Theory of Mind and Social Informant Discrepancy in Autism

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Social Cognition

Background:

• Autistic youth frequently exhibit discrepancies between self- and parent-reported social skills.
• This informant discrepancy is hypothesized to stem from challenges in Theory of Mind (ToM).
• Understanding this discrepancy is crucial for assessing social functioning and treatment outcomes in autism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between self- and parent-reported social skills and Theory of Mind in autistic and non-autistic youth.
• To examine the role of Theory of Mind in the observed informant discrepancies in social skills.
• To explore the nuances of social insight and perspective-taking using contemporary analytical methods.

Main Methods:

• 167 adolescents (11-17 years old, 72% male) and their parents participated.
• Youth completed self-report social skills measures and social cognitive tasks.
• Parents completed social skills questionnaires; advanced statistical analyses (ANOVA, polynomial regression) were employed.

Main Results:

• Both autistic and non-autistic youth rated their social skills more favorably than their parents did.
• Raw differences in reports negatively correlated with parent-reported ToM, but polynomial analyses revealed complex, non-linear relationships.
• Parent-reported social skills predicted parent-reported ToM differently at low versus high social skill levels; self-reported social skills showed a curvilinear link with behavioral ToM performance.

Conclusions:

• Traditional analyses of informant discrepancies may yield illusory findings.
• Complex, non-linear associations exist between social insight, perspective-taking, and self/parent-reported social skills in autistic youth.
• Contemporary statistical methods offer a more nuanced understanding of social cognition in autism.