Autism is a rare developmental disorder that affects approximately four in every ten thousand children (Baron-Cohen, Leslie & Frith, 1985). Employing a clinical perspective, Kanner (1943) (as cited in Sachs, 1995) was the first to provide a description on the disorder of autism. However, in the 1970s, Wing (1970) (as cited in Sachs, 1995) applied a cognitive perspective in describing the mental structure of autism. This essay will therefore argue that autism is characterized by the lack of theory of mind (Premack & Woodruff, 1978, as cited in Baron-Cohen et al., 1985), which is a cognitive mechanism. It will further outline empirical evidence derived from the review of two studies, collectively known as false belief tasks. The Sally-Anne …show more content…
Another trial was preformed, where conditions were changed, and included an additional location (experimenter’s pocket) to where the participants could point. The outcome for this study indicated that all subjects passed the naming, reality and memory questions. For the belief question, 85% of normal preschool and 86% of Down syndrome subjects passed both trials. However, only 20% of the autistic group passed the tested question (Baron-Cohen et al. 1985).
Interpretation of these results indicates the vast majority of normal preschool and Down syndrome children could contrast between what they see to be true and what the doll sees to be false. However, the 15% of preschool and 14% of Down syndrome children who failed the belief question need to be taken into account. It may be concluded that at the time of testing, the proportion of preschool children had not yet developed the complete theory of mind, which is a mechanism required to succeed in this study. Also, it can be assumed that the proportion of Down syndrome subjects who failed, simply did not fully understand the question being asked as they have a below average IQ range. Other possible reasons for the two control groups to fail on the belief question may be that they comprehended the question as ambiguous. For example, when asked the belief question, the proportion of the control groups who failed, could have registered
Theory of mind refers to the ability to make full mental states (beliefs, desires, intentions, imagination, emotions, etc.) that trigger action. Child with autism has difficulty to understand others thoughts which consider, according to the theory of mind, as the core cognitive deficit in autism.
Conceptual understanding is fundamental for students with learning disabilities to achieve any level of automaticity of facts. However, early studies referenced in the article
I believe many of us would assume that everyone thinks in the same way as ourselves. We think in words and ideas. We are “verbal thinkers.” However, do you ever thought about people who might think differently than you? Not everyone is a verbal thinker or a conventional thinker. If you don’t have autism, you may have thought those who do are different or maybe even “strange.” In her speech, The world needs all kinds of minds; Temple Grandin, a woman with autism, discusses how people with autism think differently than others. She says that she “thinks in pictures” and that many others with autism also think this way. She also explain how it differs from the conventional sense of thinking. She gives personal experiences throughout her speech. She is able to tell of how she overcame some of the cons that is sometimes associated with autism. Grandin’s main argument is that individuals with autism should be encouraged to branch out and should not be confined where they don’t feel comfortable. They should not be forced to act the same as others but to be who they are. She advocates that they are individuals and they should be treated as such.
Theory of mind (ToM) is “the specific ability to attribute mental states to oneself and to others” (Pellicano, 2007, p. 974). Attributing mental states essentially allows one to read another’s body language and therefore predicts their behavior. This is important in the socialization of a child, something that an autistic child struggles with. Baron-Cohen et al. (2000) believe the term ToM is synonymous with social intelligence. The executive function (EF) is “a set of functions thought to be necessary for flexible, future-oriented behavior, especially in novel circumstances” (Pellicano, 2007, p. 974). The executive function is involved in many aspects of development, including working memory, the ability to plan effectively, and flexibility in focusing one’s attention to different people and objects. In a young child’s development, EF and ToM play a significant role. There are contradicting theories about which aspect affects the other, but it appears that the general belief is that together, they have an affect and that the two functions feed off of each (Pellicano, 2007). Pellicano (2007) found that in autistic children, when the EF is impaired, ToM is not intact. In other words, autistic children cannot read other’s body language if they have an impairment in their EF. Additionally, because of this impairment, they show an inability to be flexible, use their working memory, or plan for the future (Pellicano, 2007). One of the
According to research a difficulty developing Theory of Mind is central to the social deficits associated with autism (Sivaratnam, Cornish, Gray, Howlin, and Rinehart 2012). Theory of Mind is the ability to infer, understand and predict the beliefs, intentions, emotions of oneself and others. In typically developing children the understanding of intention as an “internal goal-oriented internal state is evident around 4-5 years of age (Sivaratnam, Cornish, Gray, Howlin, and Rinehart 2012). It is often the more subtle aspects of Theory of Mind, such as the ability to recognize complex emotions and facial expressions, and the interpretation of social-emotional cues in naturalistic settings, are where cognitively more able groups of individuals with ASD struggle (Sivaratnam, Cornish, Gray, Howlin, and Rinehart 2012). Those children with ASD that are of low IQ are most likely to struggle with Theory of Mind because they are not fully able to utilize cognitive reasoning to compensate for their social deficits (Sivaratnam, Cornish, Gray, Howlin,
Autism is defined as the brain disorder that begins in early childhood and persists throughout adulthood. Autism affects three areas of human development: (1) verbal and nonverbal communication, (2) social interaction, and (3) creative or imaginative play. Autism is considered a severe disorder and developmental disability that prevents individuals from properly understanding what they see, hear and sense. The cause of autism remains unknown. Current theories indicate a problem with the function or structure of the central nervous system. This essay overviews the history of autism and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). It provides an idea of the population and causes of autism. It takes about the program services and the current operational issues related to autism.
Children are ‘thinking beings’ which involves the ability to think. How significantly their cognitive ability to think for others follows them taking part in a range tests, such as the ‘sally- Anne test’ and ‘smarties’ test. It comes to the conclusion that children under the age of four fail the standard ‘false belief’ test. Subsequently the meta-analysis results monitor these theories of children failing ‘false beliefs’ tasks.
In researching the history of autism, I have found many interesting things that I’ve never heard or read about before. Studies say that the disorder is very rare, and it only occurs in four to five of every 10,000 births. Autism affects three to four times as many boys as girls. According to the passage "Autism." by Patricia Braus, as many as two-thirds of children with autistic symptoms are mentally deficient, but individuals with autism can be highly intelligent. Sometimes, individuals that carry Autism have the ability to retain phenomenal numbers of facts and information. An autistic
In this paper, I will be discussing the disorder of Autism, a sever disorder that affects the function of the brain. It causes problems in such areas as social contact, intelligence, language and speech impediments, along with ritualistic or compulsive behaviors, as well as different responses to the environment that an autistic individual may have different than individuals not having autism would exhibit. I will be discussing generally about the history and description of autism. Also I will be discussing the charactistics that mark an autistic individual, the actual treatment that an autistic person may receive, risk factors that an autistic person may encounter, and interventions/treatments activities that an individual who has autism may take part in. I feel that by doing all of this that I will gain a greater sense of understanding for individuals with autism. I will be giving this information to you by going through each topic that I have outlined in the introduction and explaining what each means and how they affect an individual with autism.
Mindreading is defined as the ability to “make sense of other people and to coordinate our behavior with theirs” (Bermudez, 354). Many cognitive scientists believe the theory of mind mechanism (TOMM) is important to mindreading. These scientists contend that autistic individuals suffer from an impairment to this theory of mind module. However, others have argued that theory of mind, which is “the ability to form beliefs about the mental states of others”, is not a modular ability, but instead the result of the interaction of many different cognitive skills. In their paper “Generous or Parsimonious Cognitive Architecture? Cognitive Neuroscience and Theory of Mind,” Philip Gerrans and Valerie E. Stone take this view of theory of mind. I will review this paper and its arguments, then address the response to Gerrans and Stone made by Carl Hildebrand.
The condition, “Autism Spectrum Disorder(A.S.D.)” is now seen as an epidemic in the present evolved society. Oxford Living Dictionary defines autism as “A developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by difficulty in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior.” (Oxford Living Dictionary) The dictionary is in total concordance with the American Psychiatry Association, as it is clearly implied that autism is a mental illness. The prospect of this research is to let in on the symptoms of autism, the reasons why it is not a total disadvantage and how to cultivate the best traits in autistic children.
Autism is the second types of brain disease. According to Scheruermann and Webber (2002), autism is a development of disorder that caused by neurological impairment affecting brain chemistry and or brain structure. Even the exact reason of the neurological impairment is not yet known, but it is mostly due to the genetic links. Nevertheless, this symptoms is well-defined, hence essential information for educational treatment been contributed. Understanding based on autistic symptomology is the best way to teach student with autism. Presently, there are three main theories explaining the existence of common symptoms. The first theory is a perceptual/cognitive theory. Autism children may have specific differences in capability of their thinking and the way they receive external input, due to the brain defects. They also have to withdraw, and have a complicated time making sense of or processing, physical phenomena because of they might be stimulated by auditory, visual, and tactile stimuli. A second theory is from a developmental explanation holds that brain defects is the reason individuals with autism difficult to evolve in language, cognition, social, and motor domains. Scheruermann and Webber also stated that, it is estimated that the students need to improve through developmentally sequenced experiences for them to expert the necessary skills just as children without disabilities because they are developmentally delayed. The last theory is the behavioral explanation, holds
People understand each other using cognitive skills, such as mindreading. Mindreading abilities also referred to as the theory of mind (ToM) is acknowledging that other people have mental states, such as understanding that others have desires, motives, beliefs and intentions (Hewson, 2015a). For most people this is generally an essential, undemanding skill for social interaction. Thereby, this essay will evaluate how psychology has helped to explain how people understand each other by firstly, explaining how different aspects of ToM have been studied in children. Additionally, adult mindreading will be evaluated to appreciate how people interpret other people’s behaviour. Subsequently, mindreading difficulties will be examined by exploring research into Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), indicating a link between deficits in ToM and cognitive empathy. Finally, relationship conflict will be discussed showing the cognitive processes, people use in these circumstances, which create mindreading difficulties in people who do not generally have a problem with it.
A time when I was challenged was when I spoke at my schools wellness conference and addressed my feelings about autism. When I first received my diagnosis, I was afraid to tell anyone because I knew about the stereotypes and I thought I would become a joke. However, as I became more comfortable in my own skin and I came to terms with my diagnosis, I slowly began to tell my closest friends about Asperger’s syndrome. Alongside school, I would attend appointments with a speech language pathologist who taught me how to cope and self-regulate when I started to have panic attacks. Eventually, I was able to educate other autistic children the techniques that help me. Moreover, I taught them how to self-declare.
stereotypical about the children and adults affected by it. Most people with AS do not purposely decide to become loners. There is a tendency that as children develop toward adolescence into adulthood, there is a result in negativism, clinical depression, and sometimes hopelessness because of failure to make relationships (Klin & Volkmar, 1997). People with Asperger’s love seeing things from other people’s perspective. They can also have a difficult time understanding people’s thoughts and most of their feelings. This is when theory of mind comes into play because we, and they, have trouble understanding other people’s perspective (Barnhill, 2001).