Language development in autism

In this short review article, a summary of the behavioural impairments most commonly associated with the spectrum of autism-related disorders is presented, with a slightly amplified account of the defining communication impairment. The patterns of language ability and disability which typically occur in some forms of autism are then outlined, followed by a short section on possible cognitive, or psychological, explanations of these patterns. In particular, the hypothesis that defective socio-affective and socio-cognitive ('theory of mind') causes language impairments, and the hypothesis that temporal processing deficits cause these impairments, are outlined and briefly discussed. An extensive list of references is included, to support and amplify the summary data included in the review. (C) 2003 British Association for Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved