Understanding of metaphors for autism spectrum disorder assessment in deaf people
- Autores: Barry Wright, Helen Phillips, Vicci Ackroyd, Rebecca Joy, Eleni Tsappis, Richard Ogden
- Localización: International Journal on Mental Health and Deafness, ISSN 2226-3462, Vol. 5, Nº. 1, 2021
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
Background: Deaf children are thought to be more frequently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to hearing children. Some clinicians use questions in assessment of ASD that test comprehension of abstract language such as metaphors, idioms and literal thinking.
Method: Using information from a large study of ASD Assessment in deaf children and young people, trained clinical assessors were asked to pay close attention to the use of abstract language in the play/interaction based assessment.
Results: Clinicians observed that deaf children had difficulty understanding abstract language used in spoken English despite very clearly not having ASD. In addition, deaf children whose first language is BSL used a range of abstract language in BSL with notable differences from English abstract language.
Conclusion: This suggests a need to develop clearer parameters around how abstract language comprehension is tested (informally and formally) in the assessment process and the importance of understanding the child’s linguistic background during assessment.
