Communication difficulties in adults with neurodevelopmental disorders

Abstract

A variety of communication difficulties is observed in adults with neurodevelopmental disorders. Although focal lesions are seldom detected neuroradiologically, and underlying neural mechanisms are poorly understood, definite neuropsychological disturbances are commonly observed. As to autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), roughly two lines of theories have been proposed: one is an attempt to find an explanation of autistic symptoms according to mentalizing deficit, and the other according to problems of more general cognitive capacities. It has been increasingly clear that integration of different types of neurocognitive abilities distinct from the mental-state specific theory-of-mind capacity are responsible for solving advanced mentalization tasks. In this proceeding of the symposium, a brief historical overview of key concepts regarding the pathogenesis of ASD is given, and characteristics of daily communication difficulties seen in three cases of ASD are presented. Attempts are made to elucidate those problems in terms of specific neuropsychological processes.