Autism and Communication (cont.)
What causes speech and language problems in autism?
Although the cause of
speech and language problems in autism is unknown, many experts believe that the
difficulties are caused by a variety of conditions that occur either before,
during, or after birth affecting brain development. This interferes with an
individual's ability to interpret and interact with the world. Some scientists
tie the communication problems to a "theory of mind" or impaired ability to
think about thoughts or imagine another individual's state of mind. Along with
this is an impaired ability to symbolize, both when trying to communicate and in
play.
What are the communication problems of autism?
The communication problems of
autism vary, depending upon the intellectual and social development of the
individual. Some may be unable to speak, whereas others may have rich
vocabularies and are able to talk about topics of interest in great depth. Despite
this variation, the majority of autistic individuals have little or no problem
with pronunciation. Most have difficulty effectively using language. Many also
have problems with word and sentence meaning, intonation, and rhythm.
Those who can speak often say things that have no content or information. For
example, an autistic individual may repeatedly count from one to five. Others
use echolalia, a repetition of something previously heard. One form, immediate
echolalia, may occur when the individual repeats the question, "Do you want
something to drink?" instead of replying with a "yes" or "no." In another form
called delayed echolalia, an individual may say, "Do you want something to
drink?" whenever he or she is asking for a drink.
Others may use stock phrases such as, "My name is Tom," to start a
conversation, even when speaking with friends or family. Still others may repeat
learned scripts such as those heard during television commercials. Some
individuals with higher intelligence may be able to speak in depth about ics
they are interested in such as dinosaurs or railroads but are unable to engage
in an interactive conversation on those ics.
Most autistic individuals do not make eye contact and have poor attention
duration. They are often unable to use gestures either as a primary means of
communication, as in sign language, or to assist verbal communication, such as
pointing to an object they want. Some autistic individuals speak in a
high-pitched voice or use robot-like speech. They are often unresponsive to the
speech of others and may not respond to their own names. As a result, some are
mistakenly thought to have a hearing problem. The correct use of pronouns is
also a problem for autistic individuals. For example, if asked, "Are you wearing
a red shirt today?" the individual may respond with, "You are wearing a red
shirt today," instead of "Yes, I am wearing a red shirt today."
For many, speech and language develop, to some degree, but not to a normal
ability level. This development is usually uneven. For example, vocabulary
development in areas of interest may be accelerated. Many have good memories for
information just heard or seen. Some may be able to read words well before the
age of five but may not be able to demonstrate understanding of what is read.
Others have musical talents or advanced ability to count and perform
mathematical calculations. Approximately 10 percent show "savant" skills or
detailed abilities in specific areas such as calendar calculation, musical
ability, or math.
Next: How are the speech and language problems of autism treated? »
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