2025 IJRSE – Volume 14 Issue 1
Available Online: 1 February 2025
Author/s:
Dosi, Ifigeneia*
Democritus University of Thrace, Greece (idosi@helit.duth.gr)
David, Anthi
Democritus University of Thrace, Greece (adavid@helit.duth.gr)
Abstract:
This study investigates the oral narratives of a primary school student with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) compared to a Typically Developing (TD) peer, focusing on narrative retelling abilities. A two-episode narrative task was administered, and analyses targeted macrostructural elements (e.g., story structure: setting, characters, goals, attempts, conclusions) and microstructural aspects (e.g., narrative length, lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, and connective use). Results showed comparable verbal working memory and expressive vocabulary between participants but significant differences in Theory of Mind and grammaticality. At the macrostructural level, the narratives produced by the HFA student displayed minor differences, notably the omission of the narrative setting. The most pronounced distinctions emerged in the microstructural analysis. While the HFA student’s narrative was unexpectedly longer, it exhibited lower syntactic complexity. Both participants achieved similar lexical diversity; however, the HFA student demonstrated more ambiguity in character references. These findings highlight specific challenges for children with HFA in narrative production, particularly in syntactic complexity and clarity. Interventions targeting these areas may enhance narrative skills, supporting academic and social communication. Additionally, this research underscores the importance of analyzing both macrostructural and microstructural aspects to obtain a comprehensive understanding of narrative abilities in school-aged children with HFA. By identifying nuanced strengths and weaknesses, this study contributes to the development of targeted strategies to support the narrative competence of children with ASD.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorders, high-functioning ASD, oral narratives, macrostructure, microstructure
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25012
Cite this article:
Dosi, I., & David, A. (2025). A case study on the narrative skills of a high-functioning autism spectrum disorders child. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 14(1), 105-121. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25012
* Corresponding Author