Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by atypical interests, body movements, social interactions and language (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are common, with the current estimate of the prevalence of ASD births in the United States being 1 in 54 (Maenner et al., 2020). While early research on ASD language focused on the linguistic abilities of severely affected people with ASD, more recent research (e.g., Globerson et al., 2015) has focused on the linguistic abilities of people with ASD who do not have cognitive deficits (i.e., “high functioning” people with autism). Children, adolescents, and adults in this category have well-developed linguistic abilities in phonological (speech sounds), syntactic (grammatical) and lexical/semantic (words and word meanings) aspects of language; however, they often show impairments in pragmatic and prosodic aspects of language (e.g., Shriberg et al., 2001; Stone & Caro- Martinez, 1990; Tager-Flusberg, 2003). The paper focuses on the prosodic abilities of autistic people who do not have cognitive deficits and people with Asperger Syndrome.

Previous event-related potential (ERP) research utilizing oddball stimulus paradigms suggests diminished processing of speech versus non-speech sounds in children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, brain mechanisms underlying these speech processing abnormalities, and to what extent they are related to poor language abilities in this population remain unknown. In the current study, we utilized a novel paired repetition paradigm in order to investigate ERP responses associated with the detection and discrimination of speech and non-speech sounds in 4- to 6—year old children with A

"Introduction to AAC for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders". In Mirenda, P.; Iacono, T. (eds.). Autism Spectrum Disorders and AAC. Paul H Brookes Pub Co Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language. AAC is used by those with a wide range of speech and language impairments, including developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and autism, Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language. AAC is used by those with a wide range of speech and language impairments, including developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and autism, and acquired conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. AAC can be a permanent addition to a person's communication or a temporary aid. Stephen Hawking, probably the best-known user of AAC, had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and communicated through a speech-generating device. Modern use of AAC began in the 1950s with systems for those who had lost the ability to speak following surgical procedures. During the 1960s and 1970s, spurred by an increasing commitment in the West towards the inclusion of disabled individuals in mainstream society and emphasis on them developing the skills required for independence, the use of manual sign language and then graphic symbol communication grew greatly. It was not until the 1980s that AAC began to emerge as a field in its own right. Rapid progress in technology, including microcomputers and speech synthesis, paved the way for communication devices with speech output, and multiple options for access to communication for those with physical disabilities. AAC systems are diverse: unaided communication uses no equipment and includes signing and body language, while aided approaches use external tools. Aided communication methods can range from paper and pencil to communication books or boards to speech generating devices (SGDs) or devices producing written output. The elements of communication used in AAC include gestures, photographs, pictures, line drawings, letters and words, which can be used alone or in combination. Body parts, pointers, adapted computer mice, or eye tracking can be used to select target symbols directly, and switch access scanning is often used for indirect selection. Message generation through AAC is generally much slower than spoken communication, and as a result rate… The modern…