Online Metaphor Comprehension in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Eye Tracking Study.
Aimee O'Shea, Rita Cersosimo, Paul E Engelhardt
PMID 39305406WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with autism understood novel metaphors as accurately as controls, but took nearly 800 milliseconds longer to do so.
Eye-tracking showed they struggled to ignore the literal meaning, suggesting a processing delay rather than a comprehension deficit.
Key findings
01Comprehension accuracy for novel metaphors did not differ significantly between adults with ASD and controls, though both groups were less accurate on metaphors than literal sentences.
02Participants with ASD took significantly longer to process metaphors, with a baseline-corrected difference of approximately 800 ms compared to controls.
03Eye-tracking revealed that participants with ASD spent more time fixating on the literal distractor image during metaphor trials, indicating difficulty suppressing the literal interpretation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (41 participants total). There was a significant gender imbalance between groups: the ASD group was 50% male, while the control group was only 27% male. Although statistical analyses suggested gender did not drive the main effects, this remains a confound. The study did not assess Theory of Mind, which may contribute to metaphor processing difficulties. The task used isolated novel metaphors without broader conversational context, which may not reflect naturalistic communication.
Declared interests
No specific funding source or conflict of interest declaration is provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that adults with ASD have a deficit in understanding metaphors. Their accuracy was the same as controls; the difference was in processing speed and the effort required to suppress literal meanings. A slow response does not equal an incorrect or absent understanding.
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