Avaliação da linguagem nos níveis morfossintático e semântico lexical em crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition characterized by difficulties in communication, social interaction, and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. The manifestations of ASD vary in levels of support, justifying the term "spectrum". Language in ASD varies widely. Some individuals do not develop verbal expression, while others have difficulties in language. Assessment of communication is essential for therapeutic intervention in individuals with ASD. The present study aims to evaluate the acquisition and development of language in children diagnosed with ASD using the Assessment of Language Development 2 (ADL2) scale, intended for assessing the development of communication in Brazilian children aged 1 to 6 years and 11 months. This instrument observes the semantic-lexical and morphosyntactic linguistic levels. In addition, this study aims to investigate the influence of gender, age, and language modalities in individuals with ASD and to observe language performance in relation to linguistic levels using the ADL2 protocol. The results revealed that children with difficulties in comprehensive language have limitations in expression. It was also observed that children diagnosed with ASD have a proportional gain in comprehensive and expressive language skills over the years. On the other hand, the difference between genders was not significant. The findings of this dissertation allowed us to conclude that the linguistic skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), assessed through the ADL-2 instrument, present impairment in comprehension and expression.