Project Two rough draft

Language Impairment in Children with Autism

The American Psychiatric Association defines autism in terms of a triad of core impairments in social interaction, communication, and behavioral flexibility. There are many different forms of Autism and there are many different levels of Autism. Tons of different symptoms fall under the umbrella of Autism, but language is the one that my two articles focused on the most. Since my major is psychology and I am interested in going into Child Psychology I thought learning more about language could help me significantly in my career future.
Language and communication are a very important part of anyone and everyone’s life. Children with Autism often have a hard time communicating with caretakers and teachers. They cannot voice what they need to say, if they are hungry, or tired, or if they simply want to express what is on their mind. It can also be very hard on the parents because they cannot tell what their own child needs, or what they are thinking.
Specific language impairment (SLI), sometimes referred to as developmental language disorder, is diagnosed in children who display markedly impaired spoken language functioning with test scores at least 1.25 SDs below the mean, despite normal nonverbal intelligence, and with no apparent sensory or neurological dysfunction (Language in Autism and Specific Language Impairment). SLI is only diagnosed in children if they do not have any other symptoms of Autism, but like Autism it has many different branches.
Researchers have thought that SLI and Autism are related. One early hypothesis was that autism resulted from a severe developmental language disorder leading to social withdrawal, disorientation, and reactive rigidity of behavior (Language in Autism and Specific Language Impairment). Then another researcher argued that language developmental impairment could occur independently of Autism. More recently evidence has shown that language impairments in autism and SLI are more closely related than researchers thought.
During the early stages of development parents play a huge role in the development of their child’s language skills. Particularly during the early period from 9 to 15 months, several longitudinal studies have found that responsive parental behaviors reliably predict children's subsequent rate of language acquisition. Parents who are more likely to provide language input that is contingent on children's attention and activity have children who subsequently develop language at a faster rate than children of parents who are less likely to provide contingent language initially (Modeling Longitudinal Change in the Language Abilities of Children With Autism).
Children with autism show a characteristic deficit in joint attention. They respond to joint attention less than either typically developing or developmentally delayed children. They also initiate joint attention less than children in these other groups in that they make fewer attempts to direct the attention of another person to an object or event by pointing, showing, or alternating their gaze between an object and another person's eyes (Modeling Longitudinal Change in the Language Abilities of Children With Autism).
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with strong genetic influences. Moreover, the nature of these abnormalities is likely to constrain a child's potential for language learning. At the same time, it has been suggested that interactive experiences may be particularly powerful in promoting the language development of children whose biological constitution puts them at risk for language delay.
The first article I read, Language in Autism and Specific Language Impairment: Where Are the Links?, suggested that a child’s language development is simply up to the parents and the child’s environment. The second article I read, Modeling Longitudinal Change in the Language Abilities of Children With Autism: Parent Behaviors and Child Characteristics as Predictors of Change, also talked about a child’s environment, but it focused more on the genetic aspect of Autism. These two articles were interesting to read because it brought up the reoccurring conflict of Nature vs. Nurture. There is no way of knowing what exactly causes language impairment but these articles helped my understanding of what could possibly effect a child’s language development.