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The cognitive neuroscience of autism

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
S Baron-Cohen
Autism Research Centre, Departments of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, Cambridge CB2 2AH, UK; sb205@cam.ac.uk

Abbreviations: AS, Asperger syndrome; CC, central coherence; EFT, embedded figures task; E-S, empathising-systemising; HFA, high functioning autism; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging

Keywords: autism

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Autism is diagnosed when a child or adult has abnormalities in a "triad" of behavioural domains: social development, communication, and repetitive behaviour/obsessive interests.^1,2 Autism can occur at any point on the IQ continuum, and IQ is a strong predictor of outcome.³ Autism is also invariably accompanied by language delay (no single words before 2 years old). Asperger syndrome (AS)⁴ is a subgroup on the autistic spectrum. People with AS share many of the same features as are seen in autism, but with no history of language delay and with an IQ in the average range or above. In this editorial, the main cognitive theories of autism are summarised. These are then followed by a summary of the key neurobiological findings.

AUTISM: COGNITIVE ASPECTS
The mind blindness theory of autism⁵ proposed that in autism spectrum conditions there are deficits in the normal process of empathy, relative to mental age. These deficits can occur . . . [Full text of this article]

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