Scalar implicature comprehension across neurodevelopmental profiles

Scalar implicatures are pragmatic inferences that enrich the literal meaning of an utterance by strengthening a weaker term (e.g., some) into a more informative interpretation (e.g., some but not all). Their computation requires the integration of semantic content with contextual information, as well as the ability to infer the speaker’s communicative intentions. For this reason, scalar implicatures represent an informative domain for investigating the development of pragmatic competence in childhood. Studying their acquisition is espe- cially relevant when comparing typically developing children with children presenting different neurodevelopmental profiles, as a single phenomenon may manifest differently across clinical and non-clinical populations. While Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterized by pragmatic impairments, Developmental Language Disorder and Developmental Dyslexia are not primarily defined by pragmatic deficits. Developmental Language Disorder is characterized by difficulties in language that may affect comprehension, production, or both, across spoken and written modalities; hence, the nature and severity of these difficulties vary considerably across individuals. By contrast, Developmental Dyslexia is a learning disorder mainly characterized by persistent impairments in accurate and/or fluent word recognition. Nevertheless, both conditions may give rise to secondary pragmatic disorders. The present chapter examines the comprehension of scalar implicatures in typically developing children compared to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Language Disorder, and Developmental Dyslexia, to explore how this complex pragmatic ability develops across different populations.