Autistic Kids Tell White Lies, But Can't Cover It Up

Kids who have autism will tell white lies to protect other people's feelings, but they are not very good at covering up their lies, says a Queen's University study.

The study, conducted by psychology professor Beth Kelley and developmental psychology PhD student Annie Li, is one of the first scientific studies of lying and autism.

Autism Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically characterized by impaired social and communication skills combined with repetitive movements.

"The results are surprising because there is a notion that children with autism have difficulty appreciating the thoughts and feelings of other people, so we didn't expect them to lie to avoid saying things that may hurt others," says Dr. Kelley.

In one test, children with autism were told they were going to get a great gift, and were then handed a bar of soap. When asked if they liked their gift, most nodded or said yes instead of saying they were disappointed to get soap.

Researchers refer to this as pro-social lies told to maintain good relations with others.

Research Studies Why Autism Has Higher Prevalence in Boys
A new study provides further clues as to why boys are far more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism.

In a second test, children were given audio clues and asked to guess a hidden object.

Most guessed the easy clues, a chicken when they heard a chicken clucking - but an intentionally difficult clue (Christmas music and an Elmo doll) - was used as a test for lying.

Molecular Anomalies in Brain Protein Connected With Autism
Team of scientists have found that misfolding and other molecular anomalies in a key brain protein is linked to autism spectrum disorder.

After the Christmas music was played, the tester left the room.

The tester returned and asked the children if they had peeked at the object.

Molecular Anomalies in a Crucial Brain Protein Linked to Autism Spectrum Disorders
Scientists have found molecular anomalies in an important brain protein due to gene mutation which may cause autism spectrum disorders.

Both autistic and non- autistic children were equally likely to lie that they had not peeked.

But when asked what they thought the object was, children without autism realized giving the correct answer would reveal they peeked so they were more likely to lie and say "Santa" or "Christmas tree."

Source-ANI