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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Published on: October 3, 2018

Rethinking language in autism.

Laura Sterponi¹, Kenton de Kirby², Jennifer Shankey²

¹University of California, Berkeley sterponi@berkeley.edu.

Autism : the International Journal of Research and Practice

|June 12, 2014

Summary

This study reevaluates language in autism, proposing a multidimensional view beyond cognition. Understanding language as interaction and social action offers new insights into autistic communication and development.

Keywords:

Conversation Analysis autism echolalia language linguistic anthropology noncommunicative speech

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Area of Science:

Linguistics
Developmental Psychology
Autism Research

Background:

Traditional views often frame language in autism primarily as a reflection of cognition and a referential system.
This perspective may limit a comprehensive understanding of autistic communication.

Purpose of the Study:

To advocate for a theoretical reappraisal of language in autism.
To present a multidimensional view of language, encompassing its interactional and social functions.
To offer alternative interpretations of autistic speech patterns.

Main Methods:

Drawing on scholarship from Conversation Analysis and linguistic anthropology.
Revisiting existing research data on autistic speech.
Applying a multidimensional framework to interpret linguistic data.

Main Results:

Language in autism is proposed to function not only referentially but also as an interactional accomplishment, social action, and mode of experience.
A multidimensional perspective offers complementary or alternative interpretations of prototypical autistic speech features.
The chosen theoretical lens significantly impacts the analysis of autistic communication.

Conclusions:

Adopting a multidimensional view of language is crucial for a deeper understanding of autism.
This approach has wide-ranging implications for understanding autism's core features and developmental trajectory.
Rethinking language perspectives can enhance research and clinical approaches to autism.