Differences in Irony Comprehension Between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Individuals: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis

This three-level meta-analysis investigates irony comprehension differences between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) individuals. A comprehensive analysis of 29 articles reveals that individuals with ASD have lower irony comprehension ability than TD individuals (Hedge's g = -0.55). Furthermore, cultural background and matching strategy were identified as significant moderating variables, while age, language type, and task properties were not. Limitations include the imbalance in the number of studies across subgroups and an inability to analyze important cognitive factors. The findings highlight the need for further empirical research into cross-cultural differences, matching strategies, task properties, and cognitive factors affecting irony comprehension in individuals with ASD.