TITLE:
Enhancing Metaphor and Metonymy Comprehension in Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder
AUTHORS:
Sergio Melogno, Maria Antonietta Pinto
KEYWORDS:
Autism Spectrum Disorder, High-Functioning, Metaphor, Metonymy, Intervention Strategies
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.5 No.11,
August
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: This
article addresses how to enhance metaphor and metonymy comprehension in
children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HF-ASD), who are known
to have difficulties with figurative language. After considering some major
issues on typical development and in HF-ASD, and some studies on treatment in
this specific domain, the authors describe an intervention methodology that can
be used in schools and clinics. This methodology is based on two main points: 1)
the explicit teaching of strategies for understanding metaphors and 2)
activities for enhancing the abstraction of semantic features in metaphors and
metonymies. The authors show how these devices can make complex processes such
as figurative language comprehension more concrete for children with HF-ASD.