Autism Corner: The Link Between Language in Perception Examined

11th August, 2015

14 July 2015, Article, Autism, Idioms, Language, Newsletter

[Source: Medical X Press]
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How do children and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) understand idioms and other figures of speech? A 4.15 million euro EU project based out of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology is examining the links between language and perception in autistic individuals as just one of 15 cross-disciplinary projects designed to bring a better understanding to how our perception and language interact and change over time and in individuals.

If someone said you were “barking up the wrong tree”, would you look around for a tree and wonder why that person thought you were barking? What if someone told you that you “had your head in the clouds”? Would you feel your head or look around for clouds? In all of these cases, probably not.
But if you were someone with high-functioning autism, you might very well look around for a tree, or for clouds, or feel for your head. Now, researchers from a major EU 4.15 million euro Marie Curie Initial Training Network called “LanPercept” and coordinated out of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s (NTNU) Department of Language and Literature Studies, are studying links between language and perception in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Read the Rest of this Article on Medical X Press