Pronoun reversal in autistic children

Woodpeace · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:37 am Post subject:

I have read that it is common for autistic children to refer to themselves as you and the person to whom they are speaking as I. The usual explanation is that they hear themselves addressed as you and the person who is speaking refers to themselves as I. But the same applies to non-autistic children who also reverse their pronouns when they start speaking. I have read that autistic children continue to reverse pronouns for longer than non-autistic children, and not use the word I to refer to themselves, because they have a weak sense of self. So why do autistic children continue reversing their pronouns for a longer time than non-autistic children?

Children, autistic and non-autistic, need to learn the use of subject and object pronouns: I/me, he/him, she/her and they/them. I have read that it is fairly common for children to use me rather than I when they are learning language. A relic of the use of me as subject is found in the rather archaic word methinks, which is derived from the Anglo-Saxon me thyncth. In languages where nouns have case endings such as for subject and object, as in Russian and I believe Finnish, then children would need to learn their correct use and they inevitably make mistakes. But that is part of learning language.

In languages in which there is a formal you and an informal you, such as French with vous and tu, children need to learn their appropriate use.

I assume that deaf children when learning a Sign Language also reverse the signs for you and I.

I don't remember if I ever reversed my pronouns.