ERIC Number: EJ1460752
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Mar
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: EISSN-1573-3432
Available Date: 2024-02-25
Foundations of Vocal Category Development in Autistic Infants
Pumpki Lei Su1,2; Hyunjoo Yoo3; Gordon Ramsay4,5; Helen L. Long6; Edina R. Bene7; Cheryl Klaiman4,5; Stormi L. Pulver4,5; Shana Richardson4; Moira L. Pileggi4; Natalie Brane4; D. Kimbrough Oller7,8,9
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v55 n3 p862-872 2025
The present study compared the infant's tendency in the first year of life to produce clusters of particular vocal types (squeals, vocants, and growls) in typically developing (TD) and autistic infants. Vocal clustering provides evidence of vocal category formation and may establish a foundation for speech development. Specifically, we compared the extent of vocal clustering across outcome groups and age groups. We also examined the associations between the extent of vocal clustering and later outcomes at 2 years within the autistic group. Randomly selected 5-min segments (27,153 5-min segments total) from 1293 all-day home recordings from 103 TD infants and 44 autistic infants across the first year were humancoded (about 9.75 h of data coded per infant on average) to derive vocal clustering patterns. Fisher's exact tests were used to compare the occurrence of squeals versus vocants, as well as growls versus vocants, across coded segments. Infants in both groups demonstrated clear clustering patterns of squeals and growls across all age groups. The extent of vocal clustering in the autistic group did not correlate significantly with later language, repetitive behavior, or autism severity outcomes. These findings highlight the robustness of the systematic production of vocal categories across the first year of life. The similarity of the clustering patterns in the TD and autistic groups suggests that vocal category formation through active infant vocal exploration is a robust feature of early speech development.
Descriptors: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Infants, Infant Behavior, Oral Language, Child Language, Speech Skills
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (DHHS/NIH); National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01DC015108; P50MH100029
Author Affiliations: 1The University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Richardson, USA; 2The University of Texas at Dallas, Callier Center for Communication Disorders, Dallas, USA; 3The University of Alabama, Department of Communicative Disorders, College of Arts & Sciences, Tuscaloosa, USA; 4Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Marcus Autism Center, Atlanta, USA; 5Emory School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Atlanta, USA; 6University of Wisconsin–Madison, Waisman Center, Madison, USA; 7University of Memphis, Origin of Language Laboratories, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Memphis, USA; 8University of Memphis, Institute for Intelligent Systems, Memphis, USA; 9Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Klosterneuburg, Austria