Abstract:  The language acquisition status of preschool children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) plays a crucial role in the effect of their early intervention and long-term prognosis. Previous ASD language research has been mainly restrained to English-learning children with ASD, yet few studies have explored the universal mechanisms of language acquisition in children with ASD speaking different languages. Taking advantage of specific grammatical properties of Mandarin Chinese, the present study attempts to investigate the acquisition of core Chinese grammar in 2-5-year-old Mandarin-exposed children with ASD as well as the factors impacting the acquisition process. Critical components of grammatical comprehension of children with ASD will be tested via the eye-tracking measure of Intermodal Preferential Looking; their communicative functions will be examined in Joint Attention sessions; and the frequencies of the relevant grammatical structures in the language environment will also be analyzed. The overarching goal of this project is to use ASD language acquisition as a tool to explore the mechanisms underlying human language acquisition. Specifically, we attempt to test the role of language faculty in human language acquisition including in the process of language acquisition of children with ASD; moreover, this study examines the influences of social communication impairment and language environment on the process of human language acquisition.

Key words:  language acquisition, preschool children with autism spectrum disorders, language faculty, joint attention, language environment