Non-speech and speech pitch perception among Cantonese-speaking children with autism spectrum disorder: An ERP study
Abstract
The present study compared how Cantonese-speaking children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their typically developing counterparts perceived speech pitch and non-speech pitch information using ERP measurements. Sixteen children with ASD (mean age = 10.42 years, SD = 2.12 years) and sixteen normal controls (mean age = 9.48 years, SD =.86 years) participated in two experiments, in which Cantonese lexical tone contrasts and non-speech pitch variations were presented to children following an oddball paradigm when they watched a silent movie. The results showed that: 1) When processing speech pitch contour, the two groups did not differ in the amplitude of mismatch response (p-MMR), while typically developing controls showed larger mismatch negativity (MMN) responses than children with ASD. In the processing of speech pitch height, more positive p-MMR was observed among children with ASD than among normal controls and stronger MMN was found for typically developing children than for children with ASD. 2) For the processing of non-speech pitch, MMN rather than p-MMR was observed and the two groups did not differ significantly with each other in the amplitudes of MMN. These results indicated that Cantonese-speaking children with ASD manifested impaired ability when processing speech pitch information (i.e., lexical tone), which was in line with previous research. However, they did not show the advantage in processing non-speech or auditory pitch information, which was not in agreement with the previous studies. Results were discussed from the perspective of how language background (i.e., Cantonese) might shape the perceptive abilities of children.
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Bilingual children with ASD are less sensitive to lexical stress than TD peers, with reduced MMN amplitude at the right central-parietal, temporal-parietal, and temporal sites.
“When compared with TD peers, bilingual children with ASD seemed to be less sensitive to lexical stress, with reduced MMN amplitude at the right central–parietal, temporal–parietal, and temporal sites (Zhang et al. 2019).”
From Autism Spectrum Disorder and auditory sensory alterations: a systematic review on the integrity of cognitive and neuronal functions related to auditory processing (2023) · cites this paper as Zhang et al. 2019
ASD children show more positive MMR in the processing of speech pitch height.
“In ASD children, more positive MMR was observed in the processing of speech pitch height (Zhang et al. 2019), suggesting hypersensitivity to higher frequency tones.”
From Autism Spectrum Disorder and auditory sensory alterations: a systematic review on the integrity of cognitive and neuronal functions related to auditory processing (2023) · cites this paper as Zhang et al. 2019
High-functioning ASD children matched on age, gender, and non-verbal IQ with TD show impaired processing ability regarding speech pitch information.
“Interestingly, when speech and non-speech sounds are compared between high-functioning ASD children matched on age, gender, and non-verbal IQ with TD group, ASD children show impaired processing ability regarding speech pitch information, but no differences are observed for non-speech sounds (Zhang et al. 2019; Chen et al. 2021).”
From Autism Spectrum Disorder and auditory sensory alterations: a systematic review on the integrity of cognitive and neuronal functions related to auditory processing (2023) · cites this paper as Zhang et al. 2019
High-functioning ASD children matched on age, gender, and non-verbal IQ with TD show no differences for non-speech sounds.
“Interestingly, when speech and non-speech sounds are compared between high-functioning ASD children matched on age, gender, and non-verbal IQ with TD group, ASD children show impaired processing ability regarding speech pitch information, but no differences are observed for non-speech sounds (Zhang et al. 2019; Chen et al. 2021).”
From Autism Spectrum Disorder and auditory sensory alterations: a systematic review on the integrity of cognitive and neuronal functions related to auditory processing (2023) · cites this paper as Zhang et al. 2019
The more positive MMR in ASD children suggests hypersensitivity to higher frequency tones.
“In ASD children, more positive MMR was observed in the processing of speech pitch height (Zhang et al. 2019), suggesting hypersensitivity to higher frequency tones.”
From Autism Spectrum Disorder and auditory sensory alterations: a systematic review on the integrity of cognitive and neuronal functions related to auditory processing (2023) · cites this paper as Zhang et al. 2019
Cites
Enhanced Perceptual Functioning in Autism: An Update, and Eight Principles of Autistic Perception
Mottron, L., Dawson, M., Soulières, I., Hubert, B., & Burack, J. (2006) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-005-0040-7 · Cited by 1,957 · see citing works
Efficacy of sensory and motor interventions for children with autism
Baranek, G. T. (2002) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1023/a:1020541906063 · Cited by 601 · see citing works
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Gonçalves, A. M., & Monteiro, P. (2023) · Journal of Neural Transmission · doi:10.1007/s00702-023-02595-9 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
- Authors
- Zhang, J., Meng, Y., Wu, C., Xiang, Y.-T., & Yuan, Z.
- Affiliations
- University of Macau (MO)
- Corresponding author
- Meng, Yaxuan
- Yuan, Zhen
- Venue
- Neuroscience Letters
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-06
- Volume
- 703
- Pages
- 205-212
- ISSN
- 0304-3940 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2921604190
- Cited by
- 19
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 1.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Neuroscience Letters (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Macau (MYRG2017-00217-FED, MYRG2016-00193-FED, MYRG2015-00221-FED, MYRG2014-00093-FHS, MYRG 2015-00036-FHS)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, Cantonese, lexical tone, mismatch negativity, children, language background, auditory perception
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adolescent, Child, Electroencephalography, Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Female, Humans, Language, Macau, Male, Pitch Perception, Speech Perception, Case-Control Studies
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