We’ve done fMRI scans of people taking the ‘Reading the Eyes’ test, and what we’ve found is that the amygdala lights up in trying to figure out people’s thoughts and feelings. In people with autism, they show highly reduced amygdala activity. Simon Baron-Cohen Read Quote
Autism doesn’t seem to have a seasonal component, unlike some forms of depression. Simon Baron-Cohen Read Quote
A diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome can be useful to help a person understand why they have had difficulties. Simon Baron-Cohen Read Quote
Autism spectrum disorders are linked to other problems: Most of the people we see in our Asperger clinic for adults also suffer from clinical levels of depression. Simon Baron-Cohen Read Quote
Everyone recognises that genes are part of the story but autism isn’t 100% genetic. Even if you have identical twins who share all their genes, you can find that one has autism and one doesn’t. That means that there must be some non-genetic factors. Simon Baron-Cohen Read Quote
Well, in the general population, we find differences between the typical male and typical female. For example, males seem to be more interested in systems and females seem to be more interested in people and particularly people’s emotions. Simon Baron-Cohen Read Quote
If you have a child with autism, and he or she has good intelligence, with no delay in language learning maybe there is an advantage to autism as well? Maybe it gives them a better understanding of mathematics, or science? After all, the essence of science and the essence of autism is to notice patterns that others have not noticed. Simon Baron-Cohen Read Quote
Empathy is a skill like any other human skill – and if you get a chance to practice, you can get better at it. Simon Baron-Cohen Read Quote
My theory is that the female brain is predominantly hard-wired for empathy, and that the male brain is predominantly hard-wired for understanding and building systems. Simon Baron-Cohen Read Quote
I’m not satisfied with the term ‘evil.’ We’ve inherited this word… and we use it to express our abhorrence when people do awful things, usually acts of cruelty, but I don’t think it’s anything more than another word for doing something bad. Simon Baron-Cohen Read Quote
