autism Archives - Long On Language

“Airplane” not “Mama:” Language Development in Children with Asperger Syndrome

Language development in children with Asperger Syndrome is often typical for verbal language but delayed in language use. “Compared with those affected by other forms of autism spectrum disorders those with Asperger syndrome (AS) do not have significant delays or difficulties in language or cognitive development,” states the “Autism Speak’s” website. Slow developing non-verbal language skills in children …

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Unstory: Developing Storytelling Skills in People with Asperger Syndrome

We connect with others through sharing our personal narratives. Poor verbal storytelling skills in people with Asperger Syndrome often go undiagnosed and prevent them from participating effectively in social, academic, and work environments. Structured speech and language assessments don’t pick up on subtle problems that children with AS demonstrate. Traditional Speech language testing uses structured …

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Mindblindness vs Context blindness

Replacing the generic term of “mindblindness,” often used to refer to people on the autism spectrum, with a more specific term such as “context blindness” has been proposed by Peter Vermeulen, PhD. Simon Baron-Cohen created the term “mindblindness,” to refer to the deficit people on the autism spectrum have in reading others mental states. This term …

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Asperger Syndrome: Nonfiction vs Fiction

Do people with Asperger Syndrome prefer fiction or non-fiction? It has been suggested that people with Asperger prefer nonfiction because it provides fact-based information related to their special interest. However, I have known people with Asperger syndrome who enjoyed fiction. The lack of interest in reading fiction usually begins in childhood when children begin …

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10 Fruits in 60 seconds: The importance of categorization

“Quick, in 60 seconds name 10 items that go in the category, fruits.” Generally, this task for typically developing children age 10 and older, can perform this task quickly. Categorizing information into similar items is a task we often take for granted. However, for children with high-functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome, classifying and sorting like …

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Context Breakdown

Context involves the setting or environment surrounding a situation. People with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism are very interested in details while their deficits result in the inability to take context into consideration. This inability is noticeable in social situations as well as in their written work and verbal expression. People with AS perform quite …

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Language is Everywhere

We have all had exhausting days as parents when all we want to do is get home, but at the same time when opportunity knocks its important to seize the moment to teach our children. A child lagging behind his mother, walking home from school today was a perfect opportunity for that mom to foster and …

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Autism many parts different whole

One theory regarding autism is that many of the symptoms are the result of problems in the brain integrating language and the senses. “Researchers know that autism is a complex brain disorder that affects the way the brain uses or transmits information. Studies have implicated several causes for the disorder but still more investigation is …

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