Metaphor comprehension in autistic spectrum disorders: Case studies of two high-functioning children

Abstract

This article presents case studies on metaphor comprehension in two boys with high-functioning autistic spectrum disorder, aged 9;1 (9 years, 1 month) and 8;11. The participants were assessed twice, before and after an intervention program aimed at improving their social skills. The focus of the article is on the specific patterns exhibited by each child in a test of metaphor comprehension that elicits verbal explanation of metaphors, and is targeted at 4–6-year-old typically developing children. The two children had age-appropriate cognitive and verbal abilities, as measured by WISC-III and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. At the first assessment, performance on both children was within the average range of typically developing 5-year-old children, but they differed in their patterns of response. At the second time of assessment both the children’s performance had improved, but each in a different manner. The discussion reconsiders the qualitative aspects emerging from the assessments performed at the two time points of the study, raises theoretical issues about metaphor comprehension, and points to possible implications for diagnosis and intervention.