Clinical and Research Implications of an Investigation into Theory of Mind (TOM) Task Performance in Children and Adults with Non‐specific Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

Background Theory of Mind (TOM) has rarely been studied in people with intellectual disabilities. Wherever it has been studied, differing results have been found. These may be attributed to a variety of factors (e.g. the different chronological ages of samples). The validity of relating TOM performance to social behaviour has also been questioned in this population. The aim of this study was to compare TOM scores with chronological age and social ability in an attempt to contribute to current debate. Methods Twenty children were matched individually with 20 adults, all with non-speci®c intellectual disabilities. The British Picture Vocabulary Scale, Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and four TOM tasks were administered to the participants. Their carers were then given various sociability measures to complete. Results The children achieved signi®cantly higher TOM scores than did the adults. TOM and social ability were signi®cantly positively correlated for the children, but not for the adults. These results are discussed in terms of the different social experiences of adults and children with intellectual disabilities. Conclusions Longitudinal research in this area is needed to clarify the present ®ndings. If con®rmed, the suitability of some TOM tasks used may be questionable, and there are clear implications for staff and client training.

Social Cognition in Children With Non-specific Intellectual Disabilities: An Exploratory Study

“…ToM abilities lead to better social interaction and adjustment ( Charman and Campbell, 1996 , 2002 ; Barisnikov et al, 2002 ; Abbeduto and Murphy, 2004 ; Jervis and Baker, 2004 ; Deneault and Ricard, 2013 ). More particularly, some specific and variable links have been emphasized between, on the one hand, affective and cognitive ToM abilities in children with IDs, and on the other hand, their social or prosocial behavior during interactions with peers and adults as perceived by teachers ( Fiasse and Nader-Grosbois, 2012 ; Thirion-Marissiaux and Nader-Grosbois, 2008c ) or observed in dyadic play ( Baurain and Nader-Grosbois, 2013 ).…”

Social Competence in Children with Borderline Intellectual Functioning: Delayed Development of Theory of Mind Across All Complexity Levels

“…Specifically, Schalock et al (2011) highlighted a delay in the acquisition of the first and second order false belief reasoning—i.e., the ability to engage in complex levels of recursive thinking—in a sample of children with moderate ID. Moreover, Jervis and Baker (2004) discovered that children with non specific ID had better performance on ToM tasks compared to adults with equal intellectual capacity. This would be due to the increment in social isolation that occurs over the years and that is frequently associated with ID.…”

Exploring the Reliability and Validity of theSocial–MoralAwarenessTest

“…In a study of adults with learning disabilities, Charman & Campbell () found that only 13% of adults with non‐specific learning disabilities could successfully complete Theory of Mind tasks. Finally, Jervis & Baker () concluded from their extensive study that children with learning disabilities achieved significantly higher Theory of Mind scores than adults with learning disabilities. They also found that there was a positive relationship between children's Theory of Mind abilities and sociability.…”

“…They also found that there was a positive relationship between children's Theory of Mind abilities and sociability. It has also been suggested that a lack of social opportunities for adults with learning disabilities may have led to lower levels of Theory of Mind ability (Jervis & Baker ). In summary, there is considerable evidence that some people with learning disabilities have difficulties with acquiring mature levels of Theory of Mind.…”