Language and Communication

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Basic Characteristics

Those with ASD display a range in language and communication capabilities. Some children with ASD are mute their whole lives, others babble or speak early in life but stop speaking later on, and there are some who display few language deficits (Asperger's Syndrome). Those who are mute sometimes learn to use other communication systems, such as pictures or sign language.

Children with ASD that are only mildly affected by language deficits might still have difficulty holding a conversation despite their large vocabulary. Prognosis for further speech development is poor for most children who have not developed any useful speech by 5, although there have been reported cases of children who acquired speech after 5 years of age. Many research studies used behavioral therapy to teach speech to older children with autism because of the success of popularity of these methods for younger children. Out of 64 studies examined in a meta-analysis, 167 individuals with autism developed speech after 5. Out of those individuals that started speaking after 5 year old, 37 individuals developed speech through behavior analysis methods (out of 27 published studies), 25 children developed speech after being taught American Sign Language (8 studies), 18 children developed speech while attending their school special education program (5 studies), six began speaking after typical speech language therapies, and eleven acquired speech while participating in computer based treatment programs. 1

Neurobiology of Language

Neuroimaging studies using fMRIs have suggested that individuals with autism may process language differently from typically developing individuals. During language task, activation in typical atypical cortical areas are increased, where as activation i abnormally increased or decreased in typical language areas. Both magnetoencephalography and evoked potential studies have shown that those with autism eventually overuse the right hemisphere to process language, though overuse does not happen until adolescence. The pattern of activation is reminiscent of activation patterns in patients with developmental dyslexia. 2

Language and Mirror Neuron System

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References

1. Pickett E et. al. Speech acquisition in older nonverbal individuals with autism: a review of features, methods, and prognosis.Cogn Behav Neurol. 2009 Mar;22(1):1-21. PMID 19372766

2. Frye RE et al. Receptive language organization in high-functioning autism.J Child Neurol. 2009 Feb;24(2):231-6. PMID 19182164

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