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Deficits in Mental State Attributions in Individuals with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome ( V elo‐Cardio‐Facial Syndrome)
Author(s) -
Ho Jennifer S.,
Radoeva Petya D.,
Jalbrzikowski Maria,
Chow Carolyn,
Hopkins Jessica,
Tran WenChing,
Mehta Ami,
Enrique Nicole,
Gilbert Chelsea,
Antshel Kevin M.,
Fremont Wanda,
Kates Wendy R.,
Bearden Carrie E.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
autism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.656
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1939-3806
pISSN - 1939-3792
DOI - 10.1002/aur.1252
Subject(s) - psychology , mentalization , autism , analysis of variance , audiology , attribution , developmental psychology , medicine , social psychology
Velo‐cardio‐facial syndrome ( VCFS ; 22q11.2 deletion syndrome) results from a genetic mutation that increases risk for A utism S pectrum D isorder ( ASD ). We compared T heory of M ind ( ToM ) skills in 63 individuals with VCFS (25% with an ASD diagnosis) and 43 typically developing controls, and investigated the relationship of ToM to reciprocal social behavior. We administered a video‐based task to assess mentalizing at two sites U niversity of C alifornia, L os A ngeles ( UCLA ) and S tate U niversity of N ew Y ork ( SUNY ) U pstate M edical U niversity. The videos depicted interactions representing complex mental states ( ToM condition), or simple movements ( R andom condition). Verbal descriptions of the videos were rated for I ntentionality (i.e. mentalizing) and A ppropriateness. Using R epeated M easures analysis of variance ( ANOVA ), we assessed the effects of VCFS and ASD on I ntentionality and A ppropriateness, and the relationship of mentalizing to S ocial R esponsiveness S cale ( SRS ) scores. Results indicated that individuals with VCFS overall had lower I ntentionality and A ppropriateness scores than controls for ToM but not for R andom scenes. In the SUNY sample, individuals with VCFS , both with and without ASD , performed more poorly than controls on the ToM condition; however, in the UCLA sample, only individuals with VCFS without ASD performed significantly worse than controls on the ToM condition. Controlling for site and age, performance on the ToM condition was significantly correlated with SRS scores. Individuals with VCFS , regardless of an ASD diagnosis, showed impairments in the spontaneous attribution of mental states to abstract visual stimuli, which may underlie real‐life problems with social interactions. A better understanding of the social deficits in VCFS is essential for the development of targeted behavioral interventions. Autism Res 2012, 5: 407–418 . © 2012 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.