TY - JOUR
T1 - A longitudinal investigation of pragmatic language across contexts in autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions
AU - Martin, Gary E.
AU - Lee, Michelle
AU - Bicknell, Klinton O'Neal
AU - Goodkind, Adam
AU - Maltman, Nell
AU - Losh, Molly
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors greatly appreciate all data collectors, Lauren Bush for her help with data coding, and the children and families who participated. We also acknowledge the Research Participant Registry Core of the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (P30 HD03110) and the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. Finally, we acknowledge the late Joanne Roberts, who was awarded the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grants that funded the early phases of this research.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD38819 and R01HD044935), the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (R01DC010191), and the National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH091131). All funding was used toward data collection and analysis and salary support.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 Martin, Lee, Bicknell, Goodkind, Maltman and Losh.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Background: Pragmatic language, or the use of language in social contexts, is a critical skill in daily life, supporting social interactions and the development of meaningful social relationships. Pragmatic language is universally impacted in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and pragmatic deficits are also common in other neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly those related to ASD, such as fragile X syndrome (FXS). This study used a multi-method, longitudinal approach to characterize potentially unique pragmatic profiles across different neurodevelopmental disabilities, and across contexts that varied in degree of social demand. The utility of computational linguistic analyses, as an efficient tool for capturing pragmatic abilities, was also explored. Methods: Pragmatic skills of boys with idiopathic ASD (ASD-O, n = 43), FXS with and without ASD (FXS-ASD, n = 57; FXS-O, n = 14), Down syndrome (DS, n = 22), and typical development (TD, n = 24) were compared using variables obtained from a standardized measure, narrative, and semi-naturalistic conversation at up to three time points. Results: Pragmatic language was most significantly impacted among males with ASD-O and FXS-ASD across all three contexts, with more difficulties in the least structured context (conversation), and also some differences based on FXS comorbidity. Patterns of group differences were more nuanced for boys with FXS-O and DS, with context having less of an impact. Clinical groups demonstrated minimal changes in pragmatic skills with age, with some exceptions. Computational language measurement tools showed some utility for measuring pragmatic skills, but were not as successful as traditional methods at capturing differences between clinical groups. Conclusion: Overlap and differences between ASD and other forms of neurodevelopmental disability in general, and between idiopathic and syndromic ASD in particular, have important implications for developing precisely tailored assessment and intervention approaches, consistent with a personalized medicine approach to clinical study and care in ASD.
AB - Background: Pragmatic language, or the use of language in social contexts, is a critical skill in daily life, supporting social interactions and the development of meaningful social relationships. Pragmatic language is universally impacted in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and pragmatic deficits are also common in other neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly those related to ASD, such as fragile X syndrome (FXS). This study used a multi-method, longitudinal approach to characterize potentially unique pragmatic profiles across different neurodevelopmental disabilities, and across contexts that varied in degree of social demand. The utility of computational linguistic analyses, as an efficient tool for capturing pragmatic abilities, was also explored. Methods: Pragmatic skills of boys with idiopathic ASD (ASD-O, n = 43), FXS with and without ASD (FXS-ASD, n = 57; FXS-O, n = 14), Down syndrome (DS, n = 22), and typical development (TD, n = 24) were compared using variables obtained from a standardized measure, narrative, and semi-naturalistic conversation at up to three time points. Results: Pragmatic language was most significantly impacted among males with ASD-O and FXS-ASD across all three contexts, with more difficulties in the least structured context (conversation), and also some differences based on FXS comorbidity. Patterns of group differences were more nuanced for boys with FXS-O and DS, with context having less of an impact. Clinical groups demonstrated minimal changes in pragmatic skills with age, with some exceptions. Computational language measurement tools showed some utility for measuring pragmatic skills, but were not as successful as traditional methods at capturing differences between clinical groups. Conclusion: Overlap and differences between ASD and other forms of neurodevelopmental disability in general, and between idiopathic and syndromic ASD in particular, have important implications for developing precisely tailored assessment and intervention approaches, consistent with a personalized medicine approach to clinical study and care in ASD.
KW - Down syndrome
KW - autism spectrum disorder
KW - fragile X syndrome
KW - longitudinal
KW - pragmatic language
KW - social communication
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U2 - 10.3389/fneur.2023.1155691
DO - 10.3389/fneur.2023.1155691
M3 - Article
C2 - 37545730
AN - SCOPUS:85167328830
SN - 1664-2295
VL - 14
JO - Frontiers in Neurology
JF - Frontiers in Neurology
M1 - 1155691
ER -