ABSTRACT
This chapters explains why communication is mainly a predictive activity and what the origin is of the difficulties in communication experienced by people with autism. In order to communicate effectively, the brain needs to make numerous predictions: is someone going to say something, what are they going to say, when will it be my turn to say something, etc.? These predictions also make it possible to answer a question directly or to respond almost instantly to what someone has said. Likewise, they allow us to read fluently, without the need to devote attention to each individual word. When an autistic brain predicts in communication, it has a tendency to rely on the first or most dominant meaning it has learnt. At times the autistic brain is nevertheless able to free itself from its absolute approach and can show flexibility in language and communication, but only if we press the context button and give people with autism sufficient time to respond.
