Autism and Figurative Language

Paper Summary:

The goals of this study are to identify and analyse common autism spectrum disorder (ASD) interventions targeting social communication; to ascertain whether any of these strategies specifically target deficits in figurative language, such as the inability to understand metaphors, irony, idiomatic expressions and humour; and to discover whether any of the current strategies have proven effective in addressing deficits in figurative language. Children with ASD suffer an increased likelihood of severe anxiety (such as hypochondriasis, panic, specific fears or excessive worrying) and depression or other mood disorders. Thus, it is extremely important to develop and implement effective strategies to help such children interact in socially positive ways in order to decrease their anxieties and improve their opportunities to establish friendships.
While there has recently been a proliferation of therapeutic approaches designed to remedy the deficits in the social and linguistic skills of children who suffer from ASD, there are few published studies available regarding the efficacy of such strategies in addressing the inability to understand figurative language such as metaphor, irony, idiomatic expressions and humour. This dissertation intends to contribute to the sparse literature on this subject by looking at the communication intervention strategies currently being used with ASD children and to what degree these have proven effective in addressing figurative language deficits.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology
Discussion
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Children with ASD suffer increased likelihood of severe anxiety (such as hypochondriasis, panic, specific fears or excessive worrying) and depression or other mood disorders (Sofronoff, Attwood & Hinton, 2005). This can be predominantly attributed to the bullying and social rejection they suffer as a result of their inability to communicate in socially appropriate ways (Harvard Mental Health Letter, 2005). Difficulties in social reasoning due to an inability to accurately gauge and respond to social cues, particularly those involved with verbal and nonverbal communication, leads to problems in establishing supportive friendships with others (Sofronoff, Attwood & Hinton, 2005). In addition, impairments in social communication render the individual with ASD naive and vulnerable to being taken advantage of by unscrupulous individuals (Rajendran, Mitchell & Rickards, 2005). Thus, it is extremely important to develop and implement effective strategies to help such children interact in socially positive ways in order to decrease their anxieties and improve their opportunities to establish friendships."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aldred, C., Green, J., & Adams, C. (2004). A new social communication intervention for children with autism: pilot randomised controlled treatment study suggesting effectiveness. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(8), pp. 1,420-1,430.
• Arick, J., Young, H., Falco, R., Loos, L., Krug, D., Gense, M., & Johnson, S. (2003). Designing an outcome study to monitor the progress of students with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 18(2). Retrieved 6 February 2007 from the EBSCO MasterFILE Premier database.
• Autism Education Network. (2006). Autism interventions. Autismeducation.net. Retrieved 6 February 2007 from http://autismeducation.net/interventions.htm.
• Bodfish, J. (2004). Treating the core features of autism: Are we there yet? Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 10(4), pp. 318-326.
• Bogdashina, O. (2005). Theory of Mind and the Triad of Perspectives on Autism and Asperger Syndrome. London: Jessica Kingsley.

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