Characteristics of students with autism spectrum disorders in regular educational units in the city of Manta: a study from the theory of mind

Abstract

Theory of mind is the ability to perceive one's own and others' mental states, and to understand and predict their behaviors, knowledge, intentions, emotions, and beliefs. It is innate during the early stages of development and enables attention to environmental signals and the modulation of behavior. People with Autism Spectrum Disorder have difficulty developing a theory of mind related to understanding or interpreting the emotions of others, which hinders their social, emotional, and communicative relationships. To assess the development of theory of mind, metacognitive skills such as facial emotion recognition, first- and second-order beliefs, metaphorical communication, irony, lying, empathy, and moral judgment are taken into account.