Formula Production and its Relation to General Language Ability in Mandarin-Speaking Autistic Children

This study explores the production of Mandarin prefabricated verbal formulae (i.e., a multiword or single-word linguistic expression that is stored and retrieved holistically as a unit from memory, rather than being generated through real-time rule-based composition) in autistic children (i.e., children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD). Examples of such entrenchments are ritualized socio-cultural emblems (e.g., “Happy birthday!”) and socio-communicative formulae (e.g., “Nice to meet you”). Prior studies have shown that such formulaic sequences may be pragmatically functional in adult speech, child speech, and language pathology (e.g., in aphasia). However, verbal formulae have barely been studied in autism speech. Using an elicitation study with visual stimuli, we compared the production of formulae by Mandarin-speaking high-verbal (n = 41) and low-verbal (n = 22) children with ASD. Results showed that most formulae (~ 90%) produced by both groups were ritualized conversational sequences directly associated with the target stimuli images. The study revealed that high-verbal children with ASD produced significantly more conventional, contextually relevant, and syntactically complex formulaic expressions than low-verbal counterparts (all p < 0.01, d = 0.69–1.18), highlighting their stronger structured language skills. However, both groups showed minimal and comparable use of variant or idiosyncratic formulae (p > 0.05), suggesting shared constraints in flexible language use. Formulaic language positively predicted vocabulary (β = 0.22) and grammatical abilities (β = 0.18), but only when used verbatim or contextually, indicating its scaffolding role in ASD language development.