# Perception of pragmatic skills by speech therapists and parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

## TL;DR

The study compares how speech therapists and parents perceive the communication skills of children with autism, finding mostly similar views but some differences in specific areas.

## Contribution

The novel aspect is the comparative analysis of speech therapists' and parents' perceptions of pragmatic skills in children with ASD using the PAHPEA protocol.

## Key findings

- Speech therapists and parents showed significant differences in perceptions of responsiveness, functionality, and inadequacy.
- Overall, perceptions were largely aligned with over 75% agreement on most factors.
- The study used the PAHPEA protocol to evaluate pragmatic skills in children with ASD aged 2 to 12.

## Abstract

To analyze the perceptions of speech therapists and parents or guardians regarding the performance of pragmatic skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), between 2 and 12 years old, undergoing speech therapy.

Cross-sectional, prospective, observational, analytical study, conducted in a speech therapy clinic in the Midwestern Region of Brazil, including two groups and convenience sampling: Group 1. nine speech therapists who were caring for 70 children with ASD, in the established age range; Group 2. 70 parents or guardians or caregivers of these children. Participants responded to the Protocol for the Assessment of Pragmatic Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (PAHPEA). Descriptive analyses were conducted to identify the children's pragmatic difficulties perceived by the two groups, Mann-Whitney U test to compare the perceptions of participants in the two groups about the children's pragmatic skills, and Spearman rho correlational analysis to verify the occurrence of an association between these perceptions of participants in both groups.

A statistically significant difference was found in three of the five factors covered by PAHPEA (responsiveness, functionality, and inadequacy), as the members of Group 1 interpreted the children's performance differently from that of the participants in Group 2.

Overall, the perceptions of speech therapists and parents or guardians were similar in almost all factors and questions evaluated.

Analisar as percepções de fonoaudiólogos/as e pais ou responsáveis acerca do desempenho das habilidades pragmáticas de crianças com transtorno do espectro do autismo (TEA), entre 2 e 12 anos, em acompanhamento fonoaudiológico.

Estudo transversal, prospectivo, observacional, analítico, conduzido em clínica particular de fonoaudiologia na Região Centro-Oeste do Brasil, incluindo dois grupos, por conveniência: Grupo 1. nove fonoaudiólogos/as que estavam atendendo 70 crianças com TEA, na faixa etária estabelecida; Grupo 2. 70 pais ou responsáveis ou cuidadores/as destas crianças. Os participantes responderam ao Protocolo de Avaliação de Habilidades Pragmáticas de Crianças com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (PAHPEA). Foram conduzidas análises descritivas para identificar as dificuldades pragmáticas das crianças percebidas pelos dois grupos, teste U de Mann-Whitney para comparar as percepções dos participantes dos dois grupos sobre as habilidades pragmáticas das crianças e análise correlacional Spearman rho para verificar se houve associação entre estas percepções dos participantes dos dois grupos.

Houve diferença estatisticamente significativa de forma pontual em três dos cinco fatores abarcados pelo PAHPEA (responsividade, funcionalidade e inadequação), pois os integrantes do Grupo 1 interpretaram o desempenho das crianças de forma diferente daquela dos participantes do Grupo 2.

No geral, as percepções de fonoaudiólogos/as e pais ou responsáveis se aproximaram em quase todos os fatores e questões avaliados, houve convergência significativa com concordância superior à 75% nas respostas ao PAHPEA.