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Impairments in language and communication are among the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders. At the same time, language acquisition is the most important predictor of future outcomes for children with ASD, yet until quite recently there has been little research investigating the significant variability found among children and adults with ASD in both language and communicative skills. In this presentation I will discuss two components of the language and communicative deficits in autism: the universal impairments in pragmatic aspects of communication and discourse and the more variable linguistic deficits. The talk will highlight the different subgroups that represent the range of children with autism including both experimental and longitudinal developmental research investigations.
The research discussed in this presentation is supported by grants from NIDCD (PO1/U19 DC 03610), NIMH (U54 MH 66398), and Autism Speaks. |
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