Monika Rosandić Grgić
Centre for Clinical Practice and Education
University of Zagreb
monika.rosandic@erf.unizg.hr
Klara Popčević
Department of Speech and Language Pathology
University of Zagreb
klara.popcevic@erf.unizg.hr
|
|
Monika Rosandić Grgić Centre for Clinical Practice and Education University of Zagreb monika.rosandic@erf.unizg.hr |
|
Klara Popčević Department of Speech and Language Pathology University of Zagreb klara.popcevic@erf.unizg.hr |
| Participants: | 29 TD, 24 ASD |
| Type of Study: | cross-sectional semi-naturalistic |
| Location: | Zagreb, Croatia |
| Media type: | mixed, video |
| DOI: | doi:10.21415/Q2QN-8Q16 |
Rosandić Grgić, M. & Popčević, K. (2025). Communication and language abilities of children with autism and language-matched typically developing children.
In accordance with TalkBank rules, any use of data from this corpus must be accompanied by the above reference.
Additional references:
Popčević, K. (2025). Odnos komunikacijskih i ranih ekspresivnih jezičnih sposobnosti u djece s poremećajem iz spektra autizma [Relationship between communication characteristics and language abilities of children with autism spectrum disorder]. Doctoral dissertation, University of Zagreb Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences. Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences Digital Repository. https://repozitorij.erf.unizg.hr/.
Rosandić Grgić, M. Međuodnos komunikacijskih funkcija, jezičnog unosa i jezične proizvodnje u djece tipičnog razvoja i djece s poremećajem iz spektra autizma [Relationship between communication functions, language input and expressive language in children with typical development and children with autism spectrum disorder]. Doctoral dissertation in preparation, University of Zagreb Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences
The corpus is composed of transcripts of video recordings of 24 children with ASD (4 female, 20 male) and 29 typically developing children (TD) (9 female, 20 male). The age range of the children with ASD was 23–56 months (M = 43.29) and that of TD children was 19–27 months (M = 23.75). The groups were matched on expressive vocabulary level, which was measured using the Croatian version of the Communicative Development Inventories (Kovačević et al., 2007). As many children with ASD experience a significant language delay, the typically developing group was substantially younger than the ASD group. The expressive vocabulary of the children with ASD ranged from 164 to 428 words (M = 295), while the expressive vocabulary of the children with typical development ranged from 153 to 420 words (M = 288).
Participants were required to meet the following inclusion criteria: an expressive vocabulary size of 150–450 words, average nonverbal cognitive abilities, Croatian as their first language, a monolingual background, and the absence of comorbid genetic syndromes or motor impairments. For the ASD group, a confirmed clinical diagnosis of ASD and an age below 5 years were required. Typical language, communicative, and cognitive abilities in the TD group were confirmed through clinical evaluation (based on the Communicative Development Inventories (Kovačević et al., 2007), the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (Lord et al., 2912) and Mullen Scales of Early learning – Visual reception subscale (Mullen, 1995)). All participants were recruited from urban areas.
Samples were collected using a semi-naturalistic, lab-based observational procedure, the Communication Play Protocol (CPP; Adamson & Bakeman, 2016). Children were recorded during 30-minute interactions with their mothers (one child was recorded with the father). For each of the three categories of communicative functions—requesting, commenting, and social interaction—two activities lasting approximately 5 minutes each were conducted. Accordingly, six transcripts per child were obtained, with an overall average duration of 32 minutes. Later these were joined into one file for each child with @G marks for the functions: Izmjene uloga (Take turns), Glazbeni festival (Play music), Želim (I want that toy on the shelf), Pomozi (Help me play with a toy), Skriveni predmeti (What’s in the container), and Galerija (Visit to the art gallery). These are coded with @G gems in English in this order: gallery, music, turns, help. container, toy. The meaning of these is
Data was collected at the Centre for Clinical Practice and Education of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb (from June 2021 to July 2023).
The instructions to parents and the exchange of toys were carried out by two authors of this corpus. However, only intervals in which the child was interacting one-on-one with the mother were included in the recordings and subsequently transcribed.
Transcription was carried out by first- and second-year master’s students of Speech and Language Pathology at the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb. Prior to transcription, the students were trained in the rules of transcription and coding in the CHAT program. They were not informed about the aims of the study or the group to which each participant belonged. Each transcript was subsequently reviewed and, where necessary, revised by the authors of this corpus.
The data concerning participants, procedures, and transcription details are described in Popčević (2025).
Utterances that were entirely repeated, as well as those in which only part of the preceding utterance was repeated, were coded as echolalia. Utterances in which part of the preceding utterance was repeated but another part was added or replaced with different elements were not coded as echolalia.
Non-linguistic elements (e.g., laughter, vocalizations, crying or prolongation of word segments) were not coded.
Phonologically simplified but intelligible forms whose meaning was clearly identifiable from context were transcribed directly in their correct form (e.g., if a child produced the word sina while pointing to a pig in the picture, this was transcribed as correct form svinja).