The development of theory of mind in autistic children: contribution of executive function, syntactic structure and lexical development

Purpose Understanding the role played by executive functions and language in theory of mind skills in child development is a major research challenge, as it could provide important knowledge for clinical practice and fundamental research. Thus, the underlying issue to be addressed is which among the two variables of executive function and language abilities contributes more to explaining theory of mind skills in children, particularly those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigated the relationship between the three variables and aimed to deepen knowledge on executive functions and language regarding theory of mind abilities in ASD children. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 15 ASD children and 32 children with typical development performed an expressive and a receptive vocabulary task, a syntax and a morphosyntax task, a false belief task and three executive function tasks assessing inhibition, cognitive flexibility and working memory. Findings The results showed that autistic children performed significantly less well than typically developing peers in all except the two vocabulary tasks. Correlational analyses showed a significant correlation between theory of mind and morphosyntax in autistic participants. There was also a significant correlation between theory of mind and receptive vocabulary for children with typical development. Originality/value Better understanding the role of language abilities in theory of mind skills in child development is crucial. The original contribution is allowing more precision on how syntactic structure of language is involved in autistic children’s mastery of false belief tasks.