The Modified- Classroom ObservationScheduletoMeasureIntenticnaCommunication( M-COSMIC): EvaluationofReliabilityandValidity

Modified COSMIC 26

the pattern of results seen. Furthermore, increases in sampling time may have led to alterations in
patterns of behaviour as children warmed up to the filming situation (or equally, became
exhausted with the demand to stay in the filming space) and communication behaviours may
have differed as a result.

Effects of teacher-directed structure and communication toward the child with ASD have
been commented upon here but not directly evaluated through experimental modification of
behaviour or through more focused evaluation and statistical control of effects on the child
behaviour. Such evaluation was not the primary focus of the current study but may be of interest
in the future. Similarly, evaluation of the M-COSMIC may benefit from the future inclusion of a
control group of typically developing children or children with other (non-autism) developmental
concerns (e.g. developmental language delay), so as to assess specificity of the current findings
to ASD.

A limitation with the current M-COSMIC measure is its reliance upon frequency counts
alone. Kazdin (1982) argues that much information can be lost when only quantitative measures
of social communication are considered, and future development could benefit from the addition
of qualitative measures. This would be particularly important in making the M-COSMIC
applicable to even more verbally-able and high-functioning children with ASD whose difficulties
may centre around the quality and appropriateness, rather than frequency, of their interactions
with others. In order to provide more subtle evaluation of change over time in the skills of very
low-functioning and non-verbal children, measures tapping duration of engagement of shared
attention (e.g., see Aldred, Green & Adams, 2004) might be a valuable addition, as changes in
these very early skills might be important starting points for intervention, before intentional
communication can even meaningfully begin to be targeted.

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