Abstract
This study aimed to investigate whether and when the pragmatic abilities in adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder（ASD）catch up with a typically developing（TD）group. The Test of Pragmatics of Japanese for Children （TOPJC）was administered to 62 individuals with ASD and 144 TD individuals ranging in age from 12 to 33 years and correlation analysis was applied to the numbers of correct responses and age; the numbers of correct responses between the two groups were conducted were then compared. The results showed no correlation between age and the number of correct responses in TD individuals. The adolescents with ASD under 19 years old were still in the process of acquiring pragmatic abilities, but caught up with the TD group after the age of 19. Additionally, adolescents with ASD younger than 19 years were still developing irony comprehension. The results indicate that assessment using the TOPJC is useful for adolescents with ASD younger than 19 years as well as children younger than 13.
