Research: Bossy and Nice Requests: Varying Language Register in Speakers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

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Authored by Volden, J., and Sorenson A. in Journal of Communication Disorders, Volume 42, Issue , p. 58-73, (2009).

Article summary (posted Jul 22, 2009):

Children with autism may need help figuring out when it is acceptable to use bossy or polite requests.

This study compared children and adolescents with autism (32 children) with typically developing children (35 children). The children were 6-16 years old. The children with autism were high-functioning (nonverbal IQ higher than 80). Children were tested twice for ability to use polite requests correctly in different situations. The therapists used puppets to test the skills. There was no difference between these children with autism and typically developing children for using polite requests correctly. The authors were impressed that highly-functioning autistic children could figure it out. They think that children with autism with lower level skills may need help learning when it is ok to use a bossy voice to ask for something.

Links:

You can access the original abstract and the complete paper is sometimes available for free via Google Scholar (look for entries that say "PDF" or "HTML" on the right side of the page).
autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), communication, high-functioning autism, social skills groups, speech therapy, therapist
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