Brief Report: Further Evidence for a Link Between Inner Speech Limitations and Executive Function in High-Functioning Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

This study investigated the involvement of inner speech limitations in the executive dysfunction associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Seventeen children with ASD and 18 controls, statistically-matched in age and IQ, performed a computer-based card sorting test (CST) to assess cognitive flexibility under four conditions: baseline, with articulatory suppression, with a concurrent mouthing task, and while verbalizing their strategies aloud. Articulatory suppression adversely affected CST performance for the control group but not the ASD group. The results additionally showed that overtly verbalizing strategies did not benefit the ASD children as it did the typically developing children. The findings thus provide further evidence that ASD children do not use inner speech to the same extent, or with the same effectiveness, as typically developing children when performing executive tasks.

Rethinking the connection between working memory and language impairment

“…Consistent with this view, the ability to process information rapidly has been found to be linked to the development of language skills (Marchman and Fernald 2008). In turn, the cognitive functions of working memory are supported by language abilities, which facilitate rapid processing of language-related stimuli (Mainela-Arnold et al 2010), and the production of inner speech for selfregulation (Russell-Smith et al 2014). Indeed, some researchers have argued that complex storage-based tasks requiring the manipulation of verbal material are constrained by language processing abilities rather than domain-general working memory resources (Mainela-Arnold et al 2010).…”

“…), and the production of inner speech for self‐regulation (Russell‐Smith et al . ). Indeed, some researchers have argued that complex storage‐based tasks requiring the manipulation of verbal material are constrained by language processing abilities rather than domain‐general working memory resources (Mainela‐Arnold et al .…”

Lexical Processing in School-Age Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Children with Specific Language Impairment: The Role of Semantics

“…Articulatory suppression inhibits self-talk to scaffold performance on difficult tasks (Emerson & Miyake, 2003). This effect, however, is not seen in children with ASD; performance in a baseline condition usually does not differ from performance in an articulatory suppression condition in children with ASD (Russell-Smith et al, 2014). It has been suggested, therefore, that children with ASD do not use inner speech to the same degree as typically developing children, which points to an atypical relationship between language and EF in children with ASD.…”

“…Given the association between components of EF and lexical processing across groups, differences in EF performance would not be expected in vocabulary-matched groups. Additionally, the lack of significant group differences in EF could potentially be because in the current study, EF abilities were measured through nonverbal tasks, whereas previous studies have relied on EF measures that incorporate language (Henry et al, 2012; Russell-Smith et al, 2014). Children with language impairments may find linguistic EF tasks more difficult than non-linguistic EF tasks, and future work should examine EF abilities in children with SLI and children with ASD using verbal vs. nonverbal EF assessments, to better characterize EF abilities and the effects of language demands on EF task performance.…”

“…School-age children with typical development often show improved performance on EF sorting tasks when they are allowed to verbalize strategies that they are using in the task. Conversely, when language is inhibited during EF tasks, through articulatory suppression, reduced performance is seen (Russell-Smith, Comerford, Maybery, & Whitehouse, 2014). Articulatory suppression inhibits self-talk to scaffold performance on difficult tasks (Emerson & Miyake, 2003).…”