Functional communicative profile and language diagnosis within the autism spectrum: the use of a checklist

• Grant number: 11/23058-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): March 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Fernanda Dreux Miranda Fernandes
• Grantee: Mariana de Almeida Neubauer
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The role of language in autistic spectrum disorders is a single one because contrary to other broad developmental disorders in which language impairments are a symptom or a consequence of other deficits. In the autistic spectrum language disorders constitute one of the three diagnostic criteria. In our reality, an important part of the research about language in autistic spectrum disorders has been performed by the Speech and Language Research Laboratory on Autistic Spectrum Disorders (LIF-DEA). The use of a protocol for the Functional Communicative Profile has been contributing to the determination of individual profiles of abilities and inabilities that allow the proposal of more efficient language therapy procedures. The aim of this research is to verify the use of a checklist as a substitute for the complete protocol, and as a facilitator for the clinical-therapeutic follow-up. Subjects will be 50 children between 3 and 12 years, attending language therapy in the LIF-DEA. Procedures will not include any change in the routine of semester assessments of each patient, just the completion, by the language therapists, of a checklist that verifies the frequency of each communicative function and its communicative means. Results will try to compare the answers provided to the checklist with the Functional Communicative Profile, as determined by the full protocol.(AU)