Neurobiological signatures of perception and imitation of AV speech in children w

描述（由申请人提供）：表达性语言问题对认知和社会发展以及长期结果（如独立生活的能力）造成重大障碍。自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的口语存在显著差异（Kjelgaard & Tager-Flusberg, 2001; Paul, 2007; Tager-Flusberg, 2004），从缺乏功能性言语交流到相对较少的生产性语言。了解口语缺陷的来源是至关重要的，因为生产技能是这一人群发展结果的关键预测因素（Venter et al. 1992）。该项目直接解决了自闭症谱系障碍研究中的一个关键问题；语言功能的异质性。观察到的语言异质性的一个候选来源是ASD儿童对他人面孔的凝视调节能力差（例如，Hobson等人，1988；Klin等人，2002）。这种对面部的有限凝视可能会对语言学习产生连锁反应，因为它减少了1)对说话者发音的可见方面的接触，2)模仿可见语言手势的可能性。在当前的建议中，敏感的神经生物学和行为技术，包括脑电图（EEG）、事件相关电位（ERP）和眼动追踪将与新的语音任务相结合，为ASD儿童视听语音的感知、整合和产生提供一个窗口。此外，虽然正常发育的儿童在社交或语言功能方面没有表现出困难，但有些儿童与ASD儿童一样有语言缺陷，但在社交互惠方面没有表现出主要缺陷。因此，我们将把自闭症儿童与表达性语言匹配组和年龄匹配组进行比较，这将使我们能够梳理出语言和社会因素对语言功能问题的影响。通过检查学龄儿童的AV语音感知，当语言结果已知时，我们提供了一个潜在的语言功能标记，以识别在后期语言发展中具有严重缺陷风险的幼儿。这项研究将扩大我们对视听语音感知和模仿的神经生物学基础的理解，这对口语习得具有重要意义。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Problems in expressive language create significant barriers in cognitive and social development and in long- term outcomes, such as the ability to live independently. There is significant variability in spoken language in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (Kjelgaard & Tager-Flusberg, 2001; Paul, 2007; Tager- Flusberg, 2004), ranging from an absence of functional verbal communication to relatively spared productive language. Understanding the source of deficits in spoken language is crucial, as productive skill is a key predictor of developmental outcome in this population (Venter et al. 1992). This project directly addresses a critical problem in the study of ASD; heterogeneity in language functioning. One candidate source of the observed heterogeneity in language is the poor modulation of gaze to faces of others in children with ASD (e.g., Hobson et al., 1988; Klin et al., 2002). This limited gaze to the face may have cascading effects on language learning by reducing 1) access to the visible aspects of a speaker's articulations and 2) the likelihood of imitation of visible speech gestures. In the current proposal, sensitive neurobiological and behavioral techniques including electroencephalography (EEG), event related potentials (ERP) and eye tracking will be paired with novel speech tasks to provide a window on the factors that underlie the perception, integration and production of audiovisual speech in children with ASD. In addition, while typically developing children do not exhibit difficulty with social or language functioning, some children share deficits in language with children with ASD, but do not exhibit primary deficits in social reciprocity. Thus, we will compare children with ASD relative to both a group of expressive language-matched and a group of age-matched controls, which will allow us to tease apart the contribution of linguistic and social factors to problems in language functioning. By examining AV speech perception at school-age, when linguistic outcome is known, we provide a potential marker of language function to identify young children who are at particular risk for severe deficits in later language development. This research will expand our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of both perception and imitation of AV speech, which have important implications for the acquisition of spoken language.