CHIP L7_ToM in Autims & ToM, Language & Social development_Bb_SLIDES

Page 1: Introduction to Theory of Mind (ToM) in Autism

• Lecture Topic: Theory of Mind (ToM) in autism spectrum condition (ASC)

• Author: Dr Catherine O’Hanlon

• Contact: cao15@aber.ac.uk

Page 2: Learning Objectives - ToM in Autism

• Introduction to Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC)

• Key Studies:

  • Baron-Cohen, Leslie & Frith (1985, 1986)

  • Leekam & Perner (1991)

  • Happè (1994, 1995)

• Focus: Understanding social cognition in children with autism

Page 3: Learning Objectives - ToM, Language, & Social Development

• Anticipatory looking in autism (Senju et al., 2010)

• Language cases: deaf & blind individuals (Isobelle & Genie)

• Contemporary applications: Interaction of ToM, language, and social development

Page 4: Interest in ToM within Autism

• Study focus: ToM in Autism

• Relevance of neurodiversity and broader developmental processes

Page 5: Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASCs)

• Profile of ASCs:

  • Diagnostic Traits:

    • Socialization challenges

    • Communication difficulties

    • Behavioral traits (e.g., special interests)

  • Non-Diagnostic Traits:

    • Atypical perception

    • Unique cognitive abilities

• ToM's influence on social difficulties

Page 6: Title Page

• ToM in Autism Lecture Notes

• University: Aberystwyth University

Page 7: Baron-Cohen et al. (1985) - Sally-Ann Task

• Participants:

  • 20 children with autism

  • 20 with Down’s syndrome

  • 20 typically developing 4-year-olds

• Results:

  • Few ASD children passed

  • Most Down’s & typically developing children passed

Page 8: False Belief Task in ASD

• Introduction to False Belief Task

• Example participant: 7-year-old

Page 9: Considerations on Study Design

• Significance of Baron-Cohen's results

  • Isolated ToM difficulties in autism group

• Possible explanations for ASD children's performance

  • Variations in language abilities

  • The complexity of mental representation and ToM abilities

Page 10: Leekam & Perner (1991) - False Photograph Task

• Methodology:

  • Replicated Zaitchik’s false photograph task

  • Participants: 3-4 year-olds and children with ASCs, matched on intelligence and chronological ages

  • Considerations for control conditions

Page 11: Leekam & Perner - Results

• Belief and Photo comprehension result comparisons:

  • 50% correct for belief vs. 51% correct for photo

  • 50% correct belief vs. 95% correct for photo

Page 12: Anticipatory Looking in Children with ASC

• Overview of anticipatory looking research

Page 13: Senju et al. (2010) - Participant Profiles

• Comparison of mean scores for children with ASD vs. typically developing (TD) children

• Key measurements: Chronological Age (CA), Verbal Mental Age (VMA), Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM), Autism Screening Questionnaire (ASQ-J)

Page 14: Senju et al. - Familiarization Procedure

• Outline of familiarization tasks

Page 15: Senju et al. - Test Turns Procedure

• Overview of test procedure with false beliefs

Page 16: Senju et al. - Video Content

• Familiarization video overview

Page 17: Senju et al. - False Belief Video Content

• Introduction to FB2 with higher memory load

Page 18: Results & Conclusions of Senju et al.

• Findings:

  • Typically developing children anticipated actions while those with ASC did not

  • Suggests impairment in false belief attribution independent of verbal ability

Page 19: Theory of Mind and Language

• Relationship between ToM and language development

Page 20: Happè (1994, 1995) - Second Order False Belief Task

• Example: Assessing where Mary thinks John thinks chocolate is

  • Typical developmental milestones for passing tasks listed

Page 21: Conclusions from Happè Studies

• Insight into strategies used by children with autism to pass FB tasks

• Dependence on verbal intelligence

Page 22: Stages in Language Acquisition

• Overview of universal stages in language acquisition from 12 months to 5-6 years

• Evidence supporting biological basis for language development

Page 23: Language Learning in Deaf Children

• Critical Issues with deaf children’s language learning

• Challenges without environmental input from spoken language

Page 24: Goldin-Meadow et al. (1978, 1984) - Findings

• Procedure and results of language development in deaf children

  • Spontaneous production of gestures equivalent to hearing peers

Page 25: Goldin-Meadow Conclusions

• Insights on language development: importance of environmental input beyond age 2

Page 26: Language Learning in Blind Children - Critical Issues

• Investigating whether blind children can learn abstract words and verbs

Page 27: Language Learning in Blind Children - Findings

• Agreement with Landau & Gleitman (1985) on stages of language acquisition

• Example responses showing shared meanings of actions like "look"

Page 28: Representation for Look - Blind vs. Sighted

• Demonstration of similarity in response to the term "look" between blind and sighted children

Page 29: Further Support for Biological Basis of Language

• Landau & Gleitman findings reinforcing biological influences in language development

Page 30: Language Learning in Extreme Deprivation - Isobelle

• Background on Isobelle’s lack of linguistic input and later development

Page 31: Language Learning in Extreme Deprivation - Genie

• Overview of Genie’s results and development outcomes

Page 32: Language Learning Critical Periods

• Summary of sensitive periods in language learning based on extreme cases

Page 33: Contemporary Applications of ToM Research Methods

• Current relevance of ToM research in modern contexts

Page 34: Teaching ToM

• Evidence supporting emotional discussions improving ToM understanding and false belief tasks

Page 35: Applications of ToM in Research

• Examining various factors affecting false belief understanding and social competence across cultures

Page 36: Parenting Styles and ToM Development

• Impact of parenting approaches on children’s FBU and social competence

Page 37: Peer Interaction and ToM

• Connection between FBU development and peer relationships in adolescents

Page 38: Take Home Message

• Relationship between ToM and Language as inseparable, reflecting nature and nurture contributions

Page 39: Conclusion Video

• Overview of concluding video covering key points on ToM

Page 40: End of Lecture Notes