Perspectivas familiares sobre la comunicación de niños con sospecha o diagnóstico de Trastorno del Espectro del Autismo bajo el contexto de pandemia: Implicaciones prácticas y directrices desde un enfoque funcional

Abstract

This study aims to describe Autism Spectrum Disorders represent a condition that includes people who have difficulties in communication and social interaction, in addition to restrictive patterns of interest and behaviors. The clinical signs, related to communication, can be appear in the first 12-18 months of life. Therefore, early speech and language therapy is fundamental to improve a functional communicative developmental, however, due to the pandemic by COVID-19, those health services could be suspended or modified. To describe family perspectives about communication in children with suspect or diagnosis of ASD in ages between 18 months and six years old during pandemic context. A quantitative research was conducted and applied a Likert scale to the families, which was validated internally through expert judgment. Families shows a high agreement rate with the scale, also, they report that speech and language therapy were implemented in different modalities, however, they consider that communicative difficulties of their child were up. This research highlights the utility of early communication intervention in children with suspect or diagnosis of ASD, which should consider to the family as part of the team, at the same time, strengthening the role of speech and language therapist at the implementation of different health strategies to foment an integral development in communicative health of their children during infancy.