title: Language abilities of children with Asperger syndrome.
abstract: Current diagnostic taxonomies (ICD-10, DSM-IV) emphasize normal acquisition of language in Asperger syndrome (AS). Although many linguistic sub-skills may be fairly normal in AS there are also contradictory findings. There are only few studies examining language skills of children with AS in detail. The aim of this study was to study language performance in children with AS and their age, sex and IQ matched controls. Children with AS had significantly lower scores in the subtest of Comprehension of Instructions. Results showed that although many linguistic skills may develop normally, comprehension of language may be affected in children with AS. The results suggest that receptive language processes should be studied in detail in children with AS.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. satu.saalasti@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Satu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saalasti
authors.forename: Tuulia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lepistö
authors.forename: Esko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toppila
authors.forename: Teija
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kujala
authors.forename: Minna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laakso
authors.forename: Taina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nieminen-von Wendt
authors.forename: Lennart
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: von Wendt
authors.forename: Eira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jansson-Verkasalo
mesh_terms: D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D012919:Social Behavior; D013067:Speech Perception