ASD, Idioms, and Figurative Language
{Guest Post by Language Lizard}
It is well known that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can experience significant social, behavioral, and communication challenges resulting from their developmental disability. For example, identifying figurative languages like metaphors and idioms is very challenging.
While some researchers believe this difficulty results from compromised core language skills (ie. semantics, grammar), the majority attribute a compromised Theory of Mind to be the main cause. In plain terms, children with ASD need more help recognizing the mental states, unique beliefs, and desires of other people. Since figurative language is all about what isn’t being said, you can see how tricky it is to navigate not only social interactions but also literature.
