Right-Hemispheric White Matter Organization Is Associated With Speech Timing in Autistic Children.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Converging research suggests that speech timing, including altered rate and pausing when speaking, can distinguish autistic individuals from nonautistic peers. Although speech timing can impact effective social communication, it remains unclear what mechanisms underlie individual differences in speech timing in autism.

Method

The present study examined the organization of speech- and language-related neural pathways in relation to speech timing in autistic and nonautistic children (24 autistic children, 24 nonautistic children [ages: 5-17 years]). Audio recordings from a naturalistic language sampling task (via narrative generation) were transcribed to extract speech timing features (speech rate, pause duration). White matter organization (as indicated by fractional

SUBMITTER: Davison KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12173158 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature