Relationships Between Mother-Child Conversations About Emotion and Socioemotional Development of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Beaudoin et al. (2022) watched 49 moms and their kids with autism at home. They counted how often the pair talked about feelings during play and daily routines.

The team also tested each child’s emotional control and Theory of Mind. They asked moms how open they usually are about their own emotions.

More emotion chats predicted better emotional regulation and stronger Theory of Mind. The link was strongest when moms rated themselves as emotionally open.

Child personality mattered too. Kids who were more social gained extra Theory of Mind benefits from the talks.

Sasson et al. (2018) seems to disagree. They found children with autism use fewer emotion words than typical peers. The gap closes when you look at who is leading the talk. J et al. counted child-only speech; Marie-Joëlle counted mom-child back-and-forth. Coaching from moms appears to overcome the child word gap.

Lapshina et al. (2021) extend the story inward. They show that autistic kids who use inner speech have better cognitive reappraisal. Marie-Joëlle shows the same skill can be seeded outside the child through simple conversation.

Llanes et al. (2020) link Theory of Mind to writing quality. Together the papers trace a path: mom chats → better ToM → clearer personal stories later.

You do not need a new program. Just weave feeling words into natural moments. “You look frustrated the tower fell. Let’s try again.” Track if the child later labels feelings without prompts. If mom is guarded, model openness first: “I felt nervous this morning too.” Five extra emotion comments a day can yield measurable gains in regulation and perspective-taking within months.