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pdpi t1_ixpnt1z wrote

Imagine I show you a box of chocolates. I ask you “what do you think is inside the box?”, and presumably you answer “chocolate”. I open the box, and show you that I’ve replaced the chocolates with marbles. Now, your friend comes inside the room, and I ask you “what does your friend think is inside the box?”

Young kids will say “marbles”, because they know there’s marbles inside. Older kids will answer “chocolates” because they understand that their friend sees a box of chocolates and has no way of knowing it’s actually filled with marbles. This is called a “theory of mind” — you have a mental model (“theory”) for how people have separate minds with separate knowledge.

One of the difficulties that come with autism is precisely around developing that theory of mind.

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meginoz OP t1_ixpr06v wrote

So basically she cannot understand that I may not be as excited and keen to play barbies (again for the fifteenth time today) as she is? So she "punishes" me for not feeling that way?

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pdpi t1_ixprqn4 wrote

Exactly. Also, applying the same logic, she's not "punishing" you, because she doesn't necessarily understand the concept. She's just expressing her frustration, not entirely unlike how a baby cries to express they're hungry or uncomfortable..

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