Longitudinal relations between theory of mind and academic achievement among deaf and hard-of-hearing school-aged children.

This 2-year longitudinal study investigated the bidirectional relations between the development of theory of mind (ToM) and academic competences in a sample of 270 deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children (Mage at Wave 1 = 7.52 years, SD = 0.99; 58.5% boys and 41.5% girls). Across three waves (10 months apart), children were assessed for their ToM abilities, using the ToM scale and a second-order false belief task, as well as for their language and mathematics skills. Cross-lagged correlational analysis revealed significant bidirectional associations between ToM and academic achievement (language and mathematics). That is, ToM predicted academic achievement with similar strength as ToM development itself was predicted by academic achievement. Our results highlight the bidirectional nature of the association between ToM and academic achievement, and they show that ToM development plays a crucial role in DHH children's school functioning.

Academic achievement of students without special educational needs and disabilities in inclusive education-Does the type of inclusion matter?

The main aim of the study, conducted in Poland, was to compare the academic achievement of 1552 (at Time 1) students without disabilities in three educational settings: general, without students with disabilities, inclusive (with co-teaching), with three to five students with disabilities, and inclusive (without co-teaching), with one to two students with disabilities. The study was longitudinal, with three waves eight months apart. The latent growth curve model was used for data analysis. The results have shown that changes in academic achievement (for language and for mathematics) over time were similar in all three groups; therefore, there were no differences between inclusive education (of the two types) and general education classrooms. These results mean that students neither lose nor benefit while learning in inclusive education classrooms. The findings are in line with the results of previous meta-analyses and are important for the future development of inclusive education.

Just listen to your mind: Consequences of theory of mind development for deaf or hard-of-hearing children.

BACKGROUND: Previous research reveals relations between theory of mind (ToM) and cognitive outcomes, but mostly among typically developing children. AIM: To study these relations in children with developmental difficulties, this longitudinal study investigated the cognitive consequences of ToM in deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: One hundred and thirty-four (X = 9.2 years) participants were assessed in three waves, i.e., one wave every ten months. The participants completed the ToM scale, language and literacy skills (LLS) tests, the academic self-concept in language (ASC-L) questionnaire, and the sensitivity to criticism measure. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The results revealed that high levels of children's ToM ability predicted higher levels of LLS 20 months later. Mediators of this association were sensitivity to criticism and ASC-L. Controlling for LLS at T1, ASC-L at T2 mediated the relations between ToM and LLS at T3. Moreover, sensitivity to criticism predicted ASC-L, and sensitivity to criticism and ASC-L mediated the relation between ToM and LLS at T3. That is, children who were sensitive to criticism and held positive views of their academic self were also better skilled in ToM and in LLS. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our results can help improve the education of DHH students.

Theory of mind goes to school: Does educational environment influence the development of theory of mind in middle childhood?

Previous research has shown that the development of theory of mind (ToM) depends on various individual and social factors, but very little research has examined the role of the natural educational environment in the development of ToM in middle childhood. In accordance with the importance of social factors in development, in this longitudinal study of 156 typically developing children, we investigated whether educational setting-classes containing children with disabilities (inclusive) or without such children (general education)-is associated with enhanced ToM development. ToM was measured with the ToM Scale, the Chocolate task and the Faux Pas Recognition Test. Analysis showed that ToM development was better among children educated in inclusive classes than among those educated in traditional classes. The results have implications for ToM development among children with and without disabilities as well as for educational practice.

Attitudes of students toward people with disabilities, moral identity and inclusive education-A two-level analysis.

BACKGROUND: Attitudes toward people with disabilities are a frequent subject of studies. However, there are few complex studies with personal explanatory variables. Thus, in our study we have conducted an analysis at both the individual and classroom level, as well as we have examined between-levels interactions. METHODS: 1525 students without disabilities participated in the cross-sectional study, in which we analyzed attitudes toward people with disabilities, and moral identity in traditional and in inclusive classroom settings. RESULTS: The results show that individual and classroom moral identity, as well as learning in an inclusive classroom, predict a reduction of negative attitudes toward people with disabilities. Moreover, we have reported some interesting interactions between these two levels. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained are important for educational practice.

Theory of mind development in school environment: A case of children with mild intellectual disability learning in inclusive and special education classrooms.

BACKGROUND: This longitudinal study examines the extent to which a school classroom (inclusive vs. special education) is meaningful for theory of mind (ToM) development among children with mild intellectual disability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The participant group consisted of 166 primary school-aged children (M = 8.1, SD = 0.99), 79 of whom attended inclusive classrooms; the remaining 87 were in special education classrooms. RESULTS: Although all children developed ToM over time, children's learning of ToM in inclusive classrooms was significantly greater than that seen in special classrooms. The difference remained significant after controlling for age. The present authors have compared children's individual and family characteristics, but there were almost no differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The present authors discuss the results in the light of their importance for children's cognitive and social development. The implications for children's education are also considered.

Examining the Effectiveness of Naturalistic Social Skills Training in Developing Social Skills and Theory of Mind in Preschoolers with ASD.

We compared the effectiveness of two programs for developing social skills, 'Play Time/Social Time' (PT/ST) and 'I Can Problem Solve' (ICPS), in improving the social skills and theory of mind (ToM) of preschoolers with ASD. The experiment took place in a classroom setting. Fifty-two children attended and data were analyzed with latent growth curve models. Comparison with a control group indicated that both programs were effective in developing social skills. The PT/ST program was more effective than ICPS in developing interaction skills; both programs improved children's ability to cope with difficult social situations. The ICPS program was marginally effective in developing ToM when compared with PT/ST and control condition. These results are relevant to children with ASD and their teachers.

The Children's Social Understanding Scale: An advanced analysis of a parent-report measure for assessing theory of mind in Polish children with and without disabilities.

The main aims of this study were to further validate the Children's Social Understanding Scale (CSUS), which is a parent-report measure developed by Tahiroglu and colleagues, and to fill in some gaps in the existing research. Our study included more than 700 Polish parents from a diverse educational background who had children with disabilities, including mild intellectual disability (MID) and hearing impairment (HI), or typically developing children. After conducting a confirmatory factor analysis, we built a model with acceptable fit. The model turned out to be invariant in each of our subsamples. Children without disabilities had the highest scores on the CSUS, whereas children with MID had the lowest scores. We were able to obtain not only good reliability on the measure but also a high test-retest correlation between longitudinal results over a period of 20 months. We validated the CSUS using laboratory theory of mind (ToM) tasks, as well as a social skills measure, after controlling for the language skills and age of the children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Same or different? Theory of mind among children with and without disabilities.

Assessing theory of mind (ToM) with reliable and valid measures is important, as ToM plays a significant role in children's social and cognitive functioning. With this in mind, a thorough analysis of the Theory of Mind scale and the Faux Pas Recognition Test was conducted. Over 750 school-age (M age = 7.7) children with disabilities (mild intellectual disability, hearing impairment) and without disabilities took part in our study. The psychometric properties of measures in these groups of children were checked, using confirmatory item factor analysis, reliability, and validity analyses. Thanks to groups' invariance it was possible to compare mean results of children in the groups. Both measures showed well-fitted models with acceptable goodness of fit as well as scalar and strict invariance. An IRT analysis showed significant differences in the difficulty of the tasks in all groups, but the same order of passing tasks in comparison to other studies, conducted in Western countries, has been observed. Our results showed that the tasks were the easiest for children without disabilities, and most difficult for children with mild intellectual disability. We obtained significant and positive correlations between ToM and social skills and language abilities. The findings are discussed in relation to results from other studies in the field.

Predictors of success and quality of life in people with borderline intelligence: The special school label, personal and social resources.

BACKGROUND: This longitudinal study examines the extent to which personal factors (intelligence and health status), social resources (family socioeconomic status, SES), special school placement and being labelled as a pupil with a disability in childhood predict subjective quality of life and objective life success 23 years later. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample consisted of 49 individuals with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF), 21 of whom attended special schools and were labelled as having special educational needs; the remaining 28 attended regular schools and were not labelled in this way. RESULTS: Parental SES predicted both subjective quality of life and objective successes in adult life. As hypothesized, the interaction between parental SES and placement in mainstream schools was associated with success in adulthood. CONCLUSION: We discuss the results in light of labelling theory. Implications for educational policies and the provision of support for families of children with BIF are also considered.

School achievement of children with intellectual disability: the role of socioeconomic status, placement, and parents' engagement.

The objective of this study was to describe the selected conditions for school achievement of students with mild intellectual disabilities from Polish elementary schools. Participants were 605 students with mild disabilities from integrative, regular, and special schools, and their parents (N=429). It was found that socioeconomic status (SES) was positively associated with child placement in integrative and regular schools rather than special schools, as well as with higher parental engagement in their children's studies. Parental engagement mediated the positive effects of SES and placement in regular and integrative schools on school achievement. The results are discussed in the context of inclusive education theory.