Study Suggests that Infants with High Risk for Autism May be Less Able to Differentiate Speech Patterns
[Source: Science Daily]
A new study found that infants at high risk for autism were less attuned to differences in speech patterns than low-risk infants. The findings suggest that interventions to improve language skills should begin during infancy for those at high risk for autism.
The findings were published in Brain and Language.
“Humans are born with an astonishing ability to distinguish basic sound units that make up all of the world’s languages,” says Kristina Denisova, PhD, assistant professor of clinical psychology at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. “But why some infants at high familial risk for autism spectrum disorder are less likely to develop their language-specific competence in toddlerhood has remained a mystery.”
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