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Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Gepubliceerd in:

01-01-2015 | Original Paper

Symbolic Understanding of Pictures in Low-Functioning Children with Autism: The Effects of Iconicity and Naming

Auteurs: Calum Hartley, Melissa L. Allen

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders | Uitgave 1/2015

Abstract

This research investigated whether symbolic understanding of pictures in low-functioning children with autism is mediated by iconicity and language. In Experiment 1, participants were taught novel words paired with unfamiliar pictures that varied in iconicity (black-and-white line drawings, greyscale photographs, colour line drawings, colour photographs). Unlike mental-age matched typically developing peers, children with autism generally mapped words onto pictures rather than depicted referents, however, they generalised labels more frequently in colour picture conditions. In Experiment 2, children with autism categorised a line drawing with its referent, rather than another picture, regardless of whether it was named. Typically developing children only viewed pictures as symbols when they were labelled. Overall, symbolic understanding of pictures in children with autism is facilitated by iconicity (particularly colour), but not language.

vorige artikel Maternal Gesture Use and Language Development in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

volgende artikel Beyond Modularisation: The Need of a Socio-Neuro-Constructionist Model of Autism

Ten children with autism achieved scores that had standardised age equivalents (M: ability 3.8 years, SD: 1.1) which were individually matched to those of typically developing children (M: ability 3.7 years, SD: 1). The BPVS scores of three children with autism who completed the measure did not have age equivalents (they were too low), and so they were matched to three typically developing children based on their raw scores. Another seven children with autism were unable to complete the BPVS due to behavioural issues, thus these participants were matched to seven typically developing children who each had a receptive language age of approximately three-years. Although it would have been desirable to acquire a measure of receptive language from every child with autism, it is important to note that this research is particularly relevant to nonverbal individuals who have difficulty with standardised assessments, display challenging behaviours and receive picture-based communication training.

Group means replaced the missing values of the two children with autism who did not complete colour photograph and greyscale photograph trials, respectively.

As stated previously, some children with autism did not have BPVS scores. In order to assess the relative language abilities of children with autism in the Labelled and Unlabelled conditions, we conservatively assigned participants without a BPVS score a receptive vocabulary age of 2.5 years as this is the youngest age at which typically developing children can complete the task (which all children with autism managed).

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Titel: Symbolic Understanding of Pictures in Low-Functioning Children with Autism: The Effects of Iconicity and Naming
Auteurs: Calum Hartley
Melissa L. Allen
Publicatiedatum: 01-01-2015
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders / Uitgave 1/2015
Print ISSN: 0162-3257
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-3432
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-2007-4

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