They're ability to have a back-and-forth conversation is very limited. They mostly respond to direct questions, but won't often make spontaneous comments based on the topic that's being discussed. Their conversation partner has to pull the conversation along or it will just fizzle and they'll either sit without talking or start talking about out-of-context silly stuff that's confusing to anyone who doesn't know them and their idiosynchrasies. They also have trouble with abstract language such as language involving thoughts, feelings, future and past events (that's getting better), etc.
They also have impaired non-verbal communication - they don't natural look at you when you're talking with them, will wander around while talking, don't pick up non-verbal signals, etc.
Their actual delay, on paper, is about 9-12 months (they test out at a ~4.0 level when the were 4.9), but their social language is more delayed than that. It's getting better, but they're no where near most of their peers.
Fred, I think I did view the most recent video of your girls (about the towels and wanting to go to the museum) and their communication seemed fine to me.
How is their language impaired?Does anyone's child have great in-context language despite being ASD?
Our neuropsych has told us in the 12 yrs he has been seeing ASD children, not one has adequate in-context language.
I've read that despite the fact that ASD is a spectrum disorder, one shared core deficit between ALL ASD children is inadequate in-context language.
How can this be true when ASD children who are also gifted SEEM to have fantastic in-context language.
Btw, by in-context language I mean that natural back and forth exchange in communication that seem to occur more naturally, easily with NT's. The discussion could be about their favorite cereal, a baseball game, anything. It can be a discussion that doesn't particularly interest the child but he's still able to carry on an exchange. Not mine! It's their most conspicuous defecit - and they're fairly good talkers for autistic kids, too.I wouldn't say I've got good incontext language. For a short time I can pull it off by the usual "hmm mmm", "of course", "well, that's right" and the usual responsive fillers." However, if I'm trying to have a proper conversation with me being an active participant then I pause in odd places, I have tangential speech, I often struggle to get the words out, once I get going I dominate the conversation. I rarely initiate and when I do I often voice my thoughts mid topic without placing them in context. I can talk about historical events, or political or religious occurences fairly easily, but struggle with personal expression or wants. If there's more than one person in the conversation I can't usually work out when to enter, or get the words out in time, so by the time I'm able to speak the topic has moved on. I still speak through my husband (it used to be my mum) a lot of the time. I don't pick up on the body language signals very easily, but then again I'm not looking for them as I pay attention to the words and I can't do both.
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