Case study assessment of theory of mind and its relation to the overall functioning of a small sample of teenage children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
The relationship between theory of mind concepts and overall functioning was assessed in three teenagers who have the diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants completed first and second order false belief tasks, were observed in an educational setting and questionnaires regarding...
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| Language: | en |
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University of Canterbury. School of Educational Studies and Human Development
2009
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2942 |
| Summary: | The relationship between theory of mind concepts and overall functioning was
assessed in three teenagers who have the diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder
(ASD). Participants completed first and second order false belief tasks, were observed
in an educational setting and questionnaires regarding their strengths and difficulties
were administered to their caregivers and school teachers. Caregivers also completed
a parenting practices questionnaire. It was predicted that the child that was most
successful at the false belief tasks would have the greatest overall daily functioning.
Results showed that this was not the case, that increased social and daily functioning
was not consistently linked to greater theory of mind concepts. These findings suggest
that the daily accomplishments of children with ASD is not dependent on their ability
to perform on theory of mind (ToM) tasks. The child's environment and experiences
are explored as potential influences on their personal success. |
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