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Owen Van Horne AJ, Curran M, Weatherford S, McGregor KK. We Have to Talk About Something: Why NOT Talk About the Curriculum? A Guide to Embedding Language Interventions in Curricular Content. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2024; 55:648-660. [PMID: 38619492 DOI: 10.1044/2024_lshss-23-00177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Children with developmental language disorder frequently have difficulty with both academic success and language learning and use. This clinical focus article describes core principles derived from a larger program of research (National Science Foundation 1748298) on language intervention combined with science instruction for preschoolers. It serves as an illustration of a model for integrating language intervention with curricular content delivery. METHOD We present a five-step model for a speech-language pathologist and other school professionals to follow to (a) understand the grade-level core curriculum objectives; (b) align intervention targets with the curriculum; (c) select a therapy approach that aligns with both goals and curricular content, and (d) methods for implementing the intervention; and (e) verify that both the intervention and the curriculum have been provided in accordance with best practices. We apply this model to the Next Generation Science Standards, a science curriculum popular in the United States, and to grammar and vocabulary interventions, two areas of difficulty for children with developmental language disorders, though it would be possible to extend the steps to other curricular areas and intervention targets. CONCLUSIONS We conclude by discussing the barriers and benefits to adopting this model. We recognize that both speech-language pathologists and teachers may have limited time to implement language intervention within a general education curriculum, but we suggest that the long-term benefits outweigh the barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Samantha Weatherford
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Delaware, Newark
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2
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Zhao C, Ong JH, Veic A, Patel AD, Jiang C, Fogel AR, Wang L, Hou Q, Das D, Crasto C, Chakrabarti B, Williams TI, Loutrari A, Liu F. Predictive processing of music and language in autism: Evidence from Mandarin and English speakers. Autism Res 2024; 17:1230-1257. [PMID: 38651566 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Atypical predictive processing has been associated with autism across multiple domains, based mainly on artificial antecedents and consequents. As structured sequences where expectations derive from implicit learning of combinatorial principles, language and music provide naturalistic stimuli for investigating predictive processing. In this study, we matched melodic and sentence stimuli in cloze probabilities and examined musical and linguistic prediction in Mandarin- (Experiment 1) and English-speaking (Experiment 2) autistic and non-autistic individuals using both production and perception tasks. In the production tasks, participants listened to unfinished melodies/sentences and then produced the final notes/words to complete these items. In the perception tasks, participants provided expectedness ratings of the completed melodies/sentences based on the most frequent notes/words in the norms. While Experiment 1 showed intact musical prediction but atypical linguistic prediction in autism in the Mandarin sample that demonstrated imbalanced musical training experience and receptive vocabulary skills between groups, the group difference disappeared in a more closely matched sample of English speakers in Experiment 2. These findings suggest the importance of taking an individual differences approach when investigating predictive processing in music and language in autism, as the difficulty in prediction in autism may not be due to generalized problems with prediction in any type of complex sequence processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Zhao
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Jia Hoong Ong
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Anamarija Veic
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Aniruddh D Patel
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
- Program in Brain, Mind, and Consciousness, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, Canada
| | - Cunmei Jiang
- Music College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Allison R Fogel
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Li Wang
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Qingqi Hou
- Department of Music and Dance, Nanjing Normal University of Special Education, Nanjing, China
| | - Dipsikha Das
- School of Psychology, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Cara Crasto
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Bhismadev Chakrabarti
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Tim I Williams
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Ariadne Loutrari
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Fang Liu
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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Balboa-Castells R, Ahufinger N, Sanz-Torrent M, Andreu L. Exploring Spanish writing abilities of children with developmental language disorder in expository texts. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1360245. [PMID: 38666234 PMCID: PMC11043832 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1360245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Numerous studies have shown that children with developmental language disorder (DLD), in addition to oral language difficulties, exhibit impaired writing abilities. Their texts contain problems in grammar, organization, cohesion, and length of written output. However, most of these studies have been conducted with English speakers. English is characterized by complex phonological structure, opaque orthography, poor morphology and strict word order. The aim of this research is to observe the writing abilities of children with DLD in a language with simple phonological structure, transparent orthography, rich morphology and flexible word order like Spanish in the production of expository texts. Methods Twenty-six children with DLD (mean age in months = 128.85) and 26 age-and sex-matched typically developing (TD) children (mean age in months = 124.61) wrote an expository text about their favorite animal. Results In order to analyze how the two groups plan and encode written texts, we looked at word frequency and sentence structure, grammatical complexity and lexical density, and omissions and errors. Compared to the TD group, the children with DLD omitted more content words; made more errors with functional words, verb conjugation and inflectional morphemes, and made a large number of spelling errors. Moreover, they wrote fewer words, fewer sentences, and less structurally and lexically complex texts. Discussion These results show that children with DLD who speak a transparent orthography language such as Spanish also have difficulties in most language areas when producing written texts. Our findings should be considered when planning and designing interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Balboa-Castells
- NeuroDevelop eHealth Lab, eHealth Center, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nadia Ahufinger
- NeuroDevelop eHealth Lab, eHealth Center, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona, Spain
- Estudis de Psicologia i Ciències de l’Educació, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mònica Sanz-Torrent
- NeuroDevelop eHealth Lab, eHealth Center, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Cognició Desenvolupament i Psicologia de l’Educació, Secció Cognició, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Llorenç Andreu
- NeuroDevelop eHealth Lab, eHealth Center, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona, Spain
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Wolford LL, Jansen KL. Who Helps Children With Communication Disorders Access Sex Education? Practice Patterns of Speech-Language Pathologists and Psychologists. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2024; 33:848-865. [PMID: 38118453 DOI: 10.1044/2023_ajslp-23-00326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Children with communication disorders are often systematically excluded from sex education curricula. They may also have difficulty accessing the curricula because of the materials' linguistic and pragmatic complexity. Even curricula written for children with intellectual disabilities do not typically include considerations for communication disorders. This places them at risk for sexually transmitted infections, sexual health misinformation, and sexual assault. Yet, it is unclear which professionals are assisting children with communication disorders to access sex education. METHOD North American speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and clinical psychologists (N = 112) completed a survey that asked about their practice patterns in helping children access sex education, as well as their beliefs about the importance of sex education, how disabilities affect sex education, perceived barriers, and their self-efficacy and role in addressing sex education. RESULTS Although SLPs and clinical psychologists believed that communication disorders could affect sex education and consent and felt they had some responsibility for helping their clients in accessing sex education, they did not regularly assist their clients in this area. Both groups of clinicians were divided in their views of their own roles and responsibility. SLPs were especially polarized; every question about their role in addressing sex education included SLPs who fully agreed and some who fully disagreed with the statement. CONCLUSIONS Children with communication disorders do not consistently receive assistance accessing sex education curricula from either SLPs or clinical psychologists. Clinicians need education to support them addressing sex education and clear guidance about their roles in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Wolford
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
| | - Kate L Jansen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ
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Donolato E, Toffalini E, Rogde K, Nordahl-Hansen A, Lervåg A, Norbury C, Melby-Lervåg M. Oral language interventions can improve language outcomes in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. CAMPBELL SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS 2023; 19:e1368. [PMID: 38024782 PMCID: PMC10680434 DOI: 10.1002/cl2.1368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Background Young people who fail to develop language as expected face significant challenges in all aspects of life. Unfortunately, language disorders are common, either as a distinct condition (e.g., Developmental Language Disorder) or as a part of another neurodevelopmental condition (e.g., autism). Finding ways to attenuate language problems through intervention has the potential to yield great benefits not only for the individual but also for society as a whole. Objectives This meta-analytic review examined the effect of oral language interventions for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Search Methods The last electronic search was conducted in April 2022. Selection Criteria Intervention studies had to target language skills for children from 2 to 18 years of age with Developmental Language Disorder, autism, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and Williams syndrome in randomised controlled trials or quasi-experimental designs. Control groups had to include business-as-usual, waiting list, passive or active conditions. However, we excluded studies in which the active control group received a different type, delivery, or dosage of another language intervention. Eligible interventions implemented explicit and structured activities (i.e., explicit instruction of vocabulary, narrative structure or grammatical rules) and/or implicit and broad activities (i.e., shared book reading, general language stimulation). The intervention studies had to assess language skills in receptive and/or expressive modalities. Data Collection and Analysis The search provided 8195 records after deduplication. Records were screened by title and abstract, leading to full-text examinations of 448 records. We performed Correlated and Hierarchical Effects models and ran a retrospective power analysis via simulation. Publication bias was assessed via p-curve and precision-effect estimate. Main Results We examined 38 studies, with 46 group comparisons and 108 effects comparing pre-/post-tests and eight studies, with 12 group comparisons and 21 effects at follow-up. The results showed a mean effect size of d = 0.27 at the post-test and d = 0.18 at follow-up. However, there was evidence of publication bias and overestimation of the mean effects. Effects from the meta-analysis were significantly related to these elements: (1) receptive vocabulary and omnibus receptive measures showed smaller effect sizes relative to expressive vocabulary, grammar, expressive and receptive discourse, and omnibus expressive tests; and (2) the length of the intervention, where longer sessions conducted over a longer period of time were more beneficial than brief sessions and short-term interventions. Neither moderators concerning participants' characteristics (children's diagnosis, diagnostic status, age, sex, and non-verbal cognitive ability and severity of language impairment), nor those regarding of the treatment components and implementation of the language interventions (intervention content, setting, delivery agent, session structure of the intervention or total number of sessions) reached significance. The same occurred to indicators of study quality. The risk of bias assessment showed that reporting quality for the studies examined in the review was poor. Authors’ Conclusions In sum, the current evidence base is promising but inconclusive. Pre-registration and replication of more robust and adequately powered trials, which include a wider range of diagnostic conditions, together with more long-term follow-up comparisons, are needed to drive evidence-based practice and policy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Enrico Toffalini
- Department of General Psychology University of Padova Padova Italy
| | - Kristin Rogde
- Department of Special Needs Education University of Oslo Oslo Norway
| | | | | | - Courtenay Norbury
- Division of Psychology & Language Sciences University College London London UK
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6
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Zapparrata NM, Brooks PJ, Ober TM. Slower Processing Speed in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-analytic Investigation of Time-Based Tasks. J Autism Dev Disord 2023; 53:4618-4640. [PMID: 36112302 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05736-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition affecting information processing across domains. The current meta-analysis investigated whether slower processing speed is associated with the ASD neurocognitive profile and whether findings hold across different time-based tasks and stimuli (social vs. nonsocial; linguistic vs. nonlinguistic). Mean RTs of ASD and age-matched neurotypical comparison groups (N = 893 ASD, 1063 neurotypical; mean age ASD group = 17 years) were compared across simple RT, choice RT, and interference control tasks (44 studies, 106 effects) using robust variance estimation meta-analysis. Simple RT tasks required participants to respond to individual stimuli, whereas choice RT tasks required forced-choice responses to two or more stimuli. Interference control tasks required a decision in the context of a distractor or priming stimulus; in an effort to minimize inhibitory demands, we extracted RTs only from baseline and congruent conditions of such tasks. All tasks required nonverbal (motor) responses. The overall effect-size estimate indicated significantly longer mean RTs in ASD groups (g = .35, 95% CI = .16; .54) than comparison groups. Task type moderated effects, with larger estimates drawn from simple RT tasks than interference control tasks. However, across all three task types, ASD groups exhibited significantly longer mean RTs than comparison groups. Stimulus type and age did not moderate effects. Generalized slowing may be a domain-general characteristic of ASD with potential consequences for social, language, and motor development. Assessing processing speed may inform development of interventions to support autistic individuals and their diverse cognitive profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M Zapparrata
- The College of Staten Island, City University of New York, 2800 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY, 10314, USA.
- Educational Psychology Program, The CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave., New York, NY, 10016, USA.
| | - Patricia J Brooks
- The College of Staten Island, City University of New York, 2800 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY, 10314, USA
- Educational Psychology Program, The CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave., New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Teresa M Ober
- University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
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7
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Blott LM, Gowenlock AE, Kievit R, Nation K, Rodd JM. Studying Individual Differences in Language Comprehension: The Challenges of Item-Level Variability and Well-Matched Control Conditions. J Cogn 2023; 6:54. [PMID: 37692192 PMCID: PMC10487189 DOI: 10.5334/joc.317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Translating experimental tasks that were designed to investigate differences between conditions at the group-level into valid and reliable instruments to measure individual differences in cognitive skills is challenging (Hedge et al., 2018; Rouder et al., 2019; Rouder & Haaf, 2019). For psycholinguists, the additional complexities associated with selecting or constructing language stimuli, and the need for appropriate well-matched baseline conditions make this endeavour particularly complex. In a typical experiment, a process-of-interest (e.g. ambiguity resolution) is targeted by contrasting performance in an experimental condition with performance in a well-matched control condition. In many cases, careful between-condition matching precludes the same participant from encountering all stimulus items. Unfortunately, solutions that work for group-level research (e.g. constructing counterbalanced experiment versions) are inappropriate for individual-differences designs. As a case study, we report an ambiguity resolution experiment that illustrates the steps that researchers can take to address this issue and assess whether their measurement instrument is both valid and reliable. On the basis of our findings, we caution against the widespread approach of using datasets from group-level studies to also answer important questions about individual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena M. Blott
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, UK
| | - Anna E. Gowenlock
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, UK
| | - Rogier Kievit
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Kate Nation
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Jennifer M. Rodd
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, UK
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8
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Howard PL, Pagán A. No evidence for high inflexible precision of prediction errors in autism during lexical processing. Autism Res 2023; 16:1775-1785. [PMID: 37497600 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Research has shown that information processing differences associated with autism could impact on language and literacy development. This study tested an approach to autistic cognition that suggests learning occurs via prediction errors, and autistic people have very precise and inflexible predictions that result in more sensitivity to meaningless signal errors than non-autistic readers. We used this theoretical background to investigate whether differences in prediction coding influence how orthographic (Experiment 1) and semantic information (Experiment 2) is processed by autistic readers. Experiment 1 used a lexical decision task to test whether letter position information was processed less flexibly by autistic than non-autistic readers. Three types of letter strings: words, transposed letter and substituted letters nonwords were presented. Experiment 2 used a semantic relatedness task to test whether autistic readers processed words with high and low semantic diversity differently to non-autistic readers. Results showed similar transposed letter and semantic diversity effects for all readers; indicating that orthographic and semantic information are processed similarly by autistic and non-autistic readers; and therefore, differences in prediction coding were not evident for these lexical processing tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ascensión Pagán
- School of Psychology and Vision Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
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Adornetti I, Chiera A, Altavilla D, Deriu V, Marini A, Gobbo M, Valeri G, Magni R, Ferretti F. Defining the Characteristics of Story Production of Autistic Children: A Multilevel Analysis. J Autism Dev Disord 2023:10.1007/s10803-023-06096-2. [PMID: 37653117 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06096-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Several studies suggest that a valuable tool to examine linguistic skills in communication disorders is offered by procedures of narrative discourse assessment. Following this line of research, we present an exploratory study aimed to investigate storytelling abilities of autistic children to better define the characteristics of their story production. Participants included 41 autistic children and 41 children with typical development aged between 7.02 and 11.03 years matched on age, gender, level of formal education, intelligence quotient, working memory, attention skills, theory of mind, and phonological short-term memory. Narrative production was assessed by analysing the language samples obtained through the "Nest Story" description task. A multilevel analysis including micro- and macro-linguistic variables was adopted for narrative assessment. Group differences emerged on both micro- and macro-linguistic dimensions: autistic children produced narratives with more phonological errors and semantic paraphasias (microlinguistic variables) as well as more errors of global coherence and a fewer number of visible events and inferred events (macrolinguistic variables) than the control group.This study shows that even autistic children with adequate cognitive skills display several limitations in their narrative competence and that such weaknesses affect both micro- and macrolinguistic aspects of story production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Adornetti
- Cosmic Lab, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, Roma Tre University, Via Ostiense 234-236, 00146, Rome, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Chiera
- Cosmic Lab, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, Roma Tre University, Via Ostiense 234-236, 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniela Altavilla
- Cosmic Lab, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, Roma Tre University, Via Ostiense 234-236, 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Deriu
- Cosmic Lab, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, Roma Tre University, Via Ostiense 234-236, 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Marini
- Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Via Margreth, 3, 33100, Udine, Italy
- Claudiana - Landesfachhochschule Für Gesundheitsberufe, Bozen, Italy
| | - Marika Gobbo
- Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Via Margreth, 3, 33100, Udine, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Giovanni Valeri
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, The Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Piazza di Sant'Onofrio 4, 00165, Rome, Italy
| | - Rita Magni
- Studio Polispecialistico Evò, Viale Pier Luigi Nervi 164, 04100, Latina, Italy
| | - Francesco Ferretti
- Cosmic Lab, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, Roma Tre University, Via Ostiense 234-236, 00146, Rome, Italy
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Mao T. Pragmatic competence, autistic language use and the basic properties of human language. JOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/jtsb.12377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tiaoyuan Mao
- Beijing Foreign Studies University Beijing China
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11
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Rajendran G, McKenna PE, Corley M. Characterising developmental disorders: Towards better group comparisons in developmental research. METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.metip.2022.100101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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12
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Neural differences in social and figurative language processing on the autism spectrum. Neuropsychologia 2022; 171:108240. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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13
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Andreou G, Raxioni K. Language development, reading and word learning in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): a review on eye tracking studies. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2022; 70:2-19. [PMID: 38456140 PMCID: PMC10916904 DOI: 10.1080/20473869.2021.2024404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this article is to review research that has been conducted over the past five years on language development, reading skills and word learning with the use of the eye tracking machine as regards the population with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in comparison to typically developed population. Materials and methods: A combination of relevant terms from Google Scholar, Research Gate and PsychINFO databases was used and as a result 24 studies emerged. The total number of studies that met the inclusion criteria was 21. Results: Studies focusing on the language development of people with ASD have presented significant findings regarding vocabulary processing and the preferential focus on specific stimuli (images, audio) over a wide range of ages that in some cases have not been investigated until then. Furthermore, studies on reading have found that adults with ASD showed a strong preference for images and symbols over texts, longer reading time and performances similar to the typical population in vocabulary processing. Studies on word learning demonstrated that adults with ASD are able to rely on gaze cues in order to learn a new word and they have the ability to use syntactic bootstrapping. For preschool and early school-aged children with ASD the results showed that they are capable of cross-situational learning. Conclusions: This review provides information on the effectiveness of the eye tracking method as a tool that can contribute to the identification of deficits in language processing on the part of individuals with ASD from early childhood to adulthood, and more specifically as regards the domains of language development, reading and word learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Andreou
- Department of Special Education, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
| | - Katerina Raxioni
- Department of Special Education, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
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14
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McGregor KK, Smolak E, Jones M, Oleson J, Eden N, Arbisi-Kelm T, Pomper R. What Children with Developmental Language Disorder Teach Us About Cross-Situational Word Learning. Cogn Sci 2022; 46:e13094. [PMID: 35122309 PMCID: PMC9285947 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) served as a test case for determining the role of extant vocabulary knowledge, endogenous attention, and phonological working memory abilities in cross‐situational word learning. First‐graders (Mage = 7 years; 3 months), 44 with typical development (TD) and 28 with DLD, completed a cross‐situational word‐learning task comprised six cycles, followed by retention tests and independent assessments of attention, memory, and vocabulary. Children with DLD scored lower than those with TD on all measures of learning and retention, a performance gap that emerged in the first cycle of the cross‐situational protocol and that we attribute to weaknesses in initial encoding. Over cycles, children with DLD learned words at a similar rate as their TD peers but they were less flexible in their strategy use, demonstrating a propose‐but‐verify approach but never a statistical aggregation approach. Also, they drew upon different mechanisms to support their learning. Attention played a greater role for the children with DLD, whereas extant vocabulary size played a greater role for the children with TD. Children navigate the problem space of cross‐situational learning via varied routes. This conclusion is offered as motivation for theorists to capture all learners, not just the most typical ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla K McGregor
- Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning, Boys Town National Research Hospital.,Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa
| | - Erin Smolak
- Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning, Boys Town National Research Hospital
| | | | | | - Nichole Eden
- Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning, Boys Town National Research Hospital
| | - Timothy Arbisi-Kelm
- Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning, Boys Town National Research Hospital
| | - Ronald Pomper
- Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning, Boys Town National Research Hospital
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15
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Homograph and homophone readings in Hong Kong bilingual children with autism spectrum disorder. JOURNAL OF CULTURAL COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s41809-021-00089-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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16
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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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17
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Engel KS, Ehri LC. Reading Comprehension Instruction for Young Students with Autism: Forming Contextual Connections. J Autism Dev Disord 2020; 51:1266-1280. [PMID: 32651723 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04596-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Central coherence is the ability to perceive and connect salient information in a context such as a narrative text. Individuals with autism exhibit a detail-focused cognitive style of processing information that overlooks connections and shows weak central coherence. A six-session instructional intervention to foster coherence processing was administered to first and second graders (N = 10) while a control group (N = 10) received an irrelevant treatment, mean age 7.06 years, 18 males and 2 females. Results showed that the instruction benefited children's comprehension of narrative text. The intervention improved children's ability to retell a narrative text and improved first graders' use of sequence words to retell a story compared to control students. Findings carry implications for designing reading instruction for this special population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen S Engel
- Educational Psychology, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
| | - Linnea C Ehri
- Educational Psychology, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA
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18
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Ahtam B, Braeutigam S, Bailey A. Semantic Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorders Is Associated With the Timing of Language Acquisition: A Magnetoencephalographic Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:267. [PMID: 32754020 PMCID: PMC7366733 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with autism show difficulties in using sentence context to identify the correct meaning of ambiguous words, such as homonyms. In this study, the brain basis of sentence context effects on word understanding during reading was examined in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typical development (TD) using magnetoencephalography. The correlates of a history of developmental language delay in ASD were also investigated. Event related field responses at early (150 ms after the onset of a final word) and N400 latencies are reported for three different types of sentence final words: dominant homonyms, subordinate homonyms, and unambiguous words. Clear evidence for semantic access was found at both early and conventional N400 latencies in both TD participants and individuals with ASD with no history of language delay. By contrast, modulation of evoked activity related to semantic access was weak and not significant at early latencies in individuals with ASD with a history of language delay. The reduced sensitivity to semantic context in individuals with ASD and language delay was accompanied by strong right hemisphere lateralization at early and N400 latencies; such strong activity was not observed in TD individuals and individuals with ASD without a history of language delay at either latency. These results provide new evidence and support for differential neural mechanisms underlying semantic processing in ASD, and indicate that delayed language acquisition in ASD is associated with different lateralization and processing of language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Banu Ahtam
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sven Braeutigam
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony Bailey
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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19
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Zhao L, Yuan S, Guo Y, Wang S, Chen C, Zhang S. Inhibitory control is associated with the activation of output-driven competitors in a spoken word recognition task. The Journal of General Psychology 2020; 149:1-28. [PMID: 32462997 DOI: 10.1080/00221309.2020.1771675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Although lexical competition has been ubiquitously observed in spoken word recognition, less has been known about whether the lexical competitors interfere with the recognition of the target and how lexical interference is resolved. The present study examined whether lexical competitors overlapping in output with the target would interfere with its recognition, and tested an underestimated hypothesis that the domain-general inhibitory control contributes to the resolution of lexical interference. Specifically, in this study, a Visual World Paradigm was used to access the temporal dynamics of lexical activations when participants were moving the mouse cursor to the written word form of the spoken word they heard. By using Chinese characters, the orthographic similarity between the lexical competitor and target was manipulated independently of their phonological overlap. The results demonstrated that behavioral performance in the similar condition was poorer compared to that in the control condition, and that individuals with better inhibitory control (having smaller Stroop interference effect) exhibited weaker activation of orthographic competitors (mouse trajectories less attracted by the orthographic competitors). The implications of these findings for our understanding of lexical interference and its resolution in spoken word recognition were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libo Zhao
- Department of Psychology, BeiHang University, Beijing, China
| | - Shanshan Yuan
- Department of Psychology, BeiHang University, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Guo
- Department of Psychology, BeiHang University, Beijing, China
| | - Shan Wang
- Department of Psychology, BeiHang University, Beijing, China
| | - Chuansheng Chen
- Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Shudong Zhang
- Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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20
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Gladfelter A, Barron KL. How Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Language Disorder, and Typical Language Learn to Produce Global and Local Semantic Features. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10040231. [PMID: 32290453 PMCID: PMC7226439 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10040231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A local processing bias, often considered a cognitive style unique to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), may influence the types of semantic features acquired by children with ASD and could contribute to weaknesses in word learning. Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) also struggle to learn semantic aspects of words, but this cognitive style has not been ascribed to children with DLD. The purpose of this study was to explore whether global–local processing differences influence the type of semantic features children with ASD, DLD, and their neurotypical peers learn to produce when learning new words. Novel word definitions produced by 36 school-aged children (12 with ASD, 12 with DLD, and 12 with typical language) who participated in an extended word-learning paradigm were used to extract newly learned semantic features. These semantic features were then coded for global and local attributes and analyzed to detect whether there were differences between groups. Results indicated that the children with ASD and DLD produced more global, rather than local, semantic features in their definitions than the children with typical language. An over-reliance on global, rather than local, features in children with ASD and DLD may reflect deficits in depth of word knowledge.
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21
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Alqhazo MT, Hatamleh LS, Bashtawi M. Phonological and lexical abilities of Jordanian children with autism. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. CHILD 2020; 9:116-124. [PMID: 30587040 DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2018.1534690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This study examines phonological and lexical abilities of children with autism in Jordan. JISH Articulation Test (JAT) to measure phonological abilities and JISH School Readiness Screening Test to measure lexical abilities were used in the study. Children with ASD (n = 39) aged 4-8 years and 40 children with typical development were selected to participate in this study. The main finding of this study was that language impairment in both phonological and lexical abilities were noted among Jordanian children with ASD. The results also showed that phonological impairment was greater than lexical impairment. It is concluded that the findings of such study will be helpful to guide experts to provide children with ASD with appropriate educational programs and establish a comprehensive and effective treatment protocols that include phonological and lexical exercises to enhance their speech and language abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mazin T Alqhazo
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Laila S Hatamleh
- Department of Linguistics and English Language, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Mahmoud Bashtawi
- Department of Neuroscience, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
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22
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Ferrara M, Camia M, Cecere V, Villata V, Vivenzio N, Scorza M, Padovani R. Language and Pragmatics Across Neurodevelopmental Disorders: An Investigation Using the Italian Version of CCC-2. J Autism Dev Disord 2020; 50:1295-1309. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04358-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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23
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Parsons L, Cordier R, Munro N, Joosten A. A Play-Based, Peer-Mediated Pragmatic Language Intervention for School-Aged Children on the Autism Spectrum: Predicting Who Benefits Most. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 49:4219-4231. [PMID: 31292899 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04137-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
This study explored characteristics of children with autism with large intervention effects following a peer-mediated pragmatic language intervention, to devise algorithms for predicting children most likely to benefit. Children attended a 10-week intervention with a typically-developing peer. Data from a pilot study and RCT formed the dataset for this study. The POM-2 measured intervention outcomes. Children completed the EVT-2, TACL-4, and Social Emotional Evaluation at baseline, and parents completed the CCC-2 and CCBRS. High CCC-2 Use of Context and CCBRS Separation Anxiety scores and comparatively lower EVT-2, CCC-2 Nonverbal Communication and Cohesion scores predicted children with large intervention effects. Results can be used by clinicians to predict which children within their clinics might benefit most from participating in this intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Parsons
- School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia.
| | - Reinie Cordier
- School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
- Department of Special Needs Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo, 0318, Blindern, Olso, Norway
| | - Natalie Munro
- School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Annette Joosten
- School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
- School of Allied Health, Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065, Australia
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24
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Nordahl‐Hansen A, Donolato E, Lervåg A, Norbury CF, Melby‐Lervåg M. PROTOCOL: Language interventions for improving oral language outcomes in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review. CAMPBELL SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS 2019; 15:e1062. [PMID: 37131855 PMCID: PMC8356503 DOI: 10.1002/cl2.1062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Enrica Donolato
- Department of Special Needs EducationUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Arne Lervåg
- Institute of EducationUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
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25
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Specificity of Phonological Representations for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 49:3351-3363. [PMID: 31098924 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04054-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated whether children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are sensitive to mispronunciations of familiar words and compared their sensitivity to children with typical-development. Sixty-four toddlers with ASD and 31 younger, typical controls participated in a looking-while-listening task that measured their accuracy in fixating the correct object when it was labelled with a correct pronunciation versus mispronunciation. A cognitive style that prioritizes processing local, rather than global features, as claimed by the weak central coherence theory, predicts that children with ASD should be more sensitive to mispronunciations than typical controls. The results, however, reveal no differences in the effect of mispronunciations on lexical processing between groups, even when matched for receptive language or non-verbal cognitive skills.
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26
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McMurray B, Klein-Packard J, Tomblin JB. A real-time mechanism underlying lexical deficits in developmental language disorder: Between-word inhibition. Cognition 2019; 191:104000. [PMID: 31234114 PMCID: PMC6988176 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Eight to 11% of children have a clinical disorder in oral language (Developmental Language Disorder, DLD). Language deficits in DLD can affect all levels of language and persist through adulthood. Word-level processing may be critical as words link phonology, orthography, syntax and semantics. Thus, a lexical deficit could cascade throughout language. Cognitively, word recognition is a competition process: as the input (e.g., lizard) unfolds, multiple candidates (liver, wizard) compete for recognition. Children with DLD do not fully resolve this competition, but it is unclear what cognitive mechanisms underlie this. We examined lexical inhibition-the ability of more active words to suppress competitors-in 79 adolescents with and without DLD. Participants heard words (e.g. net) in which the onset was manipulated to briefly favor a competitor (neck). This was predicted to inhibit the target, slowing recognition. Word recognition was measured using a task in which participants heard the stimulus, and clicked on a picture of the item from an array of competitors, while eye-movements were monitored as a measure of how strongly the participant was committed to that interpretation over time. TD listeners showed evidence of inhibition with greater interference for stimuli that briefly activated a competitor word. DLD listeners did not. This suggests deficits in DLD may stem from a failure to engage lexical inhibition. This in turn could have ripple effects throughout the language system. This supports theoretical approaches to DLD that emphasize lexical-level deficits, and deficits in real-time processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob McMurray
- Dept. of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, United States; Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, United States; Dept. of Linguistics, University of Iowa, United States; Dept. of Otolaryngology, University of Iowa, United States; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, United States.
| | | | - J Bruce Tomblin
- Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, United States; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, United States
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27
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Parsons L, Cordier R, Munro N, Joosten A. A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Play-Based, Peer-Mediated Pragmatic Language Intervention for Children With Autism. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1960. [PMID: 31611828 PMCID: PMC6776827 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a play-based pragmatic language intervention for children with autism. METHODS A sample of 71 children with autism were randomized to an intervention-first group (n = 28 analyzed) or waitlist-first (n = 34 analyzed) group. Children attended 10, weekly clinic play-sessions with a typically developing peer, and parents mediated practice components at home. The Pragmatics Observational Measure (POM-2) and the Social Emotional Evaluation (SEE) evaluated pragmatics before, after and 3-months following the intervention. RESULTS POM-2 gains were greatest for intervention-first participants (p = 0.031, d = 0.57). Treatment effects were maintained at 3-month follow-up (p < 0.001-0.05, d = 0.49-0.64). POM-2 scores were not significantly different in the clinic and home settings at follow-up. CONCLUSION Findings support the combination of play, peer-mediation, video-feedback and parent training to enhance pragmatic language in children with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Parsons
- School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
| | - Reinie Cordier
- School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
- Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Natalie Munro
- School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW, Australia
| | - Annette Joosten
- School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
- School of Allied Health, Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
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28
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Deliens G, Papastamou F, Ruytenbeek N, Geelhand P, Kissine M. Selective Pragmatic Impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Indirect Requests Versus Irony. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 48:2938-2952. [PMID: 29633109 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3561-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often described as being characterised by a uniform pragmatic impairment. However, recent evidence suggests that some areas of pragmatic functioning are preserved. This study seeks to determine to which extent context-based derivation of non-linguistically encoded meaning is functional in ASD. We compare the performance of 24 adults with ASD, and matched neuro-typical adults in two act-out pragmatic tasks. The first task examines generation of indirect request interpretations, and the second the comprehension of irony. Intact contextual comprehension of indirect requests contrasts with marked difficulties in understanding irony. These results suggest that preserved pragmatics in ASD is limited to egocentric processing of context, which does not rely on assumptions about the speaker's mental states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaétane Deliens
- ACTE at LaDisco & ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles, CP 175, avenue F.D. Roosevelt, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Fanny Papastamou
- ACTE at LaDisco & ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles, CP 175, avenue F.D. Roosevelt, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Ruytenbeek
- ACTE at LaDisco & ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles, CP 175, avenue F.D. Roosevelt, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Philippine Geelhand
- ACTE at LaDisco & ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles, CP 175, avenue F.D. Roosevelt, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Mikhail Kissine
- ACTE at LaDisco & ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles, CP 175, avenue F.D. Roosevelt, Brussels, 1050, Belgium.
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29
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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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30
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Effects of Delay, Question Type, and Socioemotional Support on Episodic Memory Retrieval by Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 49:1111-1130. [PMID: 30406912 PMCID: PMC6394562 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3815-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Twenty-seven autistic children and 32 typically developing (TD) peers were questioned about an experienced event after a two-week delay and again after a two-month delay, using the Revised National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Investigative Interview Protocol. Recall prompts elicited more detailed and more accurate responses from children than recognition prompts. Autistic children recalled fewer correct narrative details than TD peers when questioned using open invitations, cued invitations, and directive questions. Nonetheless, they were as accurate as TD peers when responding to all types of prompts. The informativeness and accuracy of children's reports remained unchanged over time. Social support was beneficial when children were interviewed for the first time but not after a longer delay.
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31
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Hall JE, Owen Van Horne A, McGregor KK, Farmer TA. Deficits in the Use of Verb Bias Information in Real-Time Processing by College Students With Developmental Language Disorder. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:337-355. [PMID: 30950693 PMCID: PMC6436890 DOI: 10.1044/2018_jslhr-l-17-0267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Revised: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This study examined whether college students with developmental language disorder (DLD) showed similar sensitivity to verb bias information during real-time sentence processing as typically developing (TD) peers. Method Seventeen college students with DLD and 16 TD college students participated in a mouse-tracking experiment that utilized the visual world paradigm to examine real-time sentence processing. In experimental trials, participants chose 1 of 2 pictured interpretations of a sentence. Measures of interest were the choice of interpretation and the amount of competition from the unchosen picture as measured by mouse curvature. Results Choice of interpretation and mouse movements by college students with DLD suggested less sensitivity to verb bias information than their TD peers. Conclusion College students with DLD showed less evidence of sensitivity to verb bias information than their TD peers in this task. Their performance may reflect the use of compensatory processing strategies and may be related to poor comprehension abilities often observed in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Karla K. McGregor
- The University of Iowa, Iowa City
- Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE
| | - Thomas A. Farmer
- The University of Iowa, Iowa City
- California State University, Fullerton
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32
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Arunachalam S, Luyster RJ. Lexical Development in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): How ASD May Affect Intake From the Input. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2018; 61:2659-2672. [PMID: 30418494 PMCID: PMC6693575 DOI: 10.1044/2018_jslhr-l-rsaut-18-0024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Most children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have below-age lexical knowledge and lexical representation. Our goal is to examine ways in which difficulties with social communication and language processing that are often associated with ASD may constrain these children's abilities to learn new words and to explore whether minimizing the social communication and processing demands of the learning situation can lead to successful learning. Method In this narrative review of recent work on lexical development in ASD, we describe key findings on children's acquisition of nouns, pronouns, and verbs and outline our research program currently in progress aimed at further elucidating these issues. Conclusion Our review of studies that examine lexical development in children with ASD suggests that innovative intervention approaches that take into account both the social communication and processing demands of the learning situation may be particularly beneficial. Presentation Video https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.7324013.
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33
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Gough Kenyon SM, Palikara O, Lucas RM. Explaining Reading Comprehension in Children With Developmental Language Disorder: The Importance of Elaborative Inferencing. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2018; 61:2517-2531. [PMID: 30286246 DOI: 10.1044/2018_jslhr-l-17-0416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Reading comprehension is a key indicator of academic and psychosocial outcomes. Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) tend to find reading comprehension challenging. This study aimed to explore the literal and inferential (cohesive, elaborative, and lexical) comprehension of children with DLD, their typically developing (TD) peers, and, uniquely, a group of children with low language (LL) proficiency. METHOD Children aged 10-11 years with either typical development (n = 16), LL proficiency (n = 14), or DLD (n = 14) were recruited from 8 primary schools. They completed a battery of standardized language and literacy assessments. Responses to literal and inferential questions on the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Second UK Edition (Wechsler, 2005) were analyzed. RESULTS A disproportionate difficulty in answering inferential relative to literal questions was found for the DLD group compared to the LL and TD groups. Children with DLD were significantly poorer at elaborative inferencing than both their peers with LL proficiency and TD peers, but there were no group differences in cohesive or lexical inferencing. There was a significant positive association between inferencing ability and vocabulary knowledge, single word reading accuracy, grammatical skill, and verbal working memory. The importance of single word reading accuracy was especially evident as a partial mediator of the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and inferencing ability. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that interventions targeting the reading comprehension of children with DLD should focus on elaborative inferencing skill. There are also clinical implications as the development of new standardized assessments differentiating between inference types is called for.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Olympia Palikara
- School of Education, University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca M Lucas
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom
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Hannant P. Receptive language is associated with visual perception in typically developing children and sensorimotor skills in autism spectrum conditions. Hum Mov Sci 2018; 58:297-306. [PMID: 29549746 DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2018.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Revised: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
A number of studies have evidenced marked difficulties in language in autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Studies have also shown that language and word knowledge are associated with the same area of brain that is also responsible for visual perception in typically developing (TD) individuals. However, in ASC, research suggests word meaning is mapped differently, on to situational sensorimotor components within the brain. Furthermore, motor coordination is associated with communication skills. The current study explores whether motor coordination and visual perception are impaired in children with ASC, and whether difficulties in coordination and visual perception correlate with receptive language levels. 36 children took part: 18 with ASC and 18 TD children, matched on age and non-verbal reasoning. Both groups completed the Movement ABC, Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, British Picture Vocabulary Scale and Matrices (WASI). Results showed that ASC children scored significantly lower on receptive language, coordination and visual motor integration than the TD group. In the TD group receptive language significantly correlated with visual perception; in the ASC group receptive language significantly correlated with balance. These results imply that sensorimotor skills are associated with the understanding of language in ASC and thus the relationship between sensorimotor experiences and language warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Penelope Hannant
- Centre for Research in Psychology, Behaviour and Achievement, Coventry University, UK; School of Education, University of Birmingham, UK.
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Investigating the Use of World Knowledge During On-line Comprehension in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 47:2039-2053. [PMID: 28432451 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3129-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The on-line use of world knowledge during reading was examined in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Both ASD and typically developed adults read sentences that included plausible, implausible and anomalous thematic relations, as their eye movements were monitored. No group differences in the speed of detection of the anomalous violations were found, but the ASD group showed a delay in detection of implausible thematic relations. These findings suggest that there are subtle differences in the speed of world knowledge processing during reading in ASD.
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Eberhardt M, Nadig A. Reduced sensitivity to context in language comprehension: A characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorders or of poor structural language ability? RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2018; 72:284-296. [PMID: 26898317 PMCID: PMC4990504 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2016.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
We present two experiments examining the universality and uniqueness of reduced context sensitivity in language processing in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), as proposed by the Weak Central Coherence account (Happé & Frith, 2006, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(1), 25). That is, do all children with ASD exhibit decreased context sensitivity, and is this characteristic specific to ASD versus other neurodevelopmental conditions? Experiment 1, conducted in English, was a comparison of children with ASD with normal language and their typically-developing peers on a picture selection task where interpretation of sentential context was required to identify homonyms. Contrary to the predictions of Weak Central Coherence, the ASD-normal language group exhibited no difficulty on this task. Experiment 2, conducted in German, compared children with ASD with variable language abilities, typically-developing children, and a second control group of children with Language Impairment (LI) on a sentence completion task where a context sentence had to be considered to produce the continuation of an ambiguous sentence fragment. Both ASD-variable language and LI groups exhibited reduced context sensitivity and did not differ from each other. Finally, to directly test which factors contribute to reduced context sensitivity, we conducted a regression analysis for each experiment, entering nonverbal IQ, structural language ability, and autism diagnosis as predictors. For both experiments structural language ability emerged as the only significant predictor. These convergent findings demonstrate that reduced sensitivity to context in language processing is linked to low structural language rather than ASD diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Eberhardt
- Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Aparna Nadig
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Marton K, Kovi Z, Egri T. Is interference control in children with specific language impairment similar to that of children with autistic spectrum disorder? RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2018; 72:179-190. [PMID: 29169021 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2017.11.007] [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: 03/26/2017] [Revised: 11/12/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
AIMS The purpose of the study was to examine resistance to proactive interference, which is strongly associated with working memory (WM) performance and language processing, in children with specific language impairment (SLI), with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and with typical development (TD). METHODS Sixty children (eight to ten years; matched in age and nonverbal IQ) participated in the study. Resistance to proactive interference was measured using a verbal conflict paradigm. RESULTS Children with SLI and ASD show a deficit in resistance to proactive interference compared to their TD peers, but the source of the problem appears to be different for the two clinical groups. The interference problem exhibited by the children with SLI is related to a more complex deficit involving different cognitive-linguistic functions, whereas the children with ASD show a specific problem in cognitive flexibility. IMPLICATIONS The theoretical implications are that poor resistance to interference may be caused by weaknesses in different WM functions, such as a deficit in updating or responses based on familiarity rather than recollection. The clinical implications are that children with SLI and ASD show distinct patterns of performance; therefore they need different types of intervention to strengthen their resistance to proactive interference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Marton
- Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York, United States; Barczi College of Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Zsuzsanna Kovi
- Karoli Gaspar University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, Hungary
| | - Tímea Egri
- Barczi College of Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary
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Haebig E, Saffran JR, Weismer SE. Statistical word learning in children with autism spectrum disorder and specific language impairment. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2017; 58:1251-1263. [PMID: 28464253 PMCID: PMC5653422 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Word learning is an important component of language development that influences child outcomes across multiple domains. Despite the importance of word knowledge, word-learning mechanisms are poorly understood in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined underlying mechanisms of word learning, specifically, statistical learning and fast-mapping, in school-aged children with typical and atypical development. METHODS Statistical learning was assessed through a word segmentation task and fast-mapping was examined in an object-label association task. We also examined children's ability to map meaning onto newly segmented words in a third task that combined exposure to an artificial language and a fast-mapping task. RESULTS Children with SLI had poorer performance on the word segmentation and fast-mapping tasks relative to the typically developing and ASD groups, who did not differ from one another. However, when children with SLI were exposed to an artificial language with phonemes used in the subsequent fast-mapping task, they successfully learned more words than in the isolated fast-mapping task. There was some evidence that word segmentation abilities are associated with word learning in school-aged children with typical development and ASD, but not SLI. Follow-up analyses also examined performance in children with ASD who did and did not have a language impairment. Children with ASD with language impairment evidenced intact statistical learning abilities, but subtle weaknesses in fast-mapping abilities. CONCLUSIONS As the Procedural Deficit Hypothesis (PDH) predicts, children with SLI have impairments in statistical learning. However, children with SLI also have impairments in fast-mapping. Nonetheless, they are able to take advantage of additional phonological exposure to boost subsequent word-learning performance. In contrast to the PDH, children with ASD appear to have intact statistical learning, regardless of language status; however, fast-mapping abilities differ according to broader language skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen Haebig
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders University of Wisconsin - Madison
| | | | - Susan Ellis Weismer
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Wisconsin - Madison
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Abstract
This study investigated whether vocabulary delays in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can be explained by a cognitive style that prioritizes processing of detailed, local features of input over global contextual integration-as claimed by the weak central coherence (WCC) theory. Thirty toddlers with ASD and 30 younger, cognition-matched typical controls participated in a looking-while-listening task that assessed whether perceptual or semantic similarities among named images disrupted word recognition relative to a neutral condition. Overlap of perceptual features invited local processing whereas semantic overlap invited global processing. With the possible exception of a subset of toddlers who had very low vocabulary skills, these results provide no evidence that WCC is characteristic of lexical processing in toddlers with ASD.
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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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Ellis Weismer S, Davidson MM, Gangopadhyay I, Sindberg H, Roebuck H, Kaushanskaya M. The role of nonverbal working memory in morphosyntactic processing by children with specific language impairment and autism spectrum disorders. J Neurodev Disord 2017; 9:28. [PMID: 28690687 PMCID: PMC5496437 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-017-9209-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Both children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and children with specific language impairment (SLI) have been shown to have difficulties with grammatical processing. A comparison of these two populations with neurodevelopmental disorders was undertaken to examine similarities and differences in the mechanisms that may underlie grammatical processing. Research has shown that working memory (WM) is recruited during grammatical processing. The goal of this study was to examine morphosyntactic processing on a grammatical judgment task in children who varied in clinical diagnosis and language abilities and to assess the extent to which performance is predicted by nonverbal working memory (WM). Two theoretical perspectives were evaluated relative to performance on the grammatical judgment task-the "working memory" account and the "wrap-up" account. These accounts make contrasting predictions about the detection of grammatical errors occurring early versus late in the sentence. METHODS Participants were 84 school-age children with SLI (n = 21), ASD (n = 27), and typical development (TD, n = 36). Performance was analyzed based on diagnostic group as well as language status (normal language, NL, n = 54, and language impairment, LI, n = 30). A grammatical judgment task was used in which the position of the error in the sentence (early versus late) was manipulated. A visual WM task (N-back) was administered and the ability of WM to predict morphosyntactic processing was assessed. RESULTS Groups differed significantly in their sensitivity to grammatical errors (TD > SLI and NL > LI) but did not differ in nonverbal WM. Overall, children in all groups were more sensitive and quicker at detecting errors occurring late in the sentence than early in the sentence. Nonverbal WM predicted morphosyntactic processing across groups, but the specific profile of association between WM and early versus late error detection was reversed for children with and without language impairment. CONCLUSIONS Findings primarily support a "wrap up" account whereby the accumulating sentence context for errors positioned late in the sentence (rather than early) appeared to facilitate morphosyntactic processing. Although none of the groups displayed deficits in visual WM, individual differences in these nonverbal WM resources predicted proficiency in morphosyntactic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Ellis Weismer
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
| | - Meghan M. Davidson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
- Callier Center for Communication Disorders, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235 USA
| | - Ishanti Gangopadhyay
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
| | - Heidi Sindberg
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
| | - Hettie Roebuck
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
| | - Margarita Kaushanskaya
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 USA
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Davidson MM, Ellis Weismer S. A Discrepancy in Comprehension and Production in Early Language Development in ASD: Is it Clinically Relevant? J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 47:2163-2175. [PMID: 28447305 PMCID: PMC5812677 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3135-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the extent to which a discrepant comprehension-production profile (i.e., relatively more delayed comprehension than production) is characteristic of the early language phenotype in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and tracked the developmental progression of the profile. Our findings indicated that a discrepant comprehension-production profile distinguished toddlers (30 months) with ASD from late talkers without ASD (91% sensitivity, 100% specificity) in groups that were comparable on expressive language, age, and socioeconomic status. Longitudinal data for children with ASD revealed that the discrepant profile steadily decreased from 30 to 44 months until there was no significant comprehension-production difference at 66 months. In conclusion, results suggest that lower comprehension than production may be an age-specific marker of toddlers with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan M Davidson
- Callier Center for Communication Disorders, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 1966 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX, 75235, USA.
| | - Susan Ellis Weismer
- Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave, Rm 473, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
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Au-Yeung SK, Kaakinen JK, Liversedge SP, Benson V. Would Adults with Autism be less likely to Bury the Survivors? An Eye Movement Study of Anomalous Text Reading. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2017; 71:1-27. [PMID: 28434395 DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2017.1322621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
In a single eye movement experiment we investigated the effects of context on the time course of local and global anomaly processing during reading in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In one condition short paragraph texts contained anomalous target words. Detection of the anomaly was only possible through evaluation of word meaning in relation to the global context of the whole paragraph (Passage Level Anomalies). In another condition the anomaly could be detected via computation of a local thematic violation within a single sentence embedded in the paragraph (Sentence Level Anomalies). For the sentence level anomalies the ASD group, in contrast with the typically developing (TD) group, showed early detection of the anomaly as indexed by regressive eye movements from the critical target word upon fixation. Conversely, for the passage level anomalies, and in contrast with the ASD group, the TD group showed early detection of the anomaly, with increased regressive eye movements once the critical word had been fixated. The reversal of the pattern of regression path data for the two groups, for the sentence and passage level anomalies, is discussed in relation to cognitive accounts of ASD.
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Khetrapal N, Thornton R. C-Command in the Grammars of Children with High Functioning Autism. Front Psychol 2017; 8:402. [PMID: 28400740 PMCID: PMC5368177 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A recent study questioned the adherence of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to a linguistic constraint on the use of reflexive pronouns (Principle A) in sentences like Bart's dad is touching himself. This led researchers to question whether children with ASD are able to compute the hierarchical structural relationship of c-command, and raised the possibility that the children rely on a linear strategy for reference assignment. The current study investigates the status of c-command in children with ASD by testing their interpretation of sentences like (1) and (2) that tease apart use of c-command and a linear strategy for reference assignment.
The girl who stayed up late will not get a dime or a jewel (C-command) The girl who didn't go to sleep will get a dime or a jewel (Non C-command)
These examples both contain negation (not or didn't) and disjunction (or). In (1), negation c-commands the disjunction phrase, yielding a conjunctive entailment. This gives rise to the meaning that the girl who stayed up late won't get a dime and she won't get a jewel. In (2), negation is positioned inside a relative clause and it does not c-command disjunction. Therefore, no conjunctive entailment follows. Thus, (2) is true if the girl just gets a dime or just a jewel, or possibly both. If children with ASD lack c-command, then (1) will not give rise to a conjunctive entailment. In this case, children might rely on a linear strategy for reference assignment. Since negation precedes disjunction in both (1) and (2), they might be interpreted in a similar manner. Likewise, children who show knowledge of c-command should perform well on sentences governed by Principle A. These hypotheses were tested in experiments with 12 Australian children with HFA, aged 5;4 to 12;7, and 12 typically-developing controls, matched on non-verbal IQ. There was no significant difference in the pattern of responses by children with HFA and the control children on either (1) and (2) or the Principle A sentences. The findings provide preliminary support for the proposal that knowledge of c-command and Principle A is intact in HFA children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Khetrapal
- Department of Linguistics, Language Acquisition Research Group, Macquarie UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Rosalind Thornton
- Department of Linguistics, Language Acquisition Research Group, Macquarie UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia
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Tzuriel D, Groman T. Dynamic Assessment of Figurative Language of Children in the Autistic Spectrum: The Relation to Some Cognitive and Language Aspects. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1891/1945-8959.16.1.38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to examine (a) differences in figurative language, analogical reasoning, executive functions (EF), theory of mind (ToM), and local/central coherence (LCC) of children with high-functioning autism (HFA; n = 32) and typically developing (TD; n = 32) children; (b) improvement of figurative language using dynamic assessment; and (c) prediction of proverbial understanding by the cognitive variables. A sample of 5- to 11-year-old children with HFA was pair matched with a group of TD children on age, gender, vocabulary, and socioeconomic status (SES). Participants were administered tests of proverbial understanding, metaphorical construction, analogies, language ability, EF, LCC, and ToM. TD children scored higher than children with HFA on all tests. In the HFA group, proverbial understanding was predicted by LCC and verbal ability and in the TD group by metaphorical construction and EF. These findings refute the argument that figurative language among HFA is a function of only verbal ability.
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Walenski M, Love T. The Real-Time Comprehension of Idioms by Typical Children, Children with Specific Language Impairment and Children with Autism. JOURNAL OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY & THERAPY 2017; 3. [PMID: 29877517 PMCID: PMC5986079 DOI: 10.4172/2472-5005.1000130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Objective We examined on-line auditory idiom comprehension in typically developing (TD) children, children with specific language impairment (SLI), and children with autism. Theories of idiom processing in adults agree on a reliance on lexical/semantic memory for these forms, but differ in their specifics. The Lexical Representation hypothesis claims that literal and non-literal meanings are activated in parallel. The Configuration hypothesis claims that a non-literal meaning will take precedence, such that a literal meaning may not be activated at all. Method Children aged 6–16 years listened to sentences containing idioms for a cross-modal priming task. The idioms were ambiguous between an idiomatic and a literal meaning. We looked at priming for both meanings at the offset of the idiom. Results TD children (n=14) and children with SLI (n=7) primed for the idiomatic but not literal meaning of the idiom. Children with autism (n=5) instead primed for the literal but not idiomatic meaning. Conclusions TD children showed an adult-like pattern, consistent with predictions of the Configuration Hypothesis. Children with SLI showed the typical pattern, whereas the atypical pattern observed for children with autism may reflect a particular deficit with complex material in semantic memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Walenski
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, USA
| | - Tracy Love
- School of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, USA.,Center for Research in Language, University of California San Diego, USA
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Ishihara MK, Tamanaha AC, Perissinoto J. Comprehension of ambiguity for children with Specific Language Impairment and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Codas 2016; 28:753-757. [PMID: 27982253 DOI: 10.1590/2317-1782/20162015260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To verify and compare the performance of children and adolescents with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using a formal, standardized test that assesses language competence, more specifically comprehension of ambiguity. METHODS The sample comprised 19 individuals aged 6 to 14 years, of both genders, divided into two groups: ASD Group (9) and SLI Group (10). Participants were assessed using the Test of Language Competence - TLC; Ambiguous Sentences subtest (Wiig, Secord, 1989). Analysis included the comparison of the total scores in both groups. RESULTS We found significant difference between the groups, with better performance of the SLI Group compared with that of the ASD Group. CONCLUSION It was possible to analyze and compare the performance of both groups in a metalinguistic activity. We observed better performance of the SLI group compared with that of the ASD Group in the interpretation of ambiguous information.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jacy Perissinoto
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP - São Paulo (SP), Brasil
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Pauls LJ, Archibald LMD. Executive Functions in Children With Specific Language Impairment: A Meta-Analysis. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2016; 59:1074-1086. [PMID: 27653611 DOI: 10.1044/2016_jslhr-l-15-0174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Mounting evidence demonstrates deficits in children with specific language impairment (SLI) beyond the linguistic domain. Using meta-analysis, this study examined differences in children with and without SLI on tasks measuring inhibition and cognitive flexibility. METHOD Databases were searched for articles comparing children (4-14 years) with and without SLI on behavioral measures of inhibition or cognitive flexibility. Weighted average effect size was calculated using multilevel modeling to measure potential group differences. RESULTS The analysis included 46 studies. Of those, 34 included inhibitory control measures and 22 included cognitive flexibility tasks. Children with SLI performed below same-aged peers on both inhibitory control tasks (g = -.56) and cognitive flexibility tasks (g = -.27). Moderator analyses showed no effect of linguistic task demands, participant age, or severity of language impairment on the degree of difference between children with SLI and controls on measures of inhibitory control. CONCLUSION Reliable differences between children with and without SLI were found on inhibition and cognitive flexibility tasks. A moderate group effect was found for inhibition tasks, but there was only a small effect for cognitive flexibility tasks. Results of moderator analyses suggest that these deficits are present throughout development despite task demands or severity of linguistic impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J Pauls
- The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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Arunachalam S, Luyster RJ. The integrity of lexical acquisition mechanisms in autism spectrum disorders: A research review. Autism Res 2016; 9:810-28. [PMID: 26688218 PMCID: PMC4916034 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has rapidly expanded in recent years, yielding important developments in both theory and practice. While we have gained important insights into how children with ASD differ from typically developing (TD) children in terms of phenotypic features, less has been learned about if and how development in ASD differs from typical development in terms of underlying mechanisms of change. This article aims to provide a review of processes subserving lexical development in ASD, with the goal of identifying contributing factors to the heterogeneity of language outcomes in ASD. The focus is on available evidence of the integrity or disruption of these mechanisms in ASD, as well as their significance for vocabulary development; topics include early speech perception and preference, speech segmentation, word learning, and category formation. Significant gaps in the literature are identified and future directions are suggested. Autism Res 2016, 9: 810-828. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudha Arunachalam
- Dept. of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215
| | - Rhiannon J. Luyster
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, Emerson College, 120 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116
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