1 University of Houston, USA.
2 The University of Buckingham, UK.
Autism. 2019 Jul;23(5):1186-1200. doi: 10.1177/1362361318793409. Epub 2018 Oct 11.
Autistic people are often described as being impaired with regard to theory of mind, though more recent literature finds flaws in the theory of mind deficit paradigm. In addition, the predominant methods for examining theory of mind often rely on "observational" modes of assessment and do not adequately reflect the dynamic process of real-life perspective taking. Thus, it is imperative that researchers continue to test the autistic theory of mind deficit paradigm and explore theory of mind experiences through more naturalistic approaches. This study qualitatively examined theory of mind in 12 autistic adolescents through a series of semi-structured interviews. Interpretive phenomenological analysis of the data revealed four core themes in participants' theory of mind experiences and strategies, all of which highlighted how a more accurate representation of autistic theory of mind is one of difference rather than deficit. For instance, data showed that autistic heightened perceptual abilities may contribute to mentalizing strengths and that honesty in autism may be less dependent on systemizing rather than personal experience and choice. Such findings suggest that future research should reexamine autistic characteristics in light of their ability to enhance theory of mind processing. Understanding how an autistic theory of mind is uniquely functional is an imperative step toward both destigmatizing the condition and advocating for neurodiversity.
自闭症患者通常被描述为在心理理论方面存在障碍，但最近的文献发现心理理论缺陷范式存在缺陷。此外，用于检验心理理论的主要方法通常依赖于“观察”的评估模式，不能充分反映现实生活中换位思考的动态过程。因此，研究人员继续检验自闭症心理理论缺陷范式并通过更自然的方法探索心理理论体验是当务之急。本研究通过一系列半结构化访谈，对 12 名自闭症青少年的心理理论进行了定性研究。对数据的解释现象学分析揭示了参与者心理理论体验和策略的四个核心主题，所有这些主题都强调了更准确地描述自闭症心理理论是一种差异而不是缺陷。例如，数据表明，自闭症患者较高的感知能力可能有助于心理化能力，而自闭症患者的诚实可能较少依赖于系统化，而不是个人经验和选择。这些发现表明，未来的研究应该根据增强心理理论处理的能力来重新审视自闭症特征。了解自闭症心理理论是如何具有独特功能的，是消除这种状况和倡导神经多样性的重要一步。
