Are Autistic Children with Theory of Mind Delays Unexpectedly Competent at Moral Reasoning?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Moral reasoning and theory of mind (ToM) are two distinct but related aspects of social cognition. While past research has clearly documented serious delays in ToM development for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) both cross-sectionally (e.g. Happe, 1995) and longitudinally (Peterson & Wellman, 2020) much less is known about the timing of ASD children’s development of moral reasoning. The present study addresses this knowledge gap with a special focus on three key research questions: (a) Is moral judgement delayed (in parallel with ToM) among children with ASD or is its timing comparable to that of typically-developing (TD) children their age? (b) Do ToM and moral reasoning significantly interconnect with one another among children with ASD? (c) If so, is the pattern of linkages the same as for TD children?