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 .
Avatar Assistant: Improving Social Skills in Students with an ASD Through a Computer-Based Intervention
This study assessed the efficacy of FaceSay , a computer-based social skills training program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders ( ASD ) . This r and omized controlled study ( N = 49 ) indicates that providing children with low-functioning autism ( LFA ) and high functioning autism ( HFA ) opportunities to practice attending to eye gaze , discriminating facial expressions and recognizing faces and emotions in FaceSay ’s structured environment with interactive , realistic avatar assistants improved their social skills abilities . The children with LFA demonstrated improvements in two areas of the intervention : emotion recognition and social interactions . The children with HFA demonstrated improvements in all three areas : facial recognition , emotion recognition , and social interactions . These findings , particularly the measured improvements to social interactions in a natural environment , are encouraging
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 .