Part of
Syntactic Priming in Language Acquisition: Representations, mechanisms and applicationsEdited by Katherine Messenger
[Trends in Language Acquisition Research 31] 2022
► pp. 157–182
Edited by Katherine Messenger
[Trends in Language Acquisition Research 31] 2022
► pp. 157–182
Chapter 8Syntactic priming and alignment in children with autism spectrum disorder
Syntactic priming is the unconscious repetition of grammatical constructions across utterances and between (and within) speakers. This chapter considers syntactic priming effects in the language production of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition associated with communication deficits, and in some cases, with co-occurring language disorder. Syntactic priming supports the acquisition of syntax in typical language development (e.g. Chang, Dell & Bock, 2006), and – via syntactic alignment (the convergence of syntactic behaviour and representation between speakers in dialogue) – promotes successful communication (Reitter & Moore, 2014), raising the possibility that impaired syntactic priming mechanisms are implicated in autistic children’s language and communication difficulties. Overall, the studies reviewed in this chapter demonstrate that autistic children’s difficulties with interactive language do not stem from a general deficit in linguistic imitation: they converge syntactic structures with an interlocutor and display alignment at the same level as their typically-developing peers. In fact, evidence suggests that autistic children might occasionally engage in syntactic over-alignment, which could be communicatively maladaptive if priming effects intersect with structural and pragmatic language impairments.
Keywords: alignment, autism, communication
Article outline
- What is ASD?
- Grammatical abilities in autistic children
- Imitation in autistic children
- Perspectives on syntactic priming in ASD
- Methods for studying syntactic priming in ASD
- Syntactic priming effects in autistic children
- Individual differences in autistic children’s syntactic priming
- Conclusions
-
Notes -
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