Pragmatic language in autism and fragile X syndrome: links with physiological arousal and anxiety

Pragmatic language in autism and fragile X syndrome: links with physiological arousal and anxiety Public Deposited

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Klusek, Jessica
- Affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Allied Health Sciences, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences

Abstract

This dissertation is comprised of three manuscripts focused on delineating pragmatic language profiles in children with autism and fragile X syndrome, and on understanding the potential impact of physiological dysregulation on these profiles. The first manuscript presents a review of the existing literature on physiological arousal in autism and fragile X syndrome, with a focus on the relationship between arousal modulation and social competence. The second two manuscripts present original research: the first consists of a cross-population comparison of pragmatic language in autism and fragile X syndrome; the second extends upon this line of research by examining cardiac arousal as a mechanism that may play a role of social-communicative impairment in these disorders. These three manuscripts address the extent to which pragmatic language deficits overlap in autism and fragile X syndrome, and whether such deficits are linked with dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. This work has implications for developing syndrome-specific interventions and ultimately may inform biological pathways that may be common to autism and fragile X syndrome.

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