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Theory of mind

Flutterby

I'm told that autists do not have a 'theory of mind' and this is a reason why we get lost in conversations. But what *is* a 'theory of mind' exactly? Would it be possible to develop or learn one?

 

Parents

  • Thanks Kalo! I should have thought of Wiki myself - will have a look.

    I'm not so sure, though, that NTs have a ToM either, or at least only some do, certainly not when it comes to knowing that other people think differently. How many NTs take this into account when dealing with autists? I've found that when I try to explain myself to relatives, they just get irritated, and they seem to interpret my words quite differently to how I intended them.

    However, something interesting happened to me earlier this year (at my son's wedding!) I was talking with his new BiL, who also has AS, and at one point he seemed to get stuck. He didn't respond straight away, his face seemed to freeze. I recognised the signs, and I knew that something I'd said didn't seem to be what he expected, and he was having difficulty following me, needing a little time to catch up, which often happens to me!

    So - perhaps it's not so much that we have no ToM at all (without one, communication might be completely impossible!) but that we *do* have one, and NTs have their own ToM, and the two are different?

     

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  • Thanks Kalo! I should have thought of Wiki myself - will have a look.

    I'm not so sure, though, that NTs have a ToM either, or at least only some do, certainly not when it comes to knowing that other people think differently. How many NTs take this into account when dealing with autists? I've found that when I try to explain myself to relatives, they just get irritated, and they seem to interpret my words quite differently to how I intended them.

    However, something interesting happened to me earlier this year (at my son's wedding!) I was talking with his new BiL, who also has AS, and at one point he seemed to get stuck. He didn't respond straight away, his face seemed to freeze. I recognised the signs, and I knew that something I'd said didn't seem to be what he expected, and he was having difficulty following me, needing a little time to catch up, which often happens to me!

    So - perhaps it's not so much that we have no ToM at all (without one, communication might be completely impossible!) but that we *do* have one, and NTs have their own ToM, and the two are different?

     

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