On Linguistic Aspects of Autism

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.

Iakobson R. Dva aspekta iazyka i dva tipa afaticheskikh narushenii [Two aspects of language and twotypes of aphasic disturbances]. Teoriia metafory [Metaphor theory]. Moscow, Progress, 1990, pp. 110–132.(In Russian)