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Constraints on the Representation of Word Meaning: Evidence From Autistic and Mentally Retarded Children

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The Development of Word Meaning

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Cognitive Development ((2116))

Abstract

There is a girl in England called Nadia whose exceptional drawing ability has captured the attention of psychologists from around the world. Her unusual talents, which allowed her to draw like a skilled adolescent when she was only 4 years old, are all the more striking since she is an autistic child. Her graphic skills blossomed when she was a preschooler, even though at that time she could hardly communicate, she had poor gross motor skills, and her intellectual level was in the retarded range. This remarkable child has interested numerous researchers (Gardner, 1983; Selfe, 1977), in part because it is often the exceptional ability or unique disorder which can inform us most about the nature of human cognition.

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© 1986 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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Tager-Flusberg, H. (1986). Constraints on the Representation of Word Meaning: Evidence From Autistic and Mentally Retarded Children. In: Kuczaj, S.A., Barrett, M.D. (eds) The Development of Word Meaning. Springer Series in Cognitive Development. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4844-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4844-6_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-9326-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-4844-6

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