Assesment of the linguistic and communicative development of a child with Asperger Syndrome: A case study.

Abstract

The exclusion of language delay that is set in the diagnostic manuals for children with Asperger syndrome has been widely criticized, because different studies show the presence of dysfunctions in the pragmatic dimension and a specific pattern of development in the other more formal language dimensions. In addition, research that has been conducted in recent years about pragmatic impairments of Asperger’s children, it is presented as a set of general trends more than a description of well-known facts. The aim of this study is to analyze the pragmatic profile and its impact on the morphosyntactic and semantic field of a child with Asperger to conclude the presence or absence of a language delay, thus contributing to strengthening some theories insert in the framework of the investigation. For that it is taken the qualitative case study method with an interpretive approach that enables a deeper understanding of the case. The results illustrate the importance of developing careful assessments of pragmatic performance of these children in order to identify possible malfunctions in any of the dimensions of the language system. In the case we have chosen for the preparation of this study, it is established with certainty the existence of a significant delay in the pragmatic dimension and with certain dysfunctions in the other structural dimensions of language.