ABSTRACT
This chapter explores in what ways children with autism are deficient in communication and how this relates to the claim made by some researchers that autism does entail a basic deficiency in affective contact with other people. It explores which linguistic abilities do and do not develop in autism and how this relates to their lack of understanding mind. The chapter looks at the implications of this for the quality of autistic thought in general, and how that relates to autistic deficiencies in executive function tasks. Anticipating being picked up could be a sign of eagerness to interact with the caregiver, an interaction that, by its nature, would involve sharing experiences and information. An auxiliary component of a capacity for handling referential opacity, then, might be a motivational energy that serves to ensure that the process is well-practised.
