Description and contextualization of the subject

The purpose of this subject is to introduce students to Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) and to the types of language disorders that we find within the spectrum, from non-verbality to difficulties with non-literal interpretation. Although in the last edition of the DSM linguistic deficits do not feature as diagnostic of ASC, the various patterns of issues in the development and use of language in ASC are very characteristic. After getting familiar with the general core symptoms of ASD, we will go on to describe and study the different linguistic profiles that we find in the spectrum.



Competencies:

Being able to understand current views of ASC.

Being able to find interesting questions to ask about the relationship between language and other cognitive features in ASC.

Being able to understand and explain scientific contributions on the subject.

Temary

Introduction to ASC: core symptoms, heterogeneity, accounts.

Looking at linguistic profiles within the spectrum: taxonomy and relation to other cognitive factors.

Attention to the verbal / non-verbal dimensions, and to grammatical / pragmatic problems.



Note: This evaluation system is designed for face-to-face teaching and will be adapted in the event that we enter a new state of health emergency and have to go to virtual teaching. In this case, the updated version of the program and the new evaluation system will be posted in the Egela virtual classroom.

Bibliography

Compulsory materials

Kjelgaard, M. M., & Tager-Flusberg, H. (2001). An Investigation of Language Impairment in Autism: Implications for Genetic Subgroups. Language and cognitive processes, 16 (2-3), 287–308.



Norbury, C. F. (2005). The relation between theory of mind and metaphor: Evidence from children with language impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. British Journal of Developmental Psychology 23, 383–399.



Tager-Flusberg, H. (2006). Defining language phenotypes in autism. Clinical Neuroscience Research, 6, 219-224.



Tager-Flusberg H, Paul R, Lord C. (2005) Language and communication in autism. In: F. R. Volkmar, R. Paul, A. Klin, D. Cohen (editors). Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders: Diagnosis, development, neurobiology, and behavior. Hoboken, NJ, US: John Wiley & Sons Inc.;. p. 335–64.

Basic bibliography

Andrés-Roqueta, C., & Katsos, N. (2020). A distinction between linguistic- and social-pragmatics helps the precise characterisation of pragmatic challenges in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Language Disorder. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. doi:10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00263

Baron-Cohen, S., Baldwin, D. A., & Crowson, M. (1997). Do children with autism use the speaker's direction of gaze strategy to crack the code of language? Child Development, 68(1), 48-57. doi:10.2307/1131924

Baron-Cohen, S., Leslie, A. M., & Frith, U. (1985). Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind” ? Cognition, 21(1), 37-46. doi:10.1016/0010-0277(85)90022-8

Bühler, D., Perovic, A., & Pouscoulous, N. (2018). Comprehension of novel metaphor in young children with Developmental Language Disorder. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 3, 1-11. doi:10.1177/2396941518817229

Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135-168. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750

Friedman, L., & Sterling, A. (2019). A Review of language, executive function, and intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Seminars in Speech and Language, 40(04), 291-304

Glenwright, M., & Agbayewa, A. S. (2012). Older children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders can comprehend verbal irony in computer-mediated communication. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 6(2), 628–638. doi:0.1016/j.rasd.2011.09.013

Happé, F. G. E., & Frith, U. (2006). The weak coherence account: detail-focused cognitive style in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(1), 5-25. doi:10.1007/s10803-005-0039-0

Norbury, C. F. (2014). Atypical pragmatic development. In D. Matthews (Ed.), Pragmatic Development in First Language Acquisition (pp. 343-362). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

In-depth bibliography

Kissine, M. 2012. Pragmatics, cognitive flexibility and autism spectrum disorders. Mind & language, 27(1), 1-28



Koegel, L.K., K.M. Bryan, P.L. Su, M. Vaidya & S. Camarata. 2020. Definitions of Nonverbal and Minimally Verbal in Research for Autism: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04402-w



Lombardo, M.V., M.C. Lai & S. Baron-Cohen. 2019. Big data approaches to decomposing heterogeneity across the autism spectrum. Molecular Psychiatry 24: 1435-1450.



Mackay, G. & A. Shaw. 2004. A comparative study of Figurative language in children with autistic spectrum disorders. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 13–32.



Martin, I. & S. McDonald. 2005. Evaluating the causes of impaired irony comprehension following traumatic brain injury. Aphasiology, 19.8: 712–30.



Martin, I. & S. McDonald. 2004. Weak coherence, no theory of mind, or executive dysfunction? Solving the puzzle of pragmatic language disorders. Brain and Language, 85: 451–466.



Pijnacker, J., P. Hagoort, J. van Buitelaar, J.P. Teunisse & B. Geurts. 2009. Pragmatic inferences in high-functioning adults with autism and Asperger syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39: 607–618



de Villiers, J., J. Fine, G. Ginsberg, L. Vaccarella & P. Szatmari. 2006. Brief report: A scale for rating conversational impairment in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37: 1375–1380

Journals

GLOT



Lingua



Linguistic Inquiry



Linguistics and Philosophy



Natural Language and Linguistic Theory



Probus



Syntax



The Linguistic Review