Chapter 38 - Language and Communication Disorders in Autism and Asperger's Syndrome

Abstract

This chapter reviews the recent work on language and communication in autism, and explores what this disorder can reveal about the cognitive capacities that underlie normal communicative functioning and language acquisition. Communication problems form one of the key diagnostic criteria for autism. As with other diagnostic criteria, there is a wide variety of manifestations. The challenge is to understand such diverse problems as Kanner-type mutism and Asperger-type loquaciousness in terms of a unifying cognitive theory. The theory that autistic individuals are unable to represent mental states can shed light on the nature of the whole range of communication impairments while still allowing for the presence of islets of ability in other areas. This theory predicts that the specific deficit lies in the use of language to affect other minds. Normal language acquisition appears to build on the ability to recognize and orient toward ostensive behavior. Children with autism fail to share attention and appear insensitive to the speaker's intentions. Such deficits may be sufficient to explain the almost universal prevalence of language delay in children with autism, without postulating additional language impairments.