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Structural and Pragmatic Language in Children with ASD: Longitudinal Impact on Anxiety and Externalizing Behaviors

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Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at heightened risk for developing comorbid psychological disorders, including anxiety disorders, which may be further exacerbated by the presence of externalizing behaviors. Here, we examined how structural language and pragmatic language predicted anxiety and externalizing behaviors. Participants were 159 young children (4–7 years old) with ASD and their mothers. Utilizing structural equation modeling we examined associations among structural language, pragmatic language, anxiety symptoms, and externalizing behaviors. Pragmatic language, was inversely related to child anxiety and co-occurring externalizing behaviors. Structural language skills positively predicted child anxiety. These findings suggest that children with ASD may be at heightened risk for anxiety and externalizing disorders due to their pragmatic language deficits.

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Acknowledgments

This paper was based on a longitudinal study funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (R324A110086; J. Blacher, P.I.; A. Eisenhower, co-P.I.). Support was also provided by the SEARCH Family Autism Resource Center in the Graduate School of Education, UC Riverside. We are indebted to our colleagues and students and to the children, parents, and teachers who participated in this research.

Funding

This paper was based on the activities of Smooth Sailing, a two-site longitudinal study supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, Grant number R324A110086, J. Blacher, PI, Abbey Eisenhower, co-PI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Naomi V. Rodas

  2. University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA

    Abbey Eisenhower

  3. University of California, Riverside, USA

    Jan Blacher

Authors
  1. Naomi V. Rodas
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  2. Abbey Eisenhower
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  3. Jan Blacher
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Contributions

NR developed the idea for this study, which was based on an ongoing longitudinal project [IES, R324A110086, Jan Blacher, PI], participated in its implementation, including data collection, analysis, and all aspects of manuscript preparation. AE, as co-PI, participated in interpreting the data and reviewing the manuscript; JB participated in reviewing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Naomi V. Rodas.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Rodas, N.V., Eisenhower, A. & Blacher, J. Structural and Pragmatic Language in Children with ASD: Longitudinal Impact on Anxiety and Externalizing Behaviors. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 3479–3488 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3265-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3265-3

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