Evaluation of Motor and Oral-motor Imitation in the Context of Pragmatic Communication Assessment in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mild Intellectual Disability, Specific Language Impairment and Typical Population

Abstract

Imitation is one of the major components in the development of pragmatic communication behaviour in all individuals. The ability to imitate and its possible impairment might play a significant role in diagnosing pragmatic language disorders in children of various groups with a risk of physiological speech development disorders stemming from their primary health disability, including people with autism spectrum disorders. In the process of designing and verifying a new assessment material for the evaluation of the ability to recognize pragmatic language disorders in people with autism spectrum disorders, the authors used selected items to assess the capability of motor and oral-motor imitation in children with autism spectrum disorders, specific language impairment (developmental dysphasia), mild intellectual disability, and typically developing children. The paper describes partial results of this research and discusses their potential correlations with the assessment of the pragmatic level of language in children with autism spectrum disorders from the perspective of the speech-language therapist.Key words: Communication pragmatics, options of pragmatic communication level, pragmatically oriented communication situations, children with autism spectrum disorde