Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder Can Use Language to Update Their Expectations About the World.
Allison Fitch, Annalisa Valadez, Patricia A Ganea and 2 others
PMID 30136111WHAT IT FOUND
Toddlers with autism looked longer when an animal moved contrary to what they had just heard, like typical toddlers.
In a simple eye-tracking task, spoken cues could update expectations about a hidden scene.
Key findings
01Toddlers with autism and typically developing toddlers looked longer at the outcome that did not match the information they had just received, whether that information was spoken or seen.
02The autism group had very low language scores, but its overall verbal updating pattern did not differ from the typically developing group.
03Thirteen participants reportedly did not understand either cat or dog and did not look longer at the surprising verbal outcome, but this difference did not reach significance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The autism group was small, with 22 toddlers, and 21 toddlers were excluded for fussiness or inattention, so the findings may not apply to toddlers who cannot attend to a brief screen task. The autism group was much older than the typically developing group (mean 28.6 versus 18.5 months), which may explain lower overall looking time, although nonverbal scores did not differ. The task used only four test trials, an 8-second outcome scene, and a disembodied recorded voice, so it does not capture face-to-face social communication or therapy. The subgroup that reportedly knew neither cat nor dog had only 13 participants, and the verbal updating difference in that subgroup did not reach significance. Autism diagnoses were confirmed, but word knowledge relied partly on parent report, which may underestimate comprehension in toddlers with autism. Only one girl was in the autism group, and the study did not test whether the finding applies to girls or to broader language phenotypes. The study did not measure clinical outcomes or test an intervention.
Declared interests
The supplied text reports no funding statement; the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that toddlers with autism can use spoken language to update expectations in daily life. The task was brief, used a recorded voice and simple words, and toddlers who reportedly knew neither cat or dog did not show the verbal updating pattern. It also did not test therapy or everyday communication.