What aspect of language development is least affected in children with ASD?

Phonology refers to the sound system of a language, including the ability to distinguish and produce the sounds required for speech. In children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), phonological development tends to be less impacted compared to other aspects of language. While some children with ASD may have delays in their speech onset or an atypical prosody, many can effectively produce sounds and have intact phonological processing abilities.

In contrast, areas such as semantics (the understanding and use of meaning), syntax (the rules governing the structure of sentences), and pragmatics (social language use) can often present challenges for children with ASD. Difficulties in semantics may manifest as trouble understanding nuanced language or idioms, while challenges in syntax might include problematic sentence formation or comprehension. Pragmatics are particularly affected in ASD, as children may struggle with the social rules of communication, such as turn-taking, understanding context, and responding appropriately in conversations.

Overall, while large variability exists among individuals with ASD, phonology is commonly one of the stronger skills and is thus least affected in this population.