Measuring the Extent to which a Child with Autism Accepts Writing and Reading in his Mother Tongue and in other Languages

Abstract

The development of language is usually impaired among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A lack of corresponding language development with age is an early indication that a child might be autistic. Some individuals with severe ASD never know how to speak throughout their life. More often than not, when children living with autism begin to speak, their speech is extremely limited in terms of syntax and vocabulary, and also has unusual intonation and pitch. The purpose of this study is to find out the extent to which children with ASD accept reading and writing in their mother tongue and in a second language; to ascertain the difficulty faced by autistic children face in communicating and other social interaction, and the challenges their parents/caregivers have to go through in taking care of them;  and recommend possible solutions to reducing the difficulties that both children with autism and their parents face. The data which comprised report from 180 parents of children with autism were retrieved from the Shifae database. The study revealed a low acceptance of children with autism to accept writing (51.7%) and reading (60.0%) in their mother tongue; and a very low extent of acceptance to reading (75.0%) and writing (81.7%) in a second language. It also revealed a difference between an autistic child's cognitive abilities, mental and motor abilities compared to other children with normal development (p > 0.05). The creation of avenues to help mothers/caregivers properly take care and manage children with autism was recommended.

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