title: Uh and um in children with autism spectrum disorders or language impairment.
abstract: Atypical pragmatic language is often present in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), along with delays or deficits in structural language. This study investigated the use of the "fillers" uh and um by children ages 4-8 during the autism diagnostic observation schedule. Fillers reflect speakers' difficulties with planning and delivering speech, but they also serve communicative purposes, such as negotiating control of the floor or conveying uncertainty. We hypothesized that children with ASD would use different patterns of fillers compared to peers with typical development or with specific language impairment (SLI), reflecting differences in social ability and communicative intent. Regression analyses revealed that children in the ASD group were much less likely to use um than children in the other two groups. Filler use is an easy-to-quantify feature of behavior that, in concert with other observations, may help to distinguish ASD from SLI. Autism Res 2016, 9: 854-865. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., GH40, Portland, Oregon, 97239-3098.|Center for Spoken Language Understanding, Institute on Development and Disability, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.|Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gorman
authors.affiliation: Center for Spoken Language Understanding, Institute on Development and Disability, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.|BioSpeech Inc, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: Center for Spoken Language Understanding, Institute on Development and Disability, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.|Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Alison Presmanes
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Center for Spoken Language Understanding, Institute on Development and Disability, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.|BioSpeech Inc, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lunsford
authors.affiliation: Center for Spoken Language Understanding, Institute on Development and Disability, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.|Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.|BioSpeech Inc, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Heeman
authors.affiliation: Center for Spoken Language Understanding, Institute on Development and Disability, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.|Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.|BioSpeech Inc, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Jan P H
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: van Santen
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male
keywords: autism spectrum disorders; conversational reciprocity; disfluency; fillers; language impairment; pragmatic language; social communication