September 17th, 2008

In the first of 2 recent articles concerning autism, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on new research concerning the thought processes of those with autism.

The research revolves around the difference of the “theory of mind” in those with autism vs. those who are not autistic.  The theory of mind refers to the concept of a person trying to figure out what other people are thinking– a skill that most people use daily, and that they start to develop as babies.

Research is showing that autistic people are poor at theory-of-mind cognition, which is manifested in their difficulty with social relationships and sometimes inappropriate actions in public.

For a more detailed report on that research, visit the Post-Gazette.

In other autism news, the Boston Globe refers to PA today in an article about how autism advocacy groups are pushing for laws that would require health insurers to cover a portion of the expensive educational treatments for children with autism.

They refer to PA as one of the few states that has passed a law requiring private insurance companies to pay for a variety of autism therapies.  In most areas, families and taxpayers (through school district taxes) are the ones who foot the bill for most autism therapies.