Comparing methods for assessing receptive language skills in minimally verbal children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Daniela Plesa Skwerer, Samantha E Jordan, Briana H Brukilacchio, Helen Tager-Flusberg, Daniela Plesa Skwerer, Samantha E Jordan, Briana H Brukilacchio, Helen Tager-Flusberg

Abstract

This research addresses the challenges of assessing receptive language abilities in minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder by comparing several adapted measurement tools: a standardized direct assessment of receptive vocabulary (i.e. Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-4); caregiver report measures including scores on the Vineland-II Communication domain and a vocabulary questionnaire consisting of a list of words ranging from simple, developmentally early, to more advanced words expected to be understood by at least some older children and adolescents; an eye-tracking test of word comprehension, using a word-image pair matching paradigm similar to that often used in studies of infant language acquisition; and a computerized assessment using a touch screen for directly measuring word comprehension with the same stimuli used in the eye-tracking experiment. Results of this multiple-method approach revealed significant heterogeneity in receptive language abilities across participants and across assessment methods. Our findings underscore the need to find individualized approaches for capturing the potential for language comprehension of minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder who remain otherwise untestable, using several types of assessment that may include methods based on eye-tracking or touch-screen responding.

Keywords: eye-tracking; minimally verbal; receptive language; standardized assessments.

© The Author(s) 2015.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Sample image-pairs (target word in capital letters).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Percentage of reliable gaze data trials contributed by each participant. Individual participants (P) are labeled by their age: (a) younger, including participants between 5.75 and 11.8 years and (b) older, including participants between 12 and 21.1 years.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Individual performance on standardized measures of nonverbal IQ and vocabulary (ratio scores) (a): Younger group and (b): Older group.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Individual performance on three measures of receptive vocabulary for words overlapping across the three assessments (percentage accuracy): (a) younger group and (b) older group. *For this participant based on words in Block 1 only (28 words).

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Source: PubMed

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