Maudeline AubourgFeb 4, 2012 10:14 PM
Theory of mind is extremely important, especially when assessing individual with ASD.We are not born with the skills, we have to learn them. Children with ASD have to learn every skills. One of the examples that was giving in the theory of mind, Sally put the ball in the basket, she went to the bathroom but when she came back the ball was not in there. If she was a typical kid, she will know to look in the box even though she did not put the ball in there. They think people only know what they know. Children with autism have difficulty to attribute to others. some of the children are always scripting, they are like a machine that is program to do thing a certain way. They don't have the ability to look outside their little box. When assessing children with ASD it is very important to know the environment and what skills they might have. Also it is important the child is somewhat familiar with the environment because they are used to routine and the assessor does not want to throw them of. Another example that was mentioned by Ute Firth,a boy was thought to point to the cabinet and he would get sweet. He learned that all he had to do and he would get what he wanted. However, he did not know if he pointed when people were not in the kitchen he would not get sweet. He was getting frustrated because he had done that in the past and got rewarded. Since he did not have the ability to communicate his needs, his mother could have teach him how to get the sweet in a different way. He could have learn to take someone hands and bring he/she in the kitchen and then pointed to the cabinet. Therefore he would always get his sweet. I think that will have been an affective way to communicate his needs. Remember children with autism think we only know what they know. Children with ASD have difficulty with social play and make belief. When the boy saw his mother used a banana as a telephone he laughed because he knew that was make belief. Children with ASD would not have the ability to understand that was pretend play. That would have to be taught to the child before he or she can understand the concept. As assessor theory of mind should always be in mind when assessing children with ASD.
