Describing the Linguistic Characteristics of Children with Autism: Pronouns – Demonstrative Pronouns – Relative Pronouns

Abstract

The study aimed to describe and analyze the syntactic characteristics associated with the use of referential devices among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with a particular focus on pronouns, demonstratives, and relative pronouns, as linguistic units carrying high syntactic and semantic load that require precise cognitive and structural competence—competence that is often incomplete or atypical in this specific linguistic population.

To achieve the objectives of the study, a descriptive–analytical approach was adopted, based on the analysis of linguistic samples drawn from the productions of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their comparison with those of children with typical language development, in order to identify areas of difference and manifestations of deficiency in the use of referential devices.

The study yielded several findings, most notably a clear impairment in the use of personal pronouns, particularly with regard to referential assignment and shifts in speaker–listener perspective, in addition to limited and less accurate use of demonstratives and relative pronouns. These findings reflect syntactic–semantic difficulties related to contextual processing and the construction of textual cohesion.

The study also put forward a number of recommendations, most importantly the need to integrate systematic training on referential devices into language intervention programs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, with an emphasis on developing pragmatic and contextual awareness. Furthermore, the study encourages the conduct of broader future research adopting longitudinal and comparative approaches to examine the development of these competencies across different age stages.