Children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) are impaired by early onset difficulties in reciprocal social interaction. It has been proposed that this social impairment is the result of a lack of
Theory of Mind (ToM): the ability to attribute mental states (e.g., beliefs, desires, intentions, and emotions) to others and to use these in predicting and explaining the behavior of others (Baron-Cohen,
1995; Serra
et al.,
1995). Research has shown that this ability is seriously impaired in autistic children (Baron-Cohen, Leslie, & Frith,
1985), and moderately impaired in children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) (Baron-Cohen & Swettenham,
1997; Happé,
1995; Perner & Wimmer,
1985). This impairment may limit PDD-NOS children in their understanding of humor and irony, and restrict their ability to take into account the interests and knowledge of a partner in social conversation (Serra, Loth, van Geert, Hurkens, & Minderaa,
2002). …
