Specific language impairment

Recent articles

Test gauges autistic children’s verbal abilities in natural settings

An interactive assessment allows clinicians and researchers to evaluate an autistic child's use of language in everyday social situations.

By Taylor White
18 November 2020 | 3 min read
silhouette of head with illustrated text

Social communication in autism, explained

Communication problems have always been considered a core feature of autism. Yet there are substantial and wide-ranging differences in how people with autism communicate.

By Lydia Denworth
19 April 2018 | 5 min read
animation: a child sits between two parents who are talking to each other. The child looks confused or worried.

Where communication breaks down for people with autism

People on the spectrum often have subtle problems using language or making facial expressions. Pinpointing where those difficulties originate may help ease their social communication.

By Lydia Denworth
18 April 2018 | 17 min read

Why no one needs a diagnosis of ‘social communication disorder’

A diagnosis of social communication disorder only keeps people from a community and resources they desperately want and need.

By Helen Tager-Flusberg
17 April 2018 | 4 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Should scientists study mothers of children with autism?

Studying parents of children with autism has long been controversial, but that doesn’t mean scientists should avoid it.

By Helen Tager-Flusberg
12 April 2016 | 1 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Powerful memory system may compensate for autism’s deficits

A brain system called declarative memory may help people learn scripts and strategies that alleviate autism symptoms, say Michael Ullman and Mariel Pullman.

By Michael Ullman, Mariel Pullman
17 March 2015 | 9 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Toddlers with autism show few symptoms during brief exams

Many toddlers with autism display so few abnormal behaviors during short doctor visits that they may evade the diagnostic eye of even expert clinicians.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
23 January 2015 | 2 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Social language lapses hint at syndrome distinct from autism

Some siblings of children with autism have social language impairments that may signal another, more controversial disorder.

By Katie Moisse
4 November 2014 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Scaled-down device detects brain activity in children

A new device designed to conduct magneto-electroencephalography in children younger than 3 years is ideal for detecting early signs of autism, researchers reported 3 March in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 

By Jessica Wright
23 April 2014 | 2 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Loss of language gene enhances pitch discrimination in mice

Mice lacking the autism-linked gene CNTNAP2 process sounds more slowly than control mice do but are better at discriminating between tones. The unpublished research was presented Tuesday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
12 November 2013 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of a woman sitting on a branch with a singing bird.

This paper changed my life: Stephanie Palmer on the ties between human speech and birdsong—and her ‘informal life coach’

A groundbreaking review by Allison Doupe, who was Palmer’s mentor, and Patricia Kuhl helped shape the field’s understanding of the neural and evolutionary dynamics of speech.

By Stephanie Palmer
18 March 2025 | 5 min read
Research image of mouse brains showing altered migration of upper-layer neurons.

Restoring excitation-inhibition balance in a mouse model of autism; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 17 March.

By Jill Adams
18 March 2025 | 2 min read
Tiger in a brain scanner.

Lions and tigers and bears: Long-lived zoo animals offer a promising venue to study mental health and neurodegenerative disorders

These animals’ lifestyles often mirror those of people, making them a more relevant milieu than lab mice for determining how environmental factors influence mental health and cognitive decline. Studying them could improve animal welfare in the process.

By Christine J. Charvet
17 March 2025 | 5 min read