ABSTRACT
In Leo Kanner's (1943, 1946) original descriptions of infantile autism, language disability played a prominent role. Kanner reported that none of his first 11 cases developed language normally: Three were mute; the other 8 developed speech at the usual age or after some delay, but the speech could hardly be considered normal. As Kanner described it, autistic speech, although clearly articulated for the most part, served no communicative function. Instead it consisted of memorized lists or words originally spoken by someone else. The autistic child was not even creating his or her own utterances, much less using them to convey a meaning. Rather, he or she was parroting speech directed to him or her. Furthermore, there was no evidence of the child comprehending the speech of others.
