Atypical Perception of Sounds in Minimally and Low Verbal Children and Adolescents With Autism as Revealed by Behavioral and Neural Measures

Schwartz, Sophie; Wang, Le; Shinn‐Cunningham, Barbara; Tager–Flusberg, Helen

doi:10.1002/aur.2363

Cited by 20 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The latter is consistent with one third to one half of diagnosed autistic children exhibiting enhanced non-verbal abilities for their chronological age [58]. The manifestations of auditory hypersensitivity (e.g., covering their ears with their hands when exposed to physical noises or a human voice) are maximal during the non-verbal or minimally verbal period [59]. Atypical socio-communicative behaviours and interests are observed before the emergence of formal language even before its atypical development is noticed.…”

Section: Pre-clinical Phase: Attentional Differences Preceding Recognition Of the Syndromesupporting

confidence: 74%

In Prototypical Autism, the Genetic Ability to Learn Language Is Triggered by Structured Information, Not Only by Exposure to Oral Language

Mottron

Ostrolenk

Gagnon

2021

Genes

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What does the way that autistic individuals bypass, learn, and eventually master language tell us about humans’ genetically encoded linguistic ability? In this theoretical review, we argue that autistic non-social acquisition of language and autistic savant abilities provide a strong argument for an innate, human-specific orientation towards (and mastery of) complex embedded structures. Autistic non-social language learning may represent a widening of the material processed during development beyond oral language. The structure detection and manipulation and generative production of non-linguistic embedded and chained material (savant abilities in calendar calculation, musical composition, musical interpretation, and three-dimensional drawing) may thus represent an application of such innate mechanisms to non-standard materials. Typical language learning through exposure to the child’s mother tongue may represent but one of many possible achievements of the same capacity. The deviation from typical language development in autism may ultimately allow access to oral language, sometimes in its most elaborate forms, and also explain the possibility of the absence of its development when applied exclusively to non-linguistic structured material. Such an extension of human capacities beyond or in parallel to their usual limits call into question what we consider to be specific or expected in humans and therefore does not necessarily represent a genetic “error”. Regardless of the adaptive success or failure of non-social language learning, it is the duty of science and ethical principles to strive to maintain autism as a human potentiality to further foster our vision of a plural society.

show abstract

Section: Pre-clinical Phase: Attentional Differences Preceding Recognition Of the Syndromesupporting

confidence: 74%

In Prototypical Autism, the Genetic Ability to Learn Language Is Triggered by Structured Information, Not Only by Exposure to Oral Language

Mottron

Ostrolenk

Gagnon

2021

Genes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The latter is consistent with one third to one half of diagnosed autistic children exhibiting enhanced nonverbal abilities for their chronological age [29]. The manifestations of auditory hypersensitivity (covering ears with their hands when exposed to physical noises or human voice) are maximal during the non or minimally verbal period [30]. Atypical socio-communicative behaviors and interests are observed before the emergence of formal language and even before its atypical development is noticed.…”

Section: Pre-clinical Phase: Attentional Differences Preceding Recognition Of the Syndromesupporting

confidence: 73%

Widening Inborn Constraints for Language Ability: The Case for Autism

Mottron¹,

Ostrolenk²,

Gagnon³

2021

Preprint

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What does the way autistics bypass, learn, and eventually master language tell us about human linguistic ability? Here, we argue that non-social acquisition of language, in addition to representing a strong argument for nativist models of human language, may be encompassed within the human-specific orientation and mastery of complex embedded structures, of which language represents one realization. Non-social language learning could thus represent the extension of available linguistic, and non-linguistic material processed by human genetic constraints, allowing language acquisition. This deviation from typical developmental language acquisition may ultimately allow access to language, sometimes in its most elaborate forms, and also explains the possibility of the absence of its development when applied to primarily non-linguistic structured material. However, such enlargement of material-specificity does not cast doubts about its human nature. Regardless of the adaptive success or failure of non-social language learning, it is up to science, legal policies, and ethical principles to strive to maintain autism as a human potentiality to further foster our vision of a plural society.

show abstract

“…The latter is consistent with one third to one half of diagnosed autistic children exhibiting enhanced nonverbal abilities for their chronological age [58]. The manifestations of auditory hypersensitivity (covering their ears with their hands when exposed to physical noises or a human voice) are maximal during the nonverbal or minimally verbal period [59]. Atypical socio-communicative behaviors and interests are observed before the emergence of formal language, even before its atypical development is noticed.…”

Section: Pre-clinical Phase: Attentional Differences Preceding Recognition Of the Syndromesupporting

confidence: 72%

In Prototypical Autism, the Genetic Ability to Learn Language is Triggered by Structured Information, not Only by Exposure to Oral Language

Mottron¹,

Ostrolenk²,

Gagnon³

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

What does the way autistics bypass, learn, and eventually master language tell us about humans’ genetically encoded linguistic ability? In this theoretical review, we argue that autistic non-social acquisition of language, as well as autistic savant abilities, provide a strong argument for an innate, human-specific orientation toward (and mastery of) complex embedded structures. Autistic non-social language learning may represent a widening of the material processed during development beyond oral language. Structure detection and manipulation and generative production of non-linguistic embedded and chained material (savant abilities in calendar calculation, musical composition and interpretation, three-dimensional drawing) may thus represent an application of such innate mechanisms to non-standard materials. Typical language learning through exposure to the child’s mother tongue may represent but one of many possible achievements of the same capacity. The deviation from typical language development in autism may ultimately allow access to oral language, sometimes in its most elaborate forms, but also explains the possibility of the absence of its development when applied exclusively to non-linguistic structured material. Such an extension of human capacities beyond, or in parallel to, their usual limits call into question what we consider to be specific or expected in humans and, therefore, does not necessarily represent a genetic “error”. Regardless of the adaptive success or failure of non-social language learning, it is up to science and ethical principles to strive to maintain autism as a human potentiality to further foster our vision of a plural society.

show abstract

Atypical Perception of Sounds in Minimally and Low Verbal Children and Adolescents With Autism as Revealed by Behavioral and Neural Measures

Cited by 20 publications

References 60 publications

In Prototypical Autism, the Genetic Ability to Learn Language Is Triggered by Structured Information, Not Only by Exposure to Oral Language

In Prototypical Autism, the Genetic Ability to Learn Language Is Triggered by Structured Information, Not Only by Exposure to Oral Language

Widening Inborn Constraints for Language Ability: The Case for Autism

In Prototypical Autism, the Genetic Ability to Learn Language is Triggered by Structured Information, not Only by Exposure to Oral Language

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