Tor: A case study of a boy between the ages of three and eight

Longitudinal data are presented on a boy between the ages ofthree and eight. At age three he received a diagnosis oflanguage impairment and at age six a diagnosis of high-functioning autism. Results are presented from extensive assessments at four points in time, including interviews with his mother and teachers. The results indicate that the boy s core problem was poor language
comprehension, especially evident in group situations. The results also show that symptoms of his pragmatic impairment varied over time, partly as a function ofcontextual demands. A dimensional approach to capture pragmatic
difficulties in children is suggested.