The Effects of Thought Bubbles and Multiple Exemplar Training on Theory of Mind Skills for Children on the Autism Spectrum

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Effects of Thought Bubbles and Multiple Exemplar Training on Theory of Mind Skills for Children on the Autism Spectrum

AU - Hu, Xiumei

AU - Ma, Yongqiang

AU - Lee, Gabrielle T.

AU - Sun, Xiaohui

AU - Mao, Ningning

AU - Zheng, Fang

AU - Hu, Xiaoyi

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.

PY - 2025/10/22

Y1 - 2025/10/22

N2 - Children on the autism spectrum frequently struggle to interact effectively with others, a struggle that may be related to their challenges in understanding others’ perspectives. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of combining thought bubbles and multiple exemplar training to enhance Theory of Mind (ToM) skills in children on the autism spectrum. Two Chinese boys aged 7 and 8 enrolled in regular school participated in this study. A single-case experimental design with multiple probes across behaviors was used to evaluate the effects of the training on the participants’ skills. Findings revealed that the combined training package effectively facilitated participants’ acquisition and maintenance of ToM skills. Furthermore, the ToM training increased appropriate social interactions and decreased inappropriate behaviors during free play sessions, suggesting it is effective in fostering the generalization of ToM skills to social interactions in natural settings. Positive feedback from participants’ parents and peers confirmed the acceptability of the training.

AB - Children on the autism spectrum frequently struggle to interact effectively with others, a struggle that may be related to their challenges in understanding others’ perspectives. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of combining thought bubbles and multiple exemplar training to enhance Theory of Mind (ToM) skills in children on the autism spectrum. Two Chinese boys aged 7 and 8 enrolled in regular school participated in this study. A single-case experimental design with multiple probes across behaviors was used to evaluate the effects of the training on the participants’ skills. Findings revealed that the combined training package effectively facilitated participants’ acquisition and maintenance of ToM skills. Furthermore, the ToM training increased appropriate social interactions and decreased inappropriate behaviors during free play sessions, suggesting it is effective in fostering the generalization of ToM skills to social interactions in natural settings. Positive feedback from participants’ parents and peers confirmed the acceptability of the training.

KW - Children on the autism spectrum

KW - Multiple exemplar training

KW - Theory of mind

KW - Thought bubbles

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105019604417

U2 - 10.1007/s10882-025-10039-3

DO - 10.1007/s10882-025-10039-3

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105019604417

SN - 1056-263X

JO - Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities

JF - Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities

ER -