Cognitive factors underlying pragmatic deficits in children with autism spectrum disorder

• Main Authors: Wong, Hon-kwan, 黃漢鈞
• Language: English
• Published: The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) 2015
• Subjects: Children with autism spectrum disorders - Psychology; Pragmatics
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10722/209676

Pragmatic language impairments have been found in children with high-functioning Autism (HFA). Limited studies have investigated the contributing factors. This study compared 23 children with HFA with 28 typically-developing children on pragmatic language measures, with their age, cognitive ability and language ability matched or controlled. Deficit of children with HFA was found in making inferences in comprehension but not in narrative ability, and abilities to make inferences in narrative and about psychological state. Theory of mind was an impairment for children with HFA and correlated with inferences about psychological state. In the measure of executive functioning at visual-perceptual level, better performance was found in children with HFA. This cognitive factor did not correlate with any pragmatic language measure. === published_or_final_version === Educational Psychology === Master === Master of Social Sciences