Affect is Everything.

We hear a lot about kids with ASD not having "good affect" or having a "flat affect." Affect is how emotions, experiences, etc. register on the face and in body language. A little kid going "ooooooooooooo!" with big bright eyes when she sees a balloon? Affect. A little boy scrunching up his face when he sees a truck and going "chugga chugga"? Affect. Ellie's affect can be a little flat when she is using echolalia to express herself. it's like she knows that these words, these ideas, aren't really hers, so she doesn't invest herself emotionally in them. However, when she tastes the yum of a fresh blackberry during picnic snack, there's no question how much she enjoys it, or how quickly another one is about to pop into her mouth.