Empathizing and Systemizing in Autism Spectrum Conditions

Autism is diagnosed when a child or adult has abnormalities in a triad of behavioral domains: social development, communication, and repetitive behavior/obsessive interests (American Psychological Association [APA], 1994; World Health Organization [WHO], 1994). In the 1960s and 1970s, many of the children with autism who were studied by cognitive developmentalists also had comorbid learning difficulties (i.e., below-average intelligence) and language delay (Frith, 1970; Hermelin & O’Connor, 1970; Wing, 1976). An average IQ of 60 was not uncommon in samples studied during that period.

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