Language Impairment in Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults

Autor/inn/en	Girolamo, Teresa; Rice, Mabel L.
Titel	Language Impairment in Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults
Quelle	In: Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 65 (2022) 9, S.3518-3530 (13 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Girolamo, Teresa) ORCID (Rice, Mabel L.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1092-4388
Schlagwörter	Autism Spectrum Disorders; Language Impairments; Adolescents; Young Adults; Disability Identification; Receptive Language; Expressive Language; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Syntax; Morphology (Languages); Repetition; Grammar; Short Term Memory; Nonverbal Ability; Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals; Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; Columbia Mental Maturity Scale; Social Responsiveness Scale; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Autism; Autismus; Speech disorder; Speech disorders; Speech disabilities; Speech disability; Speech handicap; Speech handicaps; Speech impairment; Speech impairments; Language handicaps; Sprachbehinderung; Adolescent; Adolescence; Adoleszenz; Jugend; Jugendalter; Jugendlicher; Young adult; Junger Erwachsener; Rezeptive Kommunikationsfähigkeit; Psychiatrische Symptomatik; Morphology; Morphologie; Wiederholung; Grammatik; Kurzzeitgedächtnis
Abstract	Purpose: Little is known about the specific nature of language abilities of autistic adolescents and young adults with language impairment (LI), limiting our knowledge of developmental trajectories and ability to develop efficacious speech/language supports. An important first step is establishing proof of concept of identification of LI in this population, with considerations for feasibility of assessment. This research note describes such a study in a sample of autistic adolescents and young adults with LI. Method: Thirteen autistic adolescents and young adults completed an assessment protocol of age-referenced language and nonverbal cognitive assessments. Assessment took place once per year for 3 years; the first two assessments were conducted in person, and the final was conducted online due to the pandemic. All assessments included measures of overall language and morphosyntax; the third added measures of expressive and receptive vocabulary, verbal working memory, and nonverbal intelligence (NVIQ). Analysis included descriptives and comparison of individual performance with epidemiological criteria for LI. Results: All participants qualified for LI, with overall receptive and expressive language scores persistently in the LI range. Other outcomes were variable. Some participants had nonword repetition and vocabulary abilities within age expectations, and some consistently showed adultlike morphosyntactic performance. NVIQ was variable, with no consistent associations with language outcomes. Discussion: Our findings support the use of the current protocol, as implemented in person or online, to identify LI in autistic adolescents and young adults. This exploratory work is limited by a small sample and missing data. The findings contribute to our understanding of linguistic strengths and variability in the language skills of autistic young adults with LI. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01