ScholarWorks@UNO

Exploring language center connectivity in children with ASD to improve understanding of brain-based learning techniques in the neurodivergent brain

This presentation examines the pervasive neurobiological disorder of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in four parts. The first section examines the definition, diagnosis, heterogenous presentation and significant impact of language on overall functioning in persons with ASD. Next the neurobiological regions historically associated with language, including both comprehension and production, are defined and illustrated, specifically Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. The neurobiological interhemispheric and intrahemispheric connectivity of the language centers between the typically developing and the ASD brain are further explored, respectively, in the final two sections. First the interconnectivity between the two hemispheres, primarily through the corpus callosum is explored, specifically in the portions that intersect Broca’s and Wernicke’s, respectively. Then the connectivity of the arcuate faciculus from Broca’s to Wernicke’s is considered in left hemisphere and compared against the right hemisphere in typically developing and ASD populations. Within the investigation of the connectivity in the ASD brain, three main language subgroups are observed: severe language impairment, moderate language impairment and no language impairment. The micro exploration of neurobiological differences within the subgroupings of language in ASD is a novel inquiry ripe for research especially considering the impact that language has on overall functioning to consider language laterality of the atypical pathways of the ASD brain.