Metaphor comprehension in Jordanian–Arabic speaking children with ASD compared to typically developing children

Purpose This study aims to investigate the comprehension of spatial, container and socio-cultural metaphors among Jordanian–Arabic speaking children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children. Design/methodology/approach Thirty Jordanian–Arabic speaking children participated, divided into two groups: 15 TD children from a private school in Amman and 15 children with ASD from two autism centers. A 12-item multiple-choice test with dynamic pictures assessed metaphor comprehension. Results showed significant differences between the two groups across all metaphor types, with TD children outperforming those with ASD. Findings Both groups found container metaphors easiest, while socio-cultural metaphors were the most challenging. The study suggests TD children access a broader range of experiences, enhancing their metaphor comprehension through contextual and analogical reasoning. Children with ASD struggle with abstract thinking and social interaction, limiting their understanding of figurative language. Container metaphors were easier for both groups due to their clear physical boundaries, whereas socio-cultural metaphors were difficult, requiring complex abstract mapping and higher-order cognitive skills like inference and synthesis. Research limitations/implications While this research provides answers to the research questions, its validity may be affected by several limitations outlined as: geographical and language limitations: the test focused on ASD and TD children specifically from Amman, the capital city of Jordan. Other cities may lack specialized educational centers for ASD. Sample size: the sample size is small; due to limitations in identifying children with ASD at the test center, only 15 children with ASD were selected to participate in the study. It was difficult to find samples consisting solely of individuals with ASD without other disorders or conditions, such as intellectual disability. Practical implications The findings highlight differences in metaphor comprehension between TD and children with ASD, which reflects cognitive and linguistic processing challenges among children with ASD. These results support existing theories that suggest a developmental delay or deficit in figurative language comprehension in children with ASD. Taking these results into account, educational approaches for children with ASD might benefit from a greater emphasis on concrete and visually supported metaphors before gradually introducing more abstract and complex forms. This progression could improve metaphor comprehension and overall language skills in children with ASD. Given that container metaphors are most accessible to children with ASD, teachers might start with these metaphors when introducing figurative language. Gradually increasing the complexity to spatial and then socio-cultural metaphors could be a strategy to scaffold learning. Interventions that account for these differences could enhance language comprehension and usage in children with ASD. Via scaffolding the learning process, providing contextual supports and giving explicit instructions about hyperbolic language, children with ASD can be aided in developing their metaphor comprehension skills. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind in Jordan as it examines the comprehension of three types of metaphor by children with ASD and typically developing children using visual stimuli.