Interactional functions of therapists’ reformulations in a group session involving French-speaking children with autism spectrum disorder

Background: In this article, we analyze a group therapy session involving four 11- to 13-year-old French-speaking boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their two female therapists. We focus on speaking turns in which the therapists reformulate the contents of a preceding turn produced by a child. Method: Methodologically, the study is based mainly on conversation analysis. Results: The analyses show that the therapists clearly aim to achieve meaningful learning outcomes with regard to the topic of conversation, and the reformulations constitute an essential tool in this process. Most often, reformulations are used to provide a more compact and more effective formulation of the turn in terms of the topic of conversation. Sometimes, a reformulation is used to assist a speaker who is experiencing problems with the formulation of their utterances. The reformulations also often include signs of approval and constitute positive feedback for the children. In some contexts, for example, in the case of turns including sensitive content, reformulations can constitute a strategy of avoiding repetition.