This may also be of interest......

The causes of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) can be described in two ways:
Primary ASD (also known as idiopathic ASD): no underlying medical condition can be found to explain the symptoms of ASD.
Secondary ASD: there is an underlying medical condition that is thought to be responsible, or partially responsible, for the symptoms of ASD.
90% of cases of ASD are primary. .

Leaving aside the 10% of secondary ASD researchers have studied four possible factors in the cause (or causes) of primary ASD:

Genetic factors: certain genetic mutations may make a child more likely to develop an ASD.

Environmental factors: during pregnancy, a child may be exposed to certain environmental factors that could increase the risk of developing an ASD.

Psychological factors: people with ASD may think in certain ways that contribute towards their symptoms.

Neurological factors: specific problems with the development of the brain and nervous system could contribute towards the symptoms of ASD.


The possible psychological factors behind ASD, are based around a concept known as 'Theory of Mind' (TOM).

"The theory of mind (ToM) impairment describes a difficulty someone would have with perspective taking.
This is also sometimes referred to as 'mind-blindness'" Wiki

This means that individuals with a ToM impairment would have a hard time seeing things from any other perspective than their own.*

Individuals who experience a theory of mind deficit have difficulty determining the intentions of others, lack understanding of how their behaviour affects others.

Additionally, one of the most important milestones in theory of mind development is gaining the ability to attribute 'false belief'
This means an inability to recognize that others can have beliefs about the world that are wrong. - for example theories found on the internet or elsewhere are believed unconditionally without analysis.

The results of research using false-belief tasks have been fairly consistent: most normally-developing children are unable to pass the tasks until around age four.
(Notably, while most children, including those with Down's syndrome, are able to pass this "test", in one study, 80% of children diagnosed with autism were unable to do so.)

However, In addition to autism, ToM deficits have also been observed in schizophrenics.

*Moore, S. (2002). Asperger Syndrome and the Elementary School Experience. Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company