title: Syntax and Morphology in Danish-Speaking Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
abstract: The current study examined delays in syntax and morphology, and vocabulary, in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children ages 4-6 years with ASD (n = 21) and typical development (n = 21), matched on nonverbal mental age, completed five language tasks. The ASD group had significant delays in both syntax and morphology, and vocabulary measures, with significant within-group heterogeneity; furthermore, syntactic and morphological measures were impaired even for subgroups matched on vocabulary. Children in the ASD group without early language delay showed syntactic and morphological impairment, with intact performance on vocabulary and sentence repetition. Findings indicate that syntactic and morphological impairments are a significant concern for high-functioning children with ASD, and may be overlooked if language evaluation focuses exclusively on vocabulary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. cecilia@brynskov.dk.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brynskov
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA.
authors.forename: Inge-Marie
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Eigsti
authors.affiliation: Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Meta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Sanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lemcke
authors.affiliation: Department of English, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.|Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ocke-Schwen
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Bohn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.|Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Krøjgaard
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007802:Language; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D014825:Vocabulary
keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Early language delay; Morphology; Sentence repetition; Syntax; Vocabulary