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A Preliminary Investigation of Parent-reported Fiction versus Non-fiction Book Preferences of School-Age Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

ABSTRACT: Background & Aims:Anecdotal evidence suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prefer non-fiction books over fiction books. The current study was the first to investigate parent-reports of children with ASD's fiction and non-fiction book preferences and whether these relate to individual differences in social communication, oral language, and/or reading abilities. Method:Children (ages 8-14 years, M = 10.89, SD = 1.17) with ASD diagnoses (n = 19) and typically developing (TD) peers (n = 21) participated. Children completed standardized measures of social communication, oral language, and reading abilities. Parents reported children's current favorite book, and from these responses, we coded children's fiction versus non-fiction book preferences. Main Contribution:Contrary to anecdotal evidence, children with ASD preferred fiction similar to their TD peers. Fiction versus non-fiction book preference was significantly related to social communication abilities across both groups. Children's oral language and reading abilities were related, as expected, but the evidence for a relationship between social communication and reading comprehension was mixed. Conclusions:This study provides preliminary evidence supporting the association of social communication in fiction versus non-fiction book preference, which may be related to children's comprehension and support the theoretical role of social communication knowledge in narrative/fiction. Implications:It should not be assumed that all children with ASD prefer expository/non-fiction or do not read narrative/fiction. Children who prefer non-fiction may need additional social communication knowledge support to improve their understanding of narrative fiction.

SUBMITTER: Davidson MM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6363357 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A Preliminary Investigation of Parent-reported Fiction versus Non-fiction Book Preferences of School-Age Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Davidson Meghan M MM Ellis Weismer Susan S

Autism & developmental language impairments 20180101

<h4>Background & aims</h4>Anecdotal evidence suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prefer non-fiction books over fiction books. The current study was the first to investigate parent-reports of children with ASD's fiction and non-fiction book preferences and whether these relate to individual differences in social communication, oral language, and/or reading abilities.<h4>Method</h4>Children (ages 8-14 years, <i>M</i> = 10.89, <i>SD</i> = 1.17) with ASD diagnoses (<i>n</i> ...[more]

PMID: 30733999

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Project description:The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is widely used as an international standardised instrument measuring child behaviour. The primary aim of our study was to examine whether behavioral symptoms measured by SDQ were elevated among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) relative to the rest of the population, and to examine the predictive value of the SDQ for outcome of parent-reported clinical diagnosis of ASD/ADHD. A secondary aim was to examine the extent of overlap in symptoms between children diagnosed with these two disorders, as measured by the SDQ subscales. A cross-sectional secondary analysis of data from the Millennium Birth Cohort (n = 19,519), was conducted. Data were weighted to be representative of the UK population as a whole. ADHD or ASD identified by a medical doctor or health professional were reported by parents in 2008 and this was the case definition of diagnosis; (ADHD n = 173, ASD n = 209, excluding twins and triplets). Study children's ages ranged from 6.3-8.2 years; (mean 7.2 years). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between the parent-reported clinical diagnosis of ASD/ADHD and teacher and parent-reported SDQ subscales. All SDQ subscales were strongly associated with both ASD and ADHD. There was substantial co-occurrence of behavioral difficulties between children diagnosed with ASD and those diagnosed with ADHD. After adjustment for other subscales, the final model for ADHD, contained hyperactivity/inattention and impact symptoms only and had a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 90%; (AUC) = 0.94 (95% CI, 0.90-0.97). The final model for ASD was composed of all subscales except the 'peer problems' scales, indicating of the complexity of behavioural difficulties that may accompany ASD. A threshold of 0.03 produced model sensitivity and specificity of 79% and 93% respectively; AUC = 0.90 (95% CI, 0.86-0.95). The results support changes to DSM-5 removing exclusivity clauses.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Early diagnosis and referral to treatment prior to age 3-5 years improves the prognosis of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, ASD is often not diagnosed until age 3-4 years, and medical providers may lack training to offer caregivers evidence-based treatment recommendations. This study tested hypotheses that 1) children with ASD would be diagnosed between ages 3-4 years (replicating prior work), 2) caregivers would receive little information beyond the diagnosis from their medical providers, and 3) caregivers would turn to other sources, outside of their local health care professionals, to learn more about ASD. METHODS:146 ASD caregivers responded to an online survey that consisted of questions about demographics, the diagnostic process, sources of information/support, and the need and availability of local services for ASDs. Hypotheses were tested using descriptives, regression analyses, analyses of variance, and chi-squared. RESULTS:The average age of diagnosis was 4 years, 10 months and the mode was 3 years. While approximately 40% of professionals gave additional information about ASD after diagnosis and 15-34% gave advice on medical/educational programs, only 6% referred to an autism specialist and 18% gave no further information. The diagnosis of Autism was made at earlier ages than Asperger's Disorder or PDD-NOS. Developmental pediatricians (relative to psychiatrists/primary care physicians, neurologists, and psychologists) were associated with the lowest age of diagnosis and were most likely to distribute additional information. Caregivers most often reported turning to the media (i.e., internet, books, videos), conferences, and other parents to learn more about ASD. CONCLUSION:The average age of ASD diagnosis (4 years, 10 months) was later than optimal if children are to receive the most benefit from early intervention. Most professionals gave caregivers further information about ASDs, especially developmental pediatricians, but a sizeable minority did not. This may reflect a lack of training in the wide range of behaviors that occur across the autism spectrum. Parents turned to outside sources to learn more about ASD. We recommend that all physicians receive specialized training about ASDs to improve upon early screening and diagnosis, and then advise caregivers about empirically-supported services.

Dataset Information

A Preliminary Investigation of Parent-reported Fiction versus Non-fiction Book Preferences of School-Age Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Publications

A Preliminary Investigation of Parent-reported Fiction versus Non-fiction Book Preferences of School-Age Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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