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Effects and Moderators of a Short Theory of Mind Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Author(s) -
Begeer Sander,
Howlin Patricia,
Hoddenbach Elske,
Clauser Cassandra,
Lindauer Ramon,
Clifford Pamela,
Gevers Carolien,
Boer Frits,
Koot Hans M.
Publication year - 2015
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.1489
Subject(s) - autism , theory of mind , psychology , autism spectrum disorder , developmental psychology , randomized controlled trial , intervention (counseling) , social skills , clinical psychology , psychological intervention , psychiatry , cognition , medicine , surgery
Limited perspective taking or “Theory of Mind” (ToM) abilities are a core deficit of autism, and many interventions are aimed to improve ToM abilities. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of a ToM treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and, for the first time, the moderating roles of social interaction style (SIS) and disruptive behavior (DB), to determine which children are most likely to respond to this intervention. The trial protocol is registered at www.trialregister.nl , trial number 2327 and published before the data collection was finished ( www.trialsjournal.com ). Children with autism aged 7–12 years ( n = 97) were randomized over a waitlist control or a treatment condition. Outcome measures included ToM and emotion understanding, parent and teacher questionnaires on children's social skills, ToM‐related social behavior, and autistic traits. Six‐month follow‐up parent reported data were collected for the treatment group. The treatment had a positive effect on ToM understanding, parent‐reported ToM behavior, and autistic traits, but not on parent or teacher‐reported social behavior. Passive SIS was associated with diminished treatment effects on autistic traits, but DB was unrelated to outcomes. The ToM intervention improved conceptual social understanding and ToM‐related behavior of children with ASD. However, broader application of learned skills to other domains of functioning was limited. Individual differences with regard to treatment response are discussed. Autism Res 2015, 8: 738–748 . © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.