It is commonly assumed that autistic children are less motivated to engage with others and that they are happy to be left alone in their private world of interests and preoccupations. In fact, some researchers believe that a lack of social motivation is a key characteristic of autism (Chevallier et al., 2012b).
According to the social motivation theory, developed by Simon Baron-Cohen in the 1990s, autistic individuals differ in their motivation to engage in social interactions in comparison with non-autistic individuals.
Neuroimaging studies suggest that autistic individuals may have unique “reward processing of social stimuli” (Bottini, 2018), which means that the network of brain structures that detects relevant social stimuli, evaluates their reward value, and makes decisions, is functioning differently from that of neurotypical peers. The reward processing network is also referred to as the orbitofrontal-striatum-amygdala network (Chevallier et al., 2012). The function of this network is additionally mediated by numerous neurochemicals including dopamine and oxytocin (Chevallier et al., 2012).
Social motivation theory proposes that the abnormal reward processing of social stimuli affects autistic persons’ development of social cognition and is practically expressed as reduced orienting to social cues and reduced seeking of social interactions (Ruta et al., 2017).
However, critics of the social motivation theory express many concerns. They question whether comparing autistic individuals’ activity of reward processing network to that of non-autistic individuals is a valid method for inferring their social motivation (Kapp et al., 2019). Jaswal and Akhtar (2019) suggested that even if the reward network in some autistic individuals shows unique and heterogeneous patterns of activation, this does not correlate with autistic individuals’ self-reported indicators of social interest. Authors additionally suggested that social motivation may be better understood as resulting from a dynamic between two individuals, influenced by the quality of their mutual understanding of one another (with the onus of responsibility being on both parties) as opposed to being viewed as one individual’s trait. Self-reports from autistic individuals confirm a strong interest in social and romantic relationships (Jaswal & Akhar, 2019); however, they find coping with the “double empathy problem” or “mutual difficulties that autistic and non-autistic people have in understanding each other” (Milton, 2012) challenging.
Assumptions about autistic individuals’ diminished social motivation (Chevallier et al., 2012b) are oftentimes inferred from behaviors typically associated with neurotypical individuals’ social communication, such as frequency and duration of eye gaze (Simmons, 2023) or frequency of verbal responses (Bradshaw, 2017). However, there is insufficient research evidence backing an association between autistic children’s eye gaze with social motivation (Elias & White, 2020). Similarly, there isn’t consistent research support for reduced social seeking of autistic individuals.
In summary, the social motivation theory of autism must be approached with much caution. It is important that caregivers and educators of autistic children not make inferences about their social motivation from how they perceive their children’s nonverbal cues, such as eye gaze. Autistic children require others to put themselves in their shoes and make an effort to join them in their interests, as efforts at initiating joint attention have a positive impact on their emotion regulation and well-being.
References
Bottini, S. (2018). Social reward processing in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review of the social motivation hypothesis. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 45, 9–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2017.10.001
Chevallier C, Kohls G, Troiani V, Brodkin ES, Schultz RT. The social motivation theory of autism. Trends Cogn Sci. 2012 Apr;16(4):231-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2012.02.007. Epub 2012 Mar 17. PMID: 22425667; PMCID: PMC3329932.
Jaswal, V. K., & Akhtar, N. (2019). Being versus appearing socially uninterested: Challenging assumptions about social motivation in autism. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 42, e82–e82. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X18001826
Kapp, S. K., Goldknopf, E., Brooks, P. J., Kofner, B., & Hossain, M. (2019). Expanding the critique of the social motivation theory of autism with participatory and developmental research. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 42. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X18002479
Milton, D. E. M. (2012). On the ontological status of autism: the “double empathy problem.” Disability & Society, 27(6), 883–887. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.710008
Ruta, L., Famà, F. I., Bernava, G. M., Leonardi, E., Tartarisco, G., Falzone, A., Pioggia, G., & Chakrabarti, B. (2017). Reduced preference for social rewards in a novel tablet based task in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 3329–3328. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-03615-x
Are Autistic Children Less Socially Motivated?
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18.04.2024
It is commonly assumed that autistic children are less motivated to engage with others and that they are happy to be left alone in their private world of interests and preoccupations. In fact, some researchers believe that a lack of social motivation is a key characteristic of autism (Chevallier et al., 2012b).
According to the social motivation theory, developed by Simon Baron-Cohen in the 1990s, autistic individuals differ in their motivation to engage in social interactions in comparison with non-autistic individuals.
Neuroimaging studies suggest that autistic individuals may have unique “reward processing of social stimuli” (Bottini, 2018), which means that the network of brain structures that detects relevant social stimuli, evaluates their reward value, and makes decisions, is functioning differently from that of neurotypical peers. The reward processing network is also referred to as the orbitofrontal-striatum-amygdala network (Chevallier et al., 2012). The function of this network is additionally mediated by numerous neurochemicals including dopamine and oxytocin (Chevallier et al., 2012).
Social motivation theory proposes that the abnormal reward processing of social stimuli affects autistic persons’ development of social cognition and is........
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