Investigating which abilities are linked to better conversation in ASD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating which abilities are linked to better conversation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
IRAS ID
247052
Contact name
Joshua Nice
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
East Kent Hospitals University Trust Foundation
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 3 months, 28 days
Research summary
One of two dyads of impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a deficit in social communication. This includes using gestures and eye contact appropriately, understanding facial expressions and engaging in back-and-forth interaction. We need to understand which cognitive skills underpin better social communication. Two likely candidates are Theory of Mind (i.e. understanding that people have beliefs that differ from yours) and Executive Functioning (EF), which includes working memory (manipulating information in short term memory) and inhibitory control (stopping a habitual action). Pellicano (2013) examined the relationship between these two abilities and social communication in ASD. She found that once vocabulary skills and non-verbal IQ were taken into account, EF was found to be an important factor, although Theory of Mind was not. Pellicano’s study did not, however, clarify whether EF is important for conversation skills. This is the most important aspect of social communication for school-age children. In our study, conversation will be elicited as part of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), carried out by a clinical psychologist (CP) during the diagnostic process. This takes around 45 minutes. We will transcribe all conversational statements made by CP (e.g. ‘I have a pet at home’) to assess the degree to which 4- to 7-year-olds with ASD make relevant contributions (e.g. ‘I have a pet, too’) versus irrelevant contributions or no response. The children will also be assessed on non-verbal IQ (one sub-test), vocabulary, two measures of EF (working memory and inhibitory control) and (probably) Theory of Mind. These would take an absolute maximum of 45 minutes in total; some will be carried out by an assistant psychologist while the child’s parents are being interviewed by the CP. Our statistical analyses will determine the degree to which working memory and / or inhibitory control can account for the ability to make relevant contributions in conversations, when non-verbal IQ and vocabulary are factored out.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1651
Date of REC Opinion
5 Dec 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion