Palm reversal errors in native-signing children with autism

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have native exposure to a sign language such as American Sign Language (ASL) have received almost no scientific attention. This paper reports the first studies on a sample of five native-signing children (four deaf children of deaf parents and one hearing child of deaf parents; ages 4;6 to 7;5) diagnosed with ASD. A domain-general deficit in the ability of children with ASD to replicate the gestures of others is hypothesized to be a source of palm orientation reversal errors in sign. In Study 1, naturalistic language samples were collected from three native-signing children with ASD and were analyzed for errors in handshape, location, movement and palm orientation. In Study 2, four native-signing children with ASD were compared to 12 typically developing deaf children (ages 3;7 to 6;9, all born to deaf parents) on a fingerspelling task. In both studies children with ASD showed a tendency to reverse palm orientation on signs specified for inward/outward orientation. Typically developing deaf children did not produce any such errors in palm orientation. We conclude that this kind of palm reversal has a perceptual rather than a motoric source, and is further evidence of a “self-other mapping” deficit in ASD.Learning outcomes:Educational objectives: The reader will: (1) recognize the gesture imitation deficit in autism; (2) recall the four parameters of sign language articulation; and (3) discuss how autism affects these parameters in native-signing children.

► We present the first reports on native-signing children with autism. ► Children with ASD reverse inward- and outward-facing palm orientations. ► Typically developing native-signing children do not make such reversal errors. ► Errors are similar to reversals in imitated gestures by hearing children with ASD. ► These errors suggest a perceptual rather than motoric deficit.