Statistical word learning in children with autism spectrum disorder and specific language impairment
Statistical word learning in children with autism spectrum disorder and specific language impairment
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DOI：
10.1111/jcpp.12734
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发表时间：
2017-11-01
影响因子：
7.6
通讯作者：
Weismer, Susan Ellis
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Haebig, Eileen;Saffran, Jenny R.;Weismer, Susan Ellis
背景：词汇学习是语言发展的重要组成部分，影响儿童在多个领域的结果。尽管单词知识的重要性，单词学习机制在特定语言障碍（SLI）和自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童中的理解很少。本研究探讨了典型和非典型发展的学龄儿童的词汇学习，特别是统计学习和快速映射的潜在机制。方法：通过分词任务评估统计学习，并在对象标签关联任务中检查快速映射。在第三个任务中，我们还研究了儿童将意义映射到新分割的单词上的能力，该任务结合了人工语言和快速映射任务。结果如下：SLI儿童在分词和快速绘图任务上的表现较差，相对于典型的发展中国家和ASD组，他们之间没有差异。然而，当SLI儿童接触到一种人工语言，在随后的快速映射任务中使用的音素，他们成功地学会了更多的单词比孤立的快速映射任务。有一些证据表明，在具有典型发育和ASD的学龄儿童中，分词能力与单词学习相关，但与SLI无关。随访分析还检查了患有ASD的儿童的表现，这些儿童有语言障碍和没有语言障碍。有语言障碍的ASD儿童表现出完整的统计学习能力，但在快速映射能力方面存在微妙的弱点。结论：正如程序缺陷假说（PDH）预测的那样，SLI儿童在统计学习方面存在障碍。然而，患有SLI的儿童在快速映射方面也有障碍。尽管如此，他们能够利用额外的语音暴露来提高随后的单词学习成绩。与PDH相反，ASD儿童似乎具有完整的统计学习，无论语言状态如何;然而，快速映射能力根据更广泛的语言技能而有所不同。
Background: Word learning is an important component of language development that influences child outcomes across multiple domains. Despite the importance of word knowledge, word-learning mechanisms are poorly understood in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined underlying mechanisms of word learning, specifically, statistical learning and fast-mapping, in school-aged children with typical and atypical development. Methods: Statistical learning was assessed through a word segmentation task and fast-mapping was examined in an object-label association task. We also examined children's ability to map meaning onto newly segmented words in a third task that combined exposure to an artificial language and a fast-mapping task. Results: Children with SLI had poorer performance on the word segmentation and fast-mapping tasks relative to the typically developing and ASD groups, who did not differ from one another. However, when children with SLI were exposed to an artificial language with phonemes used in the subsequent fast-mapping task, they successfully learned more words than in the isolated fast-mapping task. There was some evidence that word segmentation abilities are associated with word learning in school-aged children with typical development and ASD, but not SLI. Follow-up analyses also examined performance in children with ASD who did and did not have a language impairment. Children with ASD with language impairment evidenced intact statistical learning abilities, but subtle weaknesses in fast-mapping abilities. Conclusions: As the Procedural Deficit Hypothesis (PDH) predicts, children with SLI have impairments in statistical learning. However, children with SLI also have impairments in fast-mapping. Nonetheless, they are able to take advantage of additional phonological exposure to boost subsequent word-learning performance. In contrast to the PDH, children with ASD appear to have intact statistical learning, regardless of language status; however, fast-mapping abilities differ according to broader language skills.