So here’s the social story which is used to decide who has empathy, who can put himself in the shoes (EW!) of another person.

Sally & Ann are walking home. They each have baskets, and Sally has marbles in her basket. They go into Sally’s house and into the living room, where they play for awhile. Sally leaves the room. While Sally is gone Ann switches the marbles into HER basket. The Big Empathy Question: When Sally returns, where will she think HER marbles are?

LOST my friends, her marbles are lost.

First of all, the interviewer lost me at two girls walking home with baskets.

Do you know any girls who walk around with baskets? Where are they going? From where are they coming? Are they playing truant? What time of day is it? When they enter the home, why do they not greet Sally’s MOM? Where are the adults in these young children’s lives? Aren’t MARBLES a boys’ game-mostly? Did they ask permission to use the marbles? Why are they playing in the living room and not the play room or bedroom? If Sally left the room to pee I hope she washes her hands and if she is getting food I hope she brings some to share…

And I utter all this at high speed!

ToM does not make sense unless it is, indeed, deficit driven. Even then i question it. As I question Central Coherence Theory and Executive Function Theory.

So thank you for sharing this social constructivism and I have read a few other of your essays and shared them. I will probably quote some in my next Illuminating Autism workshop!

BEST!