Teaching Children with Autism to Mind-Read: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Parents

by Patricia Howlin, Simon Baron-Cohen, Julie A. Hadwin

Overview

The difficulties experienced by children with autism and related conditions in inferring the thoughts, beliefs, desires and intentions of others are well documented in numerous studies. It now seems that these deficits underlie many of the social and communication problems that are characteristic of autism. Teaching Children with Autism to Mind-Read explores the relationship of "theory of mind" deficits to other areas of children's functioning and describes existing experimental work that has attempted to enhance the skills associated with understanding others' minds.
Drawing on their own intervention programme, and providing detailed information about the teaching materials and strategies they use, the authors provide practical guidelines for helping children with autism spectrum conditions to improve their understanding of beliefs, emotions and pretence. The authors tackle specific problematic issues including:
* how to interpret facial expressions
* how to recognise feelings of anger, sadness, fear and happiness
* how feelings are affected by what happens and what is expected to happen
* how to see things from another person's perspective
* how to understand another person's knowledge and beliefs
This easy-to-follow graded teaching guide is of particular relevance to special needs teachers, educational and clinical psychologists, speech and language therapists, and carers of children with autism spectrum conditions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471976233
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	01/07/1999
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Patricia Howlin is Principal Clinical Psychologist at the Maudsley Hospital, London, working mainly with autistic children and those suffering from pervasive developmental disorders. She is also Senior Lecturer in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, London. She has been involved in research and treatment with autistic children for many years. Her research interests include a follow-up study of autistic individuals, and a comparison of young autistic adults and a matched group of individuals with severe early language delays.

Simon Baron-Cohen is Professor of Developmental Psychopathology and Director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University, UK, and one of the co-discoverers of the 'theory of mind' deficit in autism. His books include Mindblindness (1995); The Essential Difference (2003); and Autism and Asperger Syndrome: The Facts (2009).

Julie A. Hadwin is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Southampton. She has used cognitive models to study emotional disorders in childhood and has written several seminal papers to understand attention to threat in childhood anxiety. Her publications include Teaching Children with Autism to Mind-Read (with Patricia Howlin and Simon Baron-Cohen, Wiley, 1999).

Table of Contents

Teaching About Emotions.

Teaching About Informational States.

Developing Pretend Play.

Future Directions.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

‘This is a much-awaited revision of Howlin, Baron-Cohen, andHadwin's 1998 volume Teaching Children with Autism toMind-Read that includes expanded lessons and concepts to teachhigh-functioning children with autism about mental states. Theapproach is importantly developmental – based on priorresearch and progressive sequences of concepts and stages ofinstruction.  It includes multiple foci, including teachingabout differences in perspectives, about beliefs, about knowing,about emotions, and more. No one thinks that teaching mental-stateunderstandings will address all the social-cognitive challengesfaced by children with autism, but understanding the mental statesof self and other is an acknowledged and crucial challenge forthese children (and adults) and one that this workbook carefullyand effectively addresses. It is a lively and practical book thatwill be a tremendous resource for parents as well aseducators.’
Henry Wellman, Harold W. Stevenson Collegiate Professor ofPsychology, University of Michigan

Editorial Reviews

"... is highly recommended for teachers, speech and language clinicians, psychologists and others who work with more able children with autism." (Child Psychology Psychiatry, Vol 41/8, 2000)

"... a valuable book for anyone working with children and even adults on the autistic spectrum." (RCSLT Bulletin, 2000)

From the Publisher