Reading Between the Lines

Autistic children experience challenges with narrative language and theory of mind (ToM). This pilot study examined the effects of a parent-led narrative intervention on the ToM of eight school-aged autistic children. Parents read three storybooks over a six-week period emphasizing ToM constructs (i.e., visual perspective-taking, emotion recognition, and false belief understanding). Parents used a script with guiding questions and comments to facilitate their child’s ToM during book reading activities. Two standardized measures of ToM were completed before and following the six-week intervention. Parents also completed daily diaries, reflecting on their child’s understanding of ToM targets emphasized in the book readings. Improved scores on the Theory of Mind Inventory-2 occurred for all but one child and improved scores on the Theory of Mind Task Battery occurred for five of the eight children. Parents’ perceptions of their child’s ToM also indicated improvement from pre- to post-intervention, and parents generally perceived the intervention as effective. Parents effectively delivered a book reading intervention focusing on the development of their child’s ToM skills. The findings from this pilot study offer promise for parent-led intervention for their autistic children and improvements in children’s ToM.