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Is Grammar Spared in Autism Spectrum Disorder? Data from Judgments of Verb Argument Structure Overgeneralization Errors

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Abstract

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) aged 11–13 (N = 16) and an IQ-matched typically developing (TD) group aged 7–12 (N = 16) completed a graded grammaticality judgment task, as well as a standardized test of cognitive function. In a departure from previous studies, the judgment task involved verb argument structure overgeneralization errors (e.g., *Lisa fell the cup off the shelf) of the type sometimes observed amongst typically developing children, as well as grammatical control sentences with the same verbs (e.g., The cup fell off the shelf). The ASD group showed a smaller dispreference for ungrammatical sentences (relative to the control sentences) than did the TD group. These findings are indicative of a subtle grammatical impairment in even relatively high-functioning children with ASD.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. Incidentally, the introduction of DSM-5 has seen a decrease in the number of individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, as compared with DSM-IV-TR Autistic disorder (AD) and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS); see Kulage et al. (2014) for a meta-analysis.

  2. Although we also administered the child version of the Reading the mind in the eyes test revised version (Baron-Cohen et al. 2001) we did not analyse these results, as a reviewer raised concern regarding the use of this test as a diagnostic measure.

  3. Composite scores were not calculated, as this requires the use of age-scaled scores, which is not appropriate, given that the aim is to match the two differently-aged groups on raw performance.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the children, parents and teachers who made this research possible. This study was funded by a grant from the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-158). Ben Ambridge and Colin Bannard are Reader and Lecturer in Psychology in the International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD) at The University of Liverpool. The support of the Economic and Social Research Council [ES/L008955/1] is gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Bedford St South, Liverpool, L69 7ZA, UK

    Ben Ambridge, Colin Bannard & Georgina H. Jackson

  2. ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD), Manchester, Liverpool and Lancaster, UK

    Ben Ambridge & Colin Bannard

Authors
  1. Ben Ambridge
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  2. Colin Bannard
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  3. Georgina H. Jackson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ben Ambridge.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Test Sentences

Type

Verb

Intransitive sentence

Transitive sentence

Counterbalance Group A

ALT

Break

The plate broke into pieces

Homer broke the plate into pieces

ALT

Grow

The flowers grew in the greenhouse

Homer grew the flowers in the greenhouse

ALT

Cook

The bread cooked in the oven

Homer cooked the bread in the oven

ALT

Slide

The truck slid across the floor

Bart slid the truck across the floor

ALT

Shatter

The vase shattered into pieces

Bart shattered the vase into pieces

INT

Fall

The cup fell off the shelf

*Lisa fell the cup off the shelf

INT

Arrive

The children arrived at the party

*Marge arrived the children at the party

INT

Laugh

The audience laughed at the joke

*Bart laughed the audience at the joke

INT

Chuckle

The audience chuckled in anticipation

*Bart chuckled the audience in anticipation

INT

Appear

The coin appeared out of thin air

*Homer appeared the coin out of thin air

Counterbalance Group B

ALT

Rip

The dress ripped at the seam

Marge ripped the dress at the seam

ALT

Smash

The glass smashed into bits

Lisa smashed the glass into bits

ALT

Fold

The scarf folded double

Marge folded the scarf double

ALT

Open

The door opened in the hallway

Homer opened the door in the hallway

ALT

Bounce

The ball bounced down the street

Lisa bounced the ball down the street

INT

Go

The bus went along the pavement

*Homer went the bus along the pavement

INT

Tumble

The books tumbled off the table

*Homer tumbled the books off the table

INT

Swim

The fish swam in the tank

*Homer swam the fish in the tank

INT

Disappear

The money disappeared from the bank account

*Marge disappeared the money from the bank account

INT

Vanish

The card vanished into thin air

*Bart vanished the card into thin air

Appendix 2: Training Sentences, and Expected Ratings on the 5-Point Scale

  • The cat drank the milk (5)

  • *The dog the ball played with (1)

  • The frog caught the fly (5)

  • *His teeth man the brushed (1)

  • *The woman said the man a funny story (2–3)

  • *The girl telephoned her friend the news (3–4)

  • The man whispered his friend the joke (4–5)

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Ambridge, B., Bannard, C. & Jackson, G.H. Is Grammar Spared in Autism Spectrum Disorder? Data from Judgments of Verb Argument Structure Overgeneralization Errors. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 3288–3296 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2487-5

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