The Specifics of Learning Dialog Skills by Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Objectives. The variability of disorders in the formation of dialog skills of preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) does not always depend on the level of intellectual development. In issues of speech development, it is important to take into account both the specifics of understanding the reversed speech at the level of interrogative statements, and the aspects of structuring and semantics of the answer proposed by the child with ASD himself. In order to study the specifics of mastering the basic conversational skills by children with ASD who have unimpaired intellect, a special pilot study was designed and conducted.

Methods. The peculiarities of understanding questions of various purposes and structures by students of the age of 5—7 years (group 1 — 51 children) with unimpaired intellect and ability of verbal communication were studied. Children of group 1 and preschoolers of group 2 of younger age (from 3 years 10 months to 5 years 2 months, a total of 28 participants) were presented with 48 questions, hierarchically organized based on ontogenetic patterns associated with the formation of cognitive concepts, which are accessible to a typically developing child by a certain age. The results obtained in both groups were compared.

Results. Only 2.3% of the proposed 3,708 questions remained unanswered, and the number of correct (adequate) answers, depending on age, tended to increase (for example, preschoolers with ASD of 4 years gave 68% correct answers, preschoolers of 5 years — 73%). The study shows that, in terms of nature and specifics of dialog skills, students with ASD 5-7 years old have no significant differences from the typically developing preschoolers of a younger age group: the number and quality of correct answers from children with ASD at the age of 6 years is comparable with the number of correct answers from typically developing preschoolers of 4 years old.

Conclusions. In the process of forming dialog skills in the structure of developmental education for children with ASD, the teacher should rely solely on the traditional spontaneous question-and-answer method, they should also consider the semantics and pragmatics of the proposed lexical material. The data obtained will be useful for special education teachers in selecting the content for speech development, taking into account the individual typological characteristics of children with ASD.

1. Adil’zhanova M.A. Kriterii otsenki rechevogo razvitiya u detei s rasstroistvami autisticheskogo spektra [Measures of  Language Development for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders]. In Spetsificheskie yazykovye rasstroistva  u detei: Voprosy diagnostiki i korrektsionno-razvivayushchego vozdeistviya: metodicheskii sbornik po materialam  Mezhdunarodnogo simpoziuma [Specific language disorders in children: Issues of diagnosis and correctional/developmental support: collected guidelines from the proceedings of the international symposium]. Moscow: Publ.  Logomag, 2018. Pp. 18—20. ISBN 978-5-905025-54-5. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.)
2. Adil’zhanova M.A., Tishina L.A. Kharakteristika kommunikativnykh profilei detei s rasstroistvami autisticheskogo  spektra s ispol’zovaniem kriteriev otsenki rechevogo razvitiya [Characteristic of Communicative Profiles of Children with  Autistic Spectrum Disorders Using Assessment Criteria of Speech Development]. Sovremennye naukoemkie tekhnologii =  Modern high technologies, 2020, no. 4-1, pp. 89—94. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.) DOI:10.17513/snt.37978
3. Artemova E.E. Psikhologo-pedagogicheskii podkhod k izucheniyu kommunikativnykh navykov u doshkol’nikov s  rasstroistvami autisticheskogo spektra [Psychological and Pedagogical Approach to Learning of Communicative Skills  of the Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders]. In Spetsificheskie yazykovye rasstroistva u detei: Voprosy  diagnostiki i korrektsionno-razvivayushchego vozdeistviya: metodicheskii sbornik po materialam Mezhdunarodnogo simpoziuma [Specific language disorders in children: Issues of diagnosis and correctional/developmental support: collected guidelines from the proceedings of the international symposium]. Moscow: Publ. Logomag, 2018. Pp. 34—36. ISBN 978-5-905025-54-5. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.) 
4. Balciuniene I., Kornev A.N. Speech and Oral Discourse in a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study  of Spontaneous Bilingualism. Part I: Clinical and Anamnestic Evaluation. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya = Autism  and Developmental Disorders (Russia), 2023, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 68—75. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.) DOI:10.17759/autdd.2023210108 
5. Vetrova M.A., Vetrov A.O., Migachev A.S. The Using of the Diagnostic Tool “Communication Matrix” in Working with a Child with Severe Multiple Form of Autism. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya = Autism and Developmental Disorders (Russia), 2024, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 58—67. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.) DOI:10.17759/autdd.2024220108 
6. Goloborod’ko N.A., Tishina L.A. Predposylki k razvitiyu kommunikativnykh navykov u detei s rasstroistvami  autisticheskogo spektra [Preconditions for communication skills development in children with autism spectrum disorders].  In Logopedicheskaya pomoshch’ v usloviyakh spetsial’nogo i inklyuzivnogo obrazovaniya: Traditsii i innovatsii: sbornik nauchnykh statei po materialam Mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii [Speech therapy in special and  inclusive education: Traditions and innovations: proceedings of the international research-to-practice conference].  Moscow: Publ. Yukod, 2019. Pp. 83—87. ISBN 978-5-4214-0078-3. (In Russ.) 
7. Dovbnya S., Morozova T., Zalogina A. et al. Deti s rasstroistvami autisticheskogo spektra v detskom sadu i shkole: Praktiki  s dokazannoi effektivnost’yu [Children with autism spectrum disorders in kindergarten and school: Practices with proven  efficiency]. Saint Petersburg: Publ. Seans, 2018. 202 p. ISBN 978-5-905669-37-8. (In Russ.) 
8. Eliseeva M.B., Vershinina E.A., Ryskina V.L. Makarturovskii oprosnik: Russkaya versiya: Otsenka rechevogo i  kommunikativnogo razvitiya detei rannego vozrasta: Normy razvitiya: Obraztsy analiza: Kommentarii [MacArthur  Inventories: Russian adaptation: Assessing speech and communicative development in early age children: Development norms: Analysis examples: Commentaries]. Ivanovo: Publ. Listos, 2016. 76 p. ISBN 978-5-905158-71-1. (In Russ.)
9. Erofeeva O.S. Osobennosti korrektsionno-razvivayushchei raboty uchitelya-logopeda s det’mi s rasstroistvami  autisticheskogo spektra [Particularity of Correcting and Developmental Work of a Speech Therapist Teacher in Relation to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders]. Auditorium: Elektronnyi nauchnyi zhurnal Kurskogo gosudarstvennogo  universiteta = Auditorium: Electronic periodical of the Kursk State University, 2019, no. 2. 4 p. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.)
10. Kazakovskaya V.V. Vopros i otvet v dialoge «vzrosly`j — rebenok»: Psixolingvisticheskij aspekt. [Questions and аnswers  in “аdult — сhild” dialogue. Psycholinguistic aspect]. Мoscow. 2019. P. 464. (In Russ.) 
11. Kolmogorova L.S., Kolmogorova L.A. Diagnosis of Communicative Competence of Junior Schoolchildren. Vestnik  prakticheskoi psikhologii obrazovaniya = Bulletin of Psychological Practice in Education, 2022, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 39—46. (In  Russ., abstr. in Engl.) DOI:10.17759/bppe.2022190204 
12. Leonova I.V. Razvitie kommunikativnykh i rechevykh navykov doshkol’nikov s rasstroistvami autisticheskogo spektra  [Development of Communication and Speech Skills of Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders]. Sovremennoe  pedagogicheskoe obrazovanie = Modern Pedagogical Education, 2020, no. 2, pp. 157—162. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.) 
13. Mukhametzyanova F.G., Myasagutova A.F., Valiullina G.V. Formirovanie rechevoi kommunikatsii doshkol’nikov s  rasstroistvami autisticheskogo spektra [Formation of speech communication in preschool children with autism spectrum  disorders]. Kazanskii pedagogicheskii zhurnal = Kazan Pedagogical Journal, 2020, no. 2, pp. 247—254. (In Russ., abstr. in  Engl.) DOI:10.34772/KPJ.2020.139.2.034 
14. Nigmatullina I.A., Borisova N.S., Frolova A.S. Assessment of Basic Skills of Children of a Preschool Age with Autism  Spectrum Disorder Using the VB-MAPP. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya = Autism and Developmental Disorders (Russia),  2021, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 25—33. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.) DOI: 10.17759/autdd.2021190103 
15. Sergienko A.I., Lukina A.N. Development of Intraverbal Communication Skills in Communication Groups for Children  of Primary School Age with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya = Autism and Developmental  Disorders (Russia), 2022, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 46—52. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.) DOI:10.17759/autdd.2022200305 
16. Sorokin A.B., Davydova E.Yu., Samarina L.V. et al. Standardized Diagnostic Instruments for Autism Spectrum Disorders:  the Use of ADOS-2 and ADI-R. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya = Autism and Developmental Disorders (Russia), 2021, vol.  19, no. 1, pp. 12—24. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.) DOI:10.17759/autdd.2021190102 
17. Tishina L.A., Adil’zhanova M.A. Variativnost’ narushenii v strukturirovanii dialoga u doshkol’nikov s rasstroistvami  autisticheskogo spektra [Variation in dialogue structuring impairments in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders].  In Tsentral’nye mekhanizmy rechi: Sbornik materialov X Vserossiiskoi (s mezhdunarodnym uchastiem) nauchno prakticheskoi konferentsii im. prof. N.N. Traugott [Central mechanisms of speech: Proceedings of the 10th national (with  international participation) research-to-practice conference dedicated to Prof. N.N. Traugott]. Saint Petersburg: Publ.  VVM, 2022. P. 141. ISBN 978-5-9651-1435-1. (In Russ.)
18. Bak M.S., Dueñas A.D., Avendaño S.M. et al. Tact instruction for children with autism spectrum disorder: A review.  Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 2021, vol. 6. 22 p. DOI:10.1177/2396941521999010
19. Cariveau T., Brown A., Platt D.F. et al. Control by Compound Antecedent Verbal Stimuli in the Intraverbal Relation.  The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 2022, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 121—138. DOI:10.1007/s40616-022-00173-w
20. Contreras Kallens P., Christiansen M.H. Models of Language and Multiword Expressions. Frontiers in Artificial  Intelligence, 2022, vol. 17, no. 5. 14 p. DOI:10.3389/frai.2022.781962 
21. Espinosa F., Gerosa F., Brocchin-Swales V. Teaching multiply-controlled tacting to children with autism. European  Journal of Behavior Analysis, 2021, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 173—193. DOI:10.1080/15021149.2020.1737407
22. Gonzalez J.S., Slocum S.K. Teaching Children to Respond to Questions About the Past: A Preliminary Analysis. The  Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 2022, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 65—73. DOI:10.1007/s40616-022-00166-9 
23. Hanney N.M., Carr J.E., LeBlanc L.A. Teaching children with autism spectrum disorder to tact auditory stimuli. Journal  of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2019, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 733—738. DOI:10.1002/jaba.605 
24. Keesey-Phelan S.H., Axe J.B., Williams A.L. The Effects of Teaching a Problem-Solving Strategy on Recalling Past  Events with a Child with Autism. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 2022, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 190—198. DOI:10.1007/ s40616-022-00176-7 
25. Lin K.R., Wisman Weil L., Thurm A. et al. Word imageability is associated with expressive vocabulary in children with autism  spectrum disorder. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 2022, vol. 7. 9 p. DOI:10.1177/23969415221085827
26. Meleshkevich O., Espinosa F., Axe J.B. Effects of time delay and requiring echoics on answering questions about visual  stimuli. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2021, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 725—743. DOI:10.1002/jaba.790
27. Muès M., Schaubroeck S., Demurie E. et al. Factors associated with receptive and expressive language in autistic  children and siblings: A systematic review. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 2024, vol. 9. 23 p.  DOI:10.1177/23969415241253554 
28. Schroeder K., Rosselló J., Torrades T.R. et al. Linguistic markers of autism spectrum conditions in narratives: A comprehensive  analysis. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 2023, vol. 8. 15 p. DOI:10.1177/23969415231168557