| This longitudinal study examined the relation between measures of Theory of Mind, psychological type (learning styles) and social behavior in children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). Participants included 20 children diagnosed with a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, aged between on average 10 at the start of the study and 15 at the end of the study, who were seen in group therapy for an average of 5 years. Measures of Theory of Mind included two standard false-belief tasks; Sally-Ann (Wimmer & Perrier, 1983) and Smarties (Perner et al., 1987). The Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (Meisgeier & Murphy, 1985) was used to determine psychological types and learning styles. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (Coping, Interpersonal and Play sub-domains)---was used to assess social behavior (Sparrow, Balla, & Cichetti, 1984). It was hypothesized initially that the children would improve in socialization skills over time and that this improvement would be more pronounced in children with Asperger's Disorder and those with an extraverted style, as opposed to introverted and undetermined styles. Findings showed that children had lower scores on Vineland Play and Interpersonal sub-domains than on Coping. Children not only initially scored highest on Coping at Time 1, but their higher scores on Coping at Time 2 and higher Total Time 2 Total scores were positively related to time spent in the program. Independent of number of years spent in the program, younger children and children who had not passed the Theory of Mind test also showed increases on Play over time. Finally, older children, more extraverted children, and children who passed the Theory of Mind test had higher Vineland socialization scores than other children did. Implications for those who live with, interact with, teach, and counsel children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders are discussed. |
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