Children´s pretend play in Autism Spectrum Disorder: an analysis of different levels of support

• Grant number: 24/07794-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Amanda Mota Pacciulio Sposito
• Grantee: Felipe Henrique Spoti Caran
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that affects individuals in their communication, social interaction, and various other aspects of behavior. According to the DSM-5, children diagnosed with ASD are classified into three different levels of support based on their need for assistance in surviving and performing activities in their social environment. With the significant increase in the prevalence of ASD in recent decades, it becomes crucial to understand the characteristics and needs of children diagnosed with this neurodevelopmental disorder. Autistic children often exhibit reduced pretend play abilities, which can impact their language, cognitive, social, and emotional development. Pretend play skills can be acquired by children with ASD who are developmentally delayed; however, this requires an excellent assessment of the child and the appropriate application of interventions. To guide professional clinical reasoning, it is necessary to initially understand the skills and difficulties involved in the pretend play of children with ASD. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how children with ASD, across all levels of support, perform in pretend play. This is a cross-sectional, observational, and quantitative study. Forty-two children with ASD will be evaluated (14 from each support level). Each child will be assessed using the standardized Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment (ChIPPA), which has been translated, culturally adapted, and validated for the Brazilian population. The collected data will be analyzed using statistical tests, depending on the type of data distribution found, comparing the results of the percentage of elaborate actions, the number of object substitutions, and the number of imitated actions, both within and between groups.