Desarrollo de la teoría de la mente en niños con Trastorno por Déficit de Atención e Hiperactividad

Objective: to determine and describe the development of Theory of Mind (ToM) in children diagnosed with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with ages between 6 and 12 years. Methodology: it was an empirical-analytical study with descriptive exploratory emphasis and control group. A group of children diagnosed with ADHD was selected, all of them assigned to the Attentional Clinic Program of the Children's Hospital -Hospital Infantil-. The controls were chosen in educational institutions. Population: 74 boys and girls between cases and controls participated in the study, 31.1% were of the combined type and 18.9% of the inattentive subtype. Instruments: A set of ToM tests was applied: facial expressions test, first and second-order false belief, Happe’s Strange Stories, Gaze Reading Test, and Paw Off Test. To Evaluate executive functions the Stroop test was applied, WISC III Digit Retention Test, and the ENI Card Classification Test -Infant Neuropsychological Evaluation-. Variables: To be part of this research, children had to be in school, diagnosed with ADHD and age was controlled.  Results: It was found that there is a direct relationship between difficulties in the development of ToM and ADHD. Children with ADHD obtained lower results in applied tests than the controls, although the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: It is concluded that children with ADHD have a greater risk of presenting difficulties in the development of ToM.