Pragmatic language refers to the use of language in social contexts and encompasses a broad range of verbal and nonverbal skills, which are critical to effective communication (Berko-Gleason & Bernstein-Ratner, 2009; Mey, 1993). Difficulties in pragmatic communication are a hallmark characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Similar deficits are also observed in fragile X syndrome (FXS), a single gene disorder caused by a mutation in the FMR1 gene and associated with ASD. Areas of pragmatic language overlap (and divergence) have been reported for individuals with FXS-associated ASD (FXS-ASD) and idiopathic ASD (ASD-O) (G. E. Martin, Bush, Klusek, Patel, & Losh, 2018). Understanding the basis of pragmatic language problems, which may differ across clinical populations, is a critical step for the development of effective, targeted interventions to promote communicative competence across the lifespan. It is also highly relevant to understanding the etiology of discrete pragmatic impairments that are associated with ASD. This study explored pragmatic language in children with FXS, ASD-O, Down syndrome (DS), and typical development (TD), and their parents, focusing on structured and unstructured parent-child communicative interactions as an important context for the evaluation of pragmatic language skills. Because parents are often the child’s primary conversational partner, parent-child interactions represent a key source of language input throughout childhood, which can significantly impact pragmatic language development. Beyond this, a subgroup of parents of children with ASD and FXS have been shown to demonstrate their own subtle pragmatic differences as part of the Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP), and such pragmatic language features may importantly contribute to the complexity of conversational interactions as they relate to child pragmatic language outcomes. The results of this study showed important areas of overlap and divergence across the FXS-ASD and ASD-O child and parent groups and also highlighted key differences in pragmatic profiles based on situational context. The findings also reflect a reciprocal interaction between parent and child use of pragmatic skills during both structured and unstructured conversations, with some notable differences according to diagnostic group and specific language features. Distinct cognitive and behavioral factors contributed to pragmatic difficulty in the two ASD groups, and exploratory analyses revealed that parent-child interactions may influence child longitudinal outcomes. These findings help to delineate the dynamic and multifactorial nature of impaired pragmatic language skills across children with FXS, ASD, and DS. The exploration of related cognitive and behavioral mechanisms and longitudinal outcome measures offers preliminary guidance for the development of target-specific interventions within the domain of pragmatic communication skills.

Creator

• Bush, Lauren

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-8avn-qz86

Subject

• Clinical psychology

Language

• en

Alternate Identifier

• http://dissertations.umi.com/northwestern:15022
• etdadmin_upload_720549

Keyword

• Down Syndrome
• Pragmatic Language
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Fragile X Syndrome

Date created

• 2019-01-01

Resource type

• Dissertation

Rights statement

• In Copyright