Fundamentação, construção e validação do Protocolo para Avaliação Dinâmica do Desenvolvimento da Comunicação Pré-Verbal (PROC-PV)

Abstract

Several theories of child development, notably those of Piaget, Wallon, and Vygotsky, emphasize the centrality of a sensory-motor period in a child's psyche, given its pivotal role as a transition to symbolic levels. In Historical-Cultural Psychology (HCP), the principle is upheld that in the early stages of development, the most rudimentary milestones serve as a foundation for the genesis of higher psychological functions (HPF). The beginnings of verbal language, as discussed in Vygotsky's work, solidify when a child points with their index finger, which gains meaning based on the adult's response. In order to study the prerequisites, predecessors and socio-cognitive premises of this HPF around the child's first year, it becomes necessary to trace the history of certain clues or indicators of the development of pre-verbal communication, such as certain linguistic precursors discussed in current literature. Milestones of a child's preverbal communication include gestures, shared attention, gaze direction, object use, social interaction, vocalizations, perceptual-motor coordination’s, parental response, and cooperative activities (adult-child), among others. Investigating the developmental trajectory of these indicators through suitable instruments has predictive value for the emergence of verbal language, both in children with typical and atypical trajectories (e.g., for early detection of signs or markers of Neurodevelopmental Disorders identified as risks, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Language Development Disorder, among others). In this context, the thesis focuses on constructing the Protocol for Dynamic Assessment of Preverbal Communication Development (PROC-PV) grounded in the ontoepistemological matrix of HCP. To this end, the thesis encompasses two studies. The first study was conducted based on two systematic review articles following the PRISMA Method, aimed at mapping child assessment instruments, such as infant screening scales and nonverbal communication assessment tools, aimed at children aged 6 to 18 months. The second study involved constructing the protocol stages and conducting a content validation study with 2 judges, culminating in the elaboration of the final version or pre-test. The results of the content validity study showed that PROC-PV demonstrates adequate inter-rater agreement and reliability values. The purpose was to provide a simple language protocol with flexible procedures that considers the family's perspective on child development and is accessible to various professionals in child assessment routines. There is an appeal to the theoretical, methodological, and social relevance of the instrument developed, as it can be integrated into both the Brazilian educational system and the collective health system.