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Characterizing the early vocabulary profiles of preverbal and minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder
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Haebig, E., Jiménez, Eva, Cox, C. R. and Hills, Thomas Trenholm (2021) Characterizing the early vocabulary profiles of preverbal and minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 25 (4). pp. 958-970. doi:10.1177/1362361320973799 ISSN 1362-3613.
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320973799
Abstract
Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have significant language delays. But do they learn language differently than neurotypical toddlers? We compared the lexical skills of 64 preverbal and minimally verbal children with ASD, to 461 vocabulary-size-matched typically developing (TD) toddlers. We also examined social features of verb knowledge using a novel collection of social ratings. Children with ASD produced proportionally more verbs than TD toddlers. Children with ASD produced proportionally more action and food words, while TD toddlers produced proportionally more animal, people words, and animal sounds and sound effects. Children with ASD also produced “mommy” and “daddy” at lower rates. We discuss how these differences may reflect an association between lexical development and weaknesses in social communication.
Lay abstract
Although preverbal and minimally verbal (PV-MV) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represent a significant portion of the ASD population, we have a limited understanding of and characterization of them. Though it is a given that their lexical profiles contain fewer words, it is important to determine whether: a) the words PV-MV children with ASD produce are similar to the first words typically developing (TD) children produce, or b) there are unique features of the limited words that PV-MV children with ASD produce. The current study compared the early word profiles of PV-MV children with ASD to vocabulary-matched TD toddlers. Children with ASD produced proportionally more verbs than TD toddlers. Also, children with ASD produced proportionally more action and food words, while TD toddlers produced proportionally more animal words, animal sounds and sound effects, and people words. Children with ASD also produced “mommy” and “daddy” at lower rates. Our findings identified several areas of overlap in early word learning; however, our findings also point to differences that may be connected to core weaknesses in social communication (i.e., people words). The findings highlight words and categories that could serve as useful targets for communication intervention with PV-MV children with ASD.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||
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| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology L Education > LB Theory and practice of education R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Psychology | ||||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Children -- Language, Autistic children, Toddlers -- Development | ||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Autism | ||||||||
| Publisher: | Sage Publications Ltd. | ||||||||
| ISSN: | 1362-3613 | ||||||||
| Official Date: | 1 May 2021 | ||||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 25 | ||||||||
| Number: | 4 | ||||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 958-970 | ||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1177/1362361320973799 | ||||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||
| Reuse Statement (publisher, data, author rights): | Accepted for publication and posted ahead of print. Haebig, E., Jiménez, Eva, Cox, C. R. and Hills, Thomas Trenholm (2021) Characterizing the early vocabulary profiles of preverbal and minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism . (In Press) (Journal Volume Number and Issue Number) pp. xx-xx. Copyright © [year] (Copyright Holder). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications. DOI: [DOI] | ||||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||||
| Date of first compliant deposit: | 28 October 2020 | ||||||||
| Date of first compliant Open Access: | 29 October 2020 | ||||||||
| Is Part Of: | 1 | ||||||||
| Related URLs: |
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