Social enhancement of associative learning in neurotypical, speaking autistic, and minimally speaking autistic preschoolers.

Molecular autism · 2026 · Other · SLP
Eleonora Paolizzi, Loredana Orsili, Meagan Talbott, Gioia Cavalli, Aubyn C Stahmer, Nancy Raitano Lee, Diana L Robins, Giacomo Vivanti

Minimally speaking autistic preschoolers showed no evidence of learning the association, while neurotypical and speaking autistic peers did, with a social boost. A child who doesn't learn from social cues may need a different approach, not more of the same.

Key findings

1

Neurotypical and speaking autistic preschoolers showed a larger attentional difference between the social and non-social areas in the social test trial than in the non-social test trial, consistent with social enhancement of associative learning; minimally speaking autistic preschoolers showed no such difference.

2

During the social test trial, minimally speaking autistic preschoolers showed no significant difference in attention between the social and non-social areas, indicating no evidence of having learned the association.

3

Speaking autistic children demonstrated evidence of associative learning in both the social and non-social conditions, indicating their learning was not dependent on social information, though the social modulation was smaller than in neurotypical peers.

MethodologyResultsClinical Relevance

Single-blind randomized controlled trial. Sixty-four participants were randomized across two intervention arms and assessed at twelve weeks for the primary outcome…

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