Comprehension of Metonymy in Iranian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Abstract

Comprehension and application of figurative expressions such as metonymy happens naturally in normal children due to the natural development of cognitive processes imprinted at the interface of thoughts and language. However, it is claimed that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (FASD) lack the inability to comprehend figurative expressions due to lack of first-order theory of mind (ToM) reasoning. Present study investigated the comprehension of metonymy in Iranian children with autism disorder regarding the role of first-order theory of mind. For this purpose, five Iranian children at the age of 4 to 5 years old with first-order theory of mind Autism Spectrum Disorder (FASD)and five 4-5-year-old Iranian children without first-order theory of mind Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were selected as the participants of the study. Results of the study indicated children with autism disorder with first-order theory of mind had better comprehension of metonymy than those autistic children lacking first-order theory of mind.