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Autism and Developmental Disorders
2025. Vol. 23, no. 4, 62–73
doi:10.17759/autdd.2025230407
ISSN: 1994-1617 / 2413-4317 (online)

The “Tutor’s Compass” assessment tool: a study of social-communication and adaptive skills in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder

 
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Abstract

Context and relevance. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit significant delays in the development of independence, self-care, and communication skills, which poses a substantial obstacle to their successful inclusion in school education. Objective. To investigate the development of social-communication and adaptive skills in preschool children with ASD using the “Tutor’s Compass” assessment tool. Hypothesis. The “Tutor’s Compass” diagnostic tool possesses sufficient differential sensitivity to identify individual differences in the development of self-care skills, learning behaviour, and communication skills within a group of preschool children with ASD; it reveals the specifics of age-related differences in skill development; and it reflects the level of adaptation of preschool children in various domains. Methods and materials. The study involved 24 preschoolers with ASD (8 girls) aged 5 years 1 month to 7 years 11 months (experimental group) and 20 primary school children with ASD (2 girls) aged 8 to 12 years (comparison group). The research methods included the “Tutor’s Compass” diagnostic tool and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Results. Scores on the “Tutor’s Compass” instrument show a statistically significant increase with age (correlations with age R = 0.438–0.674, p < 0.05). The preschool and school-age groups differ significantly on the three main scales (p < 0.05). The skill profile on the “Tutor’s Compass” in preschool children with ASD is uneven, with significant differences observed between individual scales according to Friedman’s test (-- (2) = 15.0, p < 0.001). The configuration of this profile differs from a similar profile obtained using the Vineland scales. Conclusions. The “Tutor’s Compass” diagnostic tool can be used to assess the skills of preschoolers with ASD. During the transition from preschool to primary school age, noticeable progress in skill development is observed, particularly in the domain of self-care. It is advisable to refine certain diagnostic scales, taking into account the specifics of preschool education, and to develop a version of the tool tailored for this age group.

General Information

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder, ASD, preschool age, tutor support, diagnostic tools, “Tutor’s Compass”, adaptive skills

Journal rubric: Diagnostic Tools

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/autdd.2025230407

Received 19.11.2025

Revised 12.11.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Shmeleva, E.V., Mamokhina, U.A., Davydova, E.Y., Pereverzeva, D.S., Davydov, D.V. (2025). The “Tutor’s Compass” assessment tool: a study of social-communication and adaptive skills in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism and Developmental Disorders, 23(4), 62–73. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/autdd.2025230407

© Shmeleva E.V., Mamokhina U.A., Davydova E.Y., Pereverzeva D.S., Davydov D.V., 2025

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Elena V. Shmeleva, educational psychologist, Federal Resource Center for Organization of Comprehensive Support to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education (MSUPE), Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4412-7890, e-mail: rudnevaev@mgppu.ru

Ulyana A. Mamokhina, Researcher of the Federal Resource Center for Organization of Comprehensive Support to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2738-7201, e-mail: mamohinaua@mgppu.ru

Elizaveta Y. Davydova, Candidate of Science (Biology), Associate Professor, Leading Researcher, Federal Resource Center for Organization of Comprehensive Support to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Associate Professor of the Department of Differential Psychology and Psychophysiology Faculty of “Clinical and Special Psychology”, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5192-5535, e-mail: el-davydova@mail.ru

Darya S. Pereverzeva, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Senior Researcher of the Federal Resource Center for Organization of Comprehensive Support to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6881-3337, e-mail: pereverzevads@mgppu.ru

Denis V. Davydov, Candidate of Science (Biology), Leading Researcher of the Federal Resource Center for Organization of Comprehensive Support to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education (MSUPE), Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0993-3803, e-mail: davydovdv@mgppu.ru

Contribution of the authors

Shmeleva E.V. — ideas; annotation, writing and design of the manuscript; planning of the research; data collection and analysis; control over the research; data curation.

Mamokhina U.A. — annotation, writing and design of the manuscript; application of statistical methods for data analysis; data collection and analysis; visualization of research results; data curation. 

Davydova E.Yu. — ideas; annotation, writing and design of the manuscript; planning of the research; control over the research.

Pereverzeva D.S. — annotation, writing and design of the manuscript; application of statistical methods for data analysis; visualization of research results.

Davydov D.V. — annotation, writing and design of the manuscript; application of statistical methods for data analysis; data collection and analysis; visualization of research results.

All authors participated in the discussion of the results and approved the final text of the manuscript. 

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest. 

Ethics statement

The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants’ legal representatives were informed about the research purposes and provided voluntary informed consent. 

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