Language in Low-Functioning Children with Autistic Disorder: Differences Between Receptive and Expressive Skills and Concurrent Predictors of Language

Jarymke Maljaars,Ina Van Berckelaer-Onnes,Evert Scholte,Ilse Noens

doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1476-1

Jarymke Maljaars, Ina Van Berckelaer-Onnes + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1476-1

Copy DOI

Abstract

Language profiles of children with autistic disorder and intellectual disability (n=36) were significantly different from the comparison groups of children with intellectual disability (n=26) and typically developing children (n=34). The group low-functioning children with autistic disorder obtained a higher mean score on expressive than on receptive language, whereas both comparison groups showed the reverse pattern. Nonverbal mental age, joint attention, and symbolic understanding of pictures were analyzed in relation to concurrent receptive and expressive language abilities. In the group with autistic disorder and intellectual disability, symbol understanding and joint attention were most strongly related to language abilities. Nonverbal mental age was the most important predictor of language abilities in the comparison groups.

Highlights

The development of language skills is one of the most important achievements of early childhood
With respect to expressive language there was no difference between the intellectual disability (ID) groups with and without autistic disorder (AD) (p = 0.08), but both groups received a significantly lower score than the typically developing children (TD) group
nonverbal mental age equivalents (NVMA) nonverbal mental age, JA joint attention, Symbol symbol understanding often extremely impaired in older children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and associated intellectual disability (ID), less is known about language profiles and related factors in this low-functioning group with ASD

Summary

Introduction

The development of language skills is one of the most important achievements of early childhood. In order to provide a context in which we can evaluate the language impairments in ASD, typical language development will be described briefly. Bates (1979) indicated two critical transitions in early childhood which precede language development: (1) development of communicative intentionality, and (2) symbol formation. The first transition is the onset of communicative intentionality, when children become aware that their signals influence behavior of others. Intentionality emerges when children start to use proto-imperative and proto-declarative behaviors, i.e., to obtain a desired object/ event or to share attention/interest between persons on a common focus, by the end of their first year of life (9–13 months) (Baron-Cohen 1989; Bates 1979; Camaioni 1997)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion