It suggests that the weakness of social abilities characteristic of autism is caused by disorders of the mirror neuron system. Dysfunction of the mirror neuron system has been proposed to explain the social deficits manifested in autism spectrum disorders in an approach known as the broken mirror hypothesis. Despite the hype surrounding this hypothesis, extensive research has not provided sufficient evidence to support the broken mirror hypothesis in its purest form, and instead, two alternative models have been formulated: the EP-M model and the top-down social modulation (STORM) model. All models suggest some dysfunction with respect to the mirror neuron system in autism spectrum disorders, whether within the mirror neuron system itself or the systems that regulate the mirror neuron system.