T.U.L.I.P. Protocol (TCE, UOI, Leiter-R as Indicators of Predictivity) for the Assessment of the Developmental Potential in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

The article aims to highlight some predictive indicators of improvement in ADOS scores in a group of 49 children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. For this purpose we created a specific protocol named T.U.L.I.P. that, using the Fluid Reasoning of the Leiter-R, the presence of Emotional Contagion (TCE) and the ability to understand the intentions of the others (UOI) as predictive indicators, can identify a category of autistic children who positively respond to treatment and improves the autistic symptomatology. The children who at the intake had predictive indicators of Emerging or Present UOI and TCE improved their autistic symptomatology with therapy and some of them (those with Present indicators) positively changed their ADOS diagnosis. In pre-school children, or in the first year of their schooling, the assessment of cognitive and social components shows that relational skills have a greater importance in predicting the decrease of the ADOS scores. The presence of predictive indicators, especially on the emotional response and the ability to understand the intentions of the others, also helps to work through a developmental- relational approach that activates in children their existing potentialities to get improvements even in the cognitive functioning. The Social Affection component of the ADOS-2 correlates with predictive indicators and accounts for an intervention targeted to the emotional dimension.