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Parrillas-Manchón S, Castroviejo E, Hernández-Conde JV, Rodríguez-Armendariz E, Vicente A. Testing the Labeling Effect in Autistic Children. J Autism Dev Disord 2024:10.1007/s10803-024-06388-1. [PMID: 38801477 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-024-06388-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Our objective was to test the labeling effect in autistic children. The effect has been robustly tested in typically developing (TD) individuals. TD children expect that any two objects that receive the same linguistic label will have similar properties, which suggests that they generate concepts based on acts of labeling. The labeling effect has not been tested on autistic children, who may not be equally attuned to the relevance of linguistic clues or may not generalize as swiftly as TD children. METHODS We reproduced Graham et al.,'s (Frontiers in Psychology 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00586, 2013) design on 30 autistic children of different ages. Participants were divided into two groups depending on whether objects presented to them were named alike or differently (Same or Distinct Label between-individuals condition). The dependent variable was the number of target actions the child performed on an object, depending on whether that object made the same sound as a previously shown test object. RESULTS We did not reproduce results similar to those reported in Graham et al., (Frontiers in Psychology 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00586, 2013). Children in the Same Label group did not perform significantly more actions than children in the Distinct Label group when the objects that were handed to the children did not make the same sound as the test object. CONCLUSIONS Autistic children do not seem to be sensitive to the labeling effect to the same extent as TD children. If these results are confirmed, intervention programs for autistic children should consider trainings on this way of generating concepts shared by their linguistic community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Parrillas-Manchón
- Department of Linguistics and Basque Studies, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Elena Castroviejo
- Department of Linguistics and Basque Studies, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
| | | | - Ekaine Rodríguez-Armendariz
- Department of Linguistics and Basque Studies, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Agustín Vicente
- Department of Linguistics and Basque Studies, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
- Ikerbasque-Basque Foundation for Science & Department of Linguistics and Basque Studies, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
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Hutchins TL, Knox SE, Fletcher EC. Natural language acquisition and gestalt language processing: A critical analysis of their application to autism and speech language therapy . AUTISM & DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS 2024; 9:23969415241249944. [PMID: 38784430 PMCID: PMC11113044 DOI: 10.1177/23969415241249944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Background and Aim Recently, there has been a lot of interest surrounding the term gestalt language processor (GLP) which is associated with Natural Language Acquisition (NLA): a protocol intended to support the language development of autistic people. In NLA, delayed echolalia is presumed raw source material that GLPs use to acquire language in a stage-like progression from delayed echolalia to spontaneous speech. The aim of this article is to evaluate NLA in light of relevant literatures to allow scrutiny of NLA claims. Main contributions First, we review the notion of gestalt language and situate it in the broader literature on language styles to update understanding of its significance. We then review the links from gestalt language processing to autism and identify definitional and conceptual problems and clarify the construct 'episodic memory'. We discuss the 'raw material view of delayed echolalia' and identify theoretical and empirical shortcomings. Finally, we review Blanc's language stages and their accompanying assessment and language support recommendations and challenge their validity. Conclusions & Implications The term 'gestalt language processor' is definitionally and conceptually troubled, the assertion that autistic people are GLPs is misleading and unhelpful, and evidence is lacking that GLP represents a legitimate clinical entity. The theoretical basis of NLA lacks empirical support. NLA stages are implausible and their accompanying assessment and support recommendations lack justification. We recommend the use of alternate, individualized, theoretically-sound, evidence-based, neurodiversity-affirming supports that are sensitive and responsive to the heterogeneity that defines autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany L Hutchins
- Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Sophie E Knox
- Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
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Zibin A, Altakhaineh ARM, Suleiman D, Al Abdallat B. The Effect of Using an Arabic Assistive Application on Improving the Ability of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Comprehend and Answer Content Questions. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH 2023; 52:2743-2762. [PMID: 37728685 DOI: 10.1007/s10936-023-10019-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies suggest that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encounter language problems related to syntax. In particular, these children face difficulties in comprehending and answering complex language structures in Arabic.This paper examines whether a prototype Arabic assistive application can have an impact on the ability of children with ASD to comprehend and answer content questions and on their communicative skills. Via two questionnaires targeting 57 caregivers and ASD specialists in Jordan and a focus-group discussion with three teachers working in three autism centers in Jordan, a prototype assistive application named Aseel was created. To test the effect of using this app on enhancing ASD children's ability to comprehend and answer Arabic questions, a sample consisting of two groups of children: 20 verbal and 5 nonverbal children with ASD enrolled in three autism centers in Amman, Jordan was recruited. A pre-test containing 55 content questions was designed and tested on the two groups. Then, a treatment for three weeks took place in which the teachers trained the children on answering these questions using the app. A post-test was conducted after a three-day break to test whether the app affected the ability of verbal and nonverbal children with ASD to comprehend and answer the questions accurately. The data analysis revealed that the differences between the answers of the two groups in the pre- and post-tests were statistically significant. This suggests that this technology has the potential to aid both verbal and nonverbal children with ASD in effectively learning complex Arabic content questions. This assistive application enhances collaboration between teacher and children with ASD, visual-spatial thinking and communication with others. Another advantage of this app is increasing ASD children's vocabulary repertoire. Preliminary results involving nonverbal children showed that the icons which visually and auditorily represent the most basic needs for a person are proving effective in helping this group communicate with their caregivers and teachers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aseel Zibin
- Department of English Language and Literature, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
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Cairney BE, West SH, Haebig E, Cox CR, Lucas HD. Interpretations of meaningful and ambiguous hand gestures in autistic and non-autistic adults: A norming study. Behav Res Methods 2023:10.3758/s13428-023-02268-1. [PMID: 38012511 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02268-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Gestures are ubiquitous in human communication, and a growing but inconsistent body of research suggests that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may process co-speech gestures differently from neurotypical individuals. To facilitate research on this topic, we created a database of 162 gesture videos that have been normed for comprehensibility by both autistic and non-autistic raters. These videos portray an actor performing silent gestures that range from highly meaningful (e.g., iconic gestures) to ambiguous or meaningless. Each video was rated for meaningfulness and given a one-word descriptor by 40 autistic and 40 non-autistic adults, and analyses were conducted to assess the level of within- and across-group agreement. Across gestures, the meaningfulness ratings provided by raters with and without ASD correlated at r > 0.90, indicating a very high level of agreement. Overall, autistic raters produced a more diverse set of verbal labels for each gesture than did non-autistic raters. However, measures of within-gesture semantic similarity among the responses provided by each group did not differ, suggesting that increased variability within the ASD group may have occurred at the lexical rather than semantic level. This study is the first to compare gesture naming between autistic and non-autistic individuals, and the resulting dataset is the first gesture stimulus set for which both groups were equally represented in the norming process. This database also has broad applicability to other areas of research related to gesture processing and comprehension. The video database and accompanying norming data are available on the Open Science Framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna E Cairney
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.
| | - Stanley H West
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Eileen Haebig
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Christopher R Cox
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Heather D Lucas
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
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Artuso C, Belacchi C. Implicit Grammatical Gender Representation in Italian Children with Autism without Intellectual/Language Disorder. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:1737. [PMID: 38002828 PMCID: PMC10670017 DOI: 10.3390/children10111737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
Grammatical language development in individuals with autism (without intellectual/language impairment) is mostly qualitatively comparable to language development in typically developing children of the same age. The majority of tasks used to study grammatical development require explicit performance (use of verbal language). Here, we administered an implicit categorization task (by biological sex) to understand which markers children use to implicitly infer grammatical gender representation in Italian (a gendered language where grammatical gender can be inferred via a determiner and/or word ending). Participants were asked to categorize photos of animals, relying on the names that differed in regard to the grammatical markers involved (i.e., lexical semantic, phonological, syntactic or phonological + syntactic). Children with autism displayed the same patterns observed in typically developing children: the lexical-semantic marker was categorized more accurately, followed in decreasing order by the phonological-syntactic marker and the phonological marker. The syntactic marker was the most difficult to categorize for both groups. In addition, children with autism showed an advantage in grammatical gender representation when using formal/grammatical markers than when using lexical/semantic markers. Such an implicit assessment allows for the investigation of more nuanced linguistic representations other than those expressed by traditional assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Artuso
- Department of Education, University of Genova, 16128 Genova, Italy
| | - Carmen Belacchi
- Department of Communication, Humanities and International Studies, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, 61029 Urbino, Italy;
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Chen L, He X, Durrleman S. Acquisition of grammatical aspect by Mandarin-speaking preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2023; 58:1697-1716. [PMID: 37231561 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mandarin-speaking children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties producing aspect markers. The difficulties were explained in terms of pragmatic deficits since these children demonstrated strength in the comprehension of aspect markers using the Intermodal Preferential Looking (IPL) task. AIMS To verify whether this dissociation between production and comprehension could be replicated using another technique to the IPL, and if all children with ASD show difficulties in the production of aspect markers. METHODS & PROCEDURES A total of 34 children with ASD without cognitive delay, half with language impairment (ALI; mean age = 61.25 months old) and half with normal language (ALN, mean age = 61.52 months old), as well as 17 age-matched typically developing (TD) children (mean age = 61.38 months old) participated in a sentence-picture-matching task and a priming picture-description task to investigate their comprehension and production of Mandarin aspect markers zai-, -le and -zhe. OUTCOMES & RESULTS In the comprehension task, children in the ALN group performed similarly to their TD peers, but those in the ALI group were less accurate on zai- and -le than TD children; children in all groups received higher accuracy when zai- was combined with Activity rather than Accomplishment verbs, and those in the ALI group was also more accurate when -le occurred with Achievement verbs, in contrast to Activity verbs. In the production task, children in the ALI group produced fewer targets and more irrelevant sentences with zai- than their TD peers, and they tended to produce bare verbs for -le and -zhe than TD children; children in all groups tended to combine zai- with Activity verbs, and those in the ALN group also tended to combine -le with Achievement verbs. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS The comprehension and production of Mandarin aspect markers by children with ASD are linked to general language abilities, and interactions between lexical and grammatical aspect. Patterns of performance are similar to those of TD peers only for the subgroup with spared global language, while pragmatic deficits are pervasive throughout the spectrum. Therefore, training on formal language, with a specific emphasis on aspectual rather than pragmatic abilities, may be more effective at enhancing the production of aspect markers. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS What is already known on this subject Mandarin-speaking children with ASD have difficulties producing aspect markers but demonstrate strengths in aspectual comprehension via the IPL task. Therefore, it has been proposed that their 'specific' difficulties in aspectual production should be ascribed to their pragmatic deficits. However, pragmatic deficits are highly pervasive in children with ASD while only a subgroup of children with ASD who are impaired in language development (children with ALI) show difficulties in producing tense/aspect morphology. Pursuing this reasoning, pragmatic deficits might not be the critical factor impacting the performance of children with ASD in aspectual production. What this study adds Children with ASD were divided into one group with ALI and the other with normal language (ALN). Results of a sentence-picture-matching and a priming picture-description task illustrated that both groups preserved the comprehension of Mandarin aspect markers zai-, -le and -zhe. However, children with ALI performed worse than age-matched TD children, while children with ALN demonstrated similar performance to TD children in aspectual production. These findings, coupled with the fact that pragmatic challenges affect individuals throughout the spectrum, suggest that general language abilities rather than pragmatics better explain the performance of children with ASD on aspectual production. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Since general language abilities rather than pragmatic deficits of children with ASD determine their performance on the production of aspect markers, direct training on the use of aspect markers or more global language therapy could benefit children with ASD in the production of aspect markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Chen
- Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 2 Baiyun Avenue, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, China
- ABCCD-Autism, Bilingualism, Cognitive and Communicative Development Lab, Faculty of Science and Medicine, Chem. du Musée 5, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Xiaowei He
- Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 2 Baiyun Avenue, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, China
| | - Stephanie Durrleman
- ABCCD-Autism, Bilingualism, Cognitive and Communicative Development Lab, Faculty of Science and Medicine, Chem. du Musée 5, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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Carston R. The relevance of words and the language/communication divide. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1187343. [PMID: 37575430 PMCID: PMC10419294 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1187343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
First, the wide applicability of the relevance-theoretic pragmatic account of how new (ad hoc) senses of words and new (ad hoc) words arise spontaneously in communication/comprehension is demonstrated. The lexical pragmatic processes of meaning modulation and metonymy are shown to apply equally to simple words, noun to verb 'conversions', and morphologically complex cases with non-compositional (atomic) meanings. Second, this pragmatic account is situated within a specific view of the cognitive architecture of language and communication, with the formal side of language, its recursive combinatorial system, argued to have different developmental, evolutionary and cognitive characteristics from the meaning side of language, which is essentially pragmatic/communicative. Words straddle the form/meaning (syntax/pragmatics) divide: on the one hand, they are phrasal structures, consisting of a root and variable numbers of functors, with no privileged status in the syntax; on the other hand, they are salient to language users as basic units of communication and are stored as such, in a communication lexicon, together with their families of related senses, which originated as cases of pragmatically derived (ad hoc) senses but have become established, due to their communicative efficacy and frequency of use. Third, in an attempt to find empirical evidence for the proposed linguistic form-meaning divide, two very different cases of atypical linguistic and communicative development are considered: autistic children and deaf children who develop Homesign. The morpho-syntax (the formal side of language) appears to unfold in much the same way in both cases and is often not much different from that of typically developing children, but they diverge markedly from each other in their communication/pragmatics and their development of a system (a lexicon) of meaningful words/signs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn Carston
- Linguistics, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Artis J, Arunachalam S. Semantic and Syntactic Properties of Words and the Receptive-Expressive Gap in Autistic and Non-Autistic Children. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:1771-1791. [PMID: 37137280 PMCID: PMC10457093 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-22-00369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The goal of this work was to examine the semantic and syntactic properties of the vocabularies of autistic and non-autistic infants and toddlers to see if children in these two groups know different kinds of words. We focused on both receptive and expressive vocabularies. For expressive vocabulary, we looked only at the "active" lexicon: Of those words that are already in children's receptive vocabulary, we asked which ones they also produce. METHOD We used an existing data set of 346 parent report vocabulary checklists (MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Gestures) from 41 autistic and 27 non-autistic children at multiple timepoints between the ages of 6 and 43 months. We coded the words on the checklists for various semantic and syntactic properties and evaluated which properties predicted whether children understood and produced those words. RESULTS Overall, we replicated a common finding that autistic children have smaller receptive vocabularies than non-autistic children, but we found that of the words they understand, autistic children produce a similar proportion of those words as non-autistic children. While we found that some syntactic properties are more or less likely to be represented in children's early vocabularies (e.g., nouns are more likely to be understood and produced than words that are not nouns), these patterns did not differ across autistic and non-autistic children. CONCLUSIONS The semantic and syntactic compositions of autistic and non-autistic children's vocabularies are similar. Thus, while receptive vocabularies are relatively smaller for autistic children, they do not appear to have specific difficulty with words that have particular syntactic or semantic properties, or with adding words to the expressive vocabulary that they already understand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonet Artis
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, NY
| | - Sudha Arunachalam
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, NY
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Greco G, Choi B, Michel K, Faja S. Here's the Story: Narrative Ability and Executive Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder. RESEARCH IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS 2023; 101:102092. [PMID: 36644329 PMCID: PMC9835513 DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2022.102092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Background Difficulties with narrative have been reported in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the role of executive function on narrative ability has not been examined in ASD. In this study, we aimed to (1) examine whether narrative abilities of ASD children differed from neurotypical (NT) children who did not differ in age, sex, and IQ; and (2) investigate relations between executive function and narrative ability in ASD children. Method Narratives were elicited from 64 ASD children and 26 NT children using a wordless picture book and coded to derive several aspects of narrative ability such as propositions, evaluative devices, and self-repairs. Executive functions (specifically, inhibition and working memory) were measured using both experimenter-administered assessment and parent-report measures. Results Compared to NT children, ASD children produced fewer propositions but did not differ in their use of evaluative devices and self-repairs during narrative production. Greater inhibitory challenges related to more self-repairs involving repetition of story elements, whereas working memory did not relate to any of the measures of narrative ability among ASD children. Conclusions This study revealed that narratives by verbally fluent ASD children were shorter and less complex than those by NT children but did not differ in the specific features of narratives. Furthermore, although ASD children did not make more self-repairs than NT children, difficulty with inhibition was related to more self-repairs, indicating more dysfluent narrative production in ASD children, which has implications for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Greco
- University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Boin Choi
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Susan Faja
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Word learning in ASD: the sensorimotor, the perceptual and the symbolic. JOURNAL OF CULTURAL COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s41809-022-00117-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
AbstractWord learning requires successful pairing of form and meaning. A common hypothesis about the process of word learning is that initially, infants work on identifying the phonological segments corresponding to words (speech analysis), and subsequently map those segments onto meaning. A range of theories have been proposed to account for the underlying mechanisms and factors in this remarkable achievement. While some are mainly concerned with the sensorimotor affordances and perceptual properties of referents out in the world, other theories emphasize the importance of language as a system, and the relations among language units (other words or syntax). Recent approaches inspired by neuro-science suggest that the storage and processing of word meanings is supported by neural systems subserving both the representation of conceptual knowledge and its access and use (Lambon Ralph et al., Nature Reviews Neuroscience 18:42–55, 2017). Developmental disorders have been attested to impact on different aspects of word learning. While impaired word knowledge is not a hallmark of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and remains largely understudied in this population, there is evidence that there are, sometimes subtle, problems in that domain, reflected in both how such knowledge is acquired and how words are used (Vulchanova et al., Word knowledge and word usage: A cross-disciplinary guide to the mental lexicon, Mouton De Gruyter, 2020). In addition, experimental evidence suggests that children with autism present with specific problems in categorizing the referents of linguistic labels leading to subsequent problems with using those labels (Hartley and Allen, Autism 19:570–579, 2015). Furthermore, deficits have been reported in some of the underlying mechanisms, biases and use of cues in word learning, such as e.g., object shape (Field et al., Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 46:1210–1219, 2016; Tek et al., Autism Research 1:208–222, 2008). Finally, it is likely that symbol use might be impaired in ASD, however, the direction of the causal relationship between social and communication impairment in autism and symbolic skills is still an open question (Allen and Lewis, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 45:1–3, 2015; Allen and Butler, British Journal of Developmental Psychology 38:345–362, 2020; Wainwright et al., Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 50:2941–2956, 2020). Further support for impaired symbol formation in autism comes from the well-attested problems with figurative, non-literal language use (e.g., metaphors, idioms, hyperbole, irony) (Vulchanova et al., Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 9:24, 2015). Here we propose that embodied theories of cognition which link perceptual experience with conceptual knowledge (see Eigsti, Frontiers in Psychology 4:224, 2013; Klin et al., Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 358:345–360, 2003) might be useful in explaining the difficulty in symbolic understanding that individuals with autism face during the word learning process.
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Xie F, Pascual E, Oakley T. Functional echolalia in autism speech: Verbal formulae and repeated prior utterances as communicative and cognitive strategies. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1010615. [PMID: 36910790 PMCID: PMC9997079 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1010615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Echolalia, the echoing of prior speech, is a typical characteristic of autism. Long considered meaningless repetition to be avoided, echolalia may in fact be used functionally in autism. This paper explores the functions of echolalia by children with autism. Based on two prior studies, we designed an elicitation task involving images of 12 professions (teacher) and 12 objects (birthday cake) commonly associated with given conventionalized expressions in Mandarin (e.g., "sheng ri kuai le!" 'Happy birthday!'). Eight Chinese children with autism (mean age: 55.50 ± 8.64) were asked to name and describe these images. All our participants produced a relatively high proportion of echolalia, mostly for naming, description, and topic development, a small percentage being used as conversation maintenance strategy or as cognitive strategy. This indicates that echolalia is often used communicatively in autism speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Xie
- School of Foreign Languages, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Esther Pascual
- Institute of Linguistics, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
| | - Todd Oakley
- Department of Cognitive Science, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
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Written Expression in Individuals with Autism: a Meta-analysis. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40474-022-00262-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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He AX, Luyster RJ, Arunachalam S. Parental tuning of language input to autistic and nonspectrum children. Front Psychol 2022; 13:954983. [PMID: 36211865 PMCID: PMC9537044 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.954983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Caregivers’ language input supports children’s language development, and it is often tuned to the child’s current level of skill. Evidence suggests that parental input is tuned to accommodate children’s expressive language levels, but accommodation to receptive language abilities is less understood. In particular, little is known about parental sensitivity to children’s abilities to process language in real time. Compared to nonspectrum children, children on the spectrum are slower to process language. In this study, we ask: Do parents of autistic children and those of nonspectrum children tune their language input to accommodate children’s different language processing abilities? Children with and without a diagnosis of autism (ages 2–6 years, N = 35) and their parents viewed a display of six images, one of which was the target. The parent labeled the target to direct the child’s attention to it. We first examined children’s language processing abilities by assessing their latencies to shift gaze to the labeled referent; from this, we found slower latencies in the autistic group than in the nonspectrum group, in line with previous findings. We then examined features of parents’ language and found that parents in both groups produced similar language, suggesting that parents may not adjust their language input according to children’s speed of language processing. This finding suggests that (1) capturing parental sensitivity to children’s receptive language, and specifically language processing, may enrich our models of individual differences in language input, and (2) future work should investigate if supporting caregivers in tuning their language use according to children’s language processing can improve children’s language outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Xiaoxue He
- Department of English and Literature, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Rhiannon J. Luyster
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Emerson College, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sudha Arunachalam
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, New York, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Sudha Arunachalam,
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Evaluating Interactive Language for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Different Contexts. CHILDREN 2022; 9:children9060787. [PMID: 35740724 PMCID: PMC9221769 DOI: 10.3390/children9060787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in the use of appropriate interactive language (including structural language and pragmatic skills) in social contexts. However, the phenotype and causes of interactive language deficits in children with ASD, in different contexts, are still unclear. In this study, we examined the structural language and pragmatic skills of children with ASD in four contexts: playing, drawing, reading, and free talking. We found that while children with ASD did not exhibit deficits in structural language (e.g., vocabulary and utterance), they clearly exhibit deficits in pragmatic skills. We, also, found that contexts played a key role in the use of interactive language by children with ASD. For example, the reading context had a significant impact on the diversity of vocabulary, while the playing and drawing contexts made an important contribution to the formation of complex utterances. The free talking context, on the other hand, contributed to producing more turns. Furthermore, Spearman’s rank correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between maternal input and children’s language output. We found that the correlations between structural language and maternal input in children with ASD were not as high as revealed in previous studies, while a, relatively, obvious relationship was found between pragmatic skills and maternal input. Specifically, the total number of turns (TNT) for a child with ASD is related to their mother’s TNT, as are the total number of words (TNW) and number of different words (NDW). These results suggest that (1) assessment of pragmatic skills should be included in the evaluation of children with suspected ASD (2) the influence of context on pragmatic skills needs to be taken into account, when assessing the pragmatic development of children with ASD; and (3) the impact of maternal language on children’s language use is of great importance, for children with ASD.
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15
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Prescott KE, Mathée-Scott J, Reuter T, Edwards J, Saffran J, Ellis Weismer S. Predictive language processing in young autistic children. Autism Res 2022; 15:892-903. [PMID: 35142078 PMCID: PMC9090958 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Recent theories propose that domain-general deficits in prediction (i.e., the ability to anticipate upcoming information) underlie the behavioral characteristics associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). If these theories are correct, autistic children might be expected to demonstrate difficulties on linguistic tasks that rely on predictive processing. Previous research has largely focused on older autistic children and adolescents with average language and cognition. The present study used an eye-gaze task to evaluate predictive language processing among 3- to 4-year-old autistic children (n = 34) and 1.5- to 3-year-old, language-matched neurotypical (NT) children (n = 34). Children viewed images (e.g., a cake and a ball) and heard sentences with informative verbs (e.g., Eat the cake) or neutral verbs (e.g., Find the cake). Analyses of children's looking behaviors indicated that young autistic children, like their language-matched NT peers, engaged in predictive language processing. Regression results revealed a significant effect of diagnostic group, when statistically controlling for age differences. The NT group displayed larger difference scores between the informative and neutral verb conditions (in looks to target nouns) compared to the ASD group. Receptive language measures were predictive of looking behavior across time for both groups, such that children with stronger language skills were more efficient in making use of informative verbs to process upcoming information. Taken together, these results suggest that young autistic children can engage in predictive processing though further research is warranted to explore the developmental trajectory relative to NT development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn E Prescott
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.,Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Janine Mathée-Scott
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.,Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Tracy Reuter
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jan Edwards
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, Maryland, USA.,Maryland Language Science Center, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Jenny Saffran
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Susan Ellis Weismer
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.,Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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16
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Luyster RJ, Zane E, Wisman Weil L. Conventions for unconventional language: Revisiting a framework for spoken language features in autism. AUTISM & DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS 2022; 7:23969415221105472. [PMID: 36382068 PMCID: PMC9620674 DOI: 10.1177/23969415221105472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Autism has long been characterized by a range of spoken language features, including, for instance: the tendency to repeat words and phrases, the use of invented words, and "pedantic" language. These observations have been the source of considerable disagreement in both the theoretical and applied realms. Despite persistent professional interest in these language features, there has been little consensus around terminology, definitions and developmental/clinical interpretation. MAIN CONTRIBUTION This review paper updates and expands an existing framework for unconventional language in autism to include a broader range of non-generative (echolalia and self-repetition) and generative (idiosyncratic phrases, neologisms and pedantic language) features often observed in the language of individuals on the autism spectrum. For each aspect of the framework, we review the various definitions and measurement approaches, and we provide a summary of individual and contextual correlates. We also propose some transitional language features that may bridge non-generative and generative domains (e.g., mitigated echolalia and gestalt language). CONCLUSIONS This updated framework offers a unified taxonomy and nomenclature that can facilitate further investigation and interpretation of unconventional language in autism. IMPLICATIONS There are important implications of this work for our understanding of the complex interplay between autism and language development. Equally important are the clinical ramifications that will guide evidence-based practice in assessment and intervention for individuals on the autism spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhiannon J Luyster
- Rhiannon J Luyster, Communication Sciences
and Disorders, Emerson College, 120 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02216, USA.
| | - Emily Zane
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, James Madison
University, Harrisonburg, VA, USA
| | - Lisa Wisman Weil
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, Emerson College, Boston, MA, USA
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17
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Zane E, Arunachalam S, Luyster R. Personal Pronoun Errors in Form versus Meaning Produced by Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder. JOURNAL OF CULTURAL COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2021; 5:389-404. [PMID: 34977462 PMCID: PMC8716020 DOI: 10.1007/s41809-021-00087-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigates whether the types of pronominal errors children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make are different from those of their TD peers at similar stages of language development. A recent review about language acquisition in ASD argues that these children show relative deficits in assigning/extending lexical meaning alongside relative strengths in morpho-syntax (Naigles & Tek, 2017). Pronouns provide an ideal test case for this argument because they are marked both for grammatical features (case) and features that reflect qualities of the referent itself (gender and number) or the referent's role in conversation (person). The form-meaning hypothesis predicts that children with ASD should struggle more with these latter features. The current study tests this hypothesis with data from a caregiver report, completed by caregivers of 151 children with and without ASD. Reported pronominal errors were categorized as meaning or form and compared across groups. In accordance with the form-meaning hypothesis, a higher proportion of children with ASD make meaning errors than they do form errors, and significantly more of them make meaning errors than TD children do.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Zane
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
| | - Sudha Arunachalam
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, New York University, New York, NY
| | - Rhiannon Luyster
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, Emerson College, Boston, MA
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18
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Sukenik N, Tuller L. Lexical Semantic Knowledge of Children with ASD—a Review Study. REVIEW JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40489-021-00272-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
AbstractStudies on the lexical semantic abilities of children with autism have yielded contradicting results. The aim of the current review was to explore studies that have specifically focused on the lexical semantic abilities of children with ASD and try to find an explanation for these contradictions. In the 32 studies reviewed, no single factor was found to affect lexical semantic skills, although children with broader linguistic impairment generally, but not universally, also showed impaired lexical semantic skills. The need for future studies with young ASD participants, with differing intellectual functioning, longitudinal studies, and studies assessing a wide range of language domains are discussed.
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19
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Nagano M, Zane E, Grossman RB. Structural and Contextual Cues in Third-Person Pronoun Interpretation by Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Neurotypical Peers. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 51:1562-1583. [PMID: 32785821 PMCID: PMC7878583 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04645-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
This study investigates the use of structural and discourse contextual cues in the interpretation of third-person pronouns by children and adolescents with autism and their neurotypical peers. Results show that referent-biasing contextual information influences pronominal interpretation and modulates looking patterns in both groups compared to a context-neutral condition. These results go against the predictions of Weak Central Coherence and the notion that pragmatics in general is impaired in ASD, since the ASD group was able to use details in discourse context to influence the pronominal interpretation process. However, although discourse context influenced looking patterns in both groups, the groups nevertheless diverged in the nature of these patterns, suggesting that behavioral differences may emerge in more complicated discourse tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisa Nagano
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Long Island University-Brooklyn, 1 University Plaza, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA.
| | - Emily Zane
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, James Madison University, 800 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA, 22807, USA
| | - Ruth B Grossman
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Emerson College, 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02116, USA
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20
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Language and Communication in Preschool Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disorders. CHILDREN-BASEL 2021; 8:children8030192. [PMID: 33806289 PMCID: PMC8000958 DOI: 10.3390/children8030192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In this research, we studied the language and communication skills of preschool children with a diagnosis of autistic syndrome disorder (ASD) (n = 51) compared to children with other developmental disorders (DD) (n = 42), using direct measures and parental reports when assessing the development of language and communication. As a novelty, this research studied a sample of children with low language and communication skills. We found a high correlation between direct measures and parental reports for both populations. Therefore, we propose that combining the information supplied by direct measures together with that supplied by parental reports would be a suitable strategy for language assessment in these populations. In addition, the results show a delay in language comprehension with respect to language production in children with ASD, along with many difficulties with non-verbal communication, compared to children with other developmental disorders (DD). We also found significant differences between both groups with respect to lexical categories. The differences in language and communication profiles of children with ASD compared to children with other DD might have some implications for diagnoses and language intervention in these populations.
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21
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Naigles LR. It takes all kinds (of information) to learn a language: Investigating the language comprehension of typical children and children with autism. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021; 30:11-18. [PMID: 33758481 DOI: 10.1177/0963721420969404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
What factors influence children's understanding of language, in both typical and atypical development? In this article, I summarize findings from the Longitudinal Study of Early Language (LSEL), which has been following the talk, understanding, and interactions of typically developing (TD) children and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The LSEL has found group similarities in syntactic understanding and word learning strategies, but also within-group variability that correlates with other aspects of the children's behavior. In particular, early linguistic knowledge and social abilities are both shown to play independent roles in later talk and understanding. Thus, theoretical perspectives that highlight social vs. linguistic underpinnings to language development should be viewed as complementary rather than competing.
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22
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You Y, Correas A, Jao Keehn RJ, Wagner LC, Rosen BQ, Beaton LE, Gao Y, Brocklehurst WT, Fishman I, Müller RA, Marinkovic K. MEG Theta during Lexico-Semantic and Executive Processing Is Altered in High-Functioning Adolescents with Autism. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:1116-1130. [PMID: 33073290 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies have revealed atypical activation during language and executive tasks in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the spatiotemporal stages of processing associated with these dysfunctions remain poorly understood. Using an anatomically constrained magnetoencephalography approach, we examined event-related theta oscillations during a double-duty lexical decision task that combined demands on lexico-semantic processing and executive functions. Relative to typically developing peers, high-functioning adolescents with ASD had lower performance accuracy on trials engaging selective semantic retrieval and cognitive control. They showed an early overall theta increase in the left fusiform cortex followed by greater activity in the left-lateralized temporal (starting at ~250 ms) and frontal cortical areas (after ~450 ms) known to contribute to language processing. During response preparation and execution, the ASD group exhibited elevated theta in the anterior cingulate cortex, indicative of greater engagement of cognitive control. Simultaneously increased activity in the ipsilateral motor cortex may reflect a less lateralized and suboptimally organized motor circuitry. Spanning early sensory-specific and late response selection stages, the higher event-related theta responsivity in ASD may indicate compensatory recruitment to offset inefficient lexico-semantic retrieval under cognitively demanding conditions. Together, these findings provide further support for atypical language and executive functions in high-functioning ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqi You
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
| | - Angeles Correas
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
| | - R Joanne Jao Keehn
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
| | - Laura C Wagner
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
| | - Burke Q Rosen
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Lauren E Beaton
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
| | - Yangfeifei Gao
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA.,Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University and University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92120, USA
| | | | - Inna Fishman
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA.,Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University and University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92120, USA
| | - Ralph-Axel Müller
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA.,Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University and University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92120, USA
| | - Ksenija Marinkovic
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA.,Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University and University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92120, USA.,Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
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23
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Bruyneel E, Demurie E, Warreyn P, Beyers W, Boterberg S, Bontinck C, Dewaele N, Roeyers H. Language growth in very young siblings at risk for autism spectrum disorder. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2019; 54:940-953. [PMID: 31407447 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show substantial variability in their language development. Language problems are highly prevalent in these children. In addition, the quality of early language abilities contributes to the overall development of these children and is highly predictive of their adult outcome. Yet, little is known about language development in children at risk of ASD during the first years of life. AIMS To compare early receptive language (RL) and expressive language (EL) development in children at risk of ASD and determine predictors of language development. METHODS & PROCEDURES Developmental trajectories of RL and EL were investigated from 10 to 36 months of age in younger siblings of typically developing children (LR-sibs, N = 30) and in younger siblings of children with ASD (HR-sibs, N = 31) using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Furthermore, both child and demographic characteristics were examined as possible predictors of language development. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Both groups showed similar growth curves for RL and EL and the majority of the children showed average (within ±1.5 SD of the mean) or above-average language abilities. Nevertheless, the mean growth of EL was lower and the variation in growth of both RL and EL was higher in HR-sibs than in LR-sibs. Furthermore, early child characteristics were predictive of language development in both groups. Yet, some child characteristics seemed to be of more importance in HR-sibs than in LR-sibs. Consequently, lower non-verbal abilities at 10 months in both groups and a higher degree of ASD characteristics at 14 months in HR-sibs may be indicative of difficulties in language development. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS HR-sibs show more variation in their language development than LR-sibs during the first 3 years of life. The majority of HR-sibs, however, did not present with below-average language abilities. Yet, early characteristics of ASD may be a red flag for difficulties in the language development of HR-sibs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Bruyneel
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ellen Demurie
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Petra Warreyn
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Wim Beyers
- Ghent University, Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sofie Boterberg
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Chloè Bontinck
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nele Dewaele
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Herbert Roeyers
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent, Belgium
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24
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Bruyneel E, Demurie E, Warreyn P, Roeyers H. The mediating role of joint attention in the relationship between motor skills and receptive and expressive language in siblings at risk for autism spectrum disorder. Infant Behav Dev 2019; 57:101377. [PMID: 31541867 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Language problems are highly prevalent in younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (HR-sibs), yet little is known about early predictors. There is growing evidence that motor and language development are linked and this connection might be mediated by joint attention. Developmental changes in motor abilities change how children interact with objects and people (e.g., by showing), which may influence language development. This association has however not yet been studied in HR-sibs. The interrelationship between motor, joint attention and language skills was explored in younger siblings of typically developing children (LR-sibs, N = 31) and HR-sibs (N = 32). In both groups, motor skills (composite of fine and gross motor skills) at 10 months influenced receptive and expressive language at 36 months directly and indirectly through joint attention at 14 months. Group status moderated this direct and indirect effect with mainly significant effects in HR-sibs. This indicates that lower motor skills can have cascading effects on joint attention and language in HR-sibs. Consequently, assessment of early motor skills in HR-sibs might hold promise for early identification of motor difficulties but can also be indicative of language difficulties later in life, especially when difficulties with joint attention are also present.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Bruyneel
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Belgium.
| | - E Demurie
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Belgium
| | - P Warreyn
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Belgium
| | - H Roeyers
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Belgium
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25
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Venker CE, Edwards J, Saffran JR, Ellis Weismer S. Thinking Ahead: Incremental Language Processing is Associated with Receptive Language Abilities in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 49:1011-1023. [PMID: 30390172 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3778-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
In typical development, listeners can use semantic content of verbs to facilitate incremental language processing-a skill that is associated with existing language skills. Studies of children with ASD have not identified an association between incremental language processing in semantically-constraining contexts and language skills, perhaps because participants were adolescents and/or children with strong language skills. This study examined incremental language processing and receptive language in young children with ASD with a range of language skills. Children showed a head start when presented with semantically-constraining verbs (e.g., Read the book) compared to neutral verbs (e.g., Find the book). Children with weaker receptive language showed a smaller head start than children with stronger receptive language skills, suggesting continuity between typical development and ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney E Venker
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA. .,Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, 1026 Red Cedar Road, Room 216, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
| | - Jan Edwards
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Maryland Language Science Center, University of Maryland-College Park, College Park, USA
| | - Jenny R Saffran
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Susan Ellis Weismer
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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26
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Horvath S, McDermott E, Reilly K, Arunachalam S. Acquisition of Verb Meaning From Syntactic Distribution in Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2019; 49:668-680. [PMID: 30120445 DOI: 10.1044/2018_lshss-stlt1-17-0126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Our goal was to investigate whether preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can begin to learn new word meanings by attending to the linguistic contexts in which they occur, even in the absence of visual or social context. We focused on verbs because of their importance for subsequent language development. Method Thirty-two children with ASD, ages 2;1-4;5 (years;months), participated in a verb-learning task. In a between-subjects design, they were randomly assigned to hear novel verbs in either transitive or intransitive syntactic frames while watching an unrelated silent animation or playing quietly with a toy. In an eye-tracking test, they viewed two video scenes, one depicting a causative event (e.g., boy spinning girl) and the other depicting synchronous events (e.g., boy and girl waving). They were prompted to find the referents of the novel verbs, and their eye gaze was measured. Results Like typically developing children in prior work, children with ASD who had heard the verbs in transitive syntactic frames preferred to look to the causative scene as compared to children who had heard intransitive frames. Conclusions This finding replicates and extends prior work on verb learning in children with ASD by demonstrating that they can attend to a novel verb's syntactic distribution absent relevant visual or social context, and they can use this information to assign the novel verb an appropriate meaning. We discuss points for future research, including examining individual differences that may impact success and contrasting social and nonsocial word-learning tasks directly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kathleen Reilly
- Tufts Medical Center, Floating Hospital for Children, Boston, MA
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27
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Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder Can Use Language to Update Their Expectations About the World. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 49:429-440. [PMID: 30136111 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3706-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
This study examined if two-year-olds with ASD can update mental representations on the basis of verbal input. In an eye-tracking study, toddlers with ASD and typically-developing nonverbal age-matched controls were exposed to visual or verbal information about a change in a recently encoded scene, followed by an outcome that was either congruent or incongruent with that information. Findings revealed that both groups looked longer at incongruent outcomes, regardless of information modality, and despite the fact that toddlers with ASD had significantly lower measured verbal abilities than TD toddlers. This demonstrates that, although there is heterogeneity on the individual level, young toddlers with ASD can succeed in updating their mental representations on the basis of verbal input in a low-demand task.
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28
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Abdelaziz A, Kover ST, Wagner M, Naigles LR. The Shape Bias in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Potential Sources of Individual Differences. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2018; 61:2685-2702. [PMID: 30418496 PMCID: PMC6693570 DOI: 10.1044/2018_jslhr-l-rsaut-18-0027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate many mechanisms of lexical acquisition that support language in typical development; however, 1 notable exception is the shape bias. The bases of these children's difficulties with the shape bias are not well understood, and the current study explored potential sources of individual differences from the perspectives of both attentional and conceptual accounts of the shape bias. Method Shape bias performance from the dataset of Potrzeba, Fein, and Naigles (2015) was analyzed, including 33 children with typical development (M = 20 months; SD = 1.6), 15 children with ASD with high verbal abilities (M = 33 months; SD = 4.6), and 14 children with ASD with low verbal abilities (M = 33 months; SD = 6.6). Lexical predictors (shape-side noun percentage from the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory; Fenson et al., 2007) and social-pragmatic predictors (joint attention duration during play sessions) were considered as predictors of subsequent shape bias performance. Results For children in the low verbal ASD group, initiation of joint attention (positively) and passive attention (negatively) predicted subsequent shape bias performance, controlling for initial language and developmental level. Proportion of child's known nouns with shape-defined properties correlated negatively with shape bias performance in the high verbal ASD group but did not reach significance in regression models. Conclusions These findings suggest that no single account sufficiently explains the observed individual differences in shape bias performance in children with ASD. Nonetheless, these findings break new ground in highlighting the role of social communicative interactions as integral to understanding specific language outcomes (i.e., the shape bias) in children with ASD, especially those with low verbal abilities, and point to new hypotheses concerning the linguistic content of these interactions. Presentation Video https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.7299581.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara T. Kover
- Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle
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Su Y, Naigles LR, Su LY. Uneven Expressive Language Development in Mandarin-Exposed Preschool Children with ASD: Comparing Vocabulary, Grammar, and the Decontextualized Use of Language via the PCDI-Toddler Form. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 48:3432-3448. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3614-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Snape S, Krott A, McCleery JP. Do Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Benefit from Structural Alignment When Constructing Categories? J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 48:2912-2924. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3551-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Hidaka S, Yaguchi A. An Investigation of the Relationships Between Autistic Traits and Crossmodal Correspondences in Typically Developing Adults. Multisens Res 2018; 31:729-751. [PMID: 31264620 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-20181304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes characteristics such as social and behavioral deficits that are considered common across the general population rather than unique to people with the diagnosis. People with ASD are reported to have sensory irregularities, including crossmodal perception. Crossmodal correspondences are phenomena in which arbitrary crossmodal inputs affect behavioral performance. Crossmodal correspondences are considered to be established through associative learning, but the learning cues are considered to differ across the types of correspondences. In order to investigate whether and how ASD traits affect crossmodal associative learning, this study examined the relationships between the magnitude of crossmodal correspondences and the degree of ASD traits among non-diagnosed adults. We found that, among three types of crossmodal correspondences (brightness-loudness, visual size-pitch, and visual location-pitch pairs), the brightness-loudness pair was related with total ASD traits and a subtrait (social skill). The magnitude of newly learned crossmodal associations (the visual apparent motion direction-pitch pair) also showed a relationship with an ASD subtrait (attention switching). These findings demonstrate that there are unique relationships between crossmodal associations and ASD traits, indicating that each ASD trait is differently involved in sensory associative learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Souta Hidaka
- Department of Psychology, Rikkyo University, 1-2-26, Kitano, Niiza-shi, Saitama, 352-8558 Japan
| | - Ayako Yaguchi
- Department of Psychology, Rikkyo University, 1-2-26, Kitano, Niiza-shi, Saitama, 352-8558 Japan
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Davidson MM, Ellis Weismer S. Reading comprehension of ambiguous sentences by school-age children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2017; 10:2002-2022. [PMID: 28834327 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Revised: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Weak central coherence (processing details over gist), poor oral language abilities, poor suppression, semantic interference, and poor comprehension monitoring have all been implicated to affect reading comprehension in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study viewed the contributions of different supporting skills as a collective set of skills necessary for context integration-a multi-component view-to examine individual differences in reading comprehension in school-age children (8-14 years) with ASD (n = 23) and typically developing control peers (n = 23). Participants completed a written ambiguous sentence comprehension task in which participants had to integrate context to determine the correct homonym meaning via picture selection. Both comprehension products (i.e., offline representations after reading) and processes (i.e., online processing during reading) were evaluated. Results indicated that children with ASD, similar to their TD peers, integrated the context to access the correct homonym meanings while reading. However, after reading the sentences, when participants were asked to select the meanings, both groups experienced semantic interference between the two meanings. This semantic interference hindered the children with ASD's sentence representation to a greater degree than their peers. Individual differences in age/development, word recognition, vocabulary breadth (i.e., number of words in the lexicon), and vocabulary depth (i.e., knowledge of the homonym meanings) contributed to sentence comprehension in both children with ASD and their peers. Together, this evidence supports a multi-component view, and that helping children with ASD develop vocabulary depth may have cascading effects on their reading comprehension. Autism Res 2017, 10: 2002-2022. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY Like their peers, children with ASD were able to integrate context, or link words while reading sentences with ambiguous words (words with two meanings). After reading the sentences, both groups found it hard to pick the correct meaning of the ambiguous sentence and this decision was more difficult for the participants with ASD. Older children, children with better word reading abilities, and children with higher vocabularies were better at understanding ambiguous sentences. Helping children with ASD to develop richer vocabularies could be important for improving their reading comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan M Davidson
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders and the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706
| | - Susan Ellis Weismer
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and Callier Center for Communication Disorders (current affiliation), The University of Texas at Dallas, 1966 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX, 75235
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Wittke K, Mastergeorge AM, Ozonoff S, Rogers SJ, Naigles LR. Grammatical Language Impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring Language Phenotypes Beyond Standardized Testing. Front Psychol 2017; 8:532. [PMID: 28458643 PMCID: PMC5394165 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Linguistic and cognitive abilities manifest huge heterogeneity in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Some children present with commensurate language and cognitive abilities, while others show more variable patterns of development. Using spontaneous language samples, we investigate the presence and extent of grammatical language impairment in a heterogeneous sample of children with ASD. Findings from our sample suggest that children with ASD can be categorized into three meaningful subgroups: those with normal language, those with marked difficulty in grammatical production but relatively intact vocabulary, and those with more globally low language abilities. These findings support the use of sensitive assessment measures to evaluate language in autism, as well as the utility of within-disorder comparisons, in order to comprehensively define the various cognitive and linguistic phenotypes in this heterogeneous disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kacie Wittke
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, StorrsCT, USA
| | - Ann M Mastergeorge
- Human Development and Family Studies, Texas Tech University, LubbockTX, USA
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