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. 2015 Nov;19(8):934-43.
doi: 10.1177/1362361314556782. Epub 2014 Dec 8.

Children with autism spectrum disorders who do not develop phrase speech in the preschool years

Fritjof Norrelgen  1 , Elisabeth Fernell  2 , Mats Eriksson  3 , Åsa Hedvall  4 , Clara Persson  5 , Maria Sjölin  5 , Christopher Gillberg  6 , Liselotte Kjellmer  3
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Children with autism spectrum disorders who do not develop phrase speech in the preschool years

Fritjof Norrelgen et al. Autism. 2015 Nov.

Abstract

There is uncertainty about the proportion of children with autism spectrum disorders who do not develop phrase speech during the preschool years. The main purpose of this study was to examine this ratio in a population-based community sample of children. The cohort consisted of 165 children (141 boys, 24 girls) with autism spectrum disorders aged 4-6 years followed longitudinally over 2 years during which time they had received intervention at a specialized autism center. In this study, data collected at the 2-year follow-up were used. Three categories of expressive language were defined: nonverbal, minimally verbal, and phrase speech. Data from the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II were used to classify expressive language. A secondary objective of the study was to analyze factors that might be linked to verbal ability, namely, child age, cognitive level, autism subtype and severity of core autism symptoms, developmental regression, epilepsy or other medical conditions, and intensity of intervention. The proportion of children who met the criteria for nonverbal, minimally verbal, and phrase speech were 15%, 10%, and 75%, respectively. The single most important factor linked to expressive language was the child's cognitive level, and all children classified as being nonverbal or minimally verbal had intellectual disability.

Keywords: Vineland; autism; intellectual disability; minimally verbal; nonverbal; preschool.

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