The one-sidedness communication in Asperger syndrome: The turn-taking agility and the participation index in the oral exchanges of children with and without pragmatic deficit

Abstract

The present research aims to contribute to the description of the communicative behaviour of children with Asperger syndrome (AS). This condition, which is included among autism spectrum disorders, is conceived, from a linguistic point of view, as a primary pragmatic deficit. The study questions the one-sidedness in communication that is usually attributed to these speakers comparing 40 oral samples of children with and without AS. Thus, two categories are quantitatively analysed: turn-taking agility and participation index. The results suggest that both indices do not show significant differences and are therefore consistent with the standardised values. Despite the contextual constraints, it is concluded that the characteristic of one-sidedness should not be generalised when the communicative style of children with AS is described. One of the main factors that will condition the one-sidedness of these speakers in oral communicative exchanges will be related to the interest on the topic.