Phonological and lexical abilities of Jordanian children with autism

Abstract

This study examines phonological and lexical abilities of children with autism in Jordan. JISH Articulation Test (JAT) to measure phonological abilities and JISH School Readiness Screening Test to measure lexical abilities were used in the study. Children with ASD (n = 39) aged 4–8 years and 40 children with typical development were selected to participate in this study. The main finding of this study was that language impairment in both phonological and lexical abilities were noted among Jordanian children with ASD. The results also showed that phonological impairment was greater than lexical impairment. It is concluded that the findings of such study will be helpful to guide experts to provide children with ASD with appropriate educational programs and establish a comprehensive and effective treatment protocols that include phonological and lexical exercises to enhance their speech and language abilities.

Keywords:

• Autism
• lexical ability
• phonological ability

Acknowledgments

Our sincere appreciation goes out to all the participants and their parents who took part in this study.

Conflict of interest

The authors state no conflict of interest in conducting the current research.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported in part by the Faculty of Research of Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan (Grant No. 20160389).