The focus of this study is the nature and concomitants of pretend play among young children with autism. Age- and language-matched children with autism (n= 27), autism spectrum disorder (n= 14), and developmental disorders without autism (n= 16) were administered the Test of Pretend Play (ToPP; Lewis & Boucher, 1997), with an additional rating of 'playful pretence'. As predicted, children with autism showed less playful pretend than participants with developmental disorders who did not have autism. Across the groups, playful pretence was correlated with individual differences in communication and social interaction, even when scores on the ToPP were taken into account. Limitations in creative, playful pretend among children with autism relate to their restricted interpersonal communication and engagement.
Co-occurrence of preserved musical function with language and socio-communicative impairments is a common but understudied feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Given the significant overlap in neural organization of these processes, investigating brain mechanisms underlying speech and music may not only help dissociate the nature of these auditory processes in ASD but also provide a neurobiological basis for development of interventions. Using a passive-listening functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm with spoken words, sung words and piano tones, we found that 22 children with ASD, with varying levels of functioning, activated bilateral temporal brain networks during sung-word perception, similarly to an age and gender-matched control group. In contrast, spoken-word perception was right-lateralized in ASD and elicited reduced inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) activity which varied as a function of language ability. Diffusion tensor imaging analysis reflected reduced integrity of the left hemisphere fronto-temporal tract in the ASD group and further showed that the hypoactivation in IFG was predicted by integrity of this tract. Subsequent psychophysiological interactions revealed that functional fronto-temporal connectivity, disrupted during spoken-word perception, was preserved during sung-word listening in ASD, suggesting alternate mechanisms of speech and music processing in ASD. Our results thus demonstrate the ability of song to overcome the structural deficit for speech across the autism spectrum and provide a mechanistic basis for efficacy of song-based interventions in ASD.
Individuals with special education needs have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as they have been shown to be at high risk of losing medical and institutional support at a time when people are being asked to stay isolated, suffering increased anxiety and depression as a consequence. Their families have often found themselves under tremendous pressure to provide support, engendering financial hardship, and physical and emotional strains. In such times, it is vital that international collaborations assess the impact on the individuals and their families, affording the opportunity to make national and international comparisons of how people have coped and what needs to be done to optimize the measures taken by families, associations and governments. This paper introduces one such collaboration.
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