Evidence map›Paper›PMID 20976617›Full record

Trial reportJournal of autism and developmental disorders2011

Theory of Mind training in children with autism: a randomized controlled trial.

Sander Begeer, Carolien Gevers, Pamela Clifford, Manja Verhoeve, Kirstin Kat, Elske Hoddenbach, Frits Boer

Open access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
54citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

54 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 182 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Visual Perspective Taking Training Improves Theory of Mind in Autistic Children.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026
    Trial
  7. Trial
  8. Trial
  9. Promoting social attention in 3-year-olds with ASD through gaze-contingent eye tracking.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2020
    Trial
  10. Does Theory of Mind Training Enhance Empathy in Autism?Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2019
    Trial
  11. Trial
  12. Trial
  13. Randomized comparative trial of a social cognitive skills group for children with autism spectrum disorder.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · 2015
    Trial
  14. Trial
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Sander BegeerDevelopmental Psychology, VU University, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. S.Begeer@psy.vu.nl
Carolien Gevers
Pamela Clifford
Manja Verhoeve
Kirstin Kat
Elske Hoddenbach
Frits Boer
De Bascule · NLAmsterdam UMC Location VUmc · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) participate in social skills or Theory of Mind (ToM) treatments. However, few studies have shown evidence for their effectiveness. The current study used a randomized controlled design to test the effectiveness of a 16-week ToM treatment in 8-13 year old children with ASD and normal IQs (n = 40). The results showed that, compared to controls, the treated children with ASD improved in their conceptual ToM skills, but their elementary understanding, self reported empathic skills or parent reported social behaviour did not improve. Despite the effects on conceptual understanding, the current study does not indicate strong evidence for the effectiveness of a ToM treatment on the daily life mindreading skills.

Indexed as

EmpathySocial BehaviorSocial PerceptionTheory of MindAdolescentAutistic DisorderChildFemaleHumansMale

Identifiers

PMID20976617
PMCPMC3134713
OpenAlexW2099446300

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.