The “Tutor’s Compass” assessment tool: a study of social-communication and adaptive skills in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder

Context and relevance. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit significant delays in the development of independence, self-care, and communication skills, which poses a substantial obstacle to their successful inclusion in school education. Objective. To investigate the development of social-communication and adaptive skills in preschool children with ASD using the “Tutor’s Compass” assessment tool. Hypothesis. The “Tutor’s Compass” diagnostic tool possesses sufficient differential sensitivity to identify individual differences in the development of self-care skills, learning behaviour, and communication skills within a group of preschool children with ASD; it reveals the specifics of age-related differences in skill development; and it reflects the level of adaptation of preschool children in various domains. Methods and materials. The study involved 24 preschoolers with ASD (8 girls) aged 5 years 1 month to 7 years 11 months (experimental group) and 20 primary school children with ASD (2 girls) aged 8 to 12 years (comparison group). The research methods included the “Tutor’s Compass” diagnostic tool and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Results. Scores on the “Tutor’s Compass” instrument show a statistically significant increase with age (correlations with age R = 0.438–0.674, p < 0.05). The preschool and school-age groups differ significantly on the three main scales (p < 0.05). The skill profile on the “Tutor’s Compass” in preschool children with ASD is uneven, with significant differences observed between individual scales according to Friedman’s test (-- (2) = 15.0, p < 0.001). The configuration of this profile differs from a similar profile obtained using the Vineland scales. Conclusions. The “Tutor’s Compass” diagnostic tool can be used to assess the skills of preschoolers with ASD. During the transition from preschool to primary school age, noticeable progress in skill development is observed, particularly in the domain of self-care. It is advisable to refine certain diagnostic scales, taking into account the specifics of preschool education, and to develop a version of the tool tailored for this age group.