Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, 1 Autumn Street, AU459, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2022 Apr;52(4):1872-1880. doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05049-x. Epub 2021 May 6.
Deficits in working memory have not been fully explored in toddlers and preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We investigated the relationship between language (verbal ability, verbal self-talk) and visuospatial working memory in 2- and 4-year-olds with ASD (n = 65) and typical development (TD) (n = 54). Children with ASD displayed impairments in working memory and verbal ability, but not verbal self-talk, compared to TD peers. Verbal ability and working memory were positively correlated; this association was stronger for children with ASD. For 2-year-olds, self-talk and working memory were negatively correlated. Results suggest that verbal ability and working memory are linked, especially for young children with ASD. Self-talk may be a compensatory strategy for toddlers with less developed working memory.
在自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的幼儿和学龄前儿童中，工作记忆缺陷尚未得到充分研究。我们研究了语言（语言能力，言语自我对话）和自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的视空间工作记忆之间的关系（n = 65）和典型发育（TD）（n = 54）。与 TD 同龄人相比，ASD 儿童在工作记忆和语言能力方面表现出障碍，但在言语自我对话方面没有障碍。语言能力和工作记忆呈正相关；这种关联在 ASD 儿童中更强。对于 2 岁的孩子，自我对话和工作记忆呈负相关。结果表明，语言能力和工作记忆是相关的，特别是对于自闭症谱系障碍的幼儿。自我对话可能是工作记忆发育程度较低的幼儿的一种补偿策略。
