On Linguistic Aspects of Autism

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Abstract

Autism is a an umbrella term for a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by cognitiveimpairments manifesting themselves in language and communication. Th us linguistic studies of autismcan be used for diagnostic assessment purposes. Th e paper presents a review of recent research inthe fi eld, both in Russia and abroad. Following the so-called “triad” of impairment, it tackles linguisticmanifestations of problems related to socialization, communication and symbolization. Conceptualintegration (Fauconnier and Turner) and deictic reference frames (Chilton) are proposed as models tographically represent certain cognitive difficulties experienced by autistics. The explanatory powerof theory of mind and central coherence theory is discussed.

General Information

Keywords: Autism, cognitive disorders, language impairments, theory of mind, central coherence theory, conceptual integration theory

Journal rubric: General Psychology, Personality Psychology, History of Psychology

Article type: scientific article

For citation: Skrebtsova T.G. On Linguistic Aspects of Autism. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Psychology, 2016. Vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 18–27. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

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Information About the Authors

T. G. Skrebtsova, PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russia, e-mail: t.skrebtsova@spbu.ru

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