Unstable or Stable? Prosodic Features and Voice Quality in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This meta-analysis of 40 studies examined acoustic speech patterns in autism, revealing that autistic individuals show higher mean pitch and broader pitch range alongside more stable vocal fold vibrations compared to non-autistic controls. The findings suggest a paradoxical profile where suprasegmental instability coexists with voicing hyper-stability, with several factors like language background and IQ moderating these prosodic features.