Described is a technological/academic approach to the educational therapy of an autistic child that begins with a theory of thinking and problem postulation and a theory of cognitive and personality development. The theory of thinking and problem postulation is said to be based on the unique characteristic of the human being, the art of being able to ask a question. The ability to ask a question is then explained to involve two I's, the I that the individual is before asking the question, and the I that the individual is while seeking information outside the former I. The theory is compared to the dynamics of the Hegelian dialectic. Personality development is described as the ability of the two I's to carry on dialogues with each other and to be consciously schizophrenic. Learning is then said to involve a similar inner dialogue. It is postulated that the autistic child has lost the ability to conduct an inner dialogue and therefore, has lost the ability to learn and to converse with others. A case study of a young boy under the age of 5 years is cited in some depth to illustrate the technological/academic approach in which the child is given the opportunity to ask a tactile question of a talking typewriter. At first the child just looks, listens, and touches the typewriter, but eventually the machine motivates the child to talk and to give a tactile answer. (CB)