A Relationship Between Early Language Skills and Adult Autistic-Like Traits: Evidence from a Longitudinal Population-Based Study

Rebecca Armstrong, Andrew J O Whitehouse, James G. Scott, David A. Copland, Katie L. McMahon, Sophie Fleming, Wendy Arnott

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The current study examined the relationship between early language ability and autistic-like traits in adulthood, utilising data from 644 participants from a longitudinal study of the general population. Language performance at 2 years was measured with the Language Development Survey (LDS), and at 20 years the participants completed the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Vocabulary size at 2 years was negatively associated with Total AQ score, as well as scores on the Communication, and Social Skills subscales. Adults who had been late talkers were also more likely to have ‘high’ scores on the Communication subscale. This is the first study to show an association between early language ability and autistic-like traits in adulthood.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1478-1489
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Volume47
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2017

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