Oral narrative discourse in schoolchildren with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze the characteristics of oral narrative discourse in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: The study included schoolchildren aged 6 to 10 years, divided into two groups: ASD group (n = 26), with oral children diagnosed with ASD; and control group (n = 26), with typically developing children. Sociodemographic data were collected through questionnaires applied to parents/guardians, and the schoolchildren were evaluated regarding intellectual estimation and oral narrative discourse (partial retelling, total retelling, and story comprehension); the story was read aloud to them.

Results: The schoolchildren belonged to socioeconomic classes A/B, and most mothers had a bachelor's degree. No schoolchild was classified as intellectually disabled. The oral narrative instrument identified a difference between the groups in the partial retelling test; the ASD group performed worse. There was no difference in total retelling or oral comprehension. Regarding the morphosyntax used in constructing narrative sentences, a difference was identified in the use of nouns and prepositions, with poorer performance in the ASD group. No significant differences were observed in the use of other morphosyntactic categories.

Conclusion: Schoolchildren with ASD, in favorable sociodemographic conditions, present oral narrative performance similar to that of typically developing children, with occasional differences.