THE FLEXIBLE LANGUAGE AND MEANING EXTENSION (FLAME ?) HYPOTHESIS: A CONSTRUCTIONIST APPROACH TO AUTISM

Abstract

Autism is often characterized by unique language differences, yet fundamental linguistic research in this area remains underexplored. This dissertation addresses that gap by integrating a usage-based constructionist approach with the study of autism. Through the lens of the Flexible Language and Meaning Extension (FLAME) hypothesis, it revisits and expands current understandings of autistic language. The FLAME hypothesis offers a fresh perspective on how autistic individuals construct and convey meaning, distinguishing between item-based knowledge and flexible generalizations. Three experimental studies compare autistic and non-autistic adults on matched tasks that either require or do not require flexible meaning extension. Results consistently show that while autistic adults excel in structured or fixed-language contexts, they face greater challenges when tasks demand flexible interpretation. These findings suggest that language difficulty in autism may lie in flexibility rather than language ability itself. The final chapter presents a five-year review of autism language research, highlighting sampling gaps and offering practical recommendations for researchers and clinicians. Together, this work aims to advance a more nuanced understanding of language in autism and support more meaningful linguistic engagement for autistic individuals.