dc.contributor.author |
Slušná, Dominika |
dc.contributor.author |
Rodríguez, Andrea |
dc.contributor.author |
Salvadó, Berta |
dc.contributor.author |
Vicente, Agustín |
dc.contributor.author |
Hinzen, Wolfram |
dc.date.accessioned |
2022-06-02T05:53:18Z |
dc.date.available |
2022-06-02T05:53:18Z |
dc.date.issued |
2021 |
dc.identifier.citation |
Slušná D, Rodríguez A, Salvadó B, Vicente A, Hinzen W. Relations between language, non-verbal cognition, and conceptualization in non- or minimally verbal individuals with ASD across the lifespan. Autism Dev Lang Impair. 2021;6(January-December):12p. DOI: 10.1177/23969415211053264 |
dc.identifier.issn |
2396-9415 |
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/10230/53351 |
dc.description.abstract |
Background & aims: Individuals with non- or minimally verbal autism (nvASD) are primarily characterized by a severe
speech production deficit, with speech limited to no or only a few words by school age. Significant unclarity remains over
variability in language profiles across the lifespan, the nature of the language impairment seen, and (dis-) associations
between linguistic and nonverbal cognitive measures.
Methods: To address these questions, we recruited both a school-age and an adult group with nvASD (total N =49) and
investigated relations between expressive and receptive language, and between these and nonverbal intelligence quotient
(NVIQ) and sense-making capacities (the ComFor test).
Results: Results revealed limited variation across this sample in receptive language, which in turn predicted expressive
language levels. Importantly, an upward trend in verbal mental age (VMA) across increasing chronological age was seen in
the youngsters (only). A radical dissociation between NVIQ and both expressive and receptive language transpired as
well, and a subset of individuals with normal NVIQ were comparable in terms of any other cognitive aspect. Sense-making
reached symbolic levels in 62.2% of the sample and loaded on both verbal and nonverbal factors.
Conclusions: These patterns inform theories of nvASD by revealing an impairment that is not conceptualizable as one of
expressive language only, sharply limits learning opportunities across the lifespan, and cannot be compensated for by nonverbal cognition.
Implications: These findings stress the need to seize developmental opportunities that may disappear when youngsters
turn into adults, via therapies that specifically target language as a central cognitive system comprising both production
and comprehension. |
dc.description.sponsorship |
This research was supported by a predoctoral research grant
from Generalitat de Catalunya (AGAUR) & European Social
Found (2018FI_B_00860, author DS), by an ‘advanced research
group’ grant to the Grammar and Cognition Lab (2017 SGR
1265, author WH), and Ministerio de Economía y
Competitividad (MINECO, Spanish Government), grants
FFI2013-40526P and PID2019-105241GB-I00 (author WH). |
dc.format.mimetype |
application/pdf |
dc.language.iso |
eng |
dc.publisher |
SAGE Publications |
dc.relation.ispartof |
Autism and developmental language impairments. 2021;6(January-December):12p |
dc.rights |
© The Author(s) 2021 This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and
distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). |
dc.rights.uri |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
dc.title |
Relations between language, non-verbal cognition, and conceptualization in non- or minimally verbal individuals with ASD across the lifespan |
dc.type |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
dc.identifier.doi |
http://doi.org/10.1177/23969415211053264 |
dc.subject.keyword |
Non- or minimally verbal autism |
dc.subject.keyword |
Language |
dc.subject.keyword |
Nonverbal cognition |
dc.subject.keyword |
Adults |
dc.relation.projectID |
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/1PE/FFI2013-40526P |
dc.relation.projectID |
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/2PE/PID2019-110120RB-I00 |
dc.rights.accessRights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
dc.type.version |
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |