Therapeutic programs aimed at developing the theory of mind in patients with autism spectrum disorders - available methods and their effectiveness.

Karolina Dyrda,Kamil Lucci,Anita Bryńska,Renata Bieniek-Pocielej

doi:10.12740/pp/108493

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by the presence of deficits in social skills and communication as well as repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. Among the theories explaining the mechanisms of the formation of the above cited symptoms, an important role is attributed to the theory of the mind, or the ability to draw conclusions about the state of mind of other people, assigning mental states to others and interpreting their behaviors. According to guidelines of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the therapeutic procedures in autism spectrum disorders, the proceedings include various methods, adjusted to the level of functioning and presented difficulties. In the most widely used behavioral social skills trainings, the goal is to practice behaviors using modelling and role-playing techniques. Less attention is devoted to the issue of social understanding, theory of mind or the cognitive aspects of therapeutic interventions. There are studies demonstrating the possibility of developing competence in the theory of mind in people with ASD, as well as generalizing the acquired skills. The article reviews the literature on the use of therapeutic programs aimed at developing the theory of mind in patients with ASD and their effectiveness. As it seems, these are promising interventions, although they require further assessment.

Highlights

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by the presence of deficits in social skills, functional verbal and non-verbal communication, and patterns of behavior and interests [1,2,3]
It is believed that cognitive theories are the most holistic way to allow the understanding of mechanisms underlying the characteristic symptoms of ASD [3]
Poor theory of mind implies difficulty or lack of ability to create mental representations, predict and understand emotions and other people’s behavior [4], while good ToM has a fundamental influence on establishing satisfying relationships with other people

Summary

Introduction

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by the presence of deficits in social skills, functional verbal and non-verbal communication, and patterns of behavior and interests [1,2,3]. The leading significance of irregularities in the theory of mind (ToM), i.e., the inborn ability to draw conclusions about the state of mind of other people, allowing us to draw conclusions about our own and others’ mental states (beliefs, desires, emotions). It covers two processes: detecting and decoding social signals as well as inferring from them, including anticipating someone’s behavior. Poor theory of mind implies difficulty or lack of ability to create mental representations, predict and understand emotions and other people’s behavior [4], while good ToM has a fundamental influence on establishing satisfying relationships with other people. A hypothesis incompatible with the observations and experiences is replaced by more adequate reasoning

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