Language and communication skills in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders: contribution of cognition, severity of autism symptoms, and adaptive functioning to the variability.
Check IQ first for spoken words, then scan autism severity and adaptive scores for gestures and daily communication.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Kjellmer et al. (2012) looked at preschoolers with autism.
They asked what explains differences in talking and in gestures.
The team ran numbers on IQ, autism severity, and daily-living scores.
What they found
Verbal language rose or fell with the child’s thinking level.
Gestures and non-verbal signals also hinged on autism severity and daily skills.
So, smart words need smart brains, but body-talk needs broader checks.
How this fits with other research
Brignell et al. (2024) followed the same kids later and found early language level, not the autism label, foretells school-age growth.
That extends this paper: cognition matters at one time point and across time.
Maljaars et al. (2012) seems to clash—they saw low-functioning kids speak better than they understand.
The gap flips because that sample was only low-IQ; Liselotte mixed all IQs, so the rule still holds.
Matson et al. (2013) conceptually backs this up: autism severity adds its own bite to daily-living scores even after IQ is counted.
Why it matters
When you test a preschool client, let cognitive scores guide spoken-language goals.
Then peek at autism severity and Vineland scores to size up gestures, play, and self-care.
This two-step view keeps goals sharp and keeps you from over- or under-shooting.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined the contribution of cognitive function, severity of autism, and adaptive functioning to the variability in language and communication skills in 129 preschool children (aged 24-63 months) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants were selected from a representative research cohort of 208 preschool children on the basis of caregiver completion of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI). The children were classified into three cognitive groups: (a) Normal intelligence; (b) Developmental delay; and (c) Intellectual disability. Autism symptom severity was measured by the Autistic Behavior Checklist (ABC), and adaptive functioning by the Daily Living Skills (DLS) and Socialization (Soc) subscales from the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. For each of five CDI variables (Phrases understood, Words understood, Words produced, Gestures and actions, and Language use), the contribution of cognition, severity of autism symptoms, and adaptive functioning to the variability was examined. Cognition and age explained about half or more of the variance in the four verbal language CDI variables, but only about one fourth of the variance in the non-verbal communication variable Gestures and actions. Severity of autism symptoms and the two adaptive measures (DLS and Soc) each only accounted for a few percent more of the variance in the four CDI language variables; however, for Gestures and actions, an additional 11-21% of the variance was accounted for. In conclusion, for children with ASD, receptive and expressive language is mainly related to cognitive level, whereas non-verbal communication skills seem to also be related to severity of autism symptoms and adaptive functioning.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.09.003