Hajri, M., Abbes, Z., Yahia, H. B., Jelili, S., Halayem, S., Mrabet, A., & Bouden, A. (2022). Cognitive deficits in children with autism spectrum disorders: Toward an integrative approach combining social and non-social cognition. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 917121.
The hypothesis of the scholarly article is to identify the potential effects of cognitive impairments in promoting the deficiencies encountered in ASD, including poor social interactions and communication. The authors also introduce cognitive remediation (CR) programs for improving executive functions in ASD (Hajri et al., 2022). In addition, the research suggests that a holistic approach is required to ensure children gain their social and cognitive functions to result in better health outcomes (Hajri et al., 2022). Therefore, this paper is integral for the research as it pinpoints the cognitive deficits that affect language in autistic children.
The authors utilize the systematic review method, which follows specific guidelines for efficacy. The review was developed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) rules (Hajri et al., 2022). This evidence-based strategy provides a set of items required for reporting in systematic analysis, improving outcomes (Hajri et al., 2022). With this strategy, the researchers identify the different conclusions made by different experts concerning the issue of ASD and language, which provides a comprehensive finding.
The author’s key finding is that CR programs have the potential to enhance outcomes in children with ASD. The reason is that the approaches focus on improving the social and cognitive abilities to ensure the child can survive in the mainstream environment (Hajri et al., 2022). The authors justifythe correlation between ASD and language development, illustrating that this childhood disorder causes the child to experience discrepancies in language use and social engagement.
The main limitation is that the authors need to provide explicit information on future recommendations and issues. The authors also note that there are limited studies endorsing CR interventions in ASD despite their focus on justifying it as a practical approach to helping children with ASD (Ross et al., 2019). The study recommends the need for extensive research on the CR program and its efficacy in enhancing the social and non-social aspects of children with ASD.
Maemonah, S., Hamidah, Notobroto, H. B., Sulystiono, D., & Widarti, L. (2021). Factors affecting the ability to speak in children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Public Health Research, 10(2), jphr-2021.
“The Impact of Autism Spectrum Disorder on Language Development” is a primary research article by Siti Maemonah and other researchers who highlight how the childhood disorder known as Autism spectrum disorder affects children’s capacity to engage in coherent speech (Maemonah et al.,2021). The hypothesis of the journal is to determine the different factors that may alter speech acquisition among children with ASD, including their age, gender, emotions, and cognition. By examining these factors, the author exhausts all the predispositions that may limit speech among children with ASD(Maemonah et al.,2021). This paper is integral to the study, as it highlights how deficiencies in ASD affect speech acquisition, the core focus of this study.
The study employed a systematic research design to ensure the efficacy of the results. The authors used a correlational analytical approach and retrospective cohort design, which allowed them to access both qualitative and quantitative information(Maemonah et al.,2021). The mixed methods design allowed the researchers to identify how emotional aspects, attention capacity, age, and gender of autistic children influence their language capabilities (Maemonah et al.,2021). The data obtained were analyzed using thematic analysis for the qualitative responses and a correlation coefficient to examine relationships between the variables.
The study indicated a significant influence of cognitive abilities on language acquisition. The authors mention that children with low attention spans have problems with speech. Another revelation was that the attention and age of a child determine the speaking ability of autistic children (Maemonah et al.,2021). Moreover, emotional management is crucial in promoting early language acquisition, thus affecting speaking skills among children (Maemonah et al.,2021). Therefore, the authors imply that emotional management and attention-enhancing speech acquisition are important for autistic children.
The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the different factors that influence speech acquisition in autistic children, which aligns with the focus and objective of this paper. The authors also included many participants in their study, making their findings generalizable to the general population(Ross et al., 2019). However, some of the results obtained, including emotions and speech, are subjective and do not support the idea presented in this exploration.
Schwartz Offek, E., & Segal, O. (2022). Comparing Theory of Mind Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Language Disorder, and Typical Development. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 2349-2359.
This article was published by the National Library of Medicine in 2022. Schwartz and Segal are the authors of the journal, and their focus is to determine the theory of mind (ToM) in three categories of children, including children with ASD with no language issues, children with Developmental Language Disorders (DLD), and typically developing children (TD) (Schwartz & Segal, 2022). Through this analysis, the authors can determine whether ASD affects ToM in any way and justify their language issues. This research is crucial for my study, considering that it highlights the theory that can be used to describe deficiencies among ASD children with ASD.
The strategy used was the experimental approach, which allowed the children to be placed in environmental conditions to determine the effect. The children were placed in different categories, and each was administered a standardized test, including the Nonverbal Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and a Hebrew language assessment tool, to determine their skills and capabilities across different domains (Schwartz & Segal, 2022). The results were analyzed using the Hebrew Version of the ToM Tasks Battey and a patient survey question.
The authors made significant discoveries relating to the effects of ASD on language acquisition. The discoveries made illustrated that ASD children with ASD had a lower ToM score compared to the DLD and TD groups. Children with DLD highlighted identical scores with TD children, indicating that ASD children experienced cognitive impairment (Schwartz & Segal, 2022). The participating parents reported that their children demonstrated lower ToM skills than their TD and DLD peers (Schwartz & Segal, 2022). Therefore, the research concluded that children diagnosed with ASD faced fundamental ToM problems that included independent language skills and social interactions, and this affected their expression of ToM development.
The authors used the experimental method, which exhibits significant limitations in analysis. The reason is that the correlation between the ToM and ASD cannot be explicitly determined using the approach. However, parental feedback provides reliable data concerning the study’s objective (Ross et al., 2019). Some of the recommendations for future studies include replication with a larger sample, as the current one had only 41 students (Schwartz & Segal, 2022). The idea of cultural influence on language and ToM should also be examined.
Mayo Clinic. (2020). Autism spectrum disorder. YouTube.
The extensive video provides an in-depth explanation of ASD through an interactive expert focus group. In the video, ASD is described as a neurodevelopmental condition that limits social interactions, expected behaviors, and communication. The speakers typify behavior in ASD as repetitive and outside societal norms (Mayo Clinic, 2020). For instance, they describe that the child may seek sensory gratification from different sources, including holding a block in their hand for an entire day without dropping it and rigidity in changing activities, which can be a challenge (Mayo Clinic, 2020). The child may also disregard verbal expression, meaning that they are less vocal in expressing their needs through communication, and this limits their language use.
The potential limitation of this video is the absence of academic citations. The speakers provide essential pointers about the disorder, but must mention the sources or provide more academic infrastructure supporting the information disseminated(Ross et al., 2019). Despite this limitation, the source provides integral information concerning ASD. It represents this population well, considering that it also highlights the conditions in which ASD children with ASD can thrive and achieve their maximum potential.
Yo Samdy., S. (2021). The autism spectrum: Explained. YouTube.
The video explores the history of ASD and provides an in-depth analysis of the history, signs, symptoms, and conditions. According to Yo Samdy (2021), children with ASD exhibit varied behaviors, considering that the condition is a spectrum. The children exhibit behaviors that do not conform to conventional norms, such as meltdowns in social places (YoSamdy, 2021). Their speech can be hindered depending on the type of autism, including non-verbal autism, which falls under the neurodivergent category (Yo Samdy, 2021). The limitation in language use makes communication difficult for these people, resulting in significant language problems.
The video is an essential source of information concerning the history and misconceptions about ASD. However, a limitation of this resource is that some of the information provided is subjective, which reduces the quality of scientific data due to bias (Ross et al., 2019). However, the video destigmatizes the negative narratives speculated about Autism, including its degrading effects, such as irrational decision-making, and represents it as a condition that can be managed(Ross et al., 2019). Therefore, this source is crucial for this project, as it provides descriptors of ASD and highlights baseless notions that provide inaccurate information.