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Erschienen in: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 10/2017

16.03.2017 | Original Contribution

Theory of mind predominantly associated with the quality, not quantity, of pretend play in children with autism spectrum disorder

verfasst von: Shu-Kai Lin, Ching-Hong Tsai, Hsing-Jung Li, Chien-Yu Huang, Kuan-Lin Chen

Erschienen in: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry | Ausgabe 10/2017

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Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the relationships between theory of mind and pretend play in children with autism spectrum disorder, using refined assessments of theory of mind and pretend play while controlling for autistic behaviors and verbal comprehension. A total of 92 children with autism spectrum disorder aged 4–10 years were enrolled. In two visits, the children were assessed with the Theory of Mind Task Battery, the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment, the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, and the Verbal Comprehension Index of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales, respectively, for their theory of mind, pretend play performance, autistic behaviors, and verbal comprehension. The hierarchical regression models showed that in addition to the contributions of the autistic behaviors and verbal comprehension scores, the theory of mind scores positively predicted (p < 0.001) the elaborateness scores of pretend play in the conventional imaginative and symbolic play contexts, respectively, accounting for an additional 8.1 and 18.5% of the variance, but did not predict the scores for number of object substitutions or imitated actions. The findings demonstrate that theory of mind has a predominant role in the quality, not the quantity, of pretend play of children with autism spectrum disorder, when the children’s autistic behaviors and verbal comprehension are considered. This study fills a gap in the previous literature and provides information useful for clinicians and researchers on the relationships between theory of mind and pretend play in children with autism spectrum disorder.
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Metadaten
Titel
Theory of mind predominantly associated with the quality, not quantity, of pretend play in children with autism spectrum disorder
verfasst von
Shu-Kai Lin
Ching-Hong Tsai
Hsing-Jung Li
Chien-Yu Huang
Kuan-Lin Chen
Publikationsdatum
16.03.2017
Verlag
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Erschienen in
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry / Ausgabe 10/2017
Print ISSN: 1018-8827
Elektronische ISSN: 1435-165X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-017-0973-3

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