Investigating the Relationship between Working Memory and Grammar in Children with High-Functioning Autism

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impairments in communication, social interaction, and executive functions. Individuals with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) often demonstrate average or above-average intelligence and typical language development. However, difficulties in social communication persist. Previous studies have indicated that children with HFA exhibit challenges in language, particularly in grammar and vocabulary, which may be associated with executive dysfunction, including deficits in Working Memory (WM). Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between verbal WM and grammatical abilities in Persian-speaking children with HFA.

Twenty monolingual Persian-speaking children diagnosed with HFA, who met the inclusion criteria, were recruited for the study. Morpho-syntactic abilities were assessed through the collection of speech samples analyzed using Persian Developmental Sentence Scoring (PDSS). Additionally, Phonological Working Memory (PWM) tasks, including direct and reverse recall of numbers and repetition of non-words, were administered. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software to examine correlations between PWM and grammatical skills.

The highest significant correlation was observed between the PDSS and the repetition of three-syllable non-words, while the lowest correlation was found with the immediate repetition of one-syllable non-words. (r = 0.594, p < 0.05). Furthermore, most PDSS subtests demonstrated statistically significant correlations with PWM tasks, with correlation coefficients varying from weak to strong.

This study concluded that HFA children experience difficulties in their grammatical skills, and a significant relationship is observed between their PWM and grammatical abilities, underscoring the importance of considering PWM in language intervention strategies, particularly targeting grammatical development in these children.