ABSTRACT
In this chapter I propose a different way of viewing autism, a developmental disorder that affects social behavior, communication, and cognition. My aim is to sketch a theory of autism that is consistent with the principles of an ecological psychology as proposed by James J.Gibson (1979). Such a theory offers not only a different epistemological stance than other current approaches to autism, but also the potential to draw together the diverse and sometimes scattered pieces of this puzzling developmental disorder on multiple levels of explanation. I first discuss some of the assumptions present in current theories of autism and go on to suggest an alternative view.
