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Syntax is the set of rules and principles that govern the organization of words into sentences in any individual language. In typical development, adult-like syntax is acquired by age 5. In ASD, it has long been thought that syntax is relatively spared and usually on par with cognitive development. However, recent research suggests that a subgroup of speakers with ASD have syntactic deficits above and beyond their cognitive limitations that resemble the deficits seen in specific language disorders.
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References and Readings
Boucher, J. (2003). Language development in autism. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 67, 159–163.
Fletcher, P. (2009). Syntax in child language disorders. In R. Schwartz (Ed.), Handbook of child language disorders (pp. 388–405). New York: Psychology Press.
Stephanie, D., & Julie, F. (2015). Exploring links between language and cognition in autism spectrum disorders: Complement sentences, false belief, and executive functioning. Journal of Communication Disorders, 54, 15–31.
Tager-Flusberg, H., & Joseph, R. M. (2003). Identifying neurocognitive phenotypes in autism. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 358, 303–314.
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Simmons, E.S. (2017). Syntax. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_991-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_991-3
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