Abstract

Among all the behaviors that constitute the clinical picture of autistic children, there is a marked interest in certain forms. Such a behavior is difficult to understand referring only to neurocognitive interpretations, although visual representations seem to be involved. On the other side, the psychoanalytic thesis of a primary autistic phase, marked by intense aesthetic emotion, does not take into account the diversity and the choice of these forms. René Thom’s conception of a semiophysics of pregnancies and saliences offers an interesting perspective. These behaviors are said to be akin to a fascination with forms that are sources of the representation of time and space.