Screening for the Early Identification of Weakness in Communication and Social Relations Development
Christian Veronesi, Federica Romano, Alice Tondinelli, Serena Zamboni, Barbara Manzi
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) represents a behavioural syndrome that primarily implies an overall alteration in social and communication skills development. The screening was carried out by the multidisciplinary team of the CRC of Rome along with the Rome 2 Local Health Authority and administrative subdivision IX EUR in Rome. It involved a school population (N = 272) aged between 24 and 36 months attending nursery schools in administrative subdivision IX in Rome. The aim was to identify, through the use of the Autism Spectrum Rating Scales, ASRS (Goldestein & Naglieri, 2009), early signs of weakness in social and communication skills, with the knowledge that an early diagnosis can make the difference in the life of the child and their family, when accompanied by early, specific treatment. In addition, the project included some educational training for nursery school teachers in order to strengthen the specific weak points that emerged from the survey. The study highlights that 4.4% of the sample (N = 10) has difficulties in social and communication skills, as confirmed by caregivers’ subsequent observations.
Keywords
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism Spectrum Rating Scales, Screening, Social skills, Communication skills.