WECHSLER IQ PROFILE AND THEORY OF MIND IN AUTISM - A RESEARCH NOTE

The unusually uneven intelligence test profile found in autism has bee n consistently replicated. However, few psychological theories of auti sm give prominence to this feature. Nor is it clear how currently infl uential theories, such as the theory of mind account or the executive function hypothesis, can explain the marked peaks and troughs found in the performance of both high- and low-functioning individuals with au tism. The present study reports the pattern of Wechsler subtest result s for subjects with autism who do or do not pass standard theory of mi nd tasks. The results suggest that while difficulty with the Comprehen sion subtest may reflect poor theory of mind, relative skill on the Bl ock Design subtest is characteristic of subjects with autism regardles s of theory of mind performance. Implications of this finding for the central coherence hypothesis are considered.