Presuppositional Skills in Children with High Functioning Autism: Given-New Information Processing

Lee, Hee Ran; Kim, Young-Tae; Lee, Seungbok

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Commun Sci Disord. 2007;12(2): 199-214.

Hee Ran Lee^` , Young-Tae Kim^` , and Seungbok Lee^`

이희란(Hee Ran Lee)| 김영태(Young-Tae Kim)| 이승복(Seungbok Lee)

ABSTRACT

Background & Objectives
Presuppositional skills are defined as knowing what it is reasonable to suppose the listener knows and needs to know. Children with high functioning autism (HFA) are known to have difficulties in presuppositional skills. The purposes of this study were 1) to identify the characteristics of presuppositional skills in children with HFA, and 2) to investigate the given-new information processing.
Methods
Forty children (20 children with HFA aged 6;0-8;11 and 20 normal children with language age[LA]-matched) were involved in the study. Ten pairs of sentences, the corresponding picture cards, and three word cards for each sentence-pair were used in the study. Ten sets of three word cards consisted of given informationof action (e.g., walk) or actor (e.g, girlfriend), and new information of action (e.g., sit). The children were to select a word card that conveys information regarding a picture card with new information of action that communication partner wanted to know.
Results
Firstly, the HFA group chose significantly more word-cards of given information than the LA controls did. Secondly, as to a given information, the HFA group tended to choose the actor than action more than the LA controls did although the tendency was not significant.
Discussion & Conclusion
Children with HFA may have difficulties in presuppositional skills in relation to given-new information processing.