“Not everything that steps out of line, and thus ‘abnormal’, must necessarily be ‘inferior’” Hans Asperger (1938)
Luisa is fifteen years old and a very pretty young girl. In school life, she takes the role of the friendly, shy and overly calm girl who especially flourishes when reciting verses by heart or when singing songs. In other situations, she stays very calm and sometimes even seems to be withdrawn from what is happening around her. If you spend more time together with her, you will notice how much she tries to be integrated in the social life around her, but also how she does not know how to go about it. When you talk to her, she rarely looks at her conversation partner and she often seems to answer inadequately to specific questions. Nevertheless, her vocabulary is very felicitous, although sometimes you feel like she actually does not want to listen to what you yourself have to tell.
Luisa is diagnosed with high-functioning autism. A lack of social understanding, a limited ability in conducting a reciprocal conversation and a repetitive repertoire of interests are the main symptoms of high-functioning autism. I work with Luisa and many times, I had to experience a hindered communication due to her problems of understanding the meaning of what other people say, or how to use speech appropriately herself. This is why I chose this topic.
The first part of this paper deals with the attempt to find a definition for Autism, Asperger Syndrome and High-functioning Autism. A general overview of the typical symptoms, diagnosis criteria and especially the difficulties in the prag-matic aspects of language shall be given. In the second part, the theoretical framework of this paper shall be explained. Relevance Theory and the Theory of Mind will be explained in more detail as they both might be able to explain at least some features of the language of individuals with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism. The main part of this paper, however, is concerned with the pragmatic deficits in the language of people with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism, exemplified and explained in more detail by means of several sample utterances.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. What is Autism? A short outline
2.1 Asperger syndrome (AS)
2.2 High-functioning Autism (HFA)
3. The theoretical framework of this paper: Pragmatics
3.1 Relevance Theory
3.2 Theory of Mind
4. Pragmatic deficits in the language of individuals with Asperger syndrome and High-functioning Autism
4.1 Pragmatic deficits of individuals with AS and HFA due to lack of relevance
4.2 Pragmatic deficits of individuals with AS and HFA due to difficulties in their mind-reading ability
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Focus
This paper explores the specific pragmatic language deficits observed in individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-functioning Autism, aiming to explain these communication challenges through the lenses of Relevance Theory and the Theory of Mind. The research examines why individuals with normal intelligence and linguistic development often struggle to maintain appropriate social interactions or adhere to conversational norms.
- Comparison of Asperger Syndrome and High-functioning Autism (HFA).
- Application of Relevance Theory to explain difficulties in processing contextual information.
- Investigation into Theory of Mind deficits and their impact on interpreting social cues.
- Analysis of empirical studies regarding pragmatic communication errors and "topic-drift."
- Synthesis of how cognitive principles affect verbal and non-verbal social interaction.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1 Pragmatic deficits of individuals with AS and HFA due to lack of relevance
The language skills of individuals with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism are generally characterized by pragmatic deficits in language expression as well as language comprehension. Universally, people with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism naturally want to communicate, but due to their pragmatic problems they often have, minor to severe, difficulties in communicating in a socially appropriate, or, in other words, relevant manner (cf. Loukusa et. al. 2007, 359). Pragmatic language deficits in individuals with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism are overly evident when the utilization of the contextual information and integration of information from different sources is required. Many studies, especially studies of language expression, have found out that individuals with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism, for example, have difficulties in narrative and discourse abilities: Difficulties in producing thematically integrated narratives, in responding appropriately to the social and communicative context and in using clear cohesive links as well as a general tendency to change the topic to express their own personal interests could often be observed (cf. ibd.). Furthermore, in story comprehension tasks, questions in which the answers required inferencing were replied to with answers that were often completely irrelevant to the story context (cf. ibd.). These results led the researches postulate that “the autistic person suffers from a general lack of ability to discriminate between relevant and irrelevant stimuli (Christiane & Baltaxe 1977, 179).”
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The chapter introduces the case of a diagnosed girl to illustrate everyday communication challenges and outlines the paper's goal of analyzing pragmatic language deficits using Relevance Theory and Theory of Mind.
2. What is Autism? A short outline: This section defines the spectrum of autism, including the historical context of Kanner and Asperger, and clarifies the diagnostic distinctions between Asperger Syndrome and High-functioning Autism.
3. The theoretical framework of this paper: Pragmatics: This chapter introduces the foundational concepts of Relevance Theory and Theory of Mind, explaining their essential roles in navigating social communication and inferring speaker meaning beyond literal semantics.
4. Pragmatic deficits in the language of individuals with Asperger syndrome and High-functioning Autism: This main part applies the aforementioned theories to empirical observations, detailing how deficits in relevance and mind-reading result in socially inappropriate or incoherent conversational responses.
5. Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, confirming that pragmatic deficits are linked to both a failure to follow the principle of relevance and a struggle with mental state attribution, while noting the necessity of individual assessment.
Key Terms
Pragmatics, Asperger Syndrome, High-functioning Autism, Relevance Theory, Theory of Mind, Communication, Context, Social Interaction, Mind-reading, Cognitive Principle, Linguistic Deficits, Discourse, Social Inference, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pragmatic Impairment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on the pragmatic language difficulties faced by individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-functioning Autism, analyzing why these individuals struggle with the social aspects of conversation despite possessing adequate linguistic skills.
What are the central theoretical frameworks utilized?
The study relies on Relevance Theory, which explains how speakers and hearers maximize contextual relevance, and the Theory of Mind, which concerns the ability to attribute mental states and beliefs to others.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to investigate and categorize why individuals with these conditions fail to produce relevant, contextually appropriate utterances and to link these failures to cognitive processes like mind-reading and contextual integration.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author employs a literature-based analysis, synthesizing existing empirical studies and psychological research to explain observed pragmatic communication deficits.
What topics are covered in the main section of the paper?
The main part analyzes specific pragmatic failures, such as the inability to provide relevant answers in contextually demanding situations and the tendency for "topic-drift" due to an inability to prioritize relevant information.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Pragmatics, Asperger Syndrome, Relevance Theory, Theory of Mind, and social communication deficits.
How does "Relevance Theory" explain the communication problems in HFA?
It suggests that these individuals struggle with the "cognitive principle of relevance," leading them to either process irrelevant stimuli or fail to stop processing after a sufficient answer has already been reached.
What is the "Smarties-Test" mentioned in the text?
It is a psychological test used to assess Theory of Mind; it determines whether a child can understand that another person may have a false belief about the contents of a container, highlighting a potential deficit in autistic children.
Why do individuals with AS/HFA struggle with "topic-drift"?
As illustrated in the study, they often get distracted by their own external knowledge or personal interests, causing them to deviate from the context of the conversation and fail to address the actual focus of a question.
- Quote paper
- Caroline Lorig (Author), 2010, Pragmatic deficits in the language of individuals with Asperger Syndrome or High-functioning Autism , Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/169703
