The effectiveness of social cognition program based on theory of mind on social competence, cognitive processing and stereotyped behaviors in children with autism spectrum

The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of the social cognition program based on the theory of mind on social competence, cognitive processing and stereotyped behaviors in children with autism spectrum. The design of the research was a semi-experimental pre-test, post-test with a control group. The statistical population of this research was all boys aged 8-14 with autism spectrum disorder who were members of Tabriz Khairieh Autism Institute in 2022. The study sample consisted of 22 people who were selected by purposeful sampling method and were replaced in two experimental and control groups (11 people each) and were trained for 10 sessions. Autism social skills profile (Bellini and Hopf, 2007), cognitive system evaluation by Nagleri and Das (1997) and stereotypic behaviors subscale (Garz-2, 2000) were used to collect data. Data analysis was done with the statistical method of multivariate covariance analysis and SPSS.21 software. The results of the research showed that the social cognition program based on the theory of mind has an effect on social competence, cognitive processing and stereotyped behaviors in children with autism spectrum (P<0.05). In fact, the social cognition program based on the theory of mind increases social competence and cognitive processing and reduces stereotyped behaviors in children with autism spectrum. The results of this study support the applicability and effectiveness of the social cognition program based on the theory of mind to increase cognitive processing and improve social competence and reduce stereotyped behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder.