Theory of mind, causal attribution and paranoia in Asperger syndrome

Theory of mind (ToM) deficits are central to autistic spectrum disorders, i ncluding Asperger syndrome. Research in psychotic disorders has developed a cognitive model of paranoid delusions involving abnormal causal attributio ns for negative events. Possible aetiologies of these include deficits in s ocial reasoning, specifically ToM. The present study investigated this attr ibutional model of paranoia in Asperger syndrome. Participants diagnosed wi th Asperger syndrome scored significantly higher on a measure of paranoia a nd lower on a measure of ToM, compared with the control group. They did not differ in self-concept and causal attributions, contrary to the attributio nal model of paranoia. A regression analysis highlighted private self-consc iousness as the only predictor of paranoia. The theoretical and clinical im plications of these findings are discussed.