I was able to make it into New York last night and hear philosopher Ian Hacking give his keynote speech on How We Talk About Autism, for the Stony Brook University conference on Cognitive Disability: A Challenge to Moral Philosophy. Some reflections on Professor Hacking’s lecture are here—-the lecture has kind of “jump-started” my thinking for my book on language and neurodiversity.
I really liked your questions about non-verbal communication; let me recommend Shawn Gallagher’s related work. You might find a lot of congenial conservations in:
Gallagher, S. 2001. The practice of mind: Theory, simulation, or interaction? Journal of Consciousness Studies, 8 (5-7): 83-107.
Reprinted in Between Us, ed. E. Thompson (Exeter: UK: Imprint Academic), pp. 83-107.
and elsewhere.