Theory of mind in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder compared to controls

Introduction: Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have serious social skill deficits and problems in relation with peers. this study aimed to compare theory of mind (ToM) in drug naïve children with ADHD with those with no psychiatric disorders at the same age.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was established in child and adolescent psychiatry clinic of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Drug naïve, male children and adolescents with a diagnosis of ADHD were enrolled as well as age and IQ matched healthy controls. Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version, Child symptom inventory-4 and Conner’s Parents Rating Scales-Revised were used to measure psychiatric disorders and Sally-Anne false belief task andThe Reading the Mind in the Eyes task (Child) for components of ToM.
Results: A total of 30 children completed the study in each group. Half of children with ADHD could not give the expected answer in Sally-Anne false belief task which was significantly lower than controls. They also showed a significantly lower performance in the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task. severity of ADHD was not correlated with score of Reading the Mind in the Eyes task.
Conclusion: children with ADHD have deficits in ToM compared to age and IQ matched controls in terms of social cognition and social sensitivity.