Translating Theory of Mind
Research into Clinical Practice to
Support Individuals with Hearing
Loss: Introduction to the Theory of
Mind Atlas
And
The Theory of Mind Inventory-2: A
practical tool for assessing and
planning treatment
Tiffany Hutchins
Abstract
Translating Theory of Mind Research into Clinical Practice to Support Individuals with Hearing
Loss: Introduction to the Theory of Mind Atlas
Disagreements in science and clinical practice often arise, not because people hold
incommensurable world views, but because of variable methodology and vague terminology. As
a broad, complex, and multifaceted hypothetical construct, Theory of Mind (ToM) is a particularly
slippery concept that has been difficult to pin down. Another challenge involves distilling the vast
research on ToM to inform the best clinical practices for supporting individuals with hearing loss
who vary widely in their personal, social, and hearing histories. In an effort to address these
challenges, our research team has developed the Theory of Mind Atlas (ToMA) which consists of
a series of primers. Each primer defines a ToM concept (e.g., empathy, complex emotion
recognition, false belief), notes any and all synonyms used in the research base, describes related
cognitive achievements, reviews the developmental progression of the ToM domain in
neurotypical samples, and gives three separate brief reviews detailing what is known about how
that domain is disrupted in individuals with ASD, ADHD, and those with hearing loss. Insofar as
the mechanisms or developmental progression of ToM differ across clinical populations, this has
clear implications for treatment planning and the creation of scaffolded instruction programs. The
ToMA is a large scale project that is under continual development. It is also a free resource
intended to support the understanding of the nature and scope of ToM.
The Theory of Mind Inventory-2: A practical tool for assessing and planning treatment
A descriptive-developmental approach is one in which the typical developmental sequence of
skills in a particular domain is described in detail. The developmental sequence is then compared
to the results of a comprehensive assessment for a given individual to determine the earliest skills
in need of support. Adopting a descriptive-developmental approach to support theory of mind is
particularly important for oral and late-signing individuals with hearing loss. Indeed, decades of
research have documented not only significant delays in ToM in persons with HL but we also
know that (with very few exceptions), the developmental sequence of ToM in persons with HL
follows the typical developmental trajectory. The purpose of this presentation is to introduce a
new tool that takes a novel and family-centered approach to ToM assessment. The Theory of
Knowing Guessing Thinking and Feeling
Virtual Conference 2016
Mind Inventory-2 (ToMI-2) is a nationally-normed and well-validated measure for identifying ToM
strengths and challenges in individuals at risk for poor social-cognitive development. The
measure can be used to identify specific challenge areas to be targeted for intervention while also
determining which treatment targets are developmentally appropriate and that might thusly be
priorities for intervention. Case examples using children with autism spectrum disorder and
children with hearing loss are presented to demonstrate how to use ToMI-2 results to guide
treatment planning for children from diverse clinical populations.
Biography
Dr. Tiffany Hutchins is an Associate Professor at the University of Vermont in the Department of
Communication Sciences and Disorders. Dr. Hutchins has researched the relationship from
mother-child interaction strategies to child social, cognitive, and language development. She has
developed and validated new measures of theory of mind and is leading author of the Theory of
Mind Atlas: a free online resource designed to translate research on Theory of Mind into practice
with children with social cognitive challenges. She is currently investigating the efficacy of storybased interventions to remediate the core deficits of ASD, the nature of visual attention to social
stimuli in ASD, and the scope and variability of Theory of Mind deficits in oral and late-signing
children with hearing loss. Dr. Hutchins teaches classes in Language Disorders, Measurement of
Communication Processes, the Ecology of Parenting, and Psycholinguistics.
Knowing Guessing Thinking and Feeling
Virtual Conference 2016