The emerging phonological system of an autistic child

This case report provides a detailed phonological investigation of the speech of an 8-year-old autistic boy. Three approaches were used for elicitation of speech: delayed imitation, object naming, and a connected speech sample. Phonetic inventory analysis revealed that stops, nasals, and glides were generally present, whereas fricatives, affricates, and the liquid /r/ were absent. There were also positional restrictions on the use of specific sounds. This information, together with a phonological process analysis, revealed: (a) the existence of several phonological processes that are common in normal development; (b) the persistence of several phonological processes, e.g., velar fronting, beyond the expected age; (c) the occurrence of some unusual sound changes, e.g., extensive glottal replacement and segment coalescence; (d) evidence of "chronological mismatch" (Grunwell, 1981); and (e) restricted use of contrasts (Ingram, 1976). The subject's use of phonological processes resulted in extensive homonymy, which, together with process interactions and the use of jargon, resulted in severely reduced intelligibility. This child appeared to be acquiring his phonological system in at least a partly unique way, showing some typical patterns as well as some patterns that rarely appear in normally developing children.