Sensory and physico-psychological metaphor\ud comprehension in children with ASD: a preliminary\ud study on the outcomes of a treatment

摘要

Recent research into difficulties in figurative language in children with ASD highlighted\udthat it is possible to devise training interventions to overcome these difficulties by teaching specific\udstrategies. This study describes how children with ASD can improve their capability to explain\udmetaphors with a treatment. Two types of metaphors, in the “X is Y” form, were addressed:\udsensory and physico-psychological. To face the difficulties posed by these metaphors, the adult\udtaught two strategies: inserting the connective “is like” between “X” and “Y”, which transforms the\udmetaphor into a simile; comparing “X” and “Y” by means of thinking maps. Two tests of metaphor\udcomprehension were used, one based on sensory and the other on physico-psychological metaphors.\udSixteen 10 year-old children participated into the study, including an experimental group formed by\ud8 children with ASD (n = 4) which had received the treatment, and a control group (n = 4) which had\udnot, and 8 typically-developing (TD) children. At the post-test, the experimental group significantly\udoutperformed the controls in explaining both types of metaphors, but only in the sensory metaphors\uddid their performances reach TD children’s levels. These results illuminate how clinical treatment\udcan positively influence the developmental trajectories of metaphor comprehension.