Linguistic and pragmatic language skills in adults with autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study

This article reports on the linguistic and pragmatic language skills of adults with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Seventeen adults (aged 18–67 years) with a diagnosis of ASD were assessed using the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB), the Right Hemisphere Language Battery (RHLB) and the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence-Second Edition (TONI-2). Performance by the ASD participants was compared to 13 peers (aged 18–65 years) with no disability. Within-group differences for the ASD participants were examined using a hierarchical cluster analysis of performance on the WAB and the RHLB. There were significant differences between the ASD group and the control group on a number of the WAB and the RHLB subtests, but no significant difference between the two groups on nonverbal cognitive ability. Subgroups within ASD, based on language performance, could be described. Language performance, but not nonverbal cognitive skill, differentiated the ASD subgroups. Individualised language support may need to be considered in the development of employment and training services. Further research is needed to determine if language and communication difficulties are barriers to employment in adults with ASD.