Filled Pauses Produced by Autistic Adults Differ in Prosodic Realisation, but not Rate or Lexical Type.

Researchers studied how autistic and non-autistic adults use 'filler words' like 'uh' and 'uhm' in conversation. They found both groups used these words at the same rate and preferred 'uhm' over 'uh' equally. However, autistic adults used different voice patterns when saying these filler words - they were less likely to use the typical flat tone that non-autistic people use. This is the first study to look at this aspect of speech in autistic adults.

This study examined filled pauses (like 'uh' and 'uhm') in conversations between autistic and non-autistic adults using a corpus of semi-spontaneous speech. Researchers analyzed the rate, lexical type, and prosodic realisation of filled pauses using Bayesian modelling. Results showed autistic and non-autistic adults produced filled pauses at identical rates and showed equivalent preference for 'uhm' over 'uh'. However, a significant group difference emerged in intonational realisation: non-autistic speakers produced considerably more filled pauses with canonical level pitch contours compared to autistic speakers.

This represents the first analysis of intonational realisation of filled pauses in autism spectrum disorder and the first investigation of conversations between autistic adults in this context.

These findings suggest speech therapy approaches should consider prosodic aspects of filled pauses rather than focusing on their frequency. The different intonational patterns in autistic speakers may contribute to communication differences and could inform assessment and intervention strategies targeting conversational skills and prosodic features of speech.

Sample size not reported. Study type unclear. Limited to semi-spontaneous speech corpus rather than natural conversation. Only examined conversations between homogeneous pairs (autistic-autistic, non-autistic-non-autistic), not mixed interactions which are more common in real-world settings.

We examined the use of filled pauses in conversations between homogeneous pairs of autistic and non-autistic adults. A corpus of semi-spontaneous speech was used to analyse the rate, lexical type (nasal "uhm" or non-nasal "uh"), and prosodic realisation (rising, level or falling) of filled pauses. We used Bayesian modelling for statistical analysis. We found an identical rate of filled pauses and an equivalent preference of "uhm" over "uh" across groups, but also a robust group-level difference regarding the intonational realisation of filled pauses: non-autistic controls produced a considerably higher proportion of filled pause tokens realised with the canonical level pitch contour than autistic speakers.

Despite the fact that filled pauses are a frequent and impactful part of speech, previous work on their conversational use in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited. Our account is the first to analyse the intonational realisation of filled pauses in ASD and the first to investigate conversations between autistic adults in this context. Our results on rate and lexical type can help to contextualise previous research, while the novel findings on intonational realisation set the stage for future investigations.