Comprehension of Restrictive Focus With Zing6hai6 ("Only") in School-Age Cantonese-Speaking Autistic and Neurotypical...

This study investigated the comprehension of restrictive focus with the focus particle zing6hai6 ("only") in school-age Cantonese-speaking autistic and neurotypical children. Specifically, it examined whether autistic children differed from neurotypical children in the comprehension of focus with zing6hai6 and explored the effects of age on their performance.

A total of 75 Cantonese-speaking children (42 autistic and 33 neurotypical) between 5 and 10 years old completed a picture verification task assessing their interpretation of restrictive focus. They were matched on age and working memory.

Neurotypical children demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of zing6hai6-focus and showed a preference for preverbal zing6hai6 over presubject zing6hai6, consistent with cross-linguistic findings that children prefer to associate "only" with the verb phrase. Autistic children exhibited partially neurotypical performance: Their interpretation of presubject zing6hai6 aligned with neurotypical peers, whereas their understanding of preverbal zing6hai6 was less accurate. In addition, autistic children were slower than their neurotypical peers in processing speed overall. The findings further reveal a delay in autistic children, as manifested in persistent accuracy differences but gradual convergence in processing speed relative to their neurotypical peers with increasing age.

These findings suggested a distinct and delayed pattern of interpreting restrictive focus with zing6hai6 ("only") in Cantonese-speaking autistic children and highlighted the possible influence of cognitive maturation and the inherent complexity of syntax-semantics interface structures on their comprehension.