Mind-reading in young adults with ASD: does structure matter?

This study further elaborates on the mind-reading impairments of young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The hypothesis is that differences in mind-reading abilities between subjects with ASD and control subjects become more apparent when they have to infer thoughts and feelings of other persons in a less structured or more chaotic conversation, than when they have to do so in a more structured conversation. Conform to the empathic accuracy design, subjects viewed two videotaped interactions depicting two strangers and attempted to infer thoughts and feelings. One of the videotaped conversations was less structured than in the other. The results underscore the significance of structure to the mind-reading abilities of young adults with ASD.