"Hello! vs. Hello??" How autistic children learn prosody

For 4 -17 year olds with an autism diagnosis. Participants must live in the United States and speak English only or English and another language.

The study will take place on a video call, live with a researcher! Clicking on the "Schedule a time to participate" button will send you to an online calendar where you can select a date and time that works for you. Before our appointment, we will ask you (the parent) to complete a brief background questionnaire (~10 minutes).

During the study, your child will complete several short games that look at how they understand and produce different types of prosody (tone of voice). In some games, they will hear a sentence and pick a picture that matches what they heard. In others, they will say a sentence that matches what they see. For example, in one game, they will hear a sentence said in a happy voice and will choose between pictures of happy and angry faces.

When we are talking, tone of voice (prosody) can have as much impact on the meaning as the words that we say. The purpose of this study is to look at how autistic children understand and produce prosody. Results will help shape approaches that support autistic children in expressing themselves and understanding others more effectively.

45 minutes

You will receive a $20 Amazon.com gift card as a thank you for your participation within one week of participation. You are only eligible to receive one gift card per child who participates in this study. Your child must have autism and be in the age range for the study. They also must be visible throughout the study in order to receive the gift card.