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Related Experiment Video

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

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Structure and Meaning in Mathematics: Divergent Roles of Syntax and Meaning-Based Language in Autism.

O Cohen¹, S Shnitzer Meirovich¹, N Sukenik²

¹Faculty of Education, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

|June 18, 2026

Summary

Language abilities support math skills in adolescents, but autistic teens rely on meaning-based pragmatics, while typically developing teens use syntax. Tailoring math instruction to these linguistic strengths is key.

Keywords:

Adolescents Autism Language-mathematics interface Mathematical reasoning Pragmatics Syntax

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Area of Science:

Developmental psychology
Neuroscience
Linguistics

Background:

Adolescent mathematical reasoning depends on higher-order language skills.
Specific language domains supporting math in autistic adolescents, especially in morphologically rich languages, are understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the roles of syntax and pragmatics in mathematical performance among Hebrew-speaking autistic and typically developing (TD) adolescents.
To compare language-mathematics associations across developmental profiles.

Main Methods:

67 adolescents (31 autistic, 36 TD; ages 12-19) participated.
Syntax and pragmatics were coded from a Definition Task; mathematics was assessed (procedural thinking, arithmetic, algebra).
Morphology was controlled as a covariate; ANCOVA and correlation analyses were used.

Main Results:

Autistic adolescents showed lower math performance than TD peers.
Syntax and pragmatics did not differ between groups after controlling for morphology.
TD adolescents' math performance correlated with syntax; autistic adolescents' math performance correlated with pragmatics.

Conclusions:

Language influences adolescent mathematical reasoning through different pathways based on developmental profiles.
TD adolescents rely on syntactic processing, while autistic adolescents rely on pragmatic abilities for math.
Tailoring math instruction to specific linguistic strengths is recommended for autistic learners.