The *concept* of "other people"
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| Thu, 10-26-2006 - 10:58pm |
Can someone tell me when does a child develop an understanding of "other people". I know a child who is 2.5 years old and doesn't understand this concept. This includes adults and childen of all ages. This not understanding the concept of "other people", also, means the child doesn't have much empathy or understanding that something can be hurtful (or dangerous) to another person, because...well, other people don't exist. Is it typical for a child past the age of 2.5 years to *not* understand these things? Shouldn't by now there be, at least, a *basic* grasp of this/these concept(s)? Should the mother be concerned?
Thanks,
JD
P.S. I didn't know where to post this. So, if there is another board that can better answer my questions, please, point the way.

JD....first, welcome to the board.
I would say any child who is completely uninterested in people has at least one red flag indicating possible autism spectrum.
Could you explain by what you mean as far as a concept of other people?
For instance, if you are talking about Theory of Mind where they understand another persons perspective or seeing things from another persons point of view (for instance they know how thier actions will affect others) most children develop that around 4 or so, maybe a little older.
If you are talking about a child just recognizing that other people exist and interact with them, that starts in infancy when babies imitate thier parents and develop bonds with them. There is also what is called joint attention where the young child will attend to the same thing that you are. So for instance, you can show him a bird in the sky or a bug on the ground, and he will attend to the same thing that you are and share the experience with you.
Hope that helps explain some.
Renee