More is Less: Pitch Discrimination and Language Delays in Children with Optimal Outcomes from Autism

Overview

Journal Autism Res

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2013 Aug 10

PMID 23929787

Citations 26

Authors

Inge-Marie Eigsti

Deborah A Fein

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders diagnosed behaviorally but associated with differences in brain development. Individuals with ASD exhibit superior auditory perceptual skills, which may correlate with ASD symptomatology, particularly language skills. We describe findings from individuals diagnosed with ASD before age five, who now have no symptoms (e.g., having optimal outcomes). Unlike an ASD group, which shows heightened pitch discrimination, the Optimal Outcome group's abilities do not differ from those of typically developing controls. Furthermore, pitch discrimination is associated with both current autism symptomatology and early-language milestones. Findings illuminate processes associated with resolution of autism. We also discuss a specific mechanism by which heightened auditory discrimination leads to language delays in ASD.

Citing Articles

Reduced Context Effect on Lexical Tone Normalization in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Speech-Specific Mechanism.

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Understanding early maladaptive schemas in autistic and ADHD individuals: exploring the impact, changing the narrative, and schema therapy considerations.

Spicer L, DeCicco E, Clarke A, Ambrosius R, Yalcin O Front Psychol. 2024; 15:1436053.

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Enhanced pitch discrimination in autistic children with unexpected bilingualism.

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Enhanced sensitivity to pitch perception and its possible relation to language acquisition in autism.

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Intact Utilization of Contextual Information in Speech Categorization in Autism.

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