How impaired is mind-reading in high-functioning adolescents and adults with autism?

Abstract

Difficulties in understanding the mental states of others are considered to be a core cognitive feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Traditional false-belief tasks were not suitable to measure mind-reading in adolescents and adults with ASD and were replaced by so-called more “advanced” tasks. A first series of tasks included the presentation of static stimuli in the visual or auditory modality. More recently, more dynamic, naturalistic tasks were developed. The most ecologically valid task to measure mind-reading is probably the empathic accuracy paradigm. Research with advanced mind-reading tests has demonstrated that high-functioning adults with ASD should not be underestimated since they may have good and in some cases very good mind-reading skills. Impairments are most obvious when an unstructured, dynamic and naturalistic task is being used.

Keywords:

• Autism
• Empathic accuracy
• Mind-reading
• Theory of Mind

Acknowledgments

This paper was supported by a grant of the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (Belgium) awarded to the second author.