Sakinah Idris*, Louwerse A, Van der Ende J, Hillegers M, Van Haren N and Greaves Lord K
Background and aims: Disorganized speech (DS) refers to the failure to communicate coherently. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show disorganized speech, such as abrupt topic changes. Disorganized speech can be explained by 1 social pragmatic communication difficulties (SPCD) or 2 social cognition problems (SCP).
Methods: We tested whether children with ASD and severe disorganized speech differed from those with mild or no disorganized speech, using parent’s report on SPCD and tested SCP (i.e., Theory of Mind; ToM). A total of 62 children with ASD (aged 7-12 years) were included, 12 with severe disorganized speech, 32 with mild, and 18 with no disorganized speech. The disorganized speech was assessed using the Kiddie Formal Thought Disorder Rating Scale (KFTDS). SPCD was measured using the parent reported Children’s Communication Checklist (CCC). SCP was measured using a first order false belief task.
Results: Children with severely disorganized speech showed significantly more inappropriate initiations and less coherence. No significant group differences were found in the false belief task, even after included verbal IQ as a covariate in multivariate analysis.
Conclusion: These findings may contribute to the conceptualization of autistic communication difficulties which may guide intervention optimizations. Implications: Furthermore, we may consider offering children with ASD and disorganized speech interventions that stimulate and train broader social pragmatic communication skills, social cognition, and verbal ability (i.e., conversational skills).
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