Speech Problems and Asperger's Syndrome

According to Susan Ashley, PhD, approximately 50% of children with Asperger's Syndrome have delayed speech. In her book, The Asperger's Answer Book, she states that while many children grow out of this by age five, others go on to experience other language problems. These generally fall into one or more of the following three areas of linguistics.

Pragmatics and Asperger's Syndrome

Pragmatics refers to language usage and the way that context relates to meaning. Children with Asperger's Syndrome often have difficulty in holding a normal conversation where there is give and take and social interaction. While most people learn these skills by observing others, those with Asperger's Syndrome may need personal coaching.

Problems with pragmatics manifest in the following forms:

• lack of greeting
• does not use people's names
• lack of facial expression and eye contact
• interrupting others
• does not allow the other person to talk
• oblivious to boredom in others
• oblivious to emotional reactions in others
• focuses exclusively on topics that interest them
• gives too much detailed information

Semantics and Asperger's Syndrome

Semantics is defined as the meaning or interpretation of a word, sentence, or other language form. While many people with Asperger's Syndrome are extremely intelligent and avid readers, they often struggle in this particular area. They may have problems with the following:

• pedantic speech
• interpreting everything literally
• difficulty in understanding metaphors and figures of speech
• problems with understanding teasing
• difficulty in understanding jokes
• sarcasm is not understood

Prosody and Asperger's Syndrome

Prosody refers to the tonal and rhythmic aspects of speech. People and particularly children with Asperger's Syndrome often have a strange manner of speaking. It may come across with words enunciated precisely and formally and the speed, volume and rhythm may be odd. Problem areas to look out for include the following:

• talking loudly
• strange rhythms of speech
• little or no inflection
• monotonous sound
• stilted or formal speech
• difficulties in coordinating speaking and breathing

Is Help Available for Linguistic Difficulties

Asperger's Syndrome children and adults with language problems can benefit from one-on-one training with a parent or speech therapist. The problems are often tackled individually and it takes perseverance and repetition to see lasting results. Methods vary but could include the following:

• teaching how to start a conversation
• training them not to interrupt
• use of pictures to explain figures of speech
• practising eye contact and body language
• practising normal pronunciation and inflection

It is never too late to seek help for speech difficulties and while a person may never sound completely normal or be able to hold a perfect conversation, there are definitely ways to work towards a great improvement. The key to success is often a commitment from a parent or family member to work with the child or adult for extended periods of time.

Recommended reading: The Asperger's Answer Book: the top 300 questions parents ask by Susan Ashley, Sourcebooks, 2007, ISBN 978-1-4022-0807-2