On linguistic aspects of autism

Abstract

Autism is a an umbrella term for a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by cognitive impairments manifesting themselves in language and communication. Thus linguistic studies of autism can be used for diagnostic assessment purposes. The paper presents a review of recent research in the field, both in Russia and abroad. Following the so-called “triad” of impairment, it tackles linguistic manifestations of problems related to socialization, communication and symbolization. Conceptual integration (Fauconnier and Turner) and deictic reference frames (Chilton) are proposed as models to graphically represent certain cognitive difficulties experienced by autistics. The explanatory power of theory of mind and central coherence theory is discussed. Refs 16.