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As examples, a child who has mastered theory of mind understands that:
Autistic People Find Mind-Reading Difficult
Theory of mind may be elusive for autistic children and adults alike. This does not mean that autistic people lackempathy, but rather that it is difficult for them to second-guess others’motivations, intentions, or hidden agendas.
Research suggests the challenges include difficulty with reading subtle facial expressions and body language. For example, it may be hard for autistic people to intuit whether raised eyebrows are a sign of surprise, fear, or disapproval.
Vocal tones can also be an issue. For example, subtle changes intone and prosodycan express the idea that one is joking, sarcastic, disbelieving, and so forth. But when autistic people can’t recognize those subtle changes, they may take jokers seriously, or believe that a sarcastic statement is sincere.
As a result, autistic people often misunderstand other people’s motivations or desires. They may also fail to communicate information or advocate for their own needs. Difficulty with theory of mind can also make autistic people more vulnerable to being misled, bullied, or abused.
Autism and “Mind-Blindness”
Researcher Simon Baron-Cohen describes Theory of Mind as “being able to infer the full range of mental states.” They include beliefs, desires, intentions, imagination, and emotions that cause action, and the ability to reflect on your own mind and what another may be thinking.
Baron-Cohen developed a term for lack of theory of mind that he called “mind blindness.” Researchers including Baron-Cohen and Uta Frith believe that mind blindness at some level is present in all autistic people. They also feel that the lack of theory of mind is a result of neurological differences.
For autistic people withlow support needs, it is possible to build some “mind reading” abilities through practice, discussion, andsocial skills training. Even with practice and training, though, mind blindness may be an issue for autistic people throughout their lives.
SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Baron-Cohen, Simon. Theory of Mind in Normal Development and Autism.Prisme, 2001, 34, 174-183.Chevallier C, Noveck I, Happé F, Wilson D.“What’s in a Voice? Prosody as a Test Case for the Theory of Mind Account of Autism. Neuropsychologia. 2011 Feb;49(3):507-17.Frith, Uta. Mind Blindness and the Brain in Autism. Neuron, Vol. 32, 969–979, December 20, 2001.Kana, Rajesh, et al. Functional Brain Networks and White Matter Underlying Theory-of-Mind in Autism.Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (2014) 9(1): 98-105.Tager-Flusberg, Helen. Evaluating the Theory of Mind Hypothesis of Autism. Current Directions in Psychological Science, December 2007. Vol 16 no. 6 311-315.
Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Baron-Cohen, Simon. Theory of Mind in Normal Development and Autism.Prisme, 2001, 34, 174-183.Chevallier C, Noveck I, Happé F, Wilson D.“What’s in a Voice? Prosody as a Test Case for the Theory of Mind Account of Autism. Neuropsychologia. 2011 Feb;49(3):507-17.Frith, Uta. Mind Blindness and the Brain in Autism. Neuron, Vol. 32, 969–979, December 20, 2001.Kana, Rajesh, et al. Functional Brain Networks and White Matter Underlying Theory-of-Mind in Autism.Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (2014) 9(1): 98-105.Tager-Flusberg, Helen. Evaluating the Theory of Mind Hypothesis of Autism. Current Directions in Psychological Science, December 2007. Vol 16 no. 6 311-315.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Baron-Cohen, Simon. Theory of Mind in Normal Development and Autism.Prisme, 2001, 34, 174-183.Chevallier C, Noveck I, Happé F, Wilson D.“What’s in a Voice? Prosody as a Test Case for the Theory of Mind Account of Autism. Neuropsychologia. 2011 Feb;49(3):507-17.Frith, Uta. Mind Blindness and the Brain in Autism. Neuron, Vol. 32, 969–979, December 20, 2001.Kana, Rajesh, et al. Functional Brain Networks and White Matter Underlying Theory-of-Mind in Autism.Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (2014) 9(1): 98-105.Tager-Flusberg, Helen. Evaluating the Theory of Mind Hypothesis of Autism. Current Directions in Psychological Science, December 2007. Vol 16 no. 6 311-315.
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