Analysis: Cognitive and Affective Theories in Autism Spectrum Disorder

This essay provides a comparative analysis of the cognitive and affective theories of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It begins by defining autism and then introduces both the cognitive theory, which emphasizes mindblindness and the extreme male brain, and the affective theory, which highlights difficulties in processing emotions and social interaction. The essay explores the overlaps and differences between these theories, including the role of empathy and attachment. It delves into the research supporting each theory, and examines the implications for understanding and supporting individuals with ASD. The essay concludes by summarizing the key points and emphasizing the complexities of autism and its impact on individuals.

Running head: COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE THEORY
COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE THEORY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Introduction:
Autism is called autism spectrum disorder ( ASD). The people who are diagnosed
with autism spectrum disorder have troubles related to communication and behavior. The
symptom includes a wide variety of behavior and characteristics. According to a study, it is a
misconception that all people diagnosed with autism spectrum have huge problems and
complications and need full time care (Baio, J., 2014). Some people might need full time care
while some might have minor inconveniences that can be handled on their own. The purpose
of this piece of writing is to compare and contrast the two theories related to autism that is
cognitive theory and affective theory. The similarities in the approach of both of the theories
as well as the differences in the approach will be discussed.
Autism spectrum disorder:
Autism most commonly known as the autism spectrum disorder ( ASD) is a said to
include a very wider range conditions characterized by challenges with social skills,
repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. Autism can not be explained is a
simple line since it has many sub types. Each person having autism spectrum disorder has
few challenges as well as strengths. The challenges basically include the problems they have
to deal with issues related to communicating, socializing, bonding with somebody and
understanding concepts related to emotions and feelings. The question whether an autistic
person can deal with their issues alone or not depends on which type he falls and to which
extend is he or she autistic. According to a study the people who are believed to be having
autism spectrum disorder ( ASD) have an innate ability to form the usual biologically
provided affective contact with people (Christensen et al., 2013). The children diagnosed
with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD) ha difficulties dealing with their families
Cognitive theory in relation to autism:

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The cognitive theory explains that the children who are believed to have autism
spectrum disorder suffer from mindblindness. This a state where a person becomes unaware
of the mental status of other like what the other person is thinking, perceiving, feeling,
believing or intending. They become blind to the other’s perception of a particular thing or
act. The fundamental ability to understand or guess what a person’s intentions are is very
necessary for survival. To know or to guess whether a person is a friend or a foe is very
crucial and the inability to do so makes the people suffering autism at the mercy of the other
people. The absence of the very basic or fundamental ability to make out or know a person’s
intentions can be very dangerous and can at times be life threatening. The concept can be
clear understanding a simple example; a person approaching is going to ask the other person
to play with him or to smash that particular person’s head with it is important to know. At
times the decisions and judgments taken suddenly can save your life and the autistic have a
great disadvantage to this.
Extreme male theory:
According to the author of a study, The extreme male theory of cognition explains
that there are two types of brain namely; empathizing or it can also be termed as the female
brain and the other is called the systemizing which works in a very systematic manner like a
whole process(Iossifov et al., 2014). According to the author of a report, it is believed that
any normal person would have the these two brain types in equal measures to make a
balanced decision (Pasalich, Dadds and Hawes, 2014). However, the man leans more towards
systematic type which includes processing everything in a very systematic and natural
manner and the women leaning more towards the empathizing side. According to the author
of a report, people suffering from autism lack the ability to empathize that is to read a
person’s intentions through expression, body language, gestures, words, perceptions,
intentions or emotions (Mathersul, McDonald and Rushby, 2013).

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However, people who are diagnosed or said to have autism spectrum disorder ( ASD)
might not be good empathizer but they are great systemizes; the ability to know evaluate
nonhuman systems like machines, a collection of objects , scientific phenomenon to the vey
detail of it. Their extreme male brain is not all advantageous to the people who have
developed autism spectrum disorder because they lack to a very great degree in analyzing
emotions and feeling.
According to a study, Central coherence theory says that, the people who have autism
spectrum disorder great savant skills such as great ability or skills associate with the areas
such as music, calculations, memory and are also good with numbers and calculations
(Nuske, Vivanti and Dissanayake 2013). These people are very good at focusing on things
that are very minute and detailed so it becomes very easy for them to pick up on things such
as picking tiny elements of mass of complex data or objects.
Affective theory:
The affective theory and the cognitive theory overlap in believing that the people who
have autistic spectrum disorder lack the innate capacity to perceive and process emotional
information which results in a reduced interpersonal relatedness which in turn impedes
development in the social-emotional domain, communication, symbolic thought and social
interaction. The affective theory also says that the autistics people have great difficulty in
processing emotions and feelings which creates a gap between them and the people they try
to associate or communicate with. This very point that is explained by the affective theory of
autism that is explained by the cognitive theory as well where it has been stated that the
autistic individuals do not have the fundamental ability to process emotions.
According to the author of a report, The affective theory says that the signs can be
predicted in early infancy itself and is reflected the children’s poor joint attention, imitation

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and shared attention with caregivers (Mazza et al. 2014). According to a study, one of the
noted scholars in this domain noted that, the autistic children dealt with problems when it
came to feelings and emotions as they sometimes tries to intellectualize them and poor
empathy and difficulties in understanding social clues (Bons et al. 2013).
Affective theory of autism states that one of the major impairments that autistic
children deal with is emotional reciprocity and lack of social reciprocity. The affective theory
of autism also threw light in the direction of autistic aloneness which the cognitive theory of
autism did not do. Attachment is also a very important factor for the children right from the
very beginning of the childhood till the very last. According to a report, researches in the
affective theory has revealed that the common view that children suffering from autism
spectrum disorder (ASD) do not have attachments is completely false; rater they have
attachments but they cannot express the attachments the same way as many other people
would (Mazefsky et al. 2013). The cognitive theory did not come up with this discovery
about attachments in people with autism spectrum disorder. This discovery is in contrast
with the previously help believe that children or adults having autism spectrum disorder do
not develop any king of attachments with other people what so ever.
Affective empathy and cognitive empathy:
Empathy in a broad sense involves both its cognitive and affective dimensions.
According to a study it has been found that the subjects diagnosed with autism spectrum
disorder show impairment to a great degree to empathy ( Mazza et al. 2014). This section will
elaborate on how the adults and childe dealing with autism spectrum disorder experience and
react to cognitive and affective empathy. Researches reveal that a deficit in empathy often is
the cause of autistic people not being able to bond with people, to socialize with people or to
communicate with people (Mazefsky et al. 2013). Empathy means both the ability to

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understand what the other people are saying or feeling or thinking without having to resonate
or reciprocate as well as the ability to reciprocate or resonate with the way other people are
felling. Affective empathy would require one to experience sharing of the other person’s
status that is not apparent or visible but internal.
Conclusion:
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be said that the cognitive empathy requires one to
do complex functions including perspective taking and mentalizing. If one discusses
contagion, one would realize that it is the precursor of affective empathy, however,
embodiment includes the formation of a representation of the other person’s emotions and so
it has to do with sharing of one’s emotions. The cognitive and affective theories dealing with
the autism spectrum disorder overlaps in certain places. Affective impairment in the people
having autism spectrum disorder is centrally related to the cognitive recognition and also
related to the emotional flow, and not actually the skill to be feel emotionally troubled or
concerned. People have autism have trouble in cognitive empathy, however, when it comes to
the affective empathy then the difficulty is only related to the negative emotional valence.

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Reference
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