engleski

Interests in preschool children as diagnostic indicators

Interests reflect specific cognitive infrastructure of each child and are key factors in active learning. Diagnostic criteria highlight the importance of assessment of child`s interests to differentiate between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability, as well as ASD and social (pragmatics) communication disorder. Although diagnostic criteria for ASD require that a clinician should identify whether child`s interests are „highly restricted, fixated or abnormal in intensity or focus“, there is a great lack of objective measures for the assessment of all clinical aspects of interests – intensity, span and content. The aim of this study was to examine interests of typically developing preschool children and compare various aspects of their interests with interests in children with ASD, intellectual disability, language disorder and hearing impairment. Parents filled Interests questionnaire for preschool children that was designed for this study. Study included 260 children aged 3-6 years: (1) typically developing children ; (2) children with ASD ; (3) children with intellectual disability/global developmental delay ; (4) children with language disorder ; (5) children with hearing impairment. Questionnaires were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Results indicate that these groups of children show differences in various aspects of interest. All children show interests in similar toys/subjects, but their span of interests varies greatly. Children with ASD generally show the greatest aberration in interests – their interests tend to be very narrow and largely non-socially oriented. Quantitative results differentiate children with ASD and typically developing children with 90% accuracy. Children with intellectual disabilities also show narrower interests, but do not show the lack of social interests. Children with language disorders and hearing impairment generally display the same content and span of interests as typically developing children, with some specific minor characteristics. Child`s interests can be and should be assessed objectively in the process of differential diagnostics, especially if ASD is candidate diagnosis.

interests, autism, children

nije evidentirano