How Does Theory of Mind Develop?

Theorists describe a typical process for developing theory of mind skills. Baron-Cohen stated that these skills develop naturally over time and often with very little instruction. He describes the process as being evolutionary in nature.

• By one year of age babies can detect the presence of eyes, tell when they and others are attending to the same thing, and read actions as goal directed or driven by desire. Toddlers can both pretend and understand pretense by others. (Baron-Cohen, 1995)
• Around age four, youngsters are able to work out what others might know, think or feel. They pass first-order theory of mind false belief tests. That is, they understand what others think about actual events. Around age six, children are able to understand second-order belief. That is, they understand “Kathy thinks that Roger thinks …” (Baron-Cohen, 1995; Perner & Wimmer, 1983; Wimmer & Perner, 1985)
• Between the age of seven and adolescence, children begin to learn and master the concepts of faux pas, irony, humor, sarcasm, and nonverbal body language (some of these skills are taught, not just picked up naturally). (Twachtman-Cullen, 2000)

As mentioned, children with ASD develop theory of mind skills atypically (Baron-Cohen, 1995). For many, theory of mind is severely delayed and may never approach typical development. However some individuals with ASD can pass theory of mind tests and even solve “real-life” tests by solving their problem intellectually. That is, they are able to use a rational process of reading the behavior and assigning meaning to it based on what they have been taught, as opposed to a very natural intuitive style of mind reading. For example, if you have taught a person with autism what certain facial expressions may mean, they can access that previous learning and interpret what they are seeing when they encounter a facial expression.