Clinic Notes: Autism and Lying

It is widely accepted that children with autism do not have insight into the thoughts and feelings of other people. But in a recent study it was found that children with autism are just as likely as control children to tell a white lie in order to not hurt other people's feelings. In the study children were told they were going to get a wonderful gift. They were then given a bar of soap. When the researcher asked if they like the gift they said yes and did not say they were disappointed.