Language and auditory processing in autism

Autism is characterized by varying degrees of disorders in language, communication and imagination. What are the prospects for making sense of this heterogeneous condition? Advances in identifying phenotypes in relation to subgroups within autism, based on disproportionate language impairment, have been recently reported by Tager-Flusberg and Joseph. The symptom severity of these subgroups requires investigation for underlying deficits, such as in auditory processing. Other recent reports support the view that a deficit in auditory processing might be a key factor in autism.