The Effect of Theory of Mind Training on Social Skills Improvement in Intellectually Disabled Boy Students (aged 8-12)

theory of mind development as one aspect of social cognition has attracted researchers’ attention toward itself in recent years. The purpose was to determine the effect of theory of mind training on social skills in male students with intellectual disability in Meshkinshahr City. Matherials & semi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design with control group was used. The entire intellectual disabled male students (aged 8-12 years old) who educating in Meshkinshahr (43 individuals) completed theory of mind tests. Students who could not pass the tests (39 individuals) were selected as a sample and assigned randomly to experimental and control groups. Then، their teachers completed Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS; Gresham & Elliot، 1990). Experimental group participated in 8 training sessions (lasting 2 weeks، 30 minutes every session). Theory of mind tests and SSRS were administered after last training session. Data analyzed with analysis of covariance. findings showed that experimental group performed better in totally social skills، cooperation and self-control components significantly (p=0. 001) compared to control group. Although، they were not significantly differed in assertion component. theory of mind training leads improvement of social skills and its components in intellectual disabled students and will guarantee their successes in these areas in future years.