Table Of ContentProsody, Phonology and Phonetics
Mari Wiklund
Speech and
Interaction
of Preadolescents
with Autism
Spectrum Disorder
Focus on Prosody, Disfluencies and
Comprehension Problems
Prosody, Phonology and Phonetics
Series Editors
Daniel J. Hirst, CNRS Laboratoire Parole et Langage, Aix-en-Provence, France
Hongwei Ding, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University,
Shanghai, China
Qiuwu Ma, School of Foreign Languages, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
The series will publish studies in the general area of Speech Prosody with a particular
(but non-exclusive) focus on the importance of phonetics and phonology in this field.
The topic of speech prosody is today a far larger area of research than is often realised.
The number of papers on the topic presented at large international conferences such as
Interspeech and ICPhS is considerable and regularly increasing. The proposed book
series would be the natural place to publish extended versions of papers presented
at the Speech Prosody Conferences, in particular the papers presented in Special
Sessions at the conference. This could potentially involve the publication of 3 or
4 volumes every two years ensuring a stable future for the book series. If such
publications are produced fairly rapidly, they will in turn provide a strong incentive
for the organisation of other special sessions at future Speech Prosody conferences.
Mari Wiklund
Speech and Interaction
of Preadolescents
with Autism Spectrum
Disorder
Focus on Prosody, Disfluencies
and Comprehension Problems
Mari Wiklund
Department of Languages
University of Helsinki
Helsinki, Finland
ISSN 2197-8700 ISSN 2197-8719 (electronic)
Prosody, Phonology and Phonetics
ISBN 978-981-19-8116-6 ISBN 978-981-19-8117-3 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8117-3
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
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Preface
The idea of writing this book came from the observation that there was a need for a
scientific book that approaches autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from the perspective
of conversation analysis. Instead of experimental settings, studies carried out within
the framework of conversation analysis are based on naturally occurring data, i.e., on
spontaneous situations of interaction that occur independently of the study. I also felt
that there was a need for a book that addressed such aspects of interaction as speech
prosody, disfluencies of speech, comprehension problems, and gaze behaviour, as
well as therapists’ response strategies and teaching orientations, that have so far
been studied much less than, for example, the pragmatic problems of persons with
ASD.
The book is based on a number of studies carried out within the framework of
a project entitled “Interaction of Preadolescents with Autism—Focus on Speech
Prosody, Gaze Behavior and Misunderstanding Situations”, which was launched in
2009 as a postdoctoral research project funded by the Kone Foundation (Finland).
In 2014–2015, the project was funded by the Emil Aaltonen Foundation (Finland),
in 2015–2019 by the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies of the University of
Helsinki (Finland), and in 2022 by the Future Fund of the University of Helsinki. I
am extremely grateful to the funders of the project as well as to all the colleagues
with whom I have had the privilege to work within the framework of this project.
I would like to thank the following colleagues in particular for their cooperation:
Minna Laakso, Simo Määttä, Satu Saalasti, Melisa Stevanovic, Lari Vainio, and
Martti Vainio.
I would also like to thank Springer for agreeing to publish this book, as well as
my family and friends for their support during the process.
Helsinki, Finland Mari Wiklund, Ph.D.
September 2022
v
Contents
1 Introduction ................................................... 1
1.1 Background ............................................... 2
1.2 Data ...................................................... 5
1.2.1 Finnish Data on Participants with ASD .................. 5
1.2.2 French Data with Participants with ASD ................. 8
1.2.3 Control Group Data .................................. 9
1.2.4 Experimental Data ................................... 10
1.3 Methods .................................................. 11
References ..................................................... 12
2 Prosody ....................................................... 17
2.1 Overview of Previous Research on the Prosody of Persons
with ASD ................................................. 18
2.2 Prosodic Characteristics of Preadolescent Boys with ASD
and Perception of Atypicality by Neurotypical Listeners ......... 22
2.2.1 Sing-Song-Like Pitch ................................. 24
2.2.2 Bouncing Pitch ...................................... 25
2.2.3 Disconnected Speech Rhythm ......................... 27
2.2.4 Large Pitch Excursions ............................... 28
2.2.5 Flat Pitch ........................................... 29
2.3 The Role of Prosodic Features in the Creation
of Comprehension Problems ................................. 30
2.4 The Use of Prosody in Questions and Statements ................ 35
2.5 Conclusion ................................................ 45
References ..................................................... 48
3 Disfluencies .................................................... 53
3.1 Overview of Previous Research on Disfluencies in the Speech
of Persons with ASD ........................................ 53
3.2 Disfluencies in the Speech of Preadolescent Boys
with and Without ASD ...................................... 57
vii
viii Contents
3.3 The Role of Disfluencies in the Creation of Comprehension
Problems .................................................. 62
3.4 Conclusion ................................................ 70
References ..................................................... 71
4 Comprehension Problems ....................................... 75
4.1 Overview of Previous Research on Conversational Repairs
in the Interaction of Persons with ASD ........................ 75
4.2 Causes of Comprehension Problems in Group Therapy
Sessions Involving Preadolescent Boys with ASD ............... 77
4.2.1 Overly Literal Interpretation of Speech .................. 78
4.2.2 Topical Discontinuities ............................... 82
4.2.3 Non-verbal Features Associated with Trouble-Source
Turns: The Role of Eye Contact ........................ 86
4.3 Conclusion ................................................ 90
References ..................................................... 92
5 Gaze Behavior ................................................. 95
5.1 Introduction ............................................... 95
5.2 Three Main Patterns Used for Avoiding Eye Contact in Group
Therapy Sessions Involving Preadolescent Boys with ASD ....... 97
5.2.1 Fixing One’s Gaze Straight Ahead ...................... 97
5.2.2 Letting One’s Gaze Wander Around .................... 101
5.2.3 Looking at One’s Own Hands When Speaking ........... 107
5.3 Conclusion ................................................ 113
References ..................................................... 114
6 Therapists’ Response Strategies and Teaching Orientations ........ 117
6.1 Therapists’ Response Strategies in a Group Therapy Session
Involving Preadolescent Boys with ASD ....................... 117
6.1.1 Introduction ......................................... 118
6.1.2 Five Most Common Response Strategies ................ 121
6.2 Therapists’ Teaching Orientations in Group Therapy Sessions
Involving Preadolescent Boys with ASD ....................... 132
6.2.1 Introduction ......................................... 132
6.2.2 Implicit Teaching Orientation .......................... 134
6.2.3 Explicit Teaching Orientation .......................... 139
6.2.4 Prosodic Problems: Beyond Teaching Orientations? ....... 142
6.3 Conclusion ................................................ 144
References ..................................................... 146
List of Transcription Conventions ................................... 151
Conclusion ........................................................ 153
References ........................................................ 157
Chapter 1
Introduction
Abstract Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurobiological developmental
disorder characterised by deficits in social–emotional reciprocity and non-verbal
communication; restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities; as
well as deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships. In addi-
tion to these core features, atypical prosody was mentioned even in early descriptions
of autism. For example, people with ASD may have a limited pitch range, sing-song
pitch, bouncy pitch, overly fast speech rate, jerky speech rhythm, remarkably quiet
or loud voice, inconsistent pause structure, deviant word stress, and/or creaky or
nasal voice. It is also well known that persons with ASD often fail to use language
appropriately or effectively in interaction. Producing and understanding speech acts,
learning conversational skills such as turn-taking, as well as drawing upon contextual
information when interpreting the interlocutor’s speech can be difficult for persons
with ASD. The tendency of persons with ASD to understand things literally and to
miss implicit messages in interactions has been widely documented. In addition, ASD
is characterised by the avoidance of eye contact and other deviant features related
to gaze, facial expressions, postures, and gestures. Several studies have also demon-
strated that many speakers with ASD produce disfluent speech. On the other hand,
the discourse practices of children with ASD are also like those of their neurotypical
peers in many respects.
· · · · ·
Keywords Autism Autism spectrum disorder ASD Prosody Intonation
·
Speech Interaction
This chapter will provide a general introduction to the book. The chapter will start
with a brief description of the background (Sect. 1.1). Then a general description of
the data (Sect. 1.2) and methods (Sect. 1.3) will be given.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 1
M. Wiklund, Speech and Interaction of Preadolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder,
Prosody, Phonology and Phonetics, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8117-3_1
2 1 Introduction
1.1 Background
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurobiological developmental disorder char-
acterised by deficits in social–emotional reciprocity and non-verbal communication;
restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities; as well as deficits
in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships (APA, 2013: 50). The
prevalence of ASD is estimated to be 1.9% among children aged 8 years (Maenner
et al., 2020). It is approximately 4.3 times more frequent among boys than among
girls (Maenner et al., 2020).
In addition to the above-mentioned core features, atypical prosody was already
mentioned in early descriptions of autism (Asperger, 1944; Kanner, 1943). ‘Prosody’
encompasses phenomena related to pitch (voice fundamental frequency, f ), loudness
0
(intensity), duration (timing), speech rhythm, speech rate, stress, phrasing, and voice
quality (Couper-Kuhlen, 2000; Crystal, 1980). Prosodic phenomena are ‘supraseg-
mental’: they typically involve units of speech that are at least one syllable in length.
It is known that people with ASD1 often have deviant prosodic features in their
speech. For example, people with ASD may have a limited pitch range, sing-song
pitch, bouncy pitch, overly fast speech rate, jerky speech rhythm, remarkably quiet or
loud voice, inconsistent pause structure, deviant word stress, and/or creaky or nasal
voice (e.g., Asghari et al., 2021; Asperger, 1944; Baltaxe, 1984; Baltaxe & Simmons,
1985, 1992; Diehl et al., 2009; Diehl & Paul, 2013; Fay & Schuler, 1980; Hubbard,
2017; Nadig & Shaw, 2012; Nakai et al., 2014; Paul, 1987; Paul et al., 2005a, 2005b;
Shriberg et al., 2001; Tager-Flusberg, 2000; Thorson et al., 2016; Wiklund & Vainio,
2019; Wiklund et al., forthcoming). When these features occur, they may constitute a
significant obstacle to the social acceptance of the individual (Paul et al., 2005a: 205).
Indeed, deviant prosodic features may create an immediate impression of ‘oddness’
(Van Bourgondien & Woods, 1992): atypical prosody has been identified as one of
the most recognisable ASD-specific behaviours (De Marchena & Miller, 2017). It
affects how ASD speakers are rated in terms of social and communicative competence
(Paul et al., 2005b) as well as in terms of likeability (Redford et al., 2018). Atypical
prosodic features may also impair the intelligibility of speech (Redford et al., 2018).
However, Holbrook and Israelsen (2020) study shows that interventions of more than
one treatment day that target specifically speech prosody result in moderate to large
improvements in speech prosody in persons with ASD.
Concerning the perception of prosody, it is known that the processing of emotional
prosody is impaired in autism (Globerson et al., 2014; Korpilahti et al., 2007;
1 The terminology that is used to refer to persons with ASD is currently an area of major debate
in the field of autism research (see, for example, Kenny et al., 2016; Vivanti 2 020). According
to Kenny et al. (2016), academics and service providers favour person-first language (e.g., ‘person
with ASD’), whereas autistic persons themselves often prefer condition-first language (e.g., ‘autistic
person’). Vivanti (2020) recommends that academics should consult participants in each scientific
study about their actual preferences, and that the judicious use of person-first and condition-first
language should be supported as appropriate for the context. In this book, the author has decided to
use person-first language (e.g., ‘person/child/boy/preadolescent with ASD’), because she has not
had an opportunity to ask the participants about their own preferences.
