Dedico este trabalho primeiramente a Deus que sonhou comigo e com ele antes de mim ou de meus pais, que esteve comigo do início ao fim desta jornada, cuidandome, ensinando-me e formando-me melhor a cada dia! Dedico em segundo lugar à minha mãe do céu, Maria, que esteve intercedendo por mim nos momentos mais difíceis desta trajetória. Em terceiro lugar e não menos importante, dedico-o também à minha família... minha mãe Maria que, apesar de ser brava às vezes, foi e é essencial na minha vida, cuidando da minha formação e educação foi e sempre será um exemplo de força e perseverança, superando no dia a dia vários obstáculos que a vida lhe trouxe, mas que lhe ajudaram no prazer da vitória; meu pai Roberto, que mesmo tendo me deixado há 19 anos, ajudou na formação do meu caráter, me deu exemplo de esforço e alegria, agradeço também por todas os traços orientais...rs; meu irmão Fábio que, com seu jeito "engenheiro" de ser me ensinou o que é seriedade, compromisso e convicção aliados ao amor e cuidado; e minha avó Osvalda, que com seu jeito simples me ensinou o que é honestidade, sinceridade e o que realmente importa na vida.

Background Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) frequently receive poorer health care then the general population. Frequently the speech-language pathologist is the only health professional that follows the child’s everyday life and therefore is the only resource for guidance regarding basic health habits. Poor oral health may result in severe discomfort and other health problems that can be prevented by simple routine habits and adequate professional follow-up. The aim of the present study was to gather information about oral hygiene and dental care habits of children with ASD and their families. The hypothesis was that these children have poorer oral care habits than their families. Material and Methods Participants were parents of 120 children with autism, aged 4 to 12 years in two different cities of the state of Sao Paulo. They answered to a simple questionnaire about oral hygiene and health care habits. Results Indicated that there is a significant difference ( p < 0.001) between the children and their families regarding basic oral hygiene habits, such as brushing and flossing, as well as routine visits to the dentist. Conclusions This information clearly indicates the need for education programs aiming to encourage the inclusion children with ASD in the basic habits of oral care carried-out by the families. Key words: Autism disorder, oral hygiene habits, oral health.

Purpose to assess the pragmatic and social communicative abilities of children with Typical Language Development (TLD), Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) and Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Methods Participants were 40 parents and 29 teachers of 40 children ages between 3 and 6 years. Ten children had DLD, ten had ASD and 20 had typical development. All participants answered to the questionnaire of the “Assessment of Pragmatic Language and Social Communication – APLSC – parent and professional reports – beta research version. Data were submitted to statistical analysis. Results The assessment tool was useful in identifying the difference in performance of children with different social communicative profiles. Conclusion Children with ASD presented social and pragmatic impairments that were more significant than those presented by children with DLD. However, both children with ASD and with DLD presented more social pragmatic difficulties than children with TLD.

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