Prelinguistic intersubjective and socio-communicative skills in infants with neurodevelopmental disabilities aged 0-36 months: A new assessment and parent support tool.
Sandra Strazzer, Daniela Sacchi, Roberta Rigamonti and 5 others
PMID 36817718WHAT IT FOUND
Infants with neurodevelopmental disabilities who cannot be tested conventionally can be observed during daily routines with a checklist.
Case reports of changes during hospital rehabilitation with speech therapy, physical therapy, motor and educational work, and parent coaching do not prove the tool or treatment works.
Key findings
01The OPISCoS form is an observational checklist for prelinguistic intersubjective and socio-communicative skills during daily routines, and it is not intended as a standardized index of functioning or age of competence.
02In the child with cerebral palsy, follow-up showed increased deictic gestures, verbal denial, more sound effects and animal sounds, and 12 words.
03In the child with severe traumatic brain injury, follow-up showed improved eye contact, responses to names, occasional vocalizations, and inconsistent comprehension.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The paper reports only two case studies, so it cannot show whether the OPISCoS form or the intervention works for other infants. No psychometric properties, such as reliability or validity, have been reported for the OPISCoS form. The children received a multidisciplinary hospital program including speech therapy, physical therapy, and motor and educational work, so the effect of any single component cannot be separated. The form is not recommended for infants with very severe disabilities or low consciousness. The procedure requires practitioners experienced in socio-communicative assessment and parent support.
Declared interests
Partially supported by the Italian Ministry of Health, and the article processing charge was funded by Bibliosan.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the changes in these infants as proof that the OPISCoS form or speech therapy caused them. The infants were in multidisciplinary hospital programs that also included physical therapy and motor and educational work, and the form has no psychometric data yet.