语用协议收集青少年的表现数据。此外，日常沟通技能语用概况（PPECS）用于收集照顾者对青少年能力的看法数据。本研究中工具的组合允许对实际表现和照顾者的看法进行独特的比较。结果 正如预期的那样，青少年的表现和照顾者的看法都反映出ASD青少年在语用和会话技能方面总体存在缺陷。然而，我们也发现照顾者对参与者语用能力的估计与青少年实际表现出的能力之间存在不一致。特别是，在轮流发言、话题维持和话题发起的语用领域，TD青少年的表现明显优于ASD青少年，但照顾者并未察觉到两组在这些话语管理能力上的差异。结论 本研究对ASD干预和评估都具有重要意义。它提供了一种全面的评估方法来衡量语用技能，包括直接（参与者的表现）和间接（照顾者的看法）测量。未来的研究可能会受益于采用本研究中使用的综合方法来探索ASD中的语用学。应考虑照顾者的看法与ASD个体表现之间的差异，以及各种因素对他们沟通的影响。
