The nature of syntactic impairment in autism

Abstract

This paper presents a first exploration of the syntactic abilities of autistic children using the framework of truncation theory (Rizzi 1993-4, 2000). It is the first step of an ongoing research project aiming to (a) provide a complete map of syntax in autism, for such work has never been attempted from a sound linguistic perspective (b) develop a targeted remediation program to enhance syntactic abilities of autistic children. Recently, a growing body of work has emphasized the existence of a causal relation between the acquisition of complex syntax (embedding) and the development of a theory of mind (in normally-developing, deaf and autistic children). Early identification and remediation of syntactic deficits is therefore crucial not only to enhance cognitive abilites related to theory of mind, but also because of the critical period hypothesis for language acquisition.