Learning language in autism: maternal linguistic input contributes to later vocabulary.

Autism Res

School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Published: April 2015

It is well established that children with typical development (TYP) exposed to more maternal linguistic input develop larger vocabularies. We know relatively little about the linguistic environment available to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and whether input contributes to their later vocabulary. Children with ASD or TYP and their mothers from English and French-speaking families engaged in a 10 min free-play interaction. To compare input, children were matched on language ability, sex, and maternal education (ASD n = 20, TYP n = 20). Input was transcribed, and the number of word tokens and types, lexical diversity (D), mean length of utterances (MLU), and number of utterances were calculated. We then examined the relationship between input and children's spoken vocabulary 6 months later in a larger sample (ASD: n = 19, 50-85 months; TYP: n = 44, 25-58 months). No significant group differences were found on the five input features. A hierarchical multiple regression model demonstrated input MLU significantly and positively contributed to spoken vocabulary 6 months later in both groups, over and above initial language levels. No significant difference was found between groups in the slope between input MLU and later vocabulary. Our findings reveal children with ASD and TYP of similar language levels are exposed to similar maternal linguistic environments regarding number of word tokens and types, D, MLU, and number of utterances. Importantly, linguistic input accounted for later vocabulary growth in children with ASD.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.1440DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

maternal linguistic
12
linguistic input
12
children asd
12
input
10
input contributes
8
contributes vocabulary
8
exposed maternal
8
asd typ
8
number word
8
word tokens
8

Similar Publications

Sociocultural and perinatal health factors associated with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children.

Compr Psychiatry

January 2025

School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Academic Unit of Child Psychiatry, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW, Australia; Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research and Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address:

While previous research has examined perinatal factors in the context of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), studies focusing on sociocultural factors is limited. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis utilizing data from the Australian Autism Biobank (AAB), which encompasses autistic children aged 2-17, their siblings, parents, and unrelated controls. Employing multivariable regression analyses, we aimed to identify factors associated with ASD across various domains, spanning health and lifestyle, perinatal, and postnatal contexts.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes after Fetoscopic Myelomeningocele Repair.

J Pediatr

January 2025

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine & Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, United States. Electronic address:

Objectives: To report the neurodevelopmental outcomes after a fetoscopic myelomeningocele (MMC) repair and to compare them with children who had an open-hysterotomy repair or a postnatal repair.

Study Design: 132 infants were included (prenatal repair: 93 [69 fetoscopic and 24 open-hysterotomy]; postnatal repair: 39). Neurodevelopmental outcomes at or beyond 18 months were evaluated by a developmental pediatrician using the Capute scales (Clinical Adaptive Test [CAT]/ Clinical Linguistic & Auditory Milestone Scale [CLAMS]) and/or during parental interview using Developmental Profile 3 (DP-3) test.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Infant regulatory problems and the quality of dyadic emotional connection-a proof-of-concept study in a multilingual sample.

Front Child Adolesc Psychiatry

January 2024

Department of Paediatrics I, Neonatology, Paediatric Intensive Care, Paediatric Neurology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.

Background And Aims: Close autonomic emotional connections with others help infants reach and maintain homoeostasis. In recent years, infant regulatory problems (RPs, i.e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Roman writers found the relative empowerment of Celtic women remarkable. In southern Britain, the Late Iron Age Durotriges tribe often buried women with substantial grave goods. Here we analyse 57 ancient genomes from Durotrigian burial sites and find an extended kin group centred around a single maternal lineage, with unrelated (presumably inward migrating) burials being predominantly male.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) individuals are increasingly intentionally becoming pregnant to raise children, and hospital websites should reflect these trends. For prospective TGNB parents, a hospital website is the only way they can assess their safety from discrimination while receiving perinatal care. Cisnormativity enforced by communication gaps between medical institutions and TGNB patients can and has caused delays in receiving urgent care during their pregnancy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!