Understanding others’ perspectives—what they think, know, believe, and feel—can help foster social relationships, achieving academic success, and enhancing reading comprehension. These skills, often referred to as Theory of Mind (ToM), develop gradually and are influenced by a child’s language abilities.
Because Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children may experience delays in ToM development, we collaborated with TRRC Faculty Affiliate, Dr. Kristen Secora, to create an informational paper and infographic. These resources offer ways for families to support ToM development when reading with DHH children at home.
Explore these tools to learn more about how you can help improve a child’s ToM skills.
Access The Benefits of Multimedia Tools: Understanding Character Perspectives for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children Who Use Sign Language (Informational Paper)
Additional Resources:
- Theory of Mind in Storybooks with Neurodiversity for Teachers and Other Instructors (Informational Paper)
- Theory of Mind in Storybooks with Neurodiversity for Teachers and Other Instructors (Infographic)
- Theory of Mind Overview for Teachers and Other Instructors (Informational Paper)
- Theory of Mind Overview for Teachers and Other Instructors (Infographic)
- Theory of Mind Overview for Families (Informational Paper)
- Theory of Mind Overview for Families (Infographic)
- Demonstration of Asking Theory of Mind Questions During a Read Aloud (Video)
- Storybooks with Neurodiverse Characters to Teach Different Thoughts and Feelings (Infographic)