Autism And The Development Of The Mind

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.

Autism is a developmental disorder, which is characterized by a dyad of difficulties in a) communication and social interaction and b) restricted interests and imagination (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Individuals on the Autism Spectrum might find it challenging to understand what other people think or what the reasons for their behaviours are, as their ‘theory of mind’ may not be well developed (Schuwerk, Vuori & Sodian, 2015). It is possible that this is why they might behave in socially inappropriate ways, being unable to differentiate between different contexts, while they might also find it difficult to make friends. Moreover, it is likely that they are fond of routines, repetition and structure (Carnahan, Musti-Rao, & Bailey, 2009), as they might be nervous with unknown, new situations. In addition, some of them might not do eye contact with other people, whereas some others might not endure to be touched and might have a difficulty developing speech (Jordan, 2005). Individuals on the Autism Spectrum might sometimes be prohibited to initiate conversations and might struggle with finding different ways to play and behave, due to the possible deficit of imagination, which in some cases might result in them having a narrow sphere of interests. Nevertheless, it should be noted that this group of people is rather heterogeneous, as characteristics of autism may differ from one individual to another (Gwynette, 2013). Another point is that people with Autism

Social imagination allows us to understand and predict other people’s behaviour. It also helps us to make sense of abstract ideas, and to imagine situations outside our immediate daily routine. This impairment of imagination is also known as `inflexibility of thought` and can affect people with autism in different ways. This can make it difficult to:

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.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a name that is used for a group of developmental disorders. Children with Autism have great difficulty with bonding emotionally with others, they find it hard to make eye contact with others, communicate their feelings and express themselves to the people who are closet to them. Autism effects the brain which inhibits these children to interact, communicate, and concentrate. A child with Autism will display behavior such as, repetitive behavior, rocking, flapping hands, repetition of words, and will want to always arrange objects.

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, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neuro-developmental condition which effects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. People with autism may have a difficult time understanding ‘typical’ social cues and social behaviors, and they may face challenges engaging with those around them either by using words or non-verbal behaviors and refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech. As well as by unique strengths and differences. We now know that there is not one autism but many types, caused by a combination of genetic and environmental influences (what is autism,

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

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.

Autism is a rare disease that can be characterized by a “neurodevelopmental disorder categorized by the inability to relate to and perceive the environment in the realistic manner.” (Anthes, 1997) The signs of autism are mainly found in infants to young children usually between the ages of newborn to two years. The main symptoms that are discussed are “impairment in social interaction fixation of inanimate objects, inability to communicate normally, and resistance to changes in their daily routine.” (Anthes, 1997) Autism is a very understood disease but one thing most people do not know is that autism not only effects a child’s life mentally and physically, it also effects their social ability to have friends, play normally and even grow up

This study by Gray et al. explored how a 2D framework of mind perception could be used to further our understanding of psychopathology. They have done so by examining the interaction between the two dimensions of mind perception: agency (e.g. capacity for conscious control) and experience (e.g. capacity for feelings), with three subclinical syndromes: autism-spectrum disorder, schizotypy, and psychopathy. By reviewing current literatures, a distinct profile of under- and overperception of agency and/or experience was speculated for each syndrome. Specifically, Gray et al. hypothesized that people high in autism spectrum would be characterized by underperception of agency in adult human, people high in schizotypy would overperceive mind in non-human targets, and people with psychopathic tendencies would underperceive experience in living beings. The Mind survey was adopted to assess participants ' mind ascription profiles, in which they have rate their perception of nine targeted entities. It could be inferred from the study that beside the rather miscellaneous target Superman, a typical individual without tendency for disorders would perceive those entities according to 4 categories: being capable of both agency and experience (man and woman), being capable of mainly experience (baby and dog), being capable of mainly agency (God and robot) and being capable of neither (tree and dead woman). Moreover, participants were required to complete web versions of the Autism-spectrum

Developmental psychology is a scientific approach that focuses on the ways in which individuals change and evolve across their lifespan, beginning with birth and ending in death. This specific study of the mind and behavior tends to concentrate on the time period from birth to adolescence because this is when the majority of development occurs. This branch of psychology revolves around various types of changes, including behavioral, cultural, social, psychological, biological, and genetic factors, all of which greatly impact the way a child will develop into an adult. Autism spectrum disorder is considered to be the most severe developmental disorder due to its ubiquitous and difficult nature. (“APA.org | Autism,” 2016) This disorder involves a delay or deficiency in those developmental areas, especially in regards to physical, emotional, and social weaknesses. ASD affects approximately 1 in 68 children according to the CDC, and this disorder is becoming more prevalent as time goes on, despite the immense amount of research being done in this area. While it seems to affect more and more children each year, ASD has shown to be 4.5 times more common in boys than in girls, which is another concern regarding the varied development between boys and girls. (“CDC | Data and Statistics” 2016) I find this disorder to be extremely interesting because of how little is actually known about it, as well as how much the symptoms can

The article presented by Gray et al (2010), thoroughly examines the relations of specific psychopathology with social perception. Autism spectrum disorder, schizotypy and psychopathy will be further inspected and researched through a transdiagnostic approach – treating these disorders as impairments of the underlying cognitive system instead of as a difference in entity. Gray et al (2010), tries to define the aforementioned disorders with both an agency (cognitive abilities and control) and an experience (primitive or animalistic behaviours) score which are underlying aspects of mind perception. Mind perception can either be defined as overperception, perceiving a nonexistent mind, or underperception, failing to perceive those with an

Autism is associated with a range of differences and difficulties typically related to core skills in reciprocal social interaction, communication and imagination