title: Brief Report: Fast Mapping Predicts Differences in Concurrent and Later Language Abilities Among Children with ASD.
abstract: This study investigated whether the ability to learn word-object associations following minimal exposure (i.e., fast mapping) was associated with concurrent and later language abilities in children with ASD. Children who were poor learners at age 3½ had significantly lower receptive language abilities than children who successfully learned the new words, both concurrently (n = 59) and 2 years later (n = 53), lending ecological validity to experimental fast-mapping tasks. Fast mapping comprehension at age 3½ was associated with better language outcomes regardless of whether children had produced the new words. These findings highlight the importance of investigating processes of language learning in children with ASD. Understanding these processes will enable the development of maximally effective strategies for supporting word learning.
authors.affiliation: Waisman Center and Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI, 53705, USA. cgerickson@wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Courtney E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Venker
authors.affiliation: Waisman Center and Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI, 53705, USA.|University of Washington, 1417 NE 42nd St., Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.
authors.forename: Sara T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Kover
authors.affiliation: Waisman Center and Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ellis Weismer
mesh_terms: D001076:Aptitude / Q000502:physiology; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D007807:Language Tests; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Cognition; Fast mapping; Language; Word learning