Back to Search
Start Over
Profiles and correlates of language and social communication differences among young autistic children
- Source :
- Frontiers in Psychology, Vol 13 (2022)
- Publication Year :
- 2022
- Publisher :
- Frontiers Media S.A., 2022.
-
Abstract
- Delays in early language development are characteristic of young autistic children, and one of the most recognizable first concerns that motivate parents to seek a diagnostic evaluation for their child. Although early language abilities are one of the strongest predictors of long-term outcomes, there is still much to be understood about the role of language impairment in the heterogeneous phenotypic presentation of autism. Using a person-centered, Latent Profile Analysis, we first aimed to identify distinct patterns of language and social communication ability in a clinic-based sample of 498 autistic children, ranging in age from 18 to 60 months (M = 33 mo, SD = 12 mo). Next, a multinomial logistic regression analysis was implemented to examine sociodemographic and child-based developmental differences among the identified language and social communication profiles. Three clinically meaningful profiles were identified from parent-rated and clinician-administered measures: Profile 1 (48% of the sample) “Relatively Low Language and Social Communication Abilities,” Profile 2 (34% of the sample) “Relatively Elevated Language and Social Communication Abilities,” and Profile 3 (18% of the sample) “Informant Discrepant Language and Relatively Elevated Social Communication Abilities.” Overall, young autistic children from the lowest-resource households exhibited the lowest language and social communication abilities, and the lowest non-verbal problem-solving and fine-motor skills, along with more features of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and atypical auditory processing. These findings highlight the need for effective community-based implementation strategies for young autistic children from low-resource households and underrepresented communities to improve access to individualized quality care.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 16641078
- Volume :
- 13
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.3da6aded15794819b130cf46bb4ab7c9
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.936392