From Barbara Sutton
Maia Szalavitz suggests that oxytocin might be used as a therapy in autism, “which is characterised by difficulty understanding the minds of others, aversion to human contact, and repetitive behaviours like rocking” (17 May, p 34).
Most autistic people would admit to a deficiency in “mind-reading” ability, including, pertinently, a tendency to trust inappropriately. Many would dispute that they have an aversion to human contact, preferring to describe the quality of contact that they would like.
How would a treatment which could lead to indiscriminately increased trust improve the quality of contact for people who are already less able to recognise when mistrust is appropriate?
Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire, UK
