A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Speech Difficulties in Autistic Children

Abstract

Psycholinguistics is the discipline that examines the cognitive processes that underlie the use, comprehension, and production of language. It involves the study of how individuals learn languages, how they understand spoken and written language, and how language is represented and processed in the brain. Autistic children often face a variety of psycholinguistic challenges that affect their ability to communicate effectively, especially in speech development and language use. One of the core features of autism is difficulty with expressive and pragmatic language. This study explores the speech difficulties and psycholinguistic challenges of two autistic children through a qualitative approach. The participants aged nine and seven are the researcher’s children, both diagnosed with autism and attending a special education institute. Data were collected through structured interviews with their teachers, providing insights into the children’s communication behaviours. Findings reveal consistent difficulties in several language areas, such as speech initiation, grammatical and syntactic errors, echolalia, pronoun reversal, and limited expressive abilities. Pragmatic challenges include problems with conversation turn-taking and adapting language to social situations. However, one child showed relatively stronger communication with familiar individuals, suggesting that the environment significantly influences language performance. This research adds to the growing body of knowledge on autism within the Kurdish context, emphasising the importance of culturally responsive language support. The findings offer valuable guidance for educators, therapists, and caregivers, helping to inform more effective and individualised communication strategies for autistic children.