Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties with social interaction, delay in language development, and repetitive behaviors. We are engaged in a number of projects that all concern language development and use in children with ASD. See tabs on the left for more information on projects.

Our focus concerns language development in children with ASD, asking these questions:

• What are the processes by which kids with ASD learn language?
• Do they demonstrate comprehension before production, showing that they are processing language ‘off-line’?
• Do they use lexical strategies/principles to figure out what words mean?
• When are they able to extract regularities and patterns in speech directed to them, outside of therapy? What do they learn from social interactions?

Funded by the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and the National Institutes of Health–Deafness and Communication Disorders