The acquisition of the Arabic construct state (CS) constructions by Arabic-speaking children with ASD

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether age plays a role in the acquisition of construct state (CS) constructions in Arabic by 14 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It also examined the challenges faced by children with ASD in producing different types of CS constructions. Finally, the study analysed the sources of difficulties children with ASD encounter during the learning process of the CS.Design/methodology/approachFor the purposes of this study, the participants were asked to orally complete short sentences with the help of illustrative pictures.FindingsResults revealed that the age of the 14 children with ASD plays a role in the acquisition of CS constructions. Children of age 12–15 performed better than those of age 8 and 10. Results also showed that children with ASD performed better in producing phrases rather than compounds. Moreover, the participants performed better on endocentric compounds as opposed to exocentric ones. Finally, analysing the errors produced on the text revealed that the acquisition of head direction precedes definiteness.Originality/valueThe topic of the study has not been investigated yet and the study concluded with some important findings concerning teaching Arabic CS to children with ADS.