Day 145

Autism mostly affects behaviors that are associated with communication and social interaction. These social impairments create a unique perspective that makes it difficult for people with autism to relate to others. This phenomenon violates the Theory of Mind, which creates a mutual understanding between conversational partners that the speaker and listener differ in their thoughts and perspectives. Here is an example from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time:

"Julie sat down at a desk next to me and put a tube of Smarties on the desk, and she said, 'Christopher, what do you think is in here?'

And I said, 'Smarties.'

Then she took the top off the Smarties tube and turned it upside down and a little red pencil came out and she laughed and I said, 'It's not Smarties, it's a pencil.'

Then she put the little red pencil back inside the Smarties tube and put the top back on.

Then she said, 'If your mummy came in now and we asked her what was inside the Smarties tube, what do you think she would say?'

And I said, 'A pencil.'

That was because when I was little I didn't understand about other people having minds"
(p. 115-6).