**1. Introduction**

#### **1.1. Self – Definitions and concepts**

The concept of self is notoriously difficult to define and different notions and theories of the self have been proposed by a variety of disciplines all interpreting concepts of self and iden‐ tity in various ways. We adopt the definition advanced by neuroscientists Kircher and Da‐ vid [1] who interpret the self as 'the commonly shared experience, that we know we are the same person across time, that we are the author of our thoughts/actions, and that we are dis‐ tinct from the environment' (p.2). In cognitive neuroscience literature, operational defini‐ tions of the self are used which are measurable by experimental methods including self recognition, self and other differentiation, body awareness, awareness of other minds, awareness of self as expressed in language and important concepts such as autobiographical memory and self narrative. There is significant interest in the role of the self and possible abnormalities associated with the self, as causally implicated in autism. In this paper we re‐ view developmental perspectives of self and self-related functions with reference to their neuroanatomical basis and investigate the possible causes for atypical self-development in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
