While there is some evidence that ToM , or a precursor skill , can be taught to people with ASD , there is little evidence of maintenance of that skill , generalisation to other setting s , or developmental effects on related skills .
It is possible that the continuing refinement of the ToM model will lead to better interventions which have a greater impact on development than those investigated to date
BACKGROUND The ' Theory of Mind ' ( ToM ) model suggests that people with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) have a profound difficulty underst and ing the minds of other people - their emotions , feelings , beliefs , and thoughts .
As an explanation for some of the characteristic social and communication behaviours of people with ASD , this model has had a significant influence on research and practice .
It implies that successful interventions to teach ToM could , in turn , have far-reaching effects on behaviours and outcome .
OBJECTIVES To review the efficacy of interventions based on the ToM model for individuals with ASD .
Teaching emotion recognition skills to young children with autism: a randomised controlled trial of an emotion training programme.
BACKGROUND Children with autism have difficulties in emotion recognition and a number of interventions have been design ed to target these problems . However , few emotion training interventions have been trialled with young children with autism and co-morbid ID . This study aim ed to evaluate the efficacy of an emotion training programme for a group of young children with autism with a range of intellectual ability . METHODS Participants were 55 children with autistic disorder , aged 4 - 7 years ( FSIQ 42 - 107 ) . Children were r and omly assigned to an intervention ( n = 28 ) or control group ( n = 27 ) . Participants in the intervention group watched a DVD design ed to teach emotion recognition skills to children with autism  ( the Transporters ) , whereas the control group watched a DVD of Thomas the Tank Engine . Participants were assessed on their ability to complete basic emotion recognition tasks , mindreading and theory of mind ( TOM ) tasks before and after the 4-week intervention period , and at 3-month follow-up . RESULTS Analyses controlled for the effect of chronological age , verbal intelligence , gender and DVD viewing time on outcomes . Children in the intervention group showed improved performance in the recognition of anger compared with the control group , with few improvements maintained at 3-month follow-up . There was no generalisation of skills to TOM or social skills . CONCLUSIONS The Transporters programme showed limited efficacy in teaching basic emotion recognition skills to young children with autism with a lower range of cognitive ability . Improvements were limited to the recognition of expressions of anger , with poor maintenance of these skills at follow-up . These findings provide limited support for the efficacy of the Transporters programme for young children with autism of a lower cognitive range
While there is some evidence that ToM , or a precursor skill , can be taught to people with ASD , there is little evidence of maintenance of that skill , generalisation to other setting s , or developmental effects on related skills .
It is possible that the continuing refinement of the ToM model will lead to better interventions which have a greater impact on development than those investigated to date
BACKGROUND The ' Theory of Mind ' ( ToM ) model suggests that people with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) have a profound difficulty underst and ing the minds of other people - their emotions , feelings , beliefs , and thoughts .
As an explanation for some of the characteristic social and communication behaviours of people with ASD , this model has had a significant influence on research and practice .
It implies that successful interventions to teach ToM could , in turn , have far-reaching effects on behaviours and outcome .
OBJECTIVES To review the efficacy of interventions based on the ToM model for individuals with ASD .