UNDERSTANDING INTENTION IN NORMAL DEVELOPMENT AND IN AUTISM

This study aimed to establish whether or not young children and young people with autism can understand the mental state of intention. Parti cipants were exposed to personal experience of unintended outcomes, to test if they could distinguish intended vs. unintended actions. Recog nizing accidental outcomes was more difficult for normal 4-year-olds t han 5-year-olds, and more difficult for young people with autism, comp ared with comparison groups. Such findings suggest that the theory of mind deficit observed in people with autism is not restricted to under standing epistemic states, but: also extends to understanding intentio n. The results are also compatible with an action-monitoring deficit. Future research needs to test these two accounts against each other.