How Social Thinking Works in ADHD and Autism

How Social Thinking Works in ADHD and Autism

After reading the article from Pubmed, here's what I think. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39832687/

Social thinking—also called social cognition—is basically how we understand people and social situations. It’s what helps us figure out what someone might be feeling, thinking, or trying to say (even when they don’t say it directly). It’s a key part of how we make friends, work with others, and navigate everyday life.

There’s been a lot of research on social thinking in neurodivergent conditions like autism and ADHD. Most of it has focused on autism, but we’re starting to learn more about how ADHD affects social cognition too.

Social thinking isn’t just one thing. It includes skills like:

• Understanding other people’s thoughts (known as Theory of Mind)

• Recognizing emotions in faces or voices

• Picking up on body language and other social cues

These skills can work on different levels—some are automatic and emotional, others are more conscious and logical. It’s a pretty complex system.

In autism, studies show that people often have differences in how they process social information, especially the more automatic, “gut feeling” type of social cues. These differences are linked to some of the core traits of autism.

In ADHD, social thinking tends to be a mixed bag. Some people with ADHD struggle with it, often because of executive function challenges—like trouble with focus, impulsivity, or working memory. These issues can get in the way of picking up or responding to social cues.

Social thinking also depends on things like language skills and IQ, and it often improves with age in both ADHD and autism.

There are ways to support these skills, too. Social skills training can help people with autism, and stimulant medications have shown to improve social thinking in ADHD. Some other approaches—like training people to better understand others' thoughts—are still being studied.

One important thing to note: Most research so far has focused on what’s “missing” or different in the brain. But more people are starting to question that. They argue we also need to look at the environment—especially how miscommunication can happen both ways between neurodivergent and neurotypical people.

Bölte S. Social cognition in autism and ADHD. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2025 Feb;169:106022. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106022. Epub 2025 Jan 19. PMID: 39832687.