Abstract Book of the 19th International Conference on Humanities, Psychology and Social Sciences
Year: 2026
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Comparative Study of Linguistic Assessment in Clinical Versus Natural Contexts in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Hoda Benomar Simou, Esther Moraleda Sepúlveda
ABSTRACT:
This study examines the linguistic and pragmatic performance of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across two assessment contexts: clinical and natural settings. Nine children aged between 6 and 8 years with varying ASD profiles were assessed using standardized language measures (PPVT-5, CELF-5, BLOC-SR, PREP-R) and narrative analysis based on the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MISL). Results revealed marked interindividual variability in receptive and expressive language, narrative macrostructure and microstructure, and pragmatic abilities. Contrary to previous literature suggesting that natural contexts may facilitate more representative communicative performance, no statistically significant differences were observed between clinical and home-based assessments. Significant associations were identified between vocabulary, narrative skills, and pragmatic performance, highlighting the interdependence of these linguistic domains. These findings underscore the importance of conducting language and pragmatic assessments across multiple contexts to obtain a comprehensive communicative profile and to inform individualized intervention planning. Future research should consider larger samples, longitudinal designs, and parent-mediated assessment strategies to enhance ecological validity and generalization of communicative skills.
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Language assessment; Pragmatics; Clinical context; Natural context