Abstract
Some studies report delayed theory of mind (ToM) development in children with specific language impairment (SLI), while others do not. A ToM delay is acknowledged in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), while whether these children also display a deficit is still under debate. In the current study, we drew on a developmental trajectory approach to assess whether children with SLI or ASD displayed delays or deficits in their ToM performance. Forty-three children with SLI (age 4–10 years), 44 children with ASD (age 5–12 years), and 227 typically developing children (age 3–11 years) completed the ToM Storybooks. Children with SLI were not found to display either a delay or a deficit in ToM, while children with ASD were found to display a deficit.
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PM conceived and coordinated the Study, DB and ST participated in its design and coordination, DB coordinated the data collection, DB performed the literature review, ST and PM performed its measurement and the statistical analysis. All authors wrote, read and approved the final manuscript.
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This study was carried out in accordance with the ethical recommendations of the Ethical Code of the Italian Psychologists Association. All subjects gave their written informed consent in accordance to the Declaration of Helsinki.
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Bulgarelli, D., Testa, S. & Molina, P. Theory of Mind Development in Italian Children with Specific Language Impairment and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Delay, Deficit, or Neither?. J Autism Dev Disord 52, 5356–5366 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05389-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05389-8