Right-Hemispheric White Matter Organization Is Associated With Speech Timing in Autistic Children.

Purpose: Converging research suggests that speech timing, including altered rate and pausing when speaking, can distinguish autistic individuals from nonautistic peers. Although speech timing can impact effective social communication, it remains unclear what mechanisms underlie individual difference...

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Published in:Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research Vol. 68; no. 6; pp. 2685 - 2700
Main Authors: Davison, Kelsey E., Liu, Talia, Belisle, Rebecca M., Perrachione, Tyler K., Qi, Zhenghan, Gabrieli, John D. E., Tager-Flusberg, Helen, Zuk, Jennifer
Format: Article
Published: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Jun2025
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jun2025
      vid: 68
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      pub: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
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        10.1044/2025_JSLHR-24-00548
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        atl: Right-Hemispheric White Matter Organization Is Associated With Speech Timing in Autistic Children.
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        au:
          Davison, Kelsey E.
          Liu, Talia
          Belisle, Rebecca M.
          Perrachione, Tyler K.
          Qi, Zhenghan
          Gabrieli, John D. E.
          Tager-Flusberg, Helen
          Zuk, Jennifer
        affil: Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
      su:
        Diagnosis of autism
        Speech
        Autism
        Sound recordings
        Intelligence tests
        Children
        Research funding
        Neural pathways
        Magnetic resonance imaging
        Natural language processing
        Verbal behavior testing
        Descriptive statistics
        White matter (Nerve tissue)
        Asperger's syndrome
        Neuroradiology
        Data analysis software
        Articulation (Speech)
      sug:
        subj:
          Diagnosis of autism
          Speech
          Autism
          Sound recordings
          Intelligence tests
          Children
          Diagnostic Imaging Centers
          Integrated Record Production/Distribution
          Sound recording merchant wholesalers
          Record Production
          Research funding
          Neural pathways
          Magnetic resonance imaging
          Natural language processing
          Verbal behavior testing
          Descriptive statistics
          White matter (Nerve tissue)
          Asperger's syndrome
          Neuroradiology
          Data analysis software
          Articulation (Speech)
      ab: Purpose: Converging research suggests that speech timing, including altered rate and pausing when speaking, can distinguish autistic individuals from nonautistic peers. Although speech timing can impact effective social communication, it remains unclear what mechanisms underlie individual differences in speech timing in autism. Method: The present study examined the organization of speech- and language-related neural pathways in relation to speech timing in autistic and nonautistic children (24 autistic children, 24 nonautistic children [ages: 5--17 years]). Audio recordings from a naturalistic language sampling task (via narrative generation) were transcribed to extract speech timing features (speech rate, pause duration). White matter organization (as indicated by fractional anisotropy [FA]) was estimated for key tracts bilaterally (arcuate fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus [SLF], inferior longitudinal fasciculus [ILF], frontal aslant tract [FAT]). Results: Results indicate associations between speech timing and righthemispheric white matter organization (FA in the right ILF and FAT) were specific to autistic children and not observed among nonautistic controls. Among nonautistic children, associations with speech timing were specific to the left hemisphere (FA in the left SLF). Conclusion: Overall, these findings enhance understanding of the neural architecture influencing speech timing in autistic children and, thus, carry implications for understanding potential neural mechanisms underlying speech timing differences in autism.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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