Relationship of Nonverbal Communication Functions with Structural and Pragmatic Language Skills in Children with ASD

English (OpenAlex)

Introduction: Children with ASD display diverse developmental traits and face difficulties in communication and language abilities. Nonverbal communication functions are hypothesized to be a significant factor among the variables related to the diverse and complex nature of language and communication skills. Existing research has demonstrated these relationships; however, it has limitations, including a focus on specific language skills and communication functions, reliance on standardized language measures, and examination of only English-speaking children. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationships between initiating joint attention (IJA), responding joint attention (RJA), and initiating behavior regulation (IBR) nonverbal communication functions, as well as structural language skills (number of different words [NDW]), mean length of utterance [MLU]) and pragmatic language skills (taking turns in conversation [TTC]) in Turkish-speaking children with ASD. Method: This study employed a correlational design, a quantitative research method. The research group consisted of 102 children with ASD, with an average age ranging from approximately 34 to 98 months. Structured observational tasks were employed to evaluate the functions of nonverbal communication. Language sample analyses were utilized to assess language skills. Findings: The correlation analysis results indicated significant correlations between IJA, RJA, and IBR with NDW, MLU, and TTC. The analysis of hierarchical regression indicated that RJA and IJA significantly predicted NDW, MLU, and TTC, while IBR did not predict any language skills. Discussion: In Turkish-speaking children with ASD, the role of declarative communication is significant for the development of certain language skills within the structural and pragmatic domains.