Specific Language Impairment and High Functioning Autism

Specific Language Impairment and High Functioning Autism Evidence for Distinct Etiologies and for Modularity of Grammar and Pragmatics

Authors	A. Creemers J.C. Schaeffer
Publication date	2015
Host editors	L. Perkins R. Dudley J. Gerard K. Hitczenko
Book title	Proceedings of the 6th Conference on Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America (GALANA 2015)
ISBN	978-1-57473-468-3
Event	6th Conference on Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America
Pages (from-to)	1-12
Publisher	Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press
Organisations	Faculty of Humanities (FGw) - Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR) - Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication (ACLC)
Abstract	This study investigates whether grammar and pragmatics are separate linguistic components, and whether children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and children with High Functioning Autism (HFA) have similar or distinct etiologies. A group of 27 children with HFA aged 6-14, age and gender matched to 27 children with SLI, and 27 TD controls are tested on the mass-count distinction (grammatical) and the choice for a definite/indefinite article (pragmatic). The results show that pragmatics can be impaired independently from grammar (in HFA) and vice versa (in SLI), providing evidence for domain specificity of grammar and pragmatics, and against shared etiologies for SLI and HFA.
Document type	Conference contribution
Language	English
Downloads	paper3201 (Final published version)
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