Children with autism spectrum disorders
a case for "alternative selves'?
pp. 111-122
in: Sangeetha Menon, Nithin Nagaraj, Binoy (eds), Self, culture and consciousness, Berlin, Springer, 2017Abstract
Neurosciences and neuroscientists are increasingly occupying centre stage in debates on issues related to consciousness. Some of the most intriguing insights in this area (of mind, brain and consciousness) have emerged from the scientific neurological literature and popular versions of the same, on adult patients who suffer from relatively common disorders, such as strokes, head injuries and dementias, as well as the rarer neurological disorders, such as encephalitis lethargica or Cotard's syndrome. Much of this is focused on adults who have had a relatively long period of normal life experiences but who subsequent to a neurological illness experience altered forms of consciousness and self, leading to myriad complex issues in the daily life of the individuals, including their notion of self and consciousness. The experiences and difficulties of these individuals raise a whole range of questions on the role of the brain in our notion of self, including the body and mind of the self vis-à-vis the external world and the others in it. Little, however, is known about similar conditions in children. Nevertheless, autobiographical accounts of those with autism spectrum disorders and scientific studies of their brains are now raising a host of similar issues. Even more intriguing is the effect of such altered forms of experiences on the "consciousness' of the growing child.