Drawing You to Not Draw Back. The Semiotics of Portrait Therapies for Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study investigates portrait therapy interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from a cognitive semiotics perspective. The hypothesis is that a potential reason for the efficacy of portrait therapies could lie in the modeling function of the objects involved in the practice. According to the hypothesis, objects would extend and modulate ASDs’ cognitive-perceptual competences and possibilities, generating a predictable and manageable experience, and orienting the interactional dynamics between the participants.