Presentation Title
The Development of Theory of Mind in a Child with ASD and His Siblings
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is generally characterized by impairments in social interaction and social communication. Theory of mind along with a lack of emotional recognition are major deficits in those who are diagnosed. The purpose of this case study is to compare the scores on parent informant and child performance measures of ToM from pre- to post-intervention in three siblings, one of whom has autism. It will also examine parent perceptions of their children’s ToM in daily activities prior to, during, and following a social story intervention. Three male participants are included in the study (7 years; 10 months, 9 years; 7 months, 13 years; 11 months). Measures of Theory of Mind (Theory of Mind Inventory-2 (ToMI-2) and Theory of Mind Task Battery(ToMTB)) were completed for all 3 participants at pre- and post-intervention to serve as outcome measures for the 3 participants. Daily diaries also served as qualitative observational indicators of perceived change by the children’s mother. Between pre- and post-intervention, the child with ASD increased his ToMTB score and showed no meaningful change in his ToMI-2 composite score, the older sibling showed no meaningful change in his ToMTB score or ToMI-2 composite score, the younger sibling showed a decrease in his ToMTB score and no meaningful change in his ToMI-2 composite score. An assessment of the daily diary scores, however, indicated improvement from pre- to post-intervention for all three participants.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Patricia Prelock
Graduate Student Mentors
Yu Han
Faculty/Staff Collaborators
Patricia Prelock (Faculty Mentor), Emily Coderre (Faculty Mentor), Yu Han (Graduate Student Mentor)
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
Neuroscience
Primary Research Category
Health Sciences
The Development of Theory of Mind in a Child with ASD and His Siblings
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is generally characterized by impairments in social interaction and social communication. Theory of mind along with a lack of emotional recognition are major deficits in those who are diagnosed. The purpose of this case study is to compare the scores on parent informant and child performance measures of ToM from pre- to post-intervention in three siblings, one of whom has autism. It will also examine parent perceptions of their children’s ToM in daily activities prior to, during, and following a social story intervention. Three male participants are included in the study (7 years; 10 months, 9 years; 7 months, 13 years; 11 months). Measures of Theory of Mind (Theory of Mind Inventory-2 (ToMI-2) and Theory of Mind Task Battery(ToMTB)) were completed for all 3 participants at pre- and post-intervention to serve as outcome measures for the 3 participants. Daily diaries also served as qualitative observational indicators of perceived change by the children’s mother. Between pre- and post-intervention, the child with ASD increased his ToMTB score and showed no meaningful change in his ToMI-2 composite score, the older sibling showed no meaningful change in his ToMTB score or ToMI-2 composite score, the younger sibling showed a decrease in his ToMTB score and no meaningful change in his ToMI-2 composite score. An assessment of the daily diary scores, however, indicated improvement from pre- to post-intervention for all three participants.