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The researchers looked at the development of Theory of Mind (ToM) in a group of young children with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI) compared to a typically developing peer group over a four year period.
The term theory of mind (ToM) relates to being able to attribute thought beliefs and feelings to ourselves and other people and to understand that how we behave is linked to these things.
They found that children with SSPI followed the same sequence of development of these skills but at a significantly delayed rate, and that their development of ToM was also more delayed than their general developmental delay.
They believe that this is likely to be related to their reduced opportunities for initiating and managing interactions with others in their early childhood, compared to typically developing children.
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