A training study of theory of mind and executive function in children with autistic spectrum disorders.

The team worked with autistic children who could speak in sentences.

Kids were split into two groups.

One group got daily lessons about what other people think (theory-of-mind).

The other group practiced brain games like sorting cards (executive-function).

Each lesson lasted 25 minutes and ran for 5–10 school days.

Before and after, every child took false-belief tests and EF puzzles.

The ToM group jumped from 20 % to 60 % correct on false-belief tasks.

The EF group stayed flat on EF puzzles—no gain at all.

Neither group crossed over: EF training did not help false-belief, and ToM training did not help EF.

Short, focused ToM drills can move the needle on lab tests, but the same dose does nothing for executive skills.

Goodwin et al. (2012) gives you a faster yard-stick.

Their parent checklist, the ToMI, now lets you screen ToM delays without long false-belief tasks.

Use it before and after the brief Naomi-style lessons to see if change shows up at home, not just in the lab.

Granader et al. (2014) and Goldfarb et al. (2024) show why EF drills still matter.

They found that planning and shifting skills predict ToM in preschool and school-age autistic kids.

So the 2005 study may have simply used the wrong EF games or too few days.

Try longer, planning-heavy EF blocks if you want transfer.

You can add a 5-minute false-belief warm-up to your social-skills group today.

Use simple stories: "Maxi puts chocolate in the cupboard and leaves. Mum moves it. Where will Maxi look?"

Track answers with tally marks; aim for 4/5 correct across three days before you fade the prompt.

If the child stalls, check planning or shifting skills next—those may be the real roadblocks shown in later work.