ICCAP 2014 - Elaboration FINAL

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9th International Conference on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology London, UK, July 2014 Conflict of Interest: None Contact: [email protected] Mothers’ Elaboration Prompting and Narrative Exploration in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or another Developmental Disability Shawna A. Scott, Jennifer L. Scammell, Samantha Metler, Kristen Williams, & Julie Hakim-Larson University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada BACKGROUND Parent elaboration provides a stimulating narrative experience for children, and is a reciprocal process exploring concepts through statements and questions (Tõugu et al., 2011; Melzi et al., 2011). Elaboration is linked to children’s development of literacy, emotional understanding, and social skills (e.g., Favez, 2011). Elaboration is a bi-directional process that may be influenced by a child’s current cognitive ability (Harkins, 1993). Few studies have examined elaboration in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or another Developmental Disability (DD; Goldman, 2002). In the present study, elaboration was assessed using a novel and integrative coding system for mother-child dyads. To examine parent and child elaboration in dyads of mothers of children with ASD or another DD. To determine whether: (a) Maternal elaboration would be associated with independent child elaboration. (b) Differences exist in elaboration between the two groups of dyads (i.e., children ASD and children with DD). METHOD CONCLUSIONS Participants Participants included 93 mothers (M age = 37.9 years, SD = 5.22) and their children ages 3-12, including 73 boys (M age = 6.8 years, SD = 3.07) and 20 girls (M age = 7.1 years, SD = 2.45). Most mothers were Caucasian, college or university educated, and with a family income over $60,000. Children were diagnosed with ASD (46.2%) or another DD (53.8%). Procedure Dyads were recruited through local children’s agencies and through a pool of undergraduate students. Mother-child dyads audio-recorded a storytelling session using a text-free picture book, One Frog Too Many (Mayer & Mayer, 1975). Recordings were then transcribed and segmented. Measures Coding captured the proportion of total segments that included mothers’ elaborative questions or statements, RESULTS For mothers of children with ASD, clarification and tag statements were significantly positively associated with independent elaboration in their children. For mothers of children with other DDs, expansion, clarification, descriptive, and prompting their children’s character speech were significantly positively associated with independent elaboration in their children. After controlling for child age and mother’s education level, different patterns of significant partial correlations were found between the two groups (see Tables 1 and 2). ASD Group : Mothers’ greater use of clarification and tag statements were positively associated with children’s independent plot, emotion, and character speech elaboration. Other DD Group : Mothers’ greater use of expansion, clarification, descriptive, and prompting their children’s character speech was positively associated with children’s independent emotion elaboration. However, mothers’ greater use of character speech and character names was negatively associated with children’s independent emotion elaboration. Using ANCOVA, mothers of children with ASD used significantly more pause statements, F(1,88) = 5.05, p = .027, partial η2 = .054. No other group differences were significant for the remaining variables. AIMS Legend : Total: total segments NC: proportion of segments that do not have a code Mothers’ Elaboration: EXP: expansion statements CL: clarification statements DESC: descriptive statements EVAL: evaluative statements YN: yes/no statements TAG: tag statements PAUSE: pause statements AB: choice statements SPCH-P: character speech NAME-P: character naming Children’s Elaboration: SPCH-C: character speech that is parent prompted NAME-C: character naming that is parent prompted IND-N: independent character naming IND-P: independent plot statements IND-E: independent emotion statements IND-S: independent character speech Table 1: ASD Group (n = 43) Table 2: Other DD Group (n = 50) (Mayer & Mayer, 1975) Note. *p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001. Mothers of children with ASD used significantly more pause statements, inviting their children to complete a leading statement. Results suggest that mothers’ narrative styles (i.e., their elaborative prompting and questioning) may differentially facilitate greater elaborative reciprocity in children with ASD or other DDs. Research Funded by The Provincial Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health at CHEO IN D-N IN D-P IND-E IN D-S Total -.10 .08 .12 -.02 EXP -.13 .02 .16 .05 CL -.19 .43** .61*** .38* D ESC -.22 .24 .34* .21 EVAL .00 .02 .13 -.05 YN -.14 -.14 .04 -.09 TAG -.23 .79*** .80*** .51*** PAUSE .04 .13 .15 .01 AB -.05 -.08 .02 -.07 SPCH -P .12 -.11 -.21 -.08 NAM E-P -.01 -.12 -.09 -.06 SPCH -C -.14 -.07 .03 -.04 NAM E-C .42** -.09 -.07 -.07 NC .14 -.59*** -.59*** -.51*** IN D-N IND-P IND-E IN D-S Total -.10 -.08 .12 .36* EXP .15 .16 .32* -.14 CL .00 .35* .43** -.12 D ESC .34* .10 .51*** -.09 EVAL -.11 -.06 .27 -.08 YN .01 -.09 .01 -.06 TAG .06 .11 .05 -.01 PAUSE .22 .27 .26 -.05 AB -.08 -.01 -.03 .08 SPCH -P .01 -.19 -.32* -.11 NAM E-P -.08 -.23 -.32* -.10 SPCH -C .91*** .15 .30* -.10 NAM E-C -.03 -.04 -.05 -.00 NC -.31* -.23 -.21 -.05

Transcript of ICCAP 2014 - Elaboration FINAL

Page 1: ICCAP 2014 - Elaboration FINAL

9th International Conference on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology London, UK, July 2014

Conflict of Interest: NoneContact: [email protected]

Mothers’ Elaboration Prompting and Narrative Exploration in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or another Developmental Disability

Shawna A. Scott, Jennifer L. Scammell, Samantha Metler, Kristen Williams, & Julie Hakim-Larson

University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

BACKGROUND

• Parent elaboration provides a stimulating narrative experience for children, and is a reciprocal process exploring concepts through statements and questions (Tõugu et al., 2011; Melzi et al., 2011).

• Elaboration is linked to children’s development of literacy, emotional understanding, and social skills (e.g., Favez, 2011).

• Elaboration is a bi-directional process that may be influenced by a child’s current cognitive ability (Harkins, 1993).

• Few studies have examined elaboration in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or another Developmental Disability (DD; Goldman, 2002).

• In the present study, elaboration was assessed using a novel and integrative coding system for mother-child dyads.

• To examine parent and child elaboration in dyads of mothers of children with ASD or another DD.

• To determine whether: (a) Maternal elaboration would be associated with independent child elaboration.(b) Differences exist in elaboration between the two groups of dyads (i.e., children ASD and children with DD).

METHOD

CONCLUSIONS

Participants• Participants included 93 mothers (Mage = 37.9 years, SD = 5.22) and their

children ages 3-12, including 73 boys (Mage = 6.8 years, SD = 3.07) and 20 girls (Mage = 7.1 years, SD = 2.45).

• Most mothers were Caucasian, college or university educated, and with a family income over $60,000.

• Children were diagnosed with ASD (46.2%) or another DD (53.8%).

Procedure• Dyads were recruited through local children’s agencies and through a pool of

undergraduate students.• Mother-child dyads audio-recorded a storytelling session using a text-free

picture book, One Frog Too Many (Mayer & Mayer, 1975). Recordings were then transcribed and segmented.

Measures• Coding captured the proportion of total segments that included mothers’

elaborative questions or statements, children’s prompted elaboration, and children’s spontaneous/independent elaboration.

RESULTS

• For mothers of children with ASD, clarification and tag statements were significantly positively associated with independent elaboration in their children.

• For mothers of children with other DDs, expansion, clarification, descriptive, and prompting their children’s character speech were significantly positively associated with independent elaboration in their children.

• After controlling for child age and mother’s education level, different patterns of significant partial correlations were found between the two groups (see Tables 1 and 2).

• ASD Group: Mothers’ greater use of clarification and tag statements were positively associated with children’s independent plot, emotion, and character speech elaboration.

• Other DD Group: Mothers’ greater use of expansion, clarification, descriptive, and prompting their children’s character speech was positively associated with children’s independent emotion elaboration. However, mothers’ greater use of character speech and character names was negatively associated with children’s independent emotion elaboration.

• Using ANCOVA, mothers of children with ASD used significantly more pause statements, F(1,88) = 5.05, p = .027, partial η2 = .054. No other group differences were significant for the remaining variables.

AIMS

Legend:

Total: total segmentsNC: proportion of segments that do not have a code

Mothers’ Elaboration:• EXP: expansion statements• CL: clarification statements• DESC: descriptive statements• EVAL: evaluative statements• YN: yes/no statements• TAG: tag statements• PAUSE: pause statements• AB: choice statements• SPCH-P: character speech• NAME-P: character naming

Children’s Elaboration:• SPCH-C: character speech that is parent prompted• NAME-C: character naming that is parent prompted• IND-N: independent character naming• IND-P: independent plot statements• IND-E: independent emotion statements• IND-S: independent character speech

Table 1: ASD Group (n = 43) Table 2: Other DD Group (n = 50)

(Mayer & Mayer, 1975)

Note. *p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

• Mothers of children with ASD used significantly more pause statements, inviting their children to complete a leading statement.

• Results suggest that mothers’ narrative styles (i.e., their elaborative prompting and questioning) may differentially facilitate greater elaborative reciprocity in children with ASD or other DDs.

IND-N IND-P IND-E IND-STotal -.10 .08 .12 -.02EXP -.13 .02 .16 .05CL -.19 .43** .61*** .38*DESC -.22 .24 .34* .21EVAL .00 .02 .13 -.05YN -.14 -.14 .04 -.09TAG -.23 .79*** .80*** .51***PAUSE .04 .13 .15 .01AB -.05 -.08 .02 -.07SPCH-P .12 -.11 -.21 -.08NAME-P -.01 -.12 -.09 -.06SPCH-C -.14 -.07 .03 -.04NAME-C .42** -.09 -.07 -.07NC .14 -.59*** -.59*** -.51***

IND-N IND-P IND-E IND-STotal -.10 -.08 .12 .36*EXP .15 .16 .32* -.14CL .00 .35* .43** -.12DESC .34* .10 .51*** -.09EVAL -.11 -.06 .27 -.08YN .01 -.09 .01 -.06TAG .06 .11 .05 -.01PAUSE .22 .27 .26 -.05AB -.08 -.01 -.03 .08SPCH-P .01 -.19 -.32* -.11NAME-P -.08 -.23 -.32* -.10SPCH-C .91*** .15 .30* -.10NAME-C -.03 -.04 -.05 -.00NC -.31* -.23 -.21 -.05

Research Funded by The Provincial Centre for Child and Youth Mental

Health at CHEO