A Matter of Perspective: An Exploratory Study of a Theory of Mind Autism Intervention for Adolescents

2020 ◽  
pp. 003329411989812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mishon Lecheler ◽  
Jon Lasser ◽  
Phillip W. Vaughan ◽  
Jesi Leal ◽  
Kirstina Ordetx ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Understanding ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Adolescents With Autism ◽  
The Impact

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the capacity to make attributions of mental states such as thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of others. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder are often characterized by delayed or impaired Theory of Mind development and poor social skills. A positive correlation between Theory of Mind skills and social skills exists, but effective interventions that generalize these skills have proven to be a challenge in the field. Furthermore, few effective interventions exist to increase Theory of Mind skills in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. The Teaching Theory of Mind curriculum is a 12-week intervention aimed at increasing social understanding in children and adolescents with deficits in Theory of Mind. To date, there have not been any empirical studies to test the efficacy of the curriculum. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of the Teaching Theory of Mind curriculum on adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and explore the impact of the intervention when addressing various domains of social understanding. Results, though tentative, indicated that parents saw improved social understanding following intervention, though direct measures of Theory of Mind with adolescent participants did not change significantly.

scholarly journals Good social skills despite poor theory of mind: exploring compensation in autism spectrum disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Anne Livingston ◽  
Emma Colvert ◽  
Patrick Bolton ◽  
Francesca Happé ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder

scholarly journals Social Skills Training Using the Thai Version of UCLA PEERS® in Thai Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (7) ◽  
pp. 471-477
Author(s):  
Napat Sittanomai ◽  
Elizabeth Laugeson ◽  
Sasitorn Chantaratin ◽  
Jariya Tarugsa ◽  
Duangduean Sainampran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Parent Satisfaction ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales ◽  
Thai Adolescents ◽  
Session Attendance ◽  
Adolescents With Autism

Objective: To study the feasibility and effectiveness of the Thai version of UCLA PEERS® in Thai adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Materials and Methods: The UCLA PEERS® was modified to fit with Thai culture. Twelve adolescents, aged 11-19 years old, with ASD participated in this modified 10-session weekly group intervention during March to October 2015 at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. Feasibility was assessed by parent satisfaction and session attendance rate. Effectiveness was assessed by social skills improvement rated by parents, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS), the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), and the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement Scale (CGI-I).Results: All enrolled participants completed the study. Parents’ satisfaction with the program was 81.92%. The session attendance rates ranged from 83.3 to 100%. At the end of intervention, all of the skills trained in the program were rated as improved by at least half of parents. At 4-month follow-up, all but two skills (entering conversation and handling bullying) were still reported as improved by more than 50% of parents. VABS raw scores significantly increased in the domain of communication (95% confidence interval (CI): -2.25 to -0.89; p=0.036), daily living skills (95% CI: -3.70 to -0.47; p=0.016), and socialization (95% CI: -1.77 to -0.40; p=0.005), and significantly decreased in maladaptive behaviors domain (95% CI: 0.24 to 2.10; p=0.002). Six adolescents had CGI-I scores of very much improved or much improved.Conclusion: The Thai version of UCLA PEERS® is a feasible and effective social skills intervention for Thai adolescents with ASD.

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