The Development and Preliminary Psychometric Evaluation of the Theory of Mind Inventory: Self Report-Adult (ToMI:SR-Adult).
Autistic young adults who feel socially sharp may still lack dating confidence — screen both areas.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team built a 28-item self-report called the ToMI:SR-Adult. It asks autistic adults how well they read thoughts, feelings, and social cues.
Fifty-three autistic college students filled it out twice, two weeks apart. They also answered questions about dating confidence and sexual knowledge.
What they found
People who scored high on spontaneous social-cognition items felt less sure about dating. Their 'I can read minds' skill did not boost romantic confidence.
Perceived knowledge, actual knowledge, and dating confidence all rose together. Yet stronger mind-reading went with lower confidence — a mixed picture.
How this fits with other research
Cary et al. (2024) found the same pattern in kids: ask the autistic person directly and you get unique data caregivers miss. The new adult tool extends that idea up the age ladder.
Schroeder et al. (2014) saw the opposite in Williams syndrome: parent reports matched real-life social steps better than self-reports. The current study did not check real behavior, so the clash may be more about missing data than true disagreement.
Healy et al. (2018) used repertory grids with autistic teens and also saw nuanced social insight. Both papers show that, with the right format, verbally fluent autistic clients can describe their social world in detail.
Why it matters
Before you target dating or sex-ed skills, give the ToMI:SR-Adult. A high score may hide low romantic confidence — a risk factor for peer pressure or poor boundaries. Pair the scale with caregiver report and real-world probes to see if self-view matches actual behavior.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Despite misconceptions, autistic young adults are interested in romantic relationships (Fernandes et al., 2016; Hancock et al., 2019; Mehzabin & Stokes, 2011). Research is needed to better understand how the social characteristics of autism impact romantic relationship experiences, knowledge of sexual health, and confidence in one's own abilities. Social cognition skills are linked to functioning in interpersonal relationships and are important for understanding the mental states of others. The present research aims to explore the intersections among social cognition skills, romantic self-efficacy, perceived knowledge, and dating outcomes. We hypothesize that social cognition skill level, self-efficacy, perceived knowledge, and romantic relationship outcomes will be positively related. METHOD: Verbal autistic young adults (N = 31) aged 18-26 years participated in a study aimed at investigating the romantic experiences of young autistic adults. Participants completed questionnaires on self-efficacy and perceived knowledge, as well as a battery of social cognition tasks, including assessments of spontaneous and non-spontaneous social cognition. RESULTS: Spontaneous social cognition was negatively correlated with both relationship self-efficacy and perceived knowledge. Perceived knowledge, actual knowledge, and self-efficacy were positively correlated with each other. CONCLUSION: This exploratory study was the first of which we are aware to demonstrate that autistic adults with stronger spontaneous social awareness are less confident of their sexual knowledge and abilities in romantic relationships than autistic adults with weaker spontaneous awareness. These findings suggest social cognitive tasks could be useful in assessing the specific sexual and romantic health-education needs of young autistic adults.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2021 · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01319.x