Understanding Minds and Metaphors: Insights from the Study of Figurative Language in Autism

Abstract

This article reviews recent work on autistic individuals' understanding of figurative language. One currently influential theory of autism proposes that the key impairments in imagination, socialization, and communication spring from a fundamental deficit in "theory of mind"--the ability to attribute mental states to self and to others. Autism, then, presents a fascinating test case for theories such as Sperber and Wilson's (1986) relevance theory, which claims a crucial role for the understanding of intentions in everyday communication. In this article, I present evidence that understanding of simile, metaphor, and irony by children with autism is closely related to their level of theory of mind ability. The case of autism demonstrates the crucial role of the understanding of intentions in normal human communication, both "literal" and figurative.