Oral narrative discourse in schoolchildren with Autism Spectrum Disorder

To analyze the characteristics of oral narrative discourse in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The study included schoolchildren aged 6 to 10 years, divided into two groups: ASD group (n = 26), with oral children diagnosed with ASD; and control group (n = 26), with typically developing children. Sociodemographic data were collected through questionnaires applied to parents/guardians, and the schoolchildren were evaluated regarding intellectual estimation and oral narrative discourse (partial retelling, total retelling, and story comprehension); the story was read aloud to them.

The schoolchildren belonged to socioeconomic classes A/B, and most mothers had a bachelor's degree. No schoolchild was classified as intellectually disabled. The oral narrative instrument identified a difference between the groups in the partial retelling test; the ASD group performed worse. There was no difference in total retelling or oral comprehension. Regarding the morphosyntax used in constructing narrative sentences, a difference was identified in the use of nouns and prepositions, with poorer performance in the ASD group. No significant differences were observed in the use of other morphosyntactic categories.

Schoolchildren with ASD, in favorable sociodemographic conditions, present oral narrative performance similar to that of typically developing children, with occasional differences.