Simon Baron-Cohen
Autism research | |
---|---|
Spouse |
Bridget Lindley
(m. 1987; div. 2016) |
Awards | Kanner-Asperger Medal (2013) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | |
Institutions | University of Cambridge |
Thesis | Social Cognition and Pretend-Play in Autism (1985) |
Doctoral advisor | Uta Frith |
Sir Simon Philip Baron-Cohen
In 1985, Baron-Cohen formulated the
He has also made major contributions to research on autism prevalence and screening, autism genetics, autism
Early life and education
Baron-Cohen was born into a middle-class Jewish family in London, the second son of Judith and Hyman Vivian Baron-Cohen.[2][3][4]
He completed a
Career
Baron-Cohen is professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.[5] He is the director of the university's Autism Research Centre[7] and a Fellow of Trinity College.[5]
He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS),[8] the British Academy,[9] the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Association for Psychological Science.[10] He is a BPS Chartered Psychologist[8] and a Senior Investigator at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).[11]
He serves as vice-president of the National Autistic Society (UK),[12] and was the 2012 chairman of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guideline Development Group for adults with autism.[13] He has served as vice-president and president of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR).[5] He is co-editor in chief of the journal Molecular Autism.[14][15]
He was the chair of the Psychology Section of the British Academy.[16] He is also a clinical psychologist who has created a diagnosis clinic in the UK for late autism diagnosis in adults.[17]
Baron-Cohen gave the keynote lecture on the topic of Autism and Human Rights at the United Nations on World Autism Awareness Day in 2017.[18]
Research
The mind blindness theory of autism
Baron-Cohen has worked in autism research for over 40 years, starting in 1982. In 1985, while he was member of the Cognitive Development Unit (CDU) in London, he and his colleagues Uta Frith and
Baron-Cohen's 1995 book, Mindblindness summarized his subsequent experiments in ToM and the disability in ToM in autism. He went on to show that autistic children are blind to the mentalistic significance of the eyes and show deficits in advanced ToM, measured by the "reading the mind in the eyes test" (or "eyes test") that he designed.
Empathizing-systemizing (E-S) theory
In 1997, Baron-Cohen developed the
The E-S theory argues that typical females on average score higher on empathizing relative to systemizing (they are more likely to have a brain of type E), and typical males on average score higher on systemizing relative to empathizing (they are more likely to have a brain of type S). Autistic people are predicted to score as an extreme of the typical male (they are more likely to have a brain of type S or extreme type S).[26] These predictions were confirmed in a 2018 online study of 600,000 non-autistic people and 36,000 autistic people. This also confirmed that autistic people on average are “hyper-systemizers”.[27]
Working with the personal genomics company 23andMe, Baron-Cohen’s team studied 56K genotyped individuals who had taken the Systemizing Quotient. He concluded that the genetics of autism not only includes genes associated with disability but also include genes associated with talent in pattern recognition and understanding how things work.[28]
Prenatal neuroendocrinology
Baron-Cohen's work in E-S theory led him to investigate whether higher levels of prenatal testosterone explain the increased rate of autism among males.[26] His prenatal sex steroid theory of autism gained additional support in 2015 and 2019 in finding elevated prenatal androgens and estrogens[clarification needed] are associated with autism.[29][30]
In his 2004 book Prenatal Testosterone in Mind (
Baron-Cohen's group also studied the rate of autism in offspring of mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a medical condition caused by elevated prenatal testosterone. He found that in women with PCOS, the odds of having a child with autism are significantly increased.[36] This has been replicated in three other countries (Sweden, Finland, and Israel) and is in line with the finding that mothers of autistic children themselves have elevated sex steroid hormones.[37][38] But to really test the theory, Baron-Cohen needed a much larger sample than his Cambridge Child Development Project, since autism only occurs in 1% of the population. So, in 2015, he set up a collaboration with the Danish Biobank which has stored over 20 thousand amniotic fluid samples which he linked to later diagnosis of autism via the Danish Psychiatric Register. He tested the prenatal androgens and found that children later diagnosed as autistic were exposed to elevated levels of prenatal testosterone, and the Δ4 sex steroid precursors to prenatal testosterone.[30] In 2019 he tested the same cohort's levels of exposure to prenatal estrogens and again found these were elevated in pregnancies that resulted in autism.[29] These novel studies provide evidence of the role of prenatal hormones, interacting with genetic predisposition, in the cause of autism.
Other contributions
In 2006, Baron-Cohen proposed the assortative mating theory which states that if individuals with a systemizing or "type S" brain type have a child, the child is more likely to be autistic.[26][39] One piece of evidence for this theory came from his population study in Eindhoven, where autism rates are twice as high in that city which is an IT hub, compared to other Dutch cities.[40] In addition, he found both mothers and fathers of autistic children score above average on tests of attention to detail, a prerequisite for strong systemizing.[41]
In 2001, he developed the
Baron-Cohen also developed Mindreading, for use in special education.[44] His team also developed The Transporters, an animation series aimed at teaching emotion recognition to preschool age autistic children,[45] and conducted the first clinical trial of lego therapy in the UK, finding that autistic children improve in social skills following this.[46]
Baron-Cohen has also contributed to applied autism research. He found that autistic people are being failed by the criminal justice system, and have higher rates of suicidality, higher rates of postnatal depression, and higher rates of medical and physical health conditions.[47][48]
Reception
Spectrum News had described the work of Baron-Cohen on theory of mind as “a landmark study”.[49] The Lancet described him as “a man with extraordinary knowledge, but his passionate advocacy for a more tolerant, diverse society, where difference is respected and cultivated, reveals a very human side to his science”.[50]
Baron-Cohen’s book, The Essential Difference was described by The Guardian as “compelling and inspiring” while his book,[51] The Pattern Seekers was selected as the Editor’s Choice by the New York Times.[52] A book review published in Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences characterized The Essential Difference as "very disappointing".[53] According to Time magazine, his views on systemizing traits had "earned him the ire of some parents of autistic children, who complain that he underestimates their families' suffering".[39] Baron-Cohen has replied in an op-ed in Scientific American acknowledging the challenges families face. He has also commented that the huge body of scientific evidence supporting predictions from the mindblindness and E-S theories cannot be ignored.[54]
Baron-Cohen and his book The Science of Evil were described by The New York Times “an award-winning psychologist” who had “unveiled a simple but persuasive hypothesis for a new way to think about evil.”[55]
Baron-Cohen has faced criticism by some for his "empathizing-systemizing theory", which states that humans may be classified on the basis of their scores along two dimensions (empathizing and systemizing); and that females tend to score higher on the empathizing dimension and males tend to score higher on the systemizing dimension. Feminist scientists, including
Time magazine has also criticized the assortative mating theory proposed by Baron-Cohen, claiming that it is largely speculative and based on anecdotal evidence. The theory claims that autism rates are increasing because "systemizers", individuals with more autistic traits, are more likely to marry each other and are more likely to have autistic offspring due to relatively recent societal changes.[62] James McGrath has criticized the autism-spectrum quotient, writing that the score increases if one indicates interest in mathematics, and decreases if one indicates interest in literature or art. He claims that this leads to the false notion that most autistic people are strong in math.[63] Baron-Cohen has replied to this by saying there are no questions in the AQ that ask about mathematical interest, and that the finding that AQ is associated with scientific and mathematical talent has been found in multiple studies, suggesting these may have shared mechanism such as strong systemizing. The AQ has been used in hundreds of independent studies showing that both psychological and biological variables correlate with the number of autistic traits a person has.[64]
Critics also say that because his work has focused on higher-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders, it requires independent replication with broader samples[65] and that his theories are based on subjective perceptions.[60] In response to this Baron-Cohen said that his findings have been found both using self-report, parent-report questionnaires and performance measures and agrees that the presence of learning disabilities in a third of autistic individuals may change the way empathy or systemizing are manifested.[66]
The mindblindness hypothesis has faced criticism from the scientific community.[67][68][69] Baron-Cohen has also commented that the vast majority of studies have replicated the findings, despite the heterogeneity of autism and that huge body of scientific evidence supporting predictions from the mindblindness and E-S theories cannot be ignored.[70]
Baron-Cohen's theories about mindblindness are also questioned by academic philosophers, particularly Autistic academic philosophers, in part on the basis that non-autistic people are as blind to the internal states of autistic people as autistic people are to those of non-autistic people.[71] Baron-Cohen agrees that the “double-empathy” problem is an important contribution to this field. There is also criticism of Baron-Cohen's concept of theory of mind in relation to autism on the grounds that it implies he is classifying autistic people as not fully human. Baron-Cohen has replied that autistic people are fully human and that theory of mind or cognitive empathy exists on a bell curve. He views autism as an example of neurodiversity and disability.[72][73]
Recognition
Baron-Cohen was awarded the 1990 Spearman Medal from the BPS,[74] the McAndless Award from the American Psychological Association,[75] the 1993 May Davidson Award for Clinical Psychology from the BPS,[76] and the 2006 presidents' Award from the BPS.[77]
He received an honorary degree from Abertay University in 2012,[78] and was awarded the Kanner-Asperger Medal in 2013 by the Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft Autismus-Spektrum as a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to autism research.[79] He was also knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to people with autism.[80]
Baron-Cohen's Mindreading and The Transporters special educational software were nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards in 2002 and 2007.[81][82]
Personal life
In 1987, Baron-Cohen married Bridget Lindley.[83] Together, they had three children.[39]
He has an elder brother Dan Baron Cohen and three younger siblings, brother Ash Baron-Cohen and sisters Suzie and Liz.[4] His cousins include actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and composer Erran Baron Cohen.[2][84][85]
Selected publications
Single-authored books
- Mindblindness: An Essay on Autism and Theory of Mind. ISBN 978-0-262-02384-9.
- The Essential Difference: Men, Women and the Extreme Male Brain. Penguin/Basic Books. 2003. ISBN 978-0-7139-9671-5.
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Facts. Oxford University Press. 2008. ISBN 978-0-19-850490-0.
- Zero Degrees of Empathy: A New Theory of Human Cruelty. ISBN 978-0-465-02353-0)
- The Pattern Seekers: A New Theory of Human Invention. ISBN 978-1541647145.)
Other books
- Baron-Cohen S, Tager-Flusberg H, Lombardo MV, eds. (2013). Understanding Other Minds: Perspectives From Social Cognitive Neuroscience (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-852446-5.
- Hadwin J, Howlin P, Baron-Cohen S (2008). Teaching Children with Autism to Mindread: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Parents. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-97623-3.
- Baron-Cohen S, Lutchmaya S, Knickmeyer R (2005). Prenatal Testosterone in Mind: Amniotic Fluid Studies. MIT Press/Bradford Books. ISBN 978-0-262-26774-8.
- Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S (2004). An Exact Mind: An Artist with Asperger Syndrome. Jessica Kingsley. ISBN 978-1-84310-032-4.
- Baron-Cohen S; Tager-Flusberg H; ISBN 978-0-19-852445-8.
- Baron-Cohen S, Harrison J, eds. (1997). Synaesthesia: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Blackwells. ISBN 978-0-631-19763-8.
- Baron-Cohen S, ed. (1997). The Maladapted Mind: Classic Readings in Evolutionary Psychopathology. East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press/Taylor Francis Group. ISBN 978-0-86377-460-7.
Selected journal articles
- Baron-Cohen S, Leslie AM, Frith U (October 1985). "Does the autistic child have a "theory of mind"?". Cognition. 21 (1): 37–46. S2CID 14955234.
- Baron-Cohen S, Knickmeyer RC, Belmonte MK (November 2005). "Sex differences in the brain: implications for explaining autism" (PDF). Science. 310 (5749): 819–23. S2CID 44330420.
See also
- Childhood Autism Spectrum Test
- Sally–Anne test
- The NeuroGenderings Network § Sex differences in human neonatal social perception
- Spectrum 10K
References
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- ^ a b Baron-Cohen S. "My special sister Suzie". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
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- ^ "Simon Baron-Cohen: cultivating diversity". The Lancet. 1 November 2015.
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- ^ Melnick M. "Could the Way We Mate and Marry Boost Rates of Autism?". Time. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
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External links
- Profile – Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge
- "They just can't help it", Simon Baron-Cohen, The Guardian (17 April 2003)
- "The Male Condition", Simon Baron-Cohen, The New York Times Op-Ed Section (8 August 2005)
- "The Assortative Mating Theory: A Talk with Simon Baron-Cohen", Edge Foundation discussion, 2005
- "The Short Life of a Diagnosis", Simon Baron-Cohen The New York Times Op-Ed Section (9 November 2009)
- "Why a lack of empathy is the root of all evil", Clint Witchalls, The Independent (5 April 2011)
- The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty, Simon Baron-Cohen (The Montréal Review, October 2011)