Speech and Prosody Characteristics of Autists

Abstract

The Autistic patients suffer from three sorts of impairments that include social communication, social interaction & stereotypical behavior. Previous studies have shown issues with the linguistic competence of such children. The present study has primarily focused upon the phonological abilities of the autistics children.  The sample of this study comprised of six students between four to twenty years of age. The selection was done through purposive non random sampling technique. The date was collected through video recordings. Observational notes were also jotted down. Furthermore, the researcher interviewed parents and speech therapist to obtain full picture of child’s ailment. The results of the study showed issues in different areas of phonological abilities of the children. These included both segmental as well as suprasegmentally aspects of the language.  The study ended up by giving some useful suggestions and recommendations.