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McShane, Chelsea

Communication Sciences

2013

MS

Previous research suggests that mothers adjust their interaction strategies in response to their children's developmental level. This study examined how mothers of typically developing children and mothers of children with ASD used mental state language. A total of 19 mothers ofchildren with ASD and 24 mothers of typically developing children participated in a story-telling task using wordless pictures specifically designed to elicit mental state talk. Interactions were coded reliably for mothers' and children's frequency (absolute amoun of talk) of mental state term types and functions, relevant and irrelevant utterances, as well as mothers' causal talk and causal, questioning. Results indicated that children with ASD produced significantly more irrelevant utterances than did typically developing children and typically developing children produced significantly more desire terms than did children with ASD. Mothers of typically developing children produced significantly more desire terms, true mental state terms, and more causal talk than did mothers of children with ASD. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are considered.