Studies of Prosody in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders Disorders

Study 1: Receptive and Expressive Prosody in Young Children with ASD

FAQs

• What is the purpose of this study?
• Who will be studied?
• What will the study require?
• What is the time commitment?
• What do I and what does my child get out of this study?
• Can my child be in this study?
• What safeguards are in place to ensure that the study is conducted ethically and the children who participate in the study are not harmed in any way?
• Who is funding the study?
• Who are the members of the research team conducting this study?
• How can I get further information?

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What is the purpose of the study?

This study will examine the ability to use and understand specific prosodic aspects of speech in children from 4-7 with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) who speak in full sentences. Prosody refers to intonation, tone of voice, emphasis, pauses, and changes in speech rate that carry much of the emotional information in language. Prosodic features of speech carry grammatical, affective, and social (or pragmatic) information. They are used grammatically to differentiate nouns from verbs (convict vs. convict), to differentiate statements from questions, and to bracket grammatical units in sentences (with pauses, which function like commas in writing). These same features can also be used in different contexts to convey social information, by, for example, signaling whether the speaker means to convey a sincere or sarcastic tone.

The proposed research will investigate how people with ASD use and understand grammatical, pragmatic, and affective information in speech, when compared to typically developing and language delayed peer groups. In addition, the role played by prosody in helping listeners to understand connected discourse, such as stories will be studied. Finally, a range of measures of cognitive and behavioral functioning will also be collected. These measures will be studied in order to determine the relationship of these other aspects of development to the acquisition of prosodic skills in young children. Studying how people with ASD perceive and use prosody will make important contributions to our understanding of the core features of their communicative deficits and to designing intervention programs that can improve their ability to partake in the emotional and interpersonal meanings of language.

Who will be studied?

Individuals between 4 and 7 years of age who function at the higher end of the ASD spectrum and use full sentences as their primary means of communication, as well as children between 4 and 7 who have typical or delayed language development.

What will the study require?

Participants will complete language, cognitive and behavioral testing. Children will be presented with various pictures, words, and sentences on a computer. During the computer games, participants will listen to words and repeat them, listen to sentences and repeat them, and listen to various sounds and state whether they are the same or different, listen to stories and retell them and answer questions about them. Some children will also be asked to participate in additional tests and assessments.

Additionally, parents of participants will be asked to complete a set of questionnaires about the child's current behavior and history, and will be interviewed regarding their child's behavior.

What is the time commitment?

The study will require between three and six sessions, each of 1.5 - 2 hours in duration, provided there are no extenuating circumstances that prolong the study. Some children may need more time to complete the tasks. We will schedule all meetings at your convenience.

What are the benfits of being in this study to my family?

Parents will receive oral feedback and a brief written report on their child's communication skills. Additionally, children will receive a gift certificate to a local merchant.

Can my child be in this study?

If your child is between the ages of four (4) and seven (7) years of age, has normal vision and hearing, speaks in full sentences and uses language fluently, and has a documented history of autism, Asperger's Syndrome, or PDD-NOS, s/he may be screened for participation in this research study. Children with language and learning disabilities who meet the same criteria and are in the correct grade in school for their age may also be screened for participation. Children from 4-7 years of age with typical development who are in the correct grade for age in school may also participate.

What safeguards are in place to ensure that the study is conducted ethically and the children who participate in the study are not harmed in any way?

The study has been approved by the Human Investigations Committee, protocol #0502027487.

Who is funding the study?

This study is being funded by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, and is being conducted in collaboration with the Oregon Graduate Institute's Center for Spoken Language Understanding. Investigators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are also collaborating on this study.

Who are the members of the research team conducting this study?

The members of the research team include: Rhea Paul, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Moira Lewis, M.S., SLP, Nancy Fredine, Ph.D., and Allison Lee. At the Oregon Graduate Institute Drs. Jan van Santen, Lois Black, and Peter Heeman are collaborating. At the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Lawrence Shriberg heads the collaborating team.

How can I get more information?

For more information about this study at the Yale site, please contact Allison Lee at (203) 764-8455 or by email at allison.lee@yale.edu. For more information at the Oregon site, please contact Rachel Coulston (503) 748-1602; Communication Study cs@sclu.ogi.edu