Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine prosodic speech pause across two groups: neurotypical and autistic young adults. Conversational speech samples were collected from 11 neurotypical and 11 autistic young adults between the ages of 18 and 26. Speech samples were subsequently transcribed and analyzed using Praat Software. The boundaries of between- and within-utterance pauses were identified, as well as acoustically determining if the pause was filled, silent, or a combination of both. Results found a significant difference in the frequency of pauses as a function of location, pause type, and neurological status. As expected, combination pauses were the longest in duration, followed by silent pauses, then filled pauses. Within- utterance pauses were more frequent than between-utterance pauses. Regarding neurological status, results indicated that autistic individuals paused nearly two times more frequently than their neurotypical peers. This included autistic individuals having significantly more within- and between-utterance pauses when compared to their neurotypical peers, as well as autistic speakers having almost exactly double the total number of silent, filled, and combination pauses when compared to the neurotypical speakers. An additional interaction was found between location and pause time, as within utterances there was a greater frequency of each pause type (i.e., silent, filled, combination). The goal of the study was to add to the limited body of research on prosody in autistic adults. By understanding acoustic and prosodic differences between autistic and neurotypical young adults, clinicians will be enabled to better provide evidence-based assessment and intervention for autistic young adults, thereby improving their quality of life.

Degree

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Communication Disorders

Rights

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