Associations Between Social Language Use and Behavioral and Social Engagement in Inclusive ASD Classrooms

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Topic - Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

Defined by disturbances in social communication and interactions, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently involves delayed language and self-regulation skills (APA, 2013). A common feature of children with ASD is deficits in social language with peers, defined here as talking with a peer while in close proximity and mutually oriented. Here we investigate talking with peers as our primary measure of social language. One key measure of self-regulation is behavioral engagement, or children’s ability to stay on task and be self-reliant in the classroom. Here, we examine whether differences in language abilities, particularly social use of language, in children with and without ASD relate to classroom behavioral and social engagement.
Participants included 26 preschoolers (6 female) enrolled in three inclusive classrooms. Ten of the children had ASD, seven had developmental delays (DD), and nine were typically developing (TD). During monthly observations, children wore lightweight vests equipped with Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) to measure vocalizations and two Ubisense tags to measure location. Ubisense measures of proximity/orientation were used to determine social contact, and synchronized to LENA data to assess each child’s social language use (output) with peers. Each child’s end-of-year language abilities were assessed with the Preschool Language Scales (PLS-5).
Researchers observed each child using the INdividualized CLassroom Assessment Scoring System (inCLASS; Downer et al., 2010). The inCLASS consists of four domains relating to children’s social engagement with teachers and peers (e.g. making eye contact), their behavior (or task) engagement (e.g. staying focused on an assigned task), and negative engagement (e.g., yelling in the classroom). During each inCLASS assessment, a trained researcher observed one child at a time, recording and scoring the child on each of the four domains; each domain had a possible range of 2-21 per observation. Each child was observed for four 10-minute periods over the course of one day. These scores were averaged across all four periods to create a composite score for each child in each domain. Here, we examine behavioral engagement and positive social engagement with peers in the classroom.
There were differences in social language use and behavioral and social engagement. TD children had higher behavioral engagement (M=8.61), social engagement (M=9.52), social language use (M=.93), and total PLS-5 scores (M=119.29) than their DD/ASD peers (behavioral engagement M=6.09; social engagement M=4.87; social language use M=.62; PLS-5 scores M=80.33; ps<.05). Linear regression indicated that social language use was associated with both behavior engagement (p=.040; Fig.1) and social engagement with peers (p=.048; Fig.2), such that increases in social language use were associated with higher appropriate classroom behavior and positive peer interactions, even when controlling for diagnosis.
Overall, we found that children with ASD and DD had lower levels of language ability, social language use, and classroom behavioral and social engagement compared to their TD peers, but social language use predicted behavioral and social engagement for all groups of children. Thus, although children with ASD and DD may have particular difficulty with the behavioral skills needed for classroom engagement, their developing language skills can support the development of self-regulation.

Authors

• Regina Fasano, University of Miami
  Presenting Author

• Lynn K Perry, University of Miami
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stephanie Custode, University of Miami
  Non-Presenting Author

• Aurora Adams, University of Miami
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laura Vitale, University of Miami
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rebecca J. Bulotsky Shearer, University of Miami
  Non-Presenting Author

• Daniel Messinger, University of Miami
  Non-Presenting Author