Empowering Exceptional Children

Empowering Exceptional Children

The Effective of Theory of Mind Training on the Emotion Regulation and Social Skills in Autism Spectrum Disorder Children

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
leila Azin far 1
Mehran Soleymani 2
Ezzatollah Ahmadi 2
1 MA Student in Psychology of Exceptional Children, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, East Azarbaijan, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
10.22034/ceciranj.2023.389783.1756
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the theory of mind on emotion regulation, and social skills in children with autism. The study was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test with a control group. The study population includes all children with autism spectrum disorder in Zanjan city, 30 people (25 boys and 5 girls) in the age group of 10-12 years old were selected from schools, and the autism associations of Zanjan province by non-random purposeful sampling. They were placed in the experimental, and control group of 15 people. The experimental group was taught the theory of mind individually and in groups during 60 sessions. Multivariate covariance analysis was used to examine the data, which were gathered using Billini's social skills profile and Schilder and Chikti's emotion regulation checklist (1995). The results showed that mind theory training significantly (p<0.05) improved adaptive emotion regulation skills (p<0.001), negativity, (p<0.001) reciprocal social behaviors (p<0.001), mature social behavior and worthiness (p<0.001), and social engagement (p<0.001) in the students with autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, mind theory training can be considered an appropriate educational and therapeutic method to improve the social and cognitive functioning of students with the autism spectrum disorder. Based on obtained results, mind theory training can be used as an effective intervention to improve emotion regulation, and social skills in the children with spectrum disorder. It is advisable that education specialists contribute to the enhancement of socio-emotional functioning among autistic students through the integration of mind theory training into academic curricula
Keywords
Autism spectrum disorder
Emotion regulation
social skills
Theory of mind training
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  • Receive Date 25 June 2023
  • Revise Date 02 July 2023
  • Accept Date 23 August 2023