https://goo.gl/GsSwUi
Nearly half of children with autism who speak few or no words have cognitive skills that far exceed their verbal abilities, according to the largest study of so-called ‘minimally verbal’ children with autism to date1. The findings call into question the widespread assumption that children with autism who have severe difficulty with speech also have low intelligence.
The findings suggest language difficulties do not necessarily stem from cognitive problems in children with autism. “I think we have to look somewhere else,” Soulières says. Some children may have trouble developing language because they have difficulties imitating others or moving parts of their mouth or face, for example.