Hostname: page-component-77f85d65b8-9nbrm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-04-12T21:25:02.644Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Constructionist Approach Offers a Useful Lens on Language Learning in Autistic Individuals: Response to Kissine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Adele E. Goldberg  and
Kirsten Abbot-Smith
Adele E. Goldberg*
Affiliation:
Princeton University
Kirsten Abbot-Smith*
Affiliation:
University of Kent
*
[adele@Princeton.edu], [K.Abbot-Smith@kent.ac.uk]
[adele@Princeton.edu], [K.Abbot-Smith@kent.ac.uk]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The constructionist approach argues that communication is central to language learning, language use, and language change. We argue that the approach provides a useful perspective on how autistic children learn language, as it anticipates variable outcomes and suggests testable predictions. First, a reduced ability and interest in tracking the attention and intentions of others should negatively impact early language development, and a wealth of evidence indicates that it does. Second, and less discussed until recently, a hyperfocus on specifics at the expense of generalizations, common among people on the spectrum, should also negatively impact language development, and recent evidence suggests this is also the case. Pace Kissine's 2021 target article, it is unsurprising that children can learn some second language from watching videos, and it is unclear how an appeal to ‘innate’ language-specific knowledge could explain the range of outcomes of individuals on the autism spectrum.

Keywords

autismconstructionismusage-based approachlanguage learningcommunicationgeneralizationuniversal grammar

Information

Type
Perspectives
Information
Language , Volume 97 , Issue 3 , September 2021 , pp. e169 - e183
Copyright
Copyright © 2021 Linguistic Society of America

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Footnotes

*

Thanks go to the Overdeck Family Foundation for supporting the research described in §5.

References

Abbot-Smith, Kirsten. 2020. Language disorders and autism: Implications for usage-based theories of language development. Current perspectives on child language acquisition: How children use their environment to learn, ed. by Rowland, Caroline F., Theakston, Anna L., Ambridge, Ben, and Twomey, Katherine E., 287–321. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.10.1075/tilar.27.13abbCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Abeillé, Anne, Hemforth, Barbara, Winckel, Elodie; and Gibson, Edward. 2020. Extraction from subjects: Differences in acceptability depend on the discourse function of the construction. Cognition 204. 42–93. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104293.10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104293CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Akhtar, Nameera, Jipson, Jennifer; and Callanan, Maureen A.. 2001. Learning words through overhearing. Child Development 72(2). 416–30. DOI: 10.1111/1467-8624.00287.10.1111/1467-8624.00287CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ambridge, Ben. 2020. Abstractions made of exemplars or ‘You're all right, and I've changed my mind’: Response to commentators. First Language 40(5–6). 640–59. DOI: 10.1177/0142723720949723.10.1177/0142723720949723CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ambridge, Ben, Pine, Julian M.; and Lieven, Elena V. M.. 2014. Child language acquisition: Why universal grammar doesn't help. Language 90(3). e53–e90. DOI: 10.1353/lan.2014.0051.10.1353/lan.2014.0051CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Association, American Psychiatric. 2013. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, Deborah K., Lord, Catherine, Risi, Susan, DiLavore, Pamela S., Shulman, Cory, Thurm, Audrey, Welch, Kathleen; and Pickles, Andrew. 2007. Patterns of growth in verbal abilities among children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 75(4). 594–604. DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.75.4.594.10.1037/0022-006X.75.4.594CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bates, Elizabeth. 1997. On language savants and the structure of the mind: Review of The mind of a savant: Language learning and modularity, by Neil Smith and Ianthi-Maria Tsimpli, 1995. International Journal of Bilingualism 1(2). 163–79. DOI: 10.1177/136700699700100204.10.1177/136700699700100204CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bauminger-Zviely, Nirit, Karin, Eynat, Kimhi, Yael; and Agam-Ben-Artzi, Galit. 2014. Spontaneous peer conversation in preschoolers with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder versus typical development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 55(4). 363–73. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12158.10.1111/jcpp.12158CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bennett, Teresa A., Szatmari, Peter, Georgiades, Katholiki, Hanna, Steven, Janus, Magdelena, Georgiades, Stelios, Duku, Eric, Bryson, Susan, Fombonne, Eric, Smith, Isabel M.; et al. 2015. Do reciprocal associations exist between social and language pathways in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 56(8). 874–83. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12356.10.1111/jcpp.12356CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beversdorf, David Q., Smith, Brian W., Crucian, Gregory P., Anderson, Jeffrey M., Keillor, Jocelyn M., Barrett, Anna M., Hughes, John D., Felopulos, Gretchen J., Bauman, Margaret L., Nadeau, Stephen E.; and Heilman, Kenneth M.. 2000. Increased discrimination of ‘false memories’ in autism spectrum disorder. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 97(15). 8734–37. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.97.15.8734.10.1073/pnas.97.15.8734CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brosnan, Mark J., Scott, Fiona J., Fox, Simone; and Pye, Jackie. 2004. Gestalt processing in autism: Failure to process perceptual relationships and the implications for contextual understanding. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 45(3). 459–69. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00237.x.10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00237.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bruner, Jerome. 1978. The role of dialogue in language acquisition. The child's conception of language, ed. by Sinclair, Anne, Jarvella, Robert J., and Levelt, Willem J. M., 241–56. Berlin: Springer.Google Scholar
Bybee, Joan. 2010. Language, usage and cognition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511750526.10.1017/CBO9780511750526CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carpenter, Malinda, and Tomasello, Michael. 2000. Joint attention, cultural learning, and language acquisition: Implications for children with autism. Autism spectrum disorders: A transactional developmental perspective, ed. by Wetherby, Amy M. and Prizant, Barry M., 31–54. Baltimore: Brookes.Google Scholar
Casenhiser, Devin M. 2005. Children's resistance to homonymy: An experimental study of pseudohomonyms. Journal of Child Language 32(2). 319–43. DOI: 10.1017/S0305000904006749.10.1017/S0305000904006749CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Casillas, Marisa, Brown, Penelope; and Levinson, Stephen C.. 2019. Early language experience in a Tseltal Mayan village. Child Development 91(5). 1819–35. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13349.Google Scholar
Charman, Tony. 2003. Why is joint attention a pivotal skill in autism? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 358(1430). 315–24. DOI: 101098/rstb.2002.1199.10.1098/rstb.2002.1199CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christiansen, Morten H., and Chater, Nick. 2016. Creating language: Integrating evolution, acquisition, and processing. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.10.7551/mitpress/10406.001.0001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Culicover, Peter W., Nowak, Andrzej; and Borkowski, Wojciech. 2003. Linguistic theory, explanation and the dynamics of grammar. The nature of explanation in linguistic theory, ed. by Moore, John and Polinsky, Maria. Stanford, CA: CSLI Publications.Google Scholar
Dąbrowska, Ewa. 2015. What exactly is universal grammar, and has anyone seen it? Frontiers in Psychology 6:852. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00852.10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00852CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dahlgren, Svenolof, and Sandberg, Annika Dahlgren. 2008. Referential communication in children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism 12(4). 335–48. DOI: 10.1177/1362361308091648.10.1177/1362361308091648CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dancygier, Barbara. 2011. The language of stories: A cognitive approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511794414.10.1017/CBO9780511794414CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Marchena, Ashley B., and Eigsti, Inge-Marie. 2016. The art of common ground: Emergence of a complex pragmatic language skill in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Child Language 43(1). 43–80. DOI: 10.1017/S0305000915000070.10.1017/S0305000915000070CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
de Marchena, Ashley B., Eigsti, Inge-Marie; and Yerys, Benjamin E.. 2015. Brief report: Generalization weaknesses in verbally fluent children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 45. 3370–76. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2478-6.10.1007/s10803-015-2478-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diessel, Holger. 2019. The grammar network: How linguistic structure is shaped by language use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: 10.1017/9781108671040.10.1017/9781108671040CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis Weismer, Susan, and Kover, Sara T.. 2015. Preschool language variation, growth, and predictors in children on the autism spectrum. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 56(12). 1327–37. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12406.10.1111/jcpp.12406CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fitch, Allison, Fein, Deborah A.; and Eigsti, Inge-Marie. 2015. Detail and gestalt focus in individuals with optimal outcomes from autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 45. 1887–96. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-014-2347-8.10.1007/s10803-014-2347-8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Floyd, Sammy, and Goldberg, Adele E.. 2021. Children make use of relationships across meanings in word learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 47(1). 29–44. DOI: 10.1037/xlm0000821.Google ScholarPubMed
Floyd, Sammy, Jeppsen, Charlotte; and Goldberg, Adele E.. 2021. Brief report: Children on the autism spectrum are challenged by complex word meanings. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 51. 2543–49. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04687-x.10.1007/s10803-020-04687-xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gardner, Rod, and Mushin, Ilana. 2015. Expanded transition spaces: The case of Garrwa. Frontiers in Psychology 6:251. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00251.10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00251CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Glenwright, Melanie, and Agbayewa, Abiola S.. 2012. Older children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders can comprehend verbal irony in computer-mediated communication. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 6(2). 628–38. DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2011.09.013.10.1016/j.rasd.2011.09.013CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, Adele E. 2006. Constructions at work: The nature of generalization in language. Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199268511.001.0001.Google Scholar
Goldberg, Adele E. 2019. Explain me this: Creativity, competition, and the partial productivity of constructions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Harris, Randy Allen, Marco, Chrysanne Di, Mehlenbacher, Ashley Rose, Clapperton, Robert, Choi, Insun, Li, Isabel, Ruan, Sebastian; and O'Reilly, Cliff. 2017. A cognitive ontology of rhetorical figures. Paper presented at Cognition and Ontologies 2017, 18–21 April, University of Bath.Google Scholar
Hartley, Calum, Trainer, Alice; and Allen, Melissa L.. 2019. Investigating the relationship between language and picture understanding in children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism 23(1). 187–98. DOI: 10.1177/1362361317729613.10.1177/1362361317729613CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heasman, Brett, and Gillespie, Alex. 2019. Neurodivergent intersubjectivity: Distinctive features of how autistic people create shared understanding. Autism 23(4). 910–21. DOI: 10.1177/1362361318785172.10.1177/1362361318785172CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henry, Laura, Farmer, Cristan, Manwaring, Stacy S., Swineford, Lauren; and Thurm, Audrey. 2018. Trajectories of cognitive development in toddlers with language delays. Research in Developmental Disabilities 81. 65–72. DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2018.04.005.10.1016/j.ridd.2018.04.005CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Herbst, Thomas. 2018. Collo-creativity and blending: Recognizing creativity requires lexical storage in constructional slots. Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik 66(3). 309–28. DOI: 10.1515/zaa-2018-0027.10.1515/zaa-2018-0027CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffmann, Thomas. 2015. Cognitive sociolinguistic aspects of football chants: The role of social and physical context in usage-based construction grammar. Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik 63(3). 273–94. DOI: 10.1515/zaa-2015-0023.10.1515/zaa-2015-0023CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffman, Thomas, and Bergs, Alexander. 2018. A construction grammar approach to genre. CogniTextes: Revue de l'Association française de linguistique cognitive 18. DOI: 10.4000/cognitextes.1032.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jackendoff, Ray, and Audring, Jenny. 2016. Morphological schemas: Theoretical and psycholinguistic issues. The Mental Lexicon 11(3). 467–93. DOI: 10.1075/ml.11.3.06jac.10.1075/ml.11.3.06jacCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, Emily J. H., Gliga, Teodora, Bedford, Rachael, Charman, Tony; and Johnson, Mark H.. 2014. Developmental pathways to autism: A review of prospective studies of infants at risk. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 39. 1–33. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.12.001.10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.12.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kapatsinski, Vsevolod. 2018. Changing minds changing tools: From learning theory to language acquisition to language change. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Kim, Jong-Bok, and Michaelis, Laura A.. 2020. Syntactic constructions in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Kim, So Hyun, Paul, Rhea, Flusberg, Helen Tager; and Lord, Catherine. 2014. Language and communication in autism. Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders, 4th edn., ed. by Volkmar, Fred R., Paul, Rhea, Rogers, Sally J., and Pelphrey, Kevin A., 230–62. DOI: 10.1002/9781118911389.hautc10.10.1002/9781118911389.hautc10.10.1002/9781118911389.hautc10.10.1002/9781118911389.hautc10CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kissine, Mikhail. 2021. Autism, constructionism, and nativism. Language 97(3). e139–e160.10.1353/lan.2021.0055CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kissine, Mikhail, Luffin, Xavier, Aiad, Fethia, Bourourou, Rym, Deliens, Gaétane; and Gaddour, Naoufel. 2019. Noncolloquial Arabic in Tunisian children with autism spectrum disorder: A possible instance of language acquisition in a noninteractive context. Language Learning 69(1). 44–70. DOI: 10.1111/lang.12312.10.1111/lang.12312CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klinger, Laura Grofer, and Dawson, Geraldine. 2001. Prototype formation in autism. Development and Psychopathology 13(1). 111–24. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579401001080.10.1017/S0954579401001080CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuhl, Patricia K. 2007. Is speech learning ‘gated’ by the social brain? Developmental Science 10(1). 110–20. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2007.00572.x.10.1111/j.1467-7687.2007.00572.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuhl, Patricia K., Coffrey-Corina, Sharon, Padden, Denise; and Dawson, Geraldine. 2005. Links between social and linguistic processing of speech in preschool children with autism: Behavioral and electrophysiological measures. Developmental Science 8(1).F1–F2. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2004.00384.x.10.1111/j.1467-7687.2004.00384.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuhl, Patricia K., Coffey-Corina, Sharon, Padden, Denise, Munson, Jeffrey, Estes, Annette; and Dawson, Geraldine. 2013. Brain responses to words in 2-year-olds with autism predict developmental outcomes at age 6. PLoS ONE 8:e64967. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064967.10.1371/journal.pone.0064967CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuhl, Patricia K., Tsao, Feng-Ming; and Liu, Huei-Mei. 2003. Foreign-language experience in infancy: Effects of short-term exposure and social interaction on phonetic learning. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 100(15). 9096–9101. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1532872100.10.1073/pnas.1532872100CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Landau, Barbara, Smith, Linda B.; and Jones, Susan S.. 1988. The importance of shape in early lexical learning. Cognitive Development 3(1). 299–321. DOI: 10.1016/0885-2014(88)90014-7.10.1016/0885-2014(88)90014-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langacker, Ronald W. 1988. A usage-based model. Topics in cognitive linguistics, ed. by Rudzka-Ostyn, Brygida, 127–61. Philadelphia: John Benjamins.Google Scholar
Lieven, Elena. 2017. Is language development dependent on early communicative development? Dependencies in language: On the causal ontology of linguistic systems, ed. by Enfield, N. J., 85–96. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.573785.10.5281/zenodo.573785.10.5281/zenodo.573785.10.5281/zenodo.573785CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lieven, Elena, Behrens, Heike, Speares, Jennifer; and Tomasello, Michael. 2003. Early syntactic creativity: A usage-based approach. Journal of Child Language 30(2). 333–70. DOI: 10.1017/S0305000903005592.10.1017/S0305000903005592CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loucas, Tom, Charman, Tony, Pickles, Andrew, Simonoff, Emily, Chandler, Susie, Meldrum, David; and Baird, Gillian. 2008. Autistic symptomatology and language ability in autism spectrum disorder and specific language impairment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 49. 1184–92. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01951.x.10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01951.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luyster, Rhiannon J., Kadlec, Mary Beth, Carter, Alice; and Tager-Flusberg, Helen. 2008. Language assessment and development in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 38. 1426–38. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-007-0510-1.10.1007/s10803-007-0510-1CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Malkin, Louise, Abbot-Smith, Kirsten, Williams, David; and Ayling, John. 2018. When do children with autism spectrum disorder take common ground into account during communication? Autism Research 11(10). 1366–75. DOI: 10.1002/aur.2007.10.1002/aur.2007CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Matthews, Danielle, and Bannard, Colin. 2010. Children's production of unfamiliar word sequences is predicted by positional variability and latent classes in a large sample of child-directed speech. Cognitive Science 34(3). 465–88. DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-6709.2009.01091.x.10.1111/j.1551-6709.2009.01091.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molesworth, Catherine J., Bowler, Dermot M.; and Hampton, James A.. 2005. The prototype effect in recognition memory: Intact in autism? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 46(6). 661–72. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00383.x.10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00383.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mottron, Laurent, Dawson, Michelle, Soulières, Isabelle, Hubert, Benedicte; and Burack, Jake. 2006. Enhanced perceptual functioning in autism: An update, and eight principles of autistic perception. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 36. 27–43. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-005-0040-7.10.1007/s10803-005-0040-7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mottron, Laurent, Morasse, Karine; and Belleville, Sylvie. 2001. A study of memory functioning in individuals with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 4(2). 253–60. DOI: 10.1111/1469-7610.00716.Google Scholar
Mundy, Peter, and Jarrold, William. 2010. Infant joint attention, neural networks and social cognition. Neural Networks 23(8–9). 985–97. DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2010.08.009.10.1016/j.neunet.2010.08.009CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mundy, Peter, Sigman, Marian; and Kasari, Connie. 1990. A longitudinal study of joint attention and language development in autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 20. 115–28. DOI: 10.1007/BF02206861.10.1007/BF02206861CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nadig, Aparna, Lee, Iris, Singh, Leher, Bosshart, Kyle; and Ozonoff, Sally. 2010. How does the topic of conversation affect verbal exchange and eye gaze? A comparison between typical development and high-functioning autism. Neuropsychologia 48(9). 2730–39. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.05.020.10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.05.020CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paul, Rhea, Campbell, Daniel, Gilbert, Kimberly; and Tsiouri, Ioanna. 2013. Comparing spoken language treatments for minimally verbal preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 43. 418–31. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-012-1583-z.10.1007/s10803-012-1583-zCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pérez-Hernández, Lorena. 2020. Speech acts in English: From research to instruction and textbook development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: 10.1017/9781108677073.10.1017/9781108677073CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pexman, Penny M., Rostad, Kristin R., McMorris, Carly A., Climie, Emma A., Stowkowy, Jacqueline; and Glenwright, Melanie R.. 2011. Processing of ironic language in children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 41. 1097–1112. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-010-1131-7.10.1007/s10803-010-1131-7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Plaisted, Kate, O'Riordan;, Michelle and Baron-Cohen, Simon. 1998. Enhanced visual search for a conjunctive target in autism: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 39(5). 777–83. DOI: 10.1111/1469-7610.00376.10.1111/1469-7610.00376CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Potrzeba, Emily R., Fein, Deborah; and Naigles, Letitia. 2015. Investigating the shape bias in typically developing children and children with autism spectrum disorders. Frontiers in Psychology 6:446. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00446.10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00446CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Preissler, Melissa Allen, and Carey, Susan. 2005. The role of inferences about referential intent in word learning: Evidence from autism. Cognition 97(1).B13–B23. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2005.01.008.10.1016/j.cognition.2005.01.008CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruppenhofer, Josef, and Michaelis, Laura A.. 2010. A constructional account of genre-based argument omissions. Constructions and Frames 2(2). 158–84. DOI: 10.1075/cf.2.2.02rup.10.1075/cf.2.2.02rupCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shneidman, Laura A., and Goldin-Meadow, Susan. 2012. Language input and acquisition in a Mayan village: How important is directed speech? Developmental Science 15(5). 659–73. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01168.x.10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01168.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sigman, Marian, and McGovern, Corina W.. 2005. Improvement in cognitive and language skills from preschool to adolescence in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 35. 15–23. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-004-1027-5.10.1007/s10803-004-1027-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sigman, Marian, and Ruskin, Ellen. 1999. Continuity and change in the social competence of children with autism, Down syndrome, and developmental delays. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development 64(1). 1–114. DOI: 10.1111/1540-5834.00002.10.1111/1540-5834.00002CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Siller, Michael, and Sigman, Marian. 2008. Modeling longitudinal change in the language abilities of children with autism: Parent behaviors and child characteristics as predictors of change. Developmental Psychology 44(6). 1691–1704. DOI: 10.1037/a0013771.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sinha, Pawan, Kjelgaard, Margaret M., Gandhi, Tapan K., Tsourides, Kleovoulos, Cardinaux, Annie L., Pantazis, Dimitrios, Diamond, Sidney P.; and Held, Richard M.. 2014. Autism as a disorder of prediction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111(42). 15220–25. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1416797111.10.1073/pnas.1416797111CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, Linda B., Jones, Susan S., Landau, Barbara, Gershkoff-Stowe, Lisa; and Samuelson, Larissa. 2002. Object name learning provides on-the-job training for attention. Psychological Science 13(1). 13–19. DOI: 10.1111/1467-9280.00403.10.1111/1467-9280.00403CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, Neil, and Tsimpli, Ianthi-Maria. 1996. Modules and quasi-modules: Language and theory of mind in a polyglot savant. University College London Working Papers in Linguistics 8. 1–17.Google Scholar
Srinivasan, Mahesh, Berner, Catherine; and Rabagliati, Hugh. 2018. Children use polysemy to structure new word meanings. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 148(5). 926–42. DOI: 10.1037/xge0000454.Google ScholarPubMed
Steen, Francis, and Turner, Mark B.. 2013. Multimodal construction grammar. Language and the creative mind, ed. by Borkent, Michael, Dancygier, Barbara, and Hinnell, Jennifer, 255–74. Stanford, CA: CSLI Publications.Google Scholar
Strouse, Gabrielle A., and Samson, Jennifer E.. 2021. Learning from video: A meta-analysis of the video deficit in children ages 0 to 6 years. Child Development 92(1). e20–e38. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13429.10.1111/cdev.13429CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Su, Pumpki L., Rogers, Sally J., Estes, Annette; and Yoder, Paul. 2020. The role of early social motivation in explaining variability in functional language in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder. Autism 25(1). 244–57. DOI: 10.1177/1362361320953260.Google ScholarPubMed
Suarez-Rivera, Catalina, Smith, Linda B.; and Yu, Chen. 2019. Multimodal parent behaviors within joint attention support sustained attention in infants. Developmental Psychology 55(1). 96–109. DOI: 10.1037/dev0000628.10.1037/dev0000628CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tager-Flusberg, Helen, and Kasari, Connie. 2013. Minimally verbal school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder: The neglected end of the spectrum. Autism Research 6(6). 468–78. DOI: 10.1002/aur.1329.10.1002/aur.1329CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tek, Saime, Jaffery, Gul, Fein, Deborah; and Naigles, Letitia R.. 2008. Do children with autism spectrum disorders show a shape bias in word learning? Autism Research 1(4). 208–22. DOI: 10.1002/aur.38.10.1002/aur.38CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thurm, Audrey, Manwaring, Stacy S., Swineford, Lauren; and Farmer, Cristan. 2015. Longitudinal study of symptom severity and language in minimally verbal children with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 56(1). 97–104. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12285.10.1111/jcpp.12285CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tomasello, Michael. 2003. Constructing a language: A usage-based theory of language acquisition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Tomasello, Michael. 2008. Origins of human communication. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.10.7551/mitpress/7551.001.0001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tomasello, Michael. 2009. Universal grammar is dead. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 32(5). 470–71. DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X09990744.10.1017/S0140525X09990744CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tomasello, Michael, and Barton, Michelle. 1994. Learning words in nonostensive contexts. Developmental Psychology 30(5). 639–50. DOI: 10.1037/0012-1649.30.5.639.10.1037/0012-1649.30.5.639CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tomasello, Michael, and Carpenter, Malinda. 2005. Intention reading and imitative learning. Perspectives on imitation: From neuroscience to social science, vol. 2: Imitation, human development, and culture, ed. by Hurley, Susan and Chater, Nick, 133–48. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Tomasello, Michael, and Farrar, Michael Jeffrey. 1986. Object permanence and relational words: A lexical training study. Journal of Child Language 13(3). 495–505. DOI: 10.1017/S030500090000684X.10.1017/S030500090000684XCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tovar, Ángel Eugenio, Rodríguez-Granados, Angélica; and Arias-Trejo, Natalia. 2020. Atypical shape bias and categorization in autism: Evidence from children and computational simulations. Developmental Science 23(2):e12885. DOI: 10.1111/desc.12885.10.1111/desc.12885CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
de Cruys, Van, Sander, , Evers, Kris, Van, Ruth Hallen, der, Van Eylen, Lien, Boets, Bart, de-Wit, Lee; and Wagemans, Johan. 2014. Precise minds in uncertain worlds: Predictive coding in autism. Psychological Review 121(4). 649–75. DOI: 10.1037/a0037665.Google Scholar
Wodka, Ericka L., Mathy, Pamela; and Kalb, Luther. 2013. Predictors of phrase and fluent speech in children with autism and severe language delay. Pediatrics 131(4). e1128–e1134. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2012-2221.10.1542/peds.2012-2221CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yeung, H. Henny, and Werker, Janet F.. 2009. Learning words' sounds before learning how words sound: 9-month-olds use distinct objects as cues to categorize speech information. Cognition 113(2). 234–43. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2009.08.010.10.1016/j.cognition.2009.08.010CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yoder, Paul, Watson, Linda R.; and Lambert, Warren. 2015. Value-added predictors of expressive and receptive language growth in initially nonverbal preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 45. 1254–70. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-014-2286-4.10.1007/s10803-014-2286-4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yu, Chen, and Smith, Linda B.. 2016. The social origins of sustained attention in one-year-old human infants. Current Biology 26(9). 1235–40. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.026.10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.026CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed