Predictive Processing Among Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder During Online Language Comprehension: A Preliminary Systematic Review.

This review looked at whether autistic children and teens can predict what words are coming next when listening to language. Researchers found that autistic individuals may be able to predict some upcoming words based on verb meanings, but struggle with understanding tone of voice cues. However, most studies only used short sentences and were done in labs, which may not reflect real-world language use. More research is needed to better understand how autistic people process language.

This systematic review examined whether individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can predict upcoming linguistic information during real-time language comprehension. Following PRISMA guidelines, researchers analyzed 10 studies involving 350 children and adolescents with ASD aged 2-15 years. The review found that individuals with ASD may predict upcoming linguistic information using verb semantics but not pragmatic prosody during language comprehension. However, the evidence is limited by narrow research scope, with 9 out of 10 studies using only short spoken sentences as stimuli and primarily relying on eye-tracking in laboratory settings.

The authors conclude that while individuals with ASD may have predictive linguistic abilities, more research is needed with complex stimuli and diverse methodologies.

Findings suggest autistic individuals may have intact semantic prediction abilities but struggle with prosodic cues during language processing. This could inform speech therapy approaches by focusing on semantic-based interventions while providing additional support for prosodic understanding. However, more research with complex, naturalistic stimuli is needed before clinical applications.

Limited scope with 9/10 studies using only short spoken sentences, primarily laboratory-based eye-tracking methodology, narrow age range (2-15 years), and small number of included studies (n=10) covering only 350 participants total.

The present study aims to fill the research gap by evaluating published empirical studies and answering the specific research question: Can individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) predict upcoming linguistic information during real-time language comprehension? Following the PRISMA framework, an initial search via PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar yielded a total of 697 records. After screening the abstract and full text, 10 studies, covering 350 children and adolescents with ASD ranging from 2 to 15 years old, were included for analysis. We found that individuals with ASD may predict the upcoming linguistic information by using verb semantics but not pragmatic prosody during language comprehension.

Nonetheless, 9 out of 10 studies used short spoken sentences as stimuli, which may not encompass the complexity of language comprehension. Moreover, eye-tracking in the lab setting was the primary data collection technique, which may further limit the generalizability of the research findings. Using a narrative approach to synthesize and evaluate the research findings, we found that individuals with ASD may have the ability to predict the upcoming linguistic information. However, this field of research still calls for more studies that will expand the scope of research topics, utilize more complex linguistic stimuli, and employ more diverse data collection techniques.