Comparison between the socio-educational profiles of children with verbal and non-verbal Autism Spectrum Disorder

Purpose: Compare the psychoeducational profiles of children with verbal and non-verbal Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted with a sample of 30 children with a medical diagnosis of ASD (15 verbal and 15 non-verbal) aged 2-9 years. The Psychoeducational Profile-Revised (PEP-R) scale was applied to assess the children ' s development. The data were analyzed quantitatively and comparatively. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to evaluate the compatibility between the groups regarding the scores obtained in each PEP-R area, with chronological age as the covariate, and Student's t-Test was used for the independent samples (p=0.001). Results: The scores in the different areas of the PEP-R were higher in the verbal group, with associations between language development and cognitive and social adaptive skills in the studied sample. Comparison between the groups showed a lower profile of the non-verbal group, with statistically significant differences in the areas of imitation, perception, gross and fine motor coordination, eye-hand coordination, cognitive performance, and verbal performance. Conclusion: The goal of comparing the psychoeducational profiles of verbal and non-verbal ASD children was reached, and statistically significant differences were observed. The children with non-verbal ASD presented a lower psychoeducational profile compared with that of verbal ASD children. Further studies with larger samples, delimited age groups, and more specific tests in each developmental area are suggested.