AUTISTIC CHILDREN

Autistic Children

Autistic Children

Chapter 3: Methodology

This study is based on the quantitative research methodology. Quantitative research is research involving the use of structured questions where the response options have been predetermined and a large number of respondents are involved.

By definition, measurement must be objective, quantitative and statistically valid. Simply put, it's about numbers, objective hard data. A scientifically calculated sample of people from a population is asked a set of questions on a survey to determine the frequency and percentage of their responses. For example: 240 people, 79%, of a sample population, said they are more confident of their personal future today than they were a year ago. Because the sample size is statistically valid, the 79% finding can be projected to the entire population from which the sample was selected. Simply put, this is quantitative research.

The sample size for a survey is calculated by statisticians using formulas to determine how large a sample size will be needed from a given population in order to achieve findings with an acceptable degree of accuracy. Generally, researchers seek sample sizes which will yield findings with at least a 95% confidence level (which means that if you repeated the survey 100 times, 95 times out of a hundred, you would get the same response) and a plus/minus 5 percentage points margin of error. Many survey samples are designed to produce smaller margins of error.

First-born children tend to develop language skills faster than their younger siblings. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is that first-borns have undivided attention from their parents. If this explanation is correct, then it is also reasonable that twins should show slower language development than single children and that triplets should be even slower. Davis (1937) found exactly this result.   The following hypothetical data demonstrate the relationship. The dependent variable is a measure of language ...