University of New Hampshire Scholars\u27 Repository
Abstract
The present study was conducted to obtain information about the interpretation of sarcasm by typically developing children and children with language learning disabilities in the school age population. Prior research indicates sarcasm comprehension is a difficult semantic task for typically developing children to acquire, and thus it is likely that children with language learning disabilities, who have been shown to have significant semantic difficulties, are at risk for delayed acquisition of sarcasm comprehension. Participating children took a 24 question multiple-choice sarcasm test. Results demonstrated significant differences in sarcasm comprehension between children with language learning disabilities and their typically developing peers. Additionally, findings revealed a significant association between sarcasm comprehension and age, but no significant association with gender. Both groups of children (LLD vs. typical) deviated from the expected developmental sequence of sarcasm interpretation
