THEORY OF MIND AND SOCIAL IMPAIRMENT IN CHILDREN WITH CONDUCT DISORDER

Children with conduct disorder show problems in social interaction. In a quite separate diagnostic group-individuals with autism-social impa irments have recently attracted a great deal of research, with the sug gestion that children with autism lack a 'theory of mind'. This hypoth esis has been successful in explaining many of the social difficulties these individuals manifest, both in laboratory tests and in everyday life. The present study investigated whether the social impairments in conduct disorder might have a similar root. Standard false belief tas ks and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS), with additional i tems specially designed to assess understanding of other minds in ever yday life, were used with eight normally developing children and Is ch ildren with conduct disorder. The VABS documented extensive and widesp read social impairment in this clinical group. There was also evidence of impairment in social insight, not dissimilar to that found in able individuals with autism. Children with conduct disorder were markedly different from children with autism, however, in terms of type of mal adaptive activity. They showed more antisocial behaviour and very litt le bizarre (e.g. stereotyped, self-stimulatory) behaviour. Implication s for cognitive theories of social information processing in conduct d isorder are discussed.