Pragmatic Language Research Articles

Concurrent and longitudinal associations of developmental language disorder with peer victimization in adolescence: evidence from a co-twin study.

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) experience higher levels of peer victimization than their peers. However, it is not known if such associations reflect genetic and environmental confounding. We used a co-twin control design to investigate the association of language difficulties (DLD and separately poor pragmatic language) with peer victimization and compare the developmental trajectories of peer victimization across adolescence for those with and without language difficulties. Participants were 3,400 pairs of twins in the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), a UK-based population birth cohort. Language abilities were assessed via online tests at age 11 and peer victimization was self-reported at ages 11, 14 and 16. Language difficulties were defined as language abilities at least -1.25 SD below the mean of the TEDS sample. We performed linear regressions and latent growth curve modeling at a population level and within monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twin pairs. At population level, youth with DLD experienced higher levels of peer victimization at ages 11 (β = 0.27, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.20-0.35), 14 (β = 0.15, 95% CI 0.03-0.27) and 16 (β = 0.17, 95% CI 0.03-0.32) and a sharper decline in peer victimization between ages 11 and 16 compared to their peers without DLD. The associations between DLD and peer victimization were reduced in strength and not statistically significant in within-twin models. Moreover, there was no difference in the rate of change in peer victimization between twin pairs discordant for DLD. Results were similar for the association of poor pragmatic language with peer victimization. Associations between language difficulties (DLD and separately, poor pragmatic language) and peer victimization were confounded by genetic and shared environmental factors. Identifying specific factors underlying these associations is important for guiding future work to reduce peer victimization among adolescents with language difficulties.

The Impact of ChatGPT on Language Evolution: A Linguistic Analysis

This research sought to identify changes in terms of word choice, sentence structure, and semantics introduced by ChatGPT and how the functionality of ChatGPT impacts the pragmatics of the English language: politeness, deixis, and discourse markers. This study used corpus analysis as part of the methodology involving Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools for part-of-speech tagging and sentiments, analyzing changes in wordings, syntaxes, and semantic elements generated by ChatGPT as an advanced language modal. A qualitative approach, including user surveys and comparative analysis, proved useful in clarifying the changing patterns of politeness, deixis, and discourse markers in AI-supported communication. Henceforth, ChatGPT generates neologism, unique cultural references, verbal contextual adaptations, and a wide range of technical terms. Moreover, the researchers found that user preferences for communication mediums vary, which showed a complex field of users and their expectations in the context of language generated by ChatGPT. Thus, it was observed that ChatGPT contributes significantly to developing the pragmatic aspects of language use in the modern era. Hence, the study proposes that the ChatGPT polishes the usage of politeness terms and improves its deixis along with formal discourse markers. This highlights the need for continuous improvement, especially in areas such as politeness, deixis management, and integration of discourse markers for the developers.

Assessing pragmatic language difficulties using the Revised Children's Communication Checklist-2. Exploratory structural equation modeling and associations with restricted and repetitive behaviors.

In this paper, we investigated the psychometric properties of the Child Communication Checklist-Revised (CCC-R) for the first time with an English-speaking sample. We used a confirmatory application of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) to re-evaluate the CCC-R's psychometric properties. We found strong support for its use as an assessment for pragmatic and structural language. Our second main aim was to explore associations between pragmatic and structural language and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs), two hallmark characteristics of autism. We used the CCC-R and Repetitive Behavior Questionnaire (RBQ-2) to investigate these associations in a diverse non-clinical sample of children, taking a transdiagnostic approach. We intentionally excluded autism and other neurodevelopmental diagnoses to test, (1) the CCC-R in a broad sample and (2) the association between pragmatic language and RRB in children not already selected for that association. The sample comprised two groups of children, one was community sampled (n = 123) and the other (n = 143) included children with non-specific behavioral, emotional and/or cognitive difficulties referred to an assessment unit by schools. We found clear associations between pragmatic language difficulties and RRBs in both groups. Regression analysis showed that pragmatic language was the only significant contributor to RRBs even after Grammatical-Semantic score, age, sex, and socioeconomic status were controlled. The pattern was the same for both recruitment groups. However, the effects were stronger for the school-referred group which also had more pragmatic difficulties, grammatical-semantic difficulties and RRBs. A robust link between pragmatic language and RRBs, established in autism, has continuity across the broader non-clinical population.

L2 Pragmatic Competence in Chinese EFL Routines. Yuqi Wang (2023) Singapore, Springer, 144 pages, ISBN 978-981-19-6351-3

Pragmatic routines have long been considered essential tools for second/foreign language (L2) learners’ pragmatic competence and language use (Taguchi & Roever, 2017). However, the current literature is largely confined to the recognition, comprehension, and production of formulaic routines without considering the role of task modality in learners’ cognitive processing of such chunks (Roever, 2012). To fill this gap, in this monograph entitled “L2 Pragmatic Competence in Chinese EFL Routines”, Wang takes a cross-sectional approach to study L2 pragmatic routines of Chinese learners in light of pragmatic multimodality and the socio-cognitive perspective. In doing so, the author scrutinizes the mediating role of proficiency and study abroad experience in different aspects of pragmatic routines’ competence. This resource expands the scope of research on L2 pragmatic routines by integrating multidimensional pragmatic modalities into the study of routines as core constructs of pragmatic competence. It helps English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, teachers, researchers, and teacher trainers to actively focus on the promotion of L2 pragmatic routines. Moreover, this monograph presents some theories and practices that EFL educators may draw on to increase learners’ reception and production of routines in EFL contexts.

Early life parechovirus infection neuropsychological outcomes at 8 years: a cohort study

ABSTRACT Human parechovirus (HPeV) is a leading cause of Central Nervous System (CNS) infection in infancy. Despite this, little is known regarding the long-term neuropsychological impacts from HPeV infection. The aim of the present study was to explore the long-term neuropsychological impacts eight-year post-HPeV infection contracted during infancy. This study also aimed to investigate the differential impacts of HPeV itself compared to the effects of secondary meningitis (n = 23) or encephalitis (n = 3) associated with HPeV infection. Thirty-nine HPeV children participated in the study. Children completed performance-based measures of neuropsychological and language functioning (the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – Fourth Edition, and the Test of Everyday Attention for Children). Parents completed questionnaire-based measures of emotional, behavioral, and pragmatic language functioning (the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning, the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Social Communication Questionnaire). Results revealed that, overall, children with HPeV were significantly more impaired on measures of selective, sustained, and divided attention compared to normative test populations. The current study incidentally found at least double the prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the HPeV sample than what is typical in the normal population, suggesting that HPeV infection during infancy may be a risk factor for the later development of ADHD. Additionally, the presence of secondary meningitis or encephalitis did not relate to poorer neuropsychological outcomes in the current sample. The findings of this study have important implications regarding clinical management for children following HPeV infection in infancy.

Exploring the relation between the central auditory processing functions and language development among Arabic-speaking children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract Background Debate still exists on the effect of central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) on the language of children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). This study aimed to explore the deficits of the central auditory processing (CAP) functions and their relation to language development and ADHD symptoms in 30 Egyptian Arabic-speaking children with ADHD between 4 and ≤ 7 years old. ADHD symptoms were rated by Conners’ Parent Rating Scale–Revised. Language development was assessed by the Modified Pre-school Language Scale (PLS) 4th edition, the Arabic version, and the Egyptian Arabic Pragmatic Language Test. CAP functions were tested by the Pediatric Speech Intelligibility (PSI) test (Arabic version). Results Sixty percent of the ADHD children had comorbid CAPD with predominance among ADHD children of combined type. There was a significant positive correlation between all PSI subtests assessing the monotonic auditory closure and dichotic auditory separation abilities in both ears and the language ages by the modified PLS-4. There was also a significant positive correlation between scores of the Egyptian Arabic Pragmatic Language Test (EAPLT) and the monotonic auditory closure ability in both ears and auditory separation ability in the right ear only.There was a non-significant mild difference in scores of the modified PLS-4 in favor of the ADHD children with normal CAP functions. Conclusion Not all children with ADHD have central auditory processing disorder as both ADHD and CAPD are independent disorders. Better central auditory processing functions are associated with well-developed language and higher pragmatic skills in ADHD children.

Communication skills in preschool children with normal hearing and cochlear implant users

Pragmatic language development encompasses a range of skills that are necessary for communication to take place, such as initiating and maintaining communication, following rules and taking turns, but these skills can take time to develop in children with hearing loss. The aim of this study was to compare the communication skills of 5-6-year-old children with normal hearing and cochlear implant users. The study included 7 females and 14 males aged 60-72 months (M: 68.66±4.27) with cochlear implants and 8 females and 16 males aged 60-72 months (M: 68.41±4.65) with normal hearing. Responses to the 5-6 Years Communication Skills Scale, consisting of 4 subfactors and 46 items, were collected from the parents of all children. The mean scores of the 4 sub-dimensions of the scale, namely active communication, consideration, following rules and positive response, and the mean total score of the children with normal hearing were significantly higher than their peers with cochlear implants (p<0.05). In conclusion, it is important to evaluate hearing-impaired children not only for language development but also for development in all stages of communication, especially in the pragmatic aspect.

The Construction of Higher Vocational English Language Bank Based on Neurolinguistic Knowledge

Abstract With the advent of artificial intelligence and big data technologies, traditional approaches to teaching English in higher vocational education are increasingly inadequate for contemporary pedagogical demands. This study involved the collection and analysis of an extensive corpus of English learning materials facilitated by the use of neural network models to process this data. Consequently, we established an English language library tailored to the authentic language use and learning needs of higher vocational students. A substantial array of textual materials pertinent to higher vocational English instruction, including textbooks, online articles, and practical dialogues, was amassed using web crawler technology. These texts underwent natural language processing that included tokenization and the elimination of stop words. To develop a language model, we deployed a Transformer-based neural network for deep learning analysis of the processed data. Our findings indicate that the constructed language bank excels over traditional higher vocational English teaching resources in terms of vocabulary breadth, grammatical diversity, and practical utility. The language bank demonstrates notable benefits in analyzing vocabulary usage biases and enhancing students’ pragmatic language skills. This research substantiates the feasibility and effectiveness of constructing a language bank for higher vocational English utilizing neurolinguistic methodologies. The integration of advanced language modeling and big data processing technologies can significantly elevate the caliber of educational resources and instructional efficacy

The role of cognitive control and referential complexity on adults' choice of referring expressions: Testing and expanding the referential complexity scale.

This study aims to advance our understanding of the nature and source(s) of individual differences in pragmatic language behavior over the adult lifespan. Across four story continuation experiments, we probed adults' (N = 496 participants, ages 18-82) choice of referential forms (i.e., names vs. pronouns to refer to the main character). Our manipulations were based on Fossard et al.'s (2018) scale of referential complexity which varies according to the visual properties of the scene: low complexity (one character), intermediate complexity (two characters of different genders), and high complexity (two characters of the same gender). Since pronouns signal topic continuity (i.e., that the discourse will continue to be about the same referent), the use of pronouns is expected to decrease as referential complexity increases. The choice of names versus pronouns, therefore, provides insight into participants' perception of the topicality of a referent, and whether that varies by age and cognitive capacity. In Experiment 1, we used the scale to test the association between referential choice, aging, and cognition, identifying a link between older adults' switching skills and optimal referential choice. In Experiments 2-4, we tested novel manipulations that could impact the scale and found both the TIMING of a competitor referent's presence and EMPHASIS placed on competitors modulated referential choice, leading us to refine the scale for future use. Collectively, Experiments 1-4 highlight what type of contextual information is prioritized at different ages, revealing older adults' preserved sensitivity to (visual) scene complexity but reduced sensitivity to linguistic prominence cues, compared to younger adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessing Psychological Implications in Children with Delayed Verbal Communication and Vocabulary Development: A Systematic Review

Background: Delayed verbal communication and vocabulary development can significantly impact children's emotional well-being, social interactions, and overall psychological development. This systematic review aims to synthesize existing research on the psychological effects associated with these delays, focusing on how they affect children's emotional health, social skills, and cognitive functioning. Methodology: This review systematically analyzed studies that investigated the psychological consequences of delayed verbal communication and vocabulary development in children. The studies included were diverse in design, including cross-sectional, longitudinal, and mixed-method approaches. Key measures across studies included assessments of depressive and anxiety symptoms, social-emotional functioning, language skills, and cognitive abilities. The analysis synthesized findings from a range of populations, including children with developmental language disorders (DLD), specific language impairment (SLI), and autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Results: The review found that children with delayed verbal communication and vocabulary development are at increased risk for a variety of psychological issues. These include higher levels of anxiety and depression, difficulties in social interactions, and cognitive challenges. Specifically, children with DLD and SLI were more likely to experience emotional difficulties, such as depressive symptoms and anxiety, compared to their peers. Pragmatic language difficulties were found to be particularly associated with later psychotic experiences and depressive symptoms. Peer problems, bullying, and socioemotional challenges were prominent among youth with language impairments. Additionally, deficits in higher-order language skills and cognitive abilities were linked to greater emotional and social difficulties. Conclusion: The psychological impacts of delayed verbal communication and vocabulary development are profound, affecting children's emotional well-being, social interactions, and cognitive development. Interventions should address both language difficulties and associated emotional and social challenges.

Review of New Directions in Second Language Pragmatics

The volume is edited in honor of Andrew D. Cohen, who is a preeminent and leading scholar in applied linguistics and has made great contributions to pragmatics in second language contexts. In particular, chapters in this volume address Cohen’s legacy in L2 pragmatics (second language pragmatics) in his seminal work (Cohen and Olshtain 1981), including learning, teaching, and assessing. More importantly, as the title of the volume indicates, new directions are presented, which is achieved not by simple application of Cohen’s idea, but by critical refinement. It is the latter that deserves scholars’ attention.

School Adjustment and Pragmatic Language Skills of Preschool Students with and without Special Needs

Okula uyum farklı değişkenlerden etkilenen çok boyutlu bir yapıdır ve okulun değişim taleplerine öğrencinin verdiği karşılıkları ifade etmektedir. Çocuğun yeni girdiği bu ortamdan yarar sağlayabilmesinin yolu sosyal ve akademik olarak bu yeni yaşam alanına uyum sağlamasıdır. Bu araştırma, okul öncesi dönemdeki özel gereksinimli olan ve olmayan öğrencilerinin okula uyumları ile pragmatik dil becerileri arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemek amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmada nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden ilişkisel tarama yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu kapsayıcı eğitimin uygulandığı okul öncesi eğitim kurumlarında eğitim alan 52 özel gereksinimli öğrenci ile bu öğrencilerle aynı sınıflardan seçilen 52 tipik gelişim gösteren öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Veriler okula uyum ve pragmatik dil becerileri ölçekleri ile elde edilmiştir. Bulgular, öğrencilerin okula uyumları ve pragmatik dil becerileri yaşa göre anlamlı düzeyde farklılaşmadığını göstermektedir. Cinsiyete göre kız öğrencilerin okula uyumun bir alt boyutunda erkeklere göre daha yüksek uyuma sahip oldukları bununla birlikte pragmatik dilde cinsiyete göre anlamlı bir fark oluşmadığı görülmüştür. Özel gereksinimli öğrencilerin hem okula uyum düzeyleri hem de pragmatik dil becerileri tipik gelişen akranlarından anlamlı derecede düşük çıkmıştır. Okula uyum ile pragmatik dil becerileri arasında orta ve yüksek düzeylerde anlamlı ilişkiler olduğu görülmüştür. Sonuçlar, özel gereksinimli öğrencilerin okul öncesi eğitime geçiş sürecinde pragmatik dil becerilerini geliştirecek müdahalelerin sağlanmasının okula uyumlarını kolaylaştıracağını işaret etmektedir.

By Miranda, Mary Hamilton, Mrs Dickenson … Self-reference in Late Modern English private correspondence

This paper is set in the late Georgian period, when letter writing became a widespread social practice and letter-writing manuals established norms of propriety and elegance of style for addressing persons of all ranks. More specifically, it turns its attention to author-oriented address with a focus on the use of personal names in self-reference expressions, as these address the recipient of the letter at the same time as they describe the status of the writer. The aim is to explore their role as a means of socially-governed linguistic practice and as an index of politeness on the positive-negative continuum, as proposed for Early Modern English correspondence.
 The study is based on a set of private letters written by Mary Hamilton (1776–1814), a well-connected figure in royal, aristocratic and literary circles. The analysis traces intra-speaker variation in the use of self-reference in the main text and in the signature, and explores sociolinguistic factors (gender) as well as notions traditionally connected with pragmatic language use (distance, relative power). The research presented here will thus contribute to the growing body of literature that considers ego-documents as representations of the self, of particular interest in the fields of historical sociolinguistics and historical sociopragmatics.

SIGNIFICANCE OF PRAGMATICS WITHIN SLA INSTRUCTION WITH FOCUS ON THE SPEECH ACT OF REQUESTS

This comprehensive report illuminates the profound significance of pragmatics within the realm of Second Language Acquisition (SLA), with a specific emphasis on the speech act of requests. By examining studies rooted in Speech Act Theory, we can further investigate the critical role of pragmatic competence within the ESL/EFL classroom setting. This paper centralizes student perceptions of pragmatics while taking into consideration both cross-linguistic and extra-linguistic factors. Furthermore, the report will present novel innovative pedagogical practices that seamlessly integrate Task-Based Learning Theory and Data-Driven Learning, facilitating the effective enhancement of pragmatic language skills.

Decreased amygdala-sensorimotor connectivity mediates the association between prenatal stress and broad autism phenotype in young adults: Project Ice Storm

Studies show that prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is related to risk for child autism, and to atypical amygdala functional connectivity in the autistic child. Yet, it remains unclear whether amygdala functional connectivity mediates the association between PNMS and autistic traits, particularly in young adult offspring. We recruited women who were pregnant during, or within 3 months of, the 1998 Quebec ice storm crisis, and assessed three aspects of PNMS: objective hardship (events experienced during the ice storm), subjective distress (post-traumatic stress symptoms experienced as a result of the ice storm) and cognitive appraisal. At age 19, 32 young adults (21 females) self-reported their autistic-like traits (i.e., aloof personality, pragmatic language impairment and rigid personality), and underwent structural MRI and resting-state functional MRI scans. Seed-to-voxel analyses were conducted to map the amygdala functional connectivity network. Mediation analyses were implemented with bootstrapping of 20,000 resamplings. We found that greater maternal objective hardship was associated with weaker functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the right postcentral gyrus, which was then associated with more pragmatic language impairment. Greater maternal subjective distress was associated with weaker functional connectivity between the right amygdala and the left precentral gyrus, which was then associated with more aloof personality. Our results demonstrate that the long-lasting effect of PNMS on offspring autistic-like traits may be mediated by decreased amygdala-sensorimotor circuits. The differences between amygdala-sensory and amygdala-motor pathways mediating different aspects of PNMS on different autism phenotypes need to be studied further.

Pragmatic language comprehension: Role of theory of mind, executive functions, and the prefrontal cortex

The specific contribution of focal damage of the prefrontal cortex and the cognitive mechanisms accounting for communicative-pragmatic disorders remains unclear. The objective of the current study was to investigate the impact of focal prefrontal cortex damage on the ability to understand indirect speech or hints and to identify the prefrontal neural mechanisms involved. We also examined the underlying cognitive mechanisms of disorders of indirect speech understanding particularly theory of mind and executive functions. Thirty patients with focal prefrontal cortex damage and 30 control subjects were compared on their performances on the Hinting task assessing pragmatic language skills, the "Faux-Pas" task and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task assessing Theory of Mind and a battery of executive tasks. Patients were significantly impaired compared with control subjects on all these abilities. Both deficits of executive functions and theory of mind were able to predict impaired ability of patients in understanding non-literal meanings on the Hinting task. Finally, using voxel-based lesion analysis we identified a partially shared neural prefrontal network involved in all these abilities centered on the dorsomedial and ventral regions of the prefrontal cortex.

Hubungan antara Keterampilan Literasi Awal dengan Kemampuan Bahasa Pragmatik pada Anak Umur Prasekolah di Taman Kanak-Kanak Marsudirini Surakarta

ABSTRACT
 Background: In 2018, Indonesia is still faced with child development problems. There are around 56.34% of preschoolers experiencing delays in developments such as reading and writing. The development of literacy is important to pay attention to and in early childhood development, language really needs to be developed considering the importance of language for all of us. Viewed from the aspect of language, pragmatics is the highest stage of language, pragmatics is a branch of linguistics that discusses what is included in the structure of language as a means of communication between speakers and listeners. Objective: This research aims to find out the correlation between early literacy skills and pragmatic language skills in preschool-aged children in TK Marsudirini Surakarta. Method: The type of research used is quantitative. The research design to be used is a correlational study. The sampling technique that will be used in this research is purposive sampling. The number of samples that have been used in this research were 30 respondents. Result: The results showed that 6 respondents (20%) were in the early literacy skills category, the sufficient category was 11 respondents (36.7%), and the good category was 13 respondents (43.3%). Respondents in pragmatic language skills in the unable category were 14 respondents (46.7%) and in the able category were 16 respondents (53.3%). Bivariate analysis used the Spearman Rank statistical test with a ???? value of 0.001 and a correlation coefficient of 0.732. This shows that the direction of the correlation between the two variables is positive, which means that if one variable increases, the other variable will develop. Conclusion: There is a correlation between early literacy skills and pragmatic language skills in preschool-aged children in TK Marsudirini Surakarta with a strong correlation strength.
 Keywords: Literacy Skills, Pragmatic Language, Preshool Children

Hubungan Pola Interaksi Keluarga dan Perkembangan Kemampuan Pragmatik Anak Prasekolah di TKIT Insan Kamil Karanganyar

ABSTRACT Background: Family interaction patterns are reciprocal relationships within a family that are deliberately built to influence, change, or improve behavior with social contact and communication between family members. Whether or not family interaction patterns are harmonious affects the development of language (including pragmatic language) and the child's social. Pragmatics is the ability to use language according to the context in social communication. Objective: This study aims to determine the relationship between family interaction patterns and the development of pragmatic abilities of preschoolers in TKIT Insan Kamil Karanganyar Method: This research is a quantitative study with a cross-sectional research design. The sampling technique in this study was simple random sampling, with a total sample of 58 respondents. The collected data was tested using Pearson Product Moment. Research Results: Pearson Product Moment test results obtained a p value of 0.000, that is, if the p value < 0.05, then the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted. The strength of the relationship can be seen from the result r = 0.880, the result shows a "very strong" correlation strength. Conclusion: There is a relationship between family interaction patterns and the development of pragmatic abilities of preschoolers in TKIT Insan Kamil Karanganyar Keywords: Family Interaction Patterns, Development of Pragmatic Abilities, Preschoolers

Endophenotyping social cognition in the broader autism phenotype.

Relatives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may display milder social traits of the broader autism phenotype (BAP) providing potential endophenotypic markers of genetic risk for ASD. We performed a case-control comparison to quantify social cognition and pragmatic language difficulties in the BAP (n = 25 cases; n = 33 controls) using the Faux Pas test (FPT) and the Goldman-Eisler Cartoon task. Using deep phenotyping we then examined patterns of inheritance of social cognition in two large multiplex families and the spectrum of performance in 32 additional families (159 members; n = 51 ASD, n = 87 BAP, n = 21 unaffected). BAP individuals showed significantly poorer FPT performance and reduced verbal fluency with the absence of a compression effect in social discourse compared to controls. In multiplex families, we observed reduced FPT performance in 89% of autistic family members, 63% of BAP relatives and 50% of unaffected relatives. Across all affected families, there was a graded spectrum of difficulties, with ASD individuals showing the most severe FPT difficulties, followed by the BAP and unaffected relatives compared to community controls. We conclude that relatives of probands show an inherited pattern of graded difficulties in social cognition with atypical faux pas detection in social discourse providing a novel candidate endophenotype for ASD.

An Exploratory Study of Pragmatic Language Use Across Contexts With the Pragmatic Rating Scale-School Age Among Autistic Boys and Boys With Fragile X Syndrome Plus Autism.

Autistic boys and boys with co-occurring fragile X syndrome and autism spectrum disorder (FXS + ASD) demonstrate similar pragmatic language difficulties. The Pragmatic Rating Scale-School Age (PRS-SA) captures ecologically valid metrics of pragmatic language impairments in these populations. It is traditionally scored based on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), which may limit the use of the PRS-SA more broadly in research and clinical contexts. This study evaluated the feasibility of the PRS-SA based on a shorter, semistructured conversational context compared to the ADOS in school-age autistic boys (n = 16) and boys with FXS + ASD (n = 16), matched on ASD traits. Differences across ADOS and conversational contexts and associations with ASD-related social difficulties were evaluated. Findings revealed differences in PRS-SA scores between ADOS and conversational contexts, but only for the FXS + ASD group. Limited associations were observed between PRS-SA scores and ASD traits. Results from this study indicate the feasibility of using the PRS-SA in a shorter conversational context than the ADOS to assess pragmatic language among autistic boys. For boys with FXS + ASD, contextual differences warrant careful consideration in future work.