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Processing of Ironic Language in Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

We examined processing of verbal irony in three groups of children: (1) 18 children with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD), (2) 18 typically-developing children, matched to the first group for verbal ability, and (3) 18 typically-developing children matched to the first group for chronological age. We utilized an irony comprehension task that minimized verbal and pragmatic demands for participants. Results showed that children with HFASD were as accurate as typically-developing children in judging speaker intent for ironic criticisms, but group differences in judgment latencies, eye gaze, and humor evaluations suggested that children with HFASD applied a different processing strategy for irony comprehension; one that resulted in less accurate appreciation of the social functions of irony.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) research grant to P. M. P. We thank Alice Post and Helen MacDonald for assistance with this study.

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Author notes

  1. Carly A. McMorris

    Present address: Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

    Penny M. Pexman, Kristin R. Rostad, Carly A. McMorris & Jacqueline Stowkowy

  2. Division of Applied Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Emma A. Climie

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Melanie R. Glenwright

Authors
  1. Penny M. Pexman
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  2. Kristin R. Rostad
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  3. Carly A. McMorris
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  4. Emma A. Climie
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  5. Jacqueline Stowkowy
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  6. Melanie R. Glenwright
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Correspondence to Penny M. Pexman.

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Pexman, P.M., Rostad, K.R., McMorris, C.A. et al. Processing of Ironic Language in Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 41, 1097–1112 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1131-7

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