The Autism - Research Paper Example

I agree with the conclusion authors make in this article that the current research supports the view that autism involves delays and deficits not only in the development of the theory-of-mind tasks but also in additional aspects of social-affective information processing that extend beyond the traditional boundaries of theory of mind (Tager-Flusber, 2007). Theory of mind is the ability to accredit mental states, such as desires, beliefs, knowledge, etc., to oneself and others and to understand that others have desires, beliefs, and knowledge different from one’s own. Obviously, research and practice over the years have proved that children with autism lack this ability.

In the 1980s Simon Baron-Cohen concluded that children diagnosed with autism do not utilize a theory of mind, that is they have difficulty seeing things from the perspective of others. It actually makes sense on a personal level. I have not had much experience interacting with children with autism, but I have definitely noticed they get really involved in the topics or things that interest them and do not respond to social cues. In fact, Tager-Flusber states that numerous researchers confirmed the connection of the theory of mind to the deficits in autism, all the symptoms associated with autism cannot be explained solely by the theory of mind deficits. For example, deficits in the theory of mind can explain difficulties that children with autism have in pretend play. It can also explain why children with autism have social skills deficits, as they cannot understand other people’s emotions, or reactions to social cues and stay focused on their own. However, from what I have learned previously and what I have observed with autistic children, this disorder is very complex and includes deficits in numerous areas of an individual’s functioning. Science still cannot give a single reason why autism develops and we still continue to discover more and more new mechanisms of the development of this disorder. In addition, there is a gap between what we know about the symptoms and development of autism and the theory of mind. As the author of the article states, we start noticing deficits in social and communication skills in children with autism before the theory of mind abilities starts to develop. For example, children with autism show difficulty turning their attention toward social stimuli, an ability that develops in children before the theory of mind.

Thus, the arguments presented by the author of the article confirm that autism cannot be explained by the traditional theory of mind. My knowledge and previous personal experience as well as these arguments lead me to agree with the author. More and more research is being conducted and more and more advancement is done toward the understanding of this complex disorder, and the theory of mind hypothesis proves to have its limitations.