Pragmatic Inference in High-functioning Autistic Children in Egypt: a case-study report

Attempting to lend more focus to the social-communication deficit in high-functioning autistic (HFA) children in Egypt, the current paper aims to examine pragmatic inference skills in a high-functioning autistic female in Egypt regarding theory of mind ability, as well as provide a valid child/caregiver psycholinguistic-cognitive measure that gives a comprehensive assessment of pragmatic inference abilities via standardized tasks and in real-life situations. Since social-pragmatic difficulty is the core deficit in autistic children, the current study raises some key questions: what are the pragmatic inference difficulties in early, basic, and advanced Theory of Mind (ToM)?; which cognitive dimensions are the most affected?; and which is more effective standardized or real-life situations perspectives?. The study follows a case-study approach design. Five pragmatic tasks of the Theory of Mind Task Battery are applied to a 7-year-old high-functioning autistic female; and a Pragmatic Subscale consisting of 29 items from the Theory of Mind Inventory-II is applied to her caregiver (Hutchins, Prelock & Bonazinga-Bouyea, 2014; Hutchins & Prelock, 2016). Results of both measures are consistent in spotting the pragmatic inference abilities/disabilities of the participant. The findings reveal strength in some of the pragmatic inference skills in the Early Theory of Mind. However, some weaknesses and even lack of ability are detected in more complex stages (Basic and Advance ToM). The results and findings are supported via raw data scores, and a comprehensive case-study report is provided. The notions of Relevance Theory (RT) and Theory of Mind Hypothesis (ToM) are well-suited accounts to support the findings.