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 .
Thought-Bubbles Help Children with Autism Acquire an Alternative to a Theory of Mind
Children with autism have specific difficulties underst and ing complex mental states like thought , belief , and false belief and their effects on behaviour . Such children benefit from focused teaching , where beliefs are likened to photographs-in-the-head . Here two studies , one with seven participants and one with 10 , tested a picture- in-the-head strategy for dealing with thoughts and behaviour by teaching children with autism  about cartoon thought-bubbles as a device for representing such mental states . This prosthetic device led children with autism to pass not only false belief tests , but also related theory of mind tests . These results confirm earlier findings of the efficacy of picture-in-the-head teaching about mental states , but go further in showing that thought-bubble training more easily extends to children ’s underst and ing of thoughts ( not just behaviour ) and to enhanced performance on several transfer tasks . Thought-bubbles provide a theoretically interesting as well as an especially easy and effective teaching technique
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 .