Socio-communicative difficulties remain a core diagnostic feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which can have a potentially severe impact on an individual’s daily functioning and pose significant challenges for successfully navigating the unpredictable social world (American Psychiatric Association
2013; Klin et al.
2000). In order to communicate effectively, one must have knowledge of how symbols work, specifically that symbols
refer to objects and events and can be used flexibly to represent them. The foundations of communication impairment in ASD relate to divergent pathways towards symbolic understanding, and also to differences in early interpersonal interactions. Here we present a series of 6 papers unified by a focus on symbolic and communication differences in children with ASD, a fundamental and necessary area of research required to inform our understanding and meet the needs of the growing population of individuals on the spectrum who vary in their communicative abilities. …
