Theory of Mind (ToM) describes the ability to attribute mental states in order to explain or predict the behavior of others. Research indicates that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have deficiencies in theory of mind. In this sense, we selected a group of six children with moderate-grade ASD with normal intellectual capacity. This group was subjected to four tests: Distinguishing emotions, recognizing feelings based on desire, recognizing true feelings and false belief in the first degree. Analysis of the results indicates that the ASD subjects assessed are able to distinguish between different emotions, however, the scores recorded for all the remaining tasks remain low; these results corroborate previous studies that have raised the issue of theory of mind in ASD subjects and its impact on social and language interaction in these subjects.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Theory of Mind (ToM).