Abstract
Fast-mapping paradigms have not been used previously to examine the process of word learning in boys with fragile X syndrome (FXS), who are likely to have intellectual impairment, language delays, and symptoms of autism. In this study, a fast-mapping task was used to investigate associative word learning in 4- to 10-year-old boys with FXS relative to younger typically developing boys and age-matched boys with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Task performance exceeded chance levels for all groups; however, boys with FXS outperformed boys with ASD, despite having lower levels of nonverbal cognition. Memory task demands significantly impacted performance only for boys with typical development. For boys with FXS or ASD, fast-mapping uniquely accounted for small but significant variance in concurrent levels of vocabulary comprehension as did chronological age and nonverbal IQ, but not autism severity. Understanding the fast-mapping process has implications for designing interventions to support word learning and language acquisition in these populations.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by NIH grant R01 HD054764. We would like to convey our sincere thanks to the parents and children who participated in this study at both the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison and the MIND Institute, University of California-Davis. We also appreciate the efforts of the following individuals who contributed to the collection of data reported in this manuscript: Eileen Haebig, Claire Hauser, Sara Lifson, Ashley Oakes, David Benjamin, Susan Harris, Beth Goodlin-Jones, and Cecilia Compton. The research reported in this manuscript was supported by a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Schriver National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development R01 HD 054764 (Leonard Abbeduto, PI).
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McDuffie, A., Kover, S.T., Hagerman, R. et al. Investigating Word Learning in Fragile X Syndrome: A Fast-Mapping Study. J Autism Dev Disord 43, 1676–1691 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1717-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1717-3