Pilot assessment of nonverbal pragmatic ability in people with asperger syndrome

• Authors: Francisco J. Rodríguez Muñoz
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The purpose of this study is to present a diagnostic tool to assess the nonverbal pragmatic behaviors of people with Asperger syndrome, with the intent to give an account of the severity of symptoms in the area of nonverbal interaction, as well as providing a profile of nonverbal behaviors that may be targeted for intervention. Through this communication profile, overall nonverbal ability is calculated in a group of 20 subjects with Asperger syndrome. The proposed scale also includes the measurement of the following nonverbal dimensions: (1) eye gaze, (2) facial expression, (3) body language and posture, (4) proxemics, (5) gestures, and (6) paralanguage. The results of this assessment suggest low nonverbal pragmatic ability in these subjects, show specific deficits in nonverbal communication, and capture variability in nonverbal behavior in individuals with AS.

Keywords

EN

Asperger syndrome; autism spectrum disorders; communication profile; nonverbal communication; pragmatic assessment; speech-language pathology

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Psychology of Language and Communication
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 279-294

Dates

published

2013-12-01

online

2013-12-31

Contributors

author

Francisco J. Rodríguez Muñoz

• University of Almería

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/plc-2013-0018