Analysis of Autistic Adolescents’ Essays Using Computer Techniques

Abstract

Purpose: Challenges associated with narrative discourse remain consistently observable across the entire spectrum of autism. We analyzed written narratives by autistic and non-autistic adolescents and aimed to investigate narrative writing using quantitative computational methods. Methods: We employed Natural Language Processing techniques to compare 333 essays from students in the final eighth grade of primary school: 195 written by autistic and 138 by non-autistic participants. Results: Autistic students used words with a positive emotional polarity statistically less frequently (p