Theory of Mind deficits and its impact on language among the Bengali High Functioning Autistic Children
- November 3, 2021
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: IJRISS, Language and Literature
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue X, October 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186
Mir Ushmum Alam
Lecturer in English, University of Skill Enrichment and Technology (USET), Dhaka, Bangladesh
Abstract: Theory of Mind (ToM) deficits is one of the major deficits in children with the developmental disorder. In this research, the problems of Theory of Mind in Bengali children with High Functioning Autism (HFA) are tried to be identified. Not only that, the impacts of the deficits of ToM on the language are also analyzed in the research. Data have been collected from 08 High Functioning Autistic children from a reputed autism specialized school. Their chronological age is 16-22 and mental age is 8-12. From the findings of the research, the conclusion can be formulated that, ToM deficits hamper their daily lives in many ways and communication. Different types of therapy module can be formulated after considering the result of this paper.
Keywords: Theory of mind; High Functioning Autism; Language, Communication.
I. INTRODUCTION
Cognitive ability is undoubtedly very necessary for the overall growth of an individual. But people with different types of neurodevelopmental deficits have lacked these abilities in many ways. Theory of mind (ToM) is an umbrella term for different types of cognitive ability. It includes mental-physical distinction, understanding the function of the brain, the appearance reality distinction, different people have different thoughts, seeing leads to knowing, recognizing mental state words, using mental state words in spontaneous speech, understanding causes of emotion, spontaneous inferring from gaze direction, deception, understanding metaphor, sarcasm and irony, pragmatics, imagination, correlation with real-life social skills, etc. It is the cognitive skill usually found in typical children by the age of four or five years old. There is a deep relation between linguistic development and ToM (Tomasello & Farrar, 1986).
Autistic children and children with Down syndrome have been shown to have difficulties in the appreciation of certain facial, bodily, and vocal expressions of feeling status (Hobson, 1986). According to DSM-IV, the definition of Autism is: “Children and youth identified as pervasive developmental disorders are characterized by severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development: reciprocal social interaction skills, communication skills, or the presence of stereotyped behavior interest, and activities” (DSM-IV-TR manual, 2000).
