The claim that autistic individuals lack Theory of Mind (ToM)—the ability to understand that others have thoughts, emotions, and...

Theory of Mind (ToM) is a critical aspect of social cognition and undergoes significant developmental changes from infancy to adulthood. This development follows a trajectory marked by key milestones, with notable differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals. Infancy and Early Childhood ToM development begins in infancy, where social interaction plays a vital role. Infants depend on caregivers to regulate affective states, which in turn helps in the gradual acqui

Henry Wellman (2020) explores the development of "theory of mind"—our ability to understand and predict others' mental states. He argues...

Theory of Mind (ToM) refers to the ability to attribute mental states—such as beliefs, intentions, and emotions—to oneself and others, enabling social understanding and interaction (Green et al. 2015; Poletti et al. 2012). It consists of two primary components: cognitive ToM (reasoning about thoughts and beliefs) and affective ToM (reasoning about emotions), which interact but function separately (Shamay-Tsoory 2011; Sprung et al. 2022). Conceptual and Terminological Challeng

Theory of Mind (ToM) has been applied not only to humans and animals but also to Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. The extent to wh

According to some researchers (e.g., Ramachandran 1995), it is mirror neurons that allow us to "read" and understand another's intentions, and thus to develop a sophisticated "theory of other minds"; without these neurons, the child can no longer understand other people’s intentions, emotions and behaviours, and this is the case in autism. It is true that autistic people find it hard to perceive the mental states of others and it has been suggested that the central feature of