Theory of Mind in Young People with Down’s Syndrome

The ability to describe, assign and attribute certain mental states is referred to as Theory of Mind. This topic has been extensively studied in the field of autism, where deficits in social interaction skills that characterize this disorder are thought to be due to a lack of a Theory of Mind. However, there is also evidence that children with developmental disabilities have difficulties in solving tasks concerning the attribution of mental states. In this paper, we present two studies that have been conducted with young people with Down’s Syndrome and developmental delay with a task in which they should report the preferences of a character who is unknown to them in different situations. The results in the first study are variable, and it was difficult for participants to accurately report the preferred options of the character, even after watching that person choosing. However, all the participants in the second study were able to put themselves in the place of the character and accurately report on his/her preferences. The difference between the results in the two studies is analyzed in terms of the subject’s experience with the character and the prompts that ensure discrimination of the most relevant elements in the task.