Abstract
Theory of mind skills and a range of social behaviour in everyday life were assessed in a sample of 21 children with pervasive developmental disorders and 22 normally-developing preschoolers. Parents, teachers and therapists were interviewed using the Vineland Adaptive using the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (18) and a new supplementary scale, the “Eckelle d'Adaptation Sociale pour Enfants” (EASE). Teachers and therapists were able to differentiate subtle forms of social problems in everyday life between subgroups of children d diagnosed later to have either autism (n=13) or PDDNOS (n=8), according to DSM-III-R (1) criteria. This study offers a (small) cross-cultural replication of recent work suggesting that differences in the mentalising skills of children with autism are reflected in the everyday social behaviour of this group. A significant effect of informant was found for the PDD group, and this effect was particularly pronounced when children with autism were considered separately. The implications of informant differences are discussed.
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Hughes, C., Soares-Boucaud, I., Hochmann, J. et al. Social behaviour in pervasive developmental disorders: Effects of informant, group and “theory-of-mind”. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 6, 191–198 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00539925
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00539925