Autism spectrum disorders are characterised by striking problems in social communication. These problems are still in need of exploration, as there are many different aspects of social interaction. Not all of these aspects are necessarily impaired in autistic disorders. On the other hand, there can be additional problems that impact on social skills that are not part of the core features of autism. In this talk I will present recently discovered examples of islets of social ability in autism and also of superimposed social disability that is not part and parcel of autistic disorders.

The various theories that attempt to explain the social communication problems each capture some, but not all aspects of social communication. To develop cognitive theories we need a leap of the imagination. However, the theories then have to be tested rigorously. One well-researched theory that has proved relatively robust over time explains the social and communication impairments by a failure of intuitive mentalising. Other theories have focussed on a difficulty with recognising faces and eye gaze. The recent idea of an impairment in the brain’s mirror neuron system attempts to explain difficulties in social imitation and in emotional empathy. Clearly, all these theories contribute to the explanation of social difficulties that characterise autism, and will eventually lead to the elucidation of the underlying brain functions.

Why are cognitive theories important? Should we instead invest solely in behavioural and biological investigations? One of the difficulties with behavioural tests is that behaviour is extremely variable and depends on severity of the disorder, stage of development, general ability and other factors including motivation. Other reasons for the variability might be the novel and idiosyncratic ways of learning that we can observe in children with autism, their use of existing strengths in compensating for any problems, and their determination to follow their own interests. All this would make for pronounced individual differences and a wide spectrum of presentations. Cognitive theories can address the question of what these differences mean and why the manifestation of an underlying problem, such as intuitive mentalising, can be so variable.

Cognitive theories imply that children with autism move along a different developmental path and that learning would benefit from being re-routed. Hence teaching methods need to be different from those used for normally developing children and they need to be adapted to each individual. The questions of what it is like to have autism, and what can be done to optimize developmental progress would never be resolved if all research was focussed entirely on the ultimate biological causes of autism, neglecting cognition.

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place: Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Skovagervej 2, 8240 Risskov, denmark 

time: 9.40 am -10.45 am

date: november 9th

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