6 - Development of social awareness and
language
Disinterest in social interactions is considered the
most distinctive characteristic of children with autism,
and a diminished capacity for shared attention is
viewed by many to underlie the disinterest in other
people. Shared attention is part of the ability to
comprehend what might be in the thoughts of another
person and to value the thinking of others. Shared
attention is central to the concept of "Theory of Mind"
(ToM) introduced by Baron-Cohen et al. (1985). The
child with the "core syndrome" of Kanner autism
appears to lack a "theory of mind" or any incentive to
engage in give-and-take with others [1]. But
appreciation of other people and eagerness to
interact are essential for development within a human
community.
Normal human development depends upon learning
from others and acquiring skills needed to adapt to
social norms and protocols. Self-sufficiency and
independent living are the goals of rehabilitation and
special education, but those incapable of interacting
with others are destined to become society's most
helpless and dependent members. The young of no
other species are required to incorporate knowledge
passed on from generations no longer living.
Civilization depends upon social progress, which
ultimately depends upon the innate capacity of
individuals to partake of ideas formulated in the minds
of others.
As an outcome of primate evolution, a reasonable
question to ask is what brain system provides the
capacity for social adaptation. Where in the brain
have shared attention and communicative intent
developed? A case can be made that social
awareness has evolved as part of ever improving
alerting mechanisms in the brain. The auditory
system appears to be the most recent evolutionary
mechanism for environmental monitoring, and
connections to wide areas of the cerebral cortex have
likely resulted from its ongoing elaboration. This
seems clear from consideration of how music
exercises the memory system of the brain; the appeal
of a particular song is often the remembrance of some
past period or event it evokes.
The high rate of aerobic metabolism in the auditory
system may have developed to support some level of
constant vigilance required for environmental
awareness. Having developed as a later stage of
evolution, auditory connections may have increased
hand in hand with expansion of cortical association
tracts. Consciousness of other humans would appear
to be a late evolutionary aspect of general
awareness. Living as part of a community provides a
clear advantage for survival.
Language is the highest evolutionary stage in the
development of social interactions. Social sensibility
increases with language development, and the social
deficits of children with autism appear closely linked
with failure to acquire useful language. Normal
language development depends upon intact auditory
function. Even those who disagree realize that early
recognition of hearing impairment is essential to begin
interventions to teach language through signing.
The capacity for language derives from connections of
the auditory receptive area in the temporal lobe with
the speech motor region of the frontal lobe (usually on
the left side of the brain). Wernicke (1874) was the
first to provide examples of language disorders
caused by lesions in this sensory-to-motor system,
and he decried the attitude in his own day that
disregarded the auditory sense as an important
aspect of language representation in the brain [2].
Few believe that damage confined to the brainstem
could be responsible for impairment of a higher
cognitive function as important as language.
However, as discussed in chapter 8 above, at least
nine cases have been reported of sudden “word
deafness” following bilateral damage to the inferior
colliculi in adults who had no prior difficulties in speech
comprehension.
- Baron-Cohen S,
Leslie AM, Frith U.
(1985) Does the
autistic child have a
"theory of mind"?.
- Wernicke C (1874)
The symptom
complex of aphasia.
- Baron-Cohen S, Leslie AM, Frith U. (1985) Does the autistic child have a "theory of
mind"? Cognition. 21:37-46.
- Wernicke C (1874) Der aphasische Symptomencomplex, Breslau: Franck und Weigert.
Translation: The symptom complex of aphasia, in Cohen RS & Wartofsky MW, eds
(1969) Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol 4, pp 34-97.