Prediction by Young Autistic Children from Visual and Spoken Input.

Recent theoretical accounts suggest that differences in the processing of probabilistic events underlie the core and associated traits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These theories hypothesize that autistic individuals are differentially impacted by disruptions in probabilistic input relative to neurotypical peers. According to this view, autistic individuals assign disproportionate weight to prediction errors such that novel input is overweighted relative to the aggregation of prior input; this is referred to as 'hyperplasticity' of learning.

Immersion in dual-language programs does not impede children's native language processing.

Aims And Objectives: The benefits of dual-language immersion (DLI) versus English-only classrooms for minority-language speakers' acquisition of English have been well documented. However, less is known about the effect(s) of DLI on majority-language speakers' native English skills. Prior studies largely used accuracy-focused measures to index children's language skills; it is possible that processing-based tasks are more sensitive to the effects of DLI experience.

The effect of volatility in linguistic input on prediction behavior in autistic toddlers.

Domain-general prediction differences have been posited as underlying many aspects of the cognitive-behavioral profile in autism. An interesting potential implication of such differences is hyperplasticity of learning-the idea that autistic individuals may privilege more recent input over the accumulation of prior learning. Because real world language input is highly variable, hyperplasticity could have serious ramifications for language learning.

Racial and ethnic disparities in the co-occurrence of intellectual disability and autism: Impact of incorporating measures of adaptive functioning.

Intellectual disability (ID) commonly co-occurs in children with autism. Although diagnostic criteria for ID require impairments in both cognitive and adaptive functioning, most population-based estimates of the frequency of co-occurring ID in children with autism-including studies of racial and ethnic disparities in co-occurring autism and ID-base the definition of ID solely on cognitive scores. The goal of this analysis was to examine the effect of including both cognitive and adaptive behavior criteria on estimates of co-occurring ID in a well-characterized sample of 2- to 5-year-old children with autism.

Using adaptive behavior scores to convey level of functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder: Evidence from the Study to Explore Early Development.

Autistic people are often described as "low-" or "high-functioning" based on their scores on cognitive tests. These terms are common in publications and in everyday communication. However, recent research and feedback from the autistic community suggests that relying on cognitive ability alone to describe functioning may miss meaningful differences in the abilities of autistic children and adults and in the kinds of support they may need.

Cognitive processes associated with working memory in children with developmental language disorder.

The current study examined how individual differences in language, nonverbal, and attention abilities relate to working memory in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) relative to age-matched typically developing (TD) peers using an interference-based model of working memory as our theoretical framework. Our experimental paradigm involved varying the domain (verbal/nonverbal) of recall items and an interference processing task, testing effects of interference. We examined the relative importance of language, nonverbal, and attention skills in predicting working memory performance by using Bayesian leave-one-out cross-validation to compare models with varied combinations of these skills as predictors.

Spatial Language and Cognition in Autistic Preschoolers.

Purpose: ASD is associated with relative strengths in the visuospatial domain but varying abilities in the linguistic domain. Previous studies suggest parallels between spatial language and spatial cognition in older autistic individuals, but no research to date has examined this relationship in young autistic children. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the connection between children's spatial language production and nonverbal spatial cognition over time.

Brainstem white matter microstructure is associated with hyporesponsiveness and overall sensory features in autistic children.

Background: Elevated or reduced responses to sensory stimuli, known as sensory features, are common in autistic individuals and often impact quality of life. Little is known about the neurobiological basis of sensory features in autistic children. However, the brainstem may offer critical insights as it has been associated with both basic sensory processing and core features of autism.

Naturalistic parent-child reading frequency and language development in toddlers with and without autism.

Background And Aims: The efficacy of parent-child reading for supporting language development has been well-established in the neurotypical (NT) literature. For children with autism spectrum disorder, (ASD) who may be at risk for delays in language development, prior research has shown promise for shared book-reading interventions. Yet there has been limited research on naturalistic parent-child reading with autistic children to date.

Social-Pragmatic Skills and Length of Bilingualism Predict Inhibitory Control in Children.

Purpose: There is conflicting evidence regarding effects of bilingualism on inhibition, and the mechanisms that might underlie the effects remain unclear. A prominent account views additional demands on structural language use in bilinguals as being at the root of bilingual effects on inhibition. In this study, we tested the novel hypothesis that social-pragmatic skills (alone or together with structural language skills) are associated with inhibition in bilingual children.

Are items actively removed from working memory during free time in children with developmental language disorder?

Background: Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have deficits in verbal and non-verbal processing relative to typically developing (TD) peers, potentially reflecting difficulties in working memory, processing speed and inhibition of interference. We examined working memory in children with DLD using the serial-order-in-a-box-complex span (SOB-CS) interference-based model, which posits a time-based mechanism, free time, that governs how interference affects processing performance.

Aims: (1) To determine the degree to which children with DLD and TD children differ in the amount of free time available during working memory tasks, and whether potential group differences in free time differ depending on the domain of task demands? (2) To determine the relationship between free time and interference effects on working memory accuracy in children with DLD relative to TD peers.

Working Memory Performance in Children With Developmental Language Disorder: The Role of Domain.

Purpose: This study examined working memory in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). The overarching goal of this work was to integrate three primary processing-based hypotheses of DLD, (a) limited verbal working memory, (b) slowed processing speed, and (c) inefficient inhibition of interference, by using the serial-order-in-a-box-complex span (SOB-CS) computational model as our theoretical framework. We also examined the role of domain in working memory performance by varying the domain of interference and recall (i.

Predictive language processing in young autistic children.

Recent theories propose that domain-general deficits in prediction (i.e., the ability to anticipate upcoming information) underlie the behavioral characteristics associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Use of Mutual Exclusivity and its Relationship to Language Ability in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To efficiently learn new words, children use constraints such as mutual exclusivity (ME) to narrow the search for potential referents. The current study investigated the use of ME in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and neurotypical (NT) peers matched on nonverbal cognition. Thirty-two toddlers with ASD and 26 NT toddlers participated in a looking-while-listening task.

A preliminary epidemiologic study of social (pragmatic) communication disorder in the context of developmental language disorder.

Background: There is extremely limited population-based research on social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD). Population-based samples have the potential to better characterize the SCD phenotype by mitigating confounds and biases that are typical of convenience and clinical samples.

Aims: The aims of this preliminary epidemiologic study were to advance our understanding of the SCD phenotype relative to developmental language disorder (DLD), obtain an estimate of prevalence, identify risk factors and lay the groundwork for future population level research of SCD.

Coarticulation facilitates lexical processing for toddlers with autism.

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are delayed in learning language. The mechanisms underlying these delays are not well understood but may involve differences in how children process language. In the current experiment, we compared how 3- to 4-year-old children with ASD (n = 58) and 2- to 3-year-old children who are typically developing (TD, n = 44) use phonological information to incrementally process speech.

Children with ASD and Communication Regression: Examining Pre-Loss Skills and Later Language Outcomes Through the Preschool Years.

This study investigated receptive and expressive language outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with and without a history of language/communication regression, employing three progressively less stringent definitions of regression. Data were derived from a large, longitudinal sample of children with ASD in which regression was assessed at approximately 30 months. Results indicated poorer receptive language and larger discrepancies between receptive and expressive language in the regression group than the group without regression at 44 months but not 66 months.

Does long-term dual-language immersion affect children's executive functioning?

Dual-language immersion (DLI) experience has been linked to enhanced reading and math skills in minority- and majority-language elementary school children. However, it remains unclear whether DLI experience can also enhance executive functioning. The current study took a longitudinal approach to this question and examined the effect of DLI experience on the development of executive function skills in majority-language children over a 1-year period.

Competing Perceptual Salience in a Visual Word Recognition Task Differentially Affects Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Differences in visual attention have long been recognized as a central characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Regardless of social content, children with ASD show a strong preference for perceptual salience-how interesting (i.e.

A Preliminary Epidemiologic Study of Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder Relative to Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Disability Without Social Communication Deficits.

The goal of this preliminary investigation was to compare demographic and clinical characteristics in a sample of children with likely Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SCD) (N = 117) to those in children with possible (N = 118) and some (N = 126) SCD traits, other developmental delay (DD) (N = 91) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (N = 642). We used data from the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), a multi-site case-control study. Items reflecting SCD DSM-5 criteria were selected from an autism diagnostic measure, with SCD categories identified by creating quartiles.

Planning in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Verbal Mediation.

This study examined verbal mediation during planning in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) relative to age- and nonverbal IQ- matched typically developing peers using a dual-task paradigm. Analyses showed no group differences in performance. However, in the condition intended to disrupt verbal mediation, language skills were associated with planning performance for the TD group, but not the ASD group.

Language and Inhibition: Predictive Relationships in Children With Language Impairment Relative to Typically Developing Peers.

Background This study examined predictive relationships between two indices of language-receptive vocabulary and morphological comprehension-and inhibition in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. Methods Participants included 30 children with SLI and 41 TD age-matched peers (8-12 years). At two time points separated by 1 year, we assessed receptive vocabulary and morphological comprehension via standardized language measures and inhibition via a Flanker task.

Comparing Automatic Eye Tracking and Manual Gaze Coding Methods in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Eye-gaze methods offer numerous advantages for studying cognitive processes in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but data loss may threaten the validity and generalizability of results. Some eye-gaze systems may be more vulnerable to data loss than others, but to our knowledge, this issue has not been empirically investigated. In the current study, we asked whether automatic eye-tracking and manual gaze coding produce different rates of data loss or different results in a group of 51 toddlers with ASD.

The Relationship Between Language and Planning in Children With Language Impairment.

Purpose This study examined the relationship between language and planning, a higher order executive function skill, in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. We hypothesized differences between groups in planning performance and in the role of verbal mediation during planning. Method Thirty-one children with SLI and 50 TD age-matched peers (8-12 years) participated in the study.