Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026
09:03
Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism
Published on: March 27, 2012
46.6K
Exploring Maze Patterns in Bilingual and Monolingual Children With and Without Autism: A Pragmatic Perspective
Marianna Beradze1, Sveta Fichman1,2, Natalia Meir1,3
1Department of English Literature and Linguistics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research : JSLHR
|February 5, 2026
Summary
Autism and bilingualism interact to affect children's speech disfluencies. Bilingual autistic children show improved narrative skills, using more connectives and fewer pauses than monolingual autistic peers.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Children with autism exhibit distinct speech disfluency patterns compared to neurotypical peers.
- Linguistic mazes (disfluencies) serve various functions, including listener-oriented pragmatic cues and speaker-internal processing.
- The impact of bilingualism on these disfluency patterns, particularly in autistic children, requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the combined effects of autism and bilingualism on children's production of linguistic mazes.
- To explore whether specific maze types are primarily listener- or speaker-oriented.
- To contribute to understanding the functional roles of disfluencies in spontaneous speech.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving four groups of children aged 5-9 years: bilingual autistic, bilingual non-autistic, monolingual autistic, and monolingual non-autistic.
- Narrative speech samples were elicited using the LITMUS Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives.
- Analysis focused on the frequency and types of linguistic mazes produced by each group.
Main Results:
- Autism and bilingualism interacted to influence specific maze types, rather than overall maze rate.
- Monolingual autistic children displayed higher rates of phonological fragments and silent pauses but lower rates of connectives and filled pauses.
- Bilingual children, regardless of autism status, produced more intra-utterance silent pauses. Autistic bilinguals used more connectives and fewer pauses than monolingual autistic children.
Conclusions:
- Bilingualism may positively influence communicative adaptability in autistic children.
- Enhanced use of connectives and reduced inter-utterance pauses in bilingual autistic children suggest improved narrative cohesion.
- Findings support the differential functional roles of various maze types in spontaneous speech.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Autism Spectrum Disorder
1.2K
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction alongside restrictive and repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is sometimes accompanied by intellectual impairment.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
1.2K
01:27Psychodynamic Perspectives on Personality
1.6K
The psychodynamic perspective in psychology asserts that most personality functions operate unconsciously, outside of awareness. This means that the motives and emotions driving behavior often remain hidden, automatically buried in the unconscious mind as a defense mechanism to shield us from psychological distress. According to this theory, the unconscious mind contains thoughts, memories, and emotions that are too disturbing to face directly.
Psychodynamic theorists argue that unconscious...
Psychodynamic theorists argue that unconscious...
1.6K
01:23Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective
376
In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
376
01:19The Behavioral Perspective on Personality
835
Behaviorists view personality as primarily shaped by environmental reinforcements and consequences. According to this perspective, behavior is influenced by external stimuli, and individuals adjust their actions based on rewards and punishments. Over time, learning histories — accumulated patterns of reinforcement — play a significant role in shaping personality. Behaviors that lead to positive outcomes are reinforced, while those resulting in negative outcomes are diminished.
835
01:30Social Cognitive Perspective on Personality
1.0K
Social cognitive perspectives on personality emphasize the importance of conscious awareness, beliefs, expectations, and goals in shaping behavior. These perspectives incorporate behaviorist principles, such as learning through reinforcement and conditioning, but extend beyond them by highlighting human reasoning and planning. Unlike traditional behaviorist views, social cognitive theory focuses on how individuals reflect on their past experiences and plan for future outcomes by considering...
1.0K
01:06Fixed Action Patterns
17.7K
A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.
17.7K