For many years, experts have sought ways to identify early signs of autism in children, as timely diagnosis and intervention can significantly impact their development.
While parents and teachers often notice behaviours that raise concerns, such as a lack of eye contact or a focus on details rather than the bigger picture, recognising the early indicators of autism remains challenging and complex.
However, a new study introduces a “tool” that could simplify this process by analysing how children imitate their parents’ language.
Vittorio Tantucci, Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Chinese Linguistics at Lancaster University, discusses the findings of this research in an article on The Conversation.
Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), affects around 1 in 100 children globally and manifests in various communication and behavioural forms.
Children with autism often struggle to understand social cues and non-verbal signals, such as facial expressions or gestures.
They may also focus on details and find it challenging to grasp the overall context of a conversation. Understanding these traits early is crucial to providing the appropriate support.
What the research revealed
Tantucci led a research team that studied how children imitate their parents’ language. The study involved 180 children, aged 3 to 5, who spoke Mandarin, including both neurotypical children and children with autism.
The team focused on “echoing,” the reuse and creative modification of parental speech during conversation.
Echoing is a vital communication element that enables natural participation in dialogue. When interacting with someone, we often repeat words or phrases from the other person, modifying them to show we understand and to enrich the conversation.
For example, when a mother says, “The fox was so scared it ran away,” a neurotypical child might respond creatively, saying, “It was so scared and ran away quickly,” using the mother’s words as a basis for a new sentence.
In Tantucci’s study, neurotypical children creatively used their parents’ language, while children with autism were less likely to repeat and creatively modify their parents’ phrases.
According to Tantucci, this lack of creative echoing does not indicate that children with autism lack creativity, but that using others’ words during conversation may be more challenging for them.
The study’s findings provide new insights into the early identification of autism.
Understanding verbal echoing can help parents, teachers, and professionals detect early signs of autism and provide the necessary support.
(information from ygeiamou.gr)
