The aim of this paper is to provide information regarding diversity in speech and language profiles of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and try to classify these profiles according to the combination of the communication difficulties. Research findings confirm the existence of heterogeneity of communication challenges in ASD across the lifespan. A lot of children with ASD experience communication challenges and strengths across all language sub-systems including pragmatics, grammar, semantics, syntax, phonology, and morphology in both oral and written language, while some children with autism demonstrate exceptional language abilities incl. linguistic creativity. Communication issues vary on a continuum of severity so that some children may be verbal, whereas others remain non-verbal or minimally-verbal. The diversity of profiles in speech and language development stem from either the presence of comorbid factors, as a core symptom of autistic behavior without comorbidity or both, with the development of complex clinical symptoms. Difficulties with the semantic aspect of language affect the individual’s skills in abstract thinking, multiple meanings of words, concept categorization, and so on. Finally, the coexistence of ASD with other communication difficulties such as a Language Disorder, Apraxia of Speech, Speech Sound Disorders or/and other neurodevelopmental disorders raises the need for examining more carefully the emergence of new clinical profiles and clinical markers useful in performing differential diagnosis and different intervention.

Background/Aims: One of psychology's challenges is to develop and evaluate sensitive tests in the area of social cognition. Yet, there are few available scales that can measure mild deficits in social understanding, especially for typically developing (TD) populations. The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (children's version) was translated and adapted for use in the Greek language [RMET-G (child)]. The aim of this study was to examine in the Greek language the qualitative and quantitative differences between TD youngsters and those with high-functioning autism (HFA), as well as the difference between TD children and TD adults. Methods: An interview-based psychometric study was conducted. Participants completed the RMET-G (child), constituting 3 groups: TD children older than 8 years, children with HFA and TD adults. Results: 103 participants completed the study. The results demonstrated that TD adults scored slightly higher than TD children, and children with HFA scored lower than their TD peers. Children with HFA, however, were able to recognize many of the pictures shown in the test. Conclusion: The results of this study, which were the first to be conducted in the Greek language, confirm findings of other studies in the literature conducted with the RMET in the English language.

Social communication and sensory processing disorder are two factors that interact with each other and the difficulties they find in them impact on different neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. More specifically, sociability is shown to play a key role in dealing with sensory processing difficulties and the interventions related to it can be implemented in a school setting as well within a therapeutic setting and even at home. The design of these interventions with a focus on sociability aims on the one hand to reduce sensory difficulties and on the other hand to provide meaningful communication when working with children with autism or severe or generalized learning difficulties. This article’s goal is to compile research findings regarding the impact of sociability on children with sensory difficulties through a literature review. Specifically, many interventions with pillars the social communication have been studied to help children with autism and other syndromes The outcomes demonstrated a direct link between sociability and sensory processing disorder with interventions and therapeutic programs implemented in many nations with favorable outcomes in many facets of how children with these issues behave. One of the most effective interventions that helps are Intensive Interaction with high contribution to the sensory regulation of children mainly with autism. Students with neurodevelopmental problems were the samples for the interventions' participants. Application of these programs on a weekly basis, two to three times, is helpful in the right direction.

The current paper follows the thematic review ‘Autism spectrum disorders without borders: prevalence and diagnosis across the globe’ aiming to highlight and familiarize readers with the challenges and heterogeneity related to the prevalence, and diagnostic processes of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) from a cross-cultural and diverse geopolitical framework with a focus on Cyprus, Malta, and Greece. The study’s goal was twofold: (a) to document the prevalence and diagnostic processes in the aforementioned geographical areas and (b) to highlight similarities and differences in the prevalence and diagnostic process in ASD. The findings revealed similarities across all countries regarding the diagnostic tools implemented in ASD assessment tools and clinical observations. Some differences were observed in documenting prevalence rates due to methodological heterogeneity in the documentation procedures. Although preliminary, the current findings underscore the importance of research-driven investigations that can lead to larger-scale programs necessary for establishing policy-making and stakeholders’ involvement.