Author Archives: Ali Aguilar

One of the reasons my daughter struggled to understand my explanation of sarcasm, other than the sub-par definition and the fact that she’s still a little shaky on the meaning of “opposite,” is because the ability to detect sarcasm and irony doesn’t develop until ages 5 or 6. In neurotypical children, this skill continues to develop into early teens (Creusere, 2000; Dews et al., 1996; Harris & Pexman, 2003; Pexman et al., 2011). For children with ASDs (ASD), understanding and using non-literal and counterfactual language, like sarcasm, is particularly difficult.