Impaired comprehension of alternating syntactic constructions in autism.
Higher-functioning kids with autism struggle more with sentences that can flip word order — probe this during receptive-language testing.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked kids to act out spoken sentences with toys. Some sentences could flip word order: 'Give the boy the ball' or 'Give the ball to the boy.' Other sentences had only one order.
All kids had higher-functioning autism. A matched group of neurotypical peers did the same task.
What they found
Kids with autism got more wrong when the sentence could flip. Their peers did fine with both kinds.
The gap shows a hidden weak spot in receptive language for verbal autistic learners.
How this fits with other research
McGonigle-Chalmers et al. (2013) seems to say the opposite. Their nonverbal autistic kids understood grammar on a touch screen. The key difference is function level: nonverbal, lower-IQ versus verbal, higher-IQ. Syntax may stay intact when spoken language is absent, yet slip when demands rise.
Laposa et al. (2017) and Dai et al. (2025) extend the same idea into reading and Mandarin wh-questions. Each study finds new places where extra linguistic choices trip up autistic learners.
Hua et al. (2024) meta-analysis adds brain data. Less activity in temporal and insula areas lines up with the behavioral errors seen here.
Why it matters
Check alternating sentences during receptive-language tests. If a child stumbles on 'Show the girl the horse' versus 'Show the horse to the girl,' simplify the input before you teach new skills. Use one word order first, then teach the flip later. This small tweak can cut confusion and speed up learning.
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Join Free →Pick one dative verb (give, show, hand) and present only one word order across trials before introducing the alternate form.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Individuals on the higher-functioning end of the autism spectrum have significant impairments in communication. Language delay can occur, particularly in syntactic or structural linguistic knowledge. However, classically observed semantic deficits generally overshadow these structural deficits. This research examined the potential effects on comprehension of dative expressions that exhibited syntactic alternation versus those that were restricted, whether in syntactic construction or through marked semantic differences in construction. Children with autism and matched neurotypical control participants were presented with a sentence battery of dative statements representing these variations in construction and were asked to display basic comprehension of the sentence meaning by identifying the recipient, or indirect object, of the dative verb. Construction, restriction, and semantic differentiation variables were analyzed for potential effects on the rate of accurate comprehension. Both groups performed with greater accuracy when dative expressions used a prepositional phrase than when the dative action was expressed in the syntax. The autism group performed more poorly when the dative expression could syntactically alternate than when it was restricted. These effects improve our knowledge of how children with autism understand alternating grammatical constructions.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2014 · doi:10.1002/aur.1348