Parental Perception of Word Acquisition and Loss in Autism: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Some children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience the loss of previously acquired abilities, especially that of using words, a phenomenon that is still poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate parents’ perceptions of the age of word acquisition and word loss in individuals with ASD as compared to children with Down Syndrome (DS) and those with typical development (CG). Parents of 77 individuals with ASD, 33 with DS, and 63 from CG completed an inventory on the loss of words and developmental abilities. The median age of acquisition of the first words was 14 months for the ASD group, approximately 4 months after those in CG, and 23 months for the SD group. Word loss occurred only in the ASD group (36.4%). The median age of loss was 18 months. Parents’ perception of word loss can contribute to the understanding of this phenomenon as a potential early ASD indicator.