Preethi Nalluru

Language Development and Communication and Neuroanatomical Differences in Children with ASD

Started Apr. 20, 2021

Abstract or project description

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), characterized by deficits in social communication and restricted repetitive behaviors, is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting approximately 1 in 54 children. Differences in producing and processing language are common in those with ASD and affect communication. Usage of social communication tools, including gestures and cues such as gaze, are affected in children with ASD. In addition to behavioral differences, the main neuroanatomical differences in those with ASD that affect language are cortical thickness differences and differences in the amount of gray matter. Autistic children often reach developmental milestones later than typically developing children, and they often have flatter growth in early childhood with steeper growth in adolescence. They also show reduced gestures with a later onset and differences in cortical thickness.