Understanding of mental states in later childhood: an investigation of theory of mind in autism spectrum disorder and typical development with a novel task

• Published in: International journal of developmental disabilities 2013-07, Vol.59 (2), p.108-117
• Main Authors: Philpott, April L., Rinehart, Nicole J., Gray, Kylie M., Howlin, Pat, Cornish, Kim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: autism spectrum disorder; Autistic spectrum disorders; belief understanding; Childhood; Children; emotion understanding; High functioning; intention understanding; late childhood; Theory of mind
• ISSN: 2047-3869; 0969-7950; 2047-3877
• DOI: 10.1179/2047387713Y.0000000015

The developmental trajectories of Theory of Mind (ToM) in later childhood and into adolescence have not been thoroughly investigated, partly due to a lack of sensitive paradigms that can chart development in typical populations or in individuals with a core deficit in ToM, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study assessed understanding of emotions, beliefs, and intentions using both an established ToM task ( ) and the more recently developed Comic Strip Task (CST; ). Participants comprised 12 typically-developing (TD) children (mean age: 12·0 years, range: 9·9-14·8 years) and 12 high-functioning children with ASD (mean age: 11·0 years, range: 9·1-13·6 years). Results indicated that the ASD group were not impaired on any of the ToM tasks relative to TD children. It was concluded that although children with high-functioning ASD appear to develop basic ToM skills, they do not generalize these to naturalistic situations. The comic-strip paradigm is suggested as a promising way to approach the measurement of ToM across childhood in typical children and those with ASD.