Narrative production abilities of children with ASD

Background & Aims:
Narrative abilities are crucial for effective communication and social interactions. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often struggle with narrative production and comprehension due to their unique developmental profiles. This study examines the microstructure and macrostructure narrative skills of children with ASD compared to age-matched typically developing (TD) children, aiming to uncover specific areas of difficulty and proficiency.

Methods:
The study included 64 children aged 6-8 years, divided equally between those diagnosed with ASD and TD peers. Participants underwent narrative production tasks involving both imaginary and everyday narratives, and modes of telling and retelling. Narrative comprehension was also assessed immediately after each task. Microstructure analysis focused on linguistic elements such as syntax and word use, while macrostructure analysis examined the organization and structure of the narratives.

Results:
Both groups exhibited comparable overall narrative production and comprehension skills. However, subtle distinctions were noted such that children with ASD showed difficulties in creating complex narrative structures and integrating syntactic elements effectively compared to their TD peers. Despite these challenges, both groups achieved similar scores in narrative comprehension tasks.

Conclusions:
The findings indicate that while children with ASD can develop narrative skills comparable to their TD peers in general terms, they continue to experience specific challenges that affect their narrative production, particularly in syntactic complexity and the structure of their stories.

Implications:
The study highlights the need for targeted narrative intervention programs that address the specific challenges faced by children with ASD. Educational strategies should focus on enhancing syntactic construction and narrative structure to improve both academic and social communication outcomes.

Key words: ASD, Narrative production, Narrative comprehension