Teaching Emotion Recognition
Running head: Recognition of Emotion in Children with Autism
Remediation of Deficits in Recognition of Facial Emotions in Autistic Children
Paige Weinger
Cornell University
1
Teaching Emotion Recognition
2
Abstract
This study evaluated the efficacy of the Mind Reading interactive computer software to
remediate emotion recognition deficits in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Six
unmedicated children with ASD and 11 unmedicated non-clinical control subjects participated in
the study. The clinical sample used the Mind Reading software for five 30-45 minute sessions.
The control subjects did not receive training, and were evaluated only on pre- and post-test
performance to assess practice effects. Results showed that participants with ASD scored
significantly higher on the post-test than on the pre-test. As level of emotion difficulty increased,
mean scores on the pretest decreased, indicating that difficulty level had a valid effect. Findings
also revealed that neither age nor diagnosis was correlated with performance or with one another.
In addition, a trend indicated that greater initial performance leads to greater gains through
training. The Mind Reading computer software appears to significantly improve the emotion
recognition abilities in children with ASD.
Teaching Emotion Recognition
3
Autistic Disorder, along with Asperger’s Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental
Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), make up the three Autism Spectrum Disorders
(ASD). Individuals with autism have a range of cognitive and affective abilities, resulting in
differences in the capacity to form social relationships and to recognize emotions in both
themselves and others. Despite the adequate cognitive abilities of many individuals with ASD,
severe deficits in communication and repetitive and restrictive interests and behaviors become
problematic. Indeed, impairments in reciprocal social interaction and deficits in communication
are key symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).
Although individuals with autism may have a desire to affiliate, the above impairments often
result in a lack of social skills that are needed to form meaningful relationships (Bauminger &
Kasari, 2000).
A common explanation of the impaired social functioning in ASD is grounded in theory
of mind (ToM). According to this notion, people’s perceptions of the behaviors of others allow
them to gauge an individual’s mental state (Joseph & Tager-Flusberg, 2004). This information is
then used to guide a person’s actions, thus allowing natural reciprocal communication to occur.
Accordingly, theory of mind first requires an individual to have a perceptual understanding of
others, and then the ability to use these perceptions as inferences that guide behavior in social
situations. As a result, ToM permits typically functioning individuals to infer the mental and
emotional states of others as a means of engaging in reciprocal communication and maintaining
relationships.
Often referred to as “mindblind” (Baron-Cohen, 1995), individuals with ASD lack the
seemingly innate social intelligence abilities attributed to ToM. The inability of people with ASD
to read facial expressions and non-verbal cues (Derulle, Rondan, Gepner & Tardif, 2004) creates
Teaching Emotion Recognition
4
significant difficulties in the capacity for these individuals to interpret and understand the causes
of emotion (Baron-Cohen, Spitz, & Cross, 1993). Consequently, individuals with ASD are
unable to interpret and reflect on the emotions experienced by themselves and others.
These theory of mind impairments may contribute to the core social interaction and
communication deficits that are characteristic of individuals on the autism spectrum (BaronCohen, 1988, Tager-Flusberg, 1999; Joseph & Tager-Flusberg, 2004). According to the
mindblind hypothesis, individuals with ASD lack an awareness of the motives, goals, or desires
of others. Impairments in emotion recognition abilities are a fundamental difficulty in individuals
who are considered “mindblind” (Baron-Cohen, 1995). While theories of executive functioning
and central coherence have also targeted symptoms of ASD in relation to social and
communication deficits (Baron-Cohen, & Swettenham, 1997, Tager-Flusberg, 2004), for the
purpose of this study, ToM is examined only in terms of the capacity of individuals with ASD to
recognize emotion.
The empathizing-systemizing model (Baron-Cohen, 2002) of autism provides further
explanation for the theory of mind deficits described above. In this model, ToM serves as the
primary component, central to the deficits in emotion recognition, while difficulties in affective
reactions represent a secondary area of impairment (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Lawson,
Griffin & Ashwin et al., 2005). The disturbance in affective functioning refers mainly to
impairment in the ability of individuals with ASD to empathize. Empathizing is defined as a
person’s desire to appraise the emotions and thoughts of others and to respond to these appraisals
in an emotionally appropriate manner (Baron-Cohen & Belmonte, 2005). Examples of
empathizing deficits include impairments in joint attention (Mundy, Sigman & Kasari, 1990); an
inability to distinguish mental objects from physical objects (Oznoff, Pennington, & Rogers,
Teaching Emotion Recognition
5
1990); and difficulty understanding complex emotions (Bauminger, 2002). These deficits
demonstrate the need for an intact theory of mind in order to successfully empathize. Emotional
understanding and a drive to care for others allow people to communicate responses in an
appropriate manner. Individuals with ASD lack competence in these areas.
The ability to systemize serves as the alternate component to the empathizing systemizing model. Systemizing refers to the desire to create and analyze systems as a means of
making sense of and predicting behavior. Studies have concluded that the “intuitive physics” of
children with ASD are significantly superior to their empathizing abilities (Baron-Cohen et al.,
2005). Common behaviors in ASD, such as collecting specific items, a desire for structure and
routine, excessive attention to detail, and restricted interests, can all be described as patterns of a
concentrated desire to systemize (Baron-Cohen, 2002).
Theory of mind serves as a foundation for many intervention methods presently used
with individuals on the autism spectrum. There is a general consensus that deficits in social
interaction and communication are caused by an impaired ability to recognize and understand
emotion. The ability to recognize emotion is necessary in order to achieve ToM. Despite the poor
empathizing abilities typical of individuals with ASD, the systemizing capacities in these
individuals have been described as normal or above average (Baron-Cohen et al., 2005).
Therefore, combining theory of mind with the empathizing-systemizing theory of autism may aid
in the design of more modern methods to teach emotion recognition (ER).
In tasks of emotion recognition, ASD populations have exhibited greater difficulty than
non-clinical subjects (Deruelle et al. 2004, Castelli, 2005), especially in tasks using complex
emotions (Adolphs, Sears, & Piven, 2001; Deruelle et al., 2004). However, social-emotional
interventions have produced positive results. Studies have found that emotion recognition can be
Teaching Emotion Recognition
6
taught, and that greater social understanding can result from such training (Bauminger, 2002).
Most treatment programs, however, do not approach ER training in a systematic way. The
majority of treatment methods focus on teaching conversational skills and daily living routines
(Golan & Baron-Cohen, 2006). One goal of the current study’s ER intervention, then, is to make
use of the superior systemizing abilities of individuals with ASD.
The proficient computer abilities in many individuals with autism make the use of
computer-based interventions not only practical, but in many ways advantageous. Studies
generally find successful intervention outcomes, although the generalizability of these tools
remains in question (Moore & Calvert, 2000; Bosseler & Massaro, 2003; Hetzroni & Tannous,
2004). The environment offered by computer-based intervention tools are habitual and persistent;
levels of difficulty can be adjusted to fit the needs of the individual user; and lessons can be
repeated, creating consistency in structure and the development of a training routine (Golan &
Baron-Cohen, 2006). The goal of the tool is to present users with a “system” of emotions.
Ideally, once learned, these systems can be applied by users to real-life situations.
A recent computer-assisted approach for individuals with ASD shows promise. Mind
Reading: The Interactive Guide to Emotions (Baron-Cohen, Golan, Wheelwright & Hill, 2004) is
a multimedia computer program aimed at systematically teaching emotion recognition. This is
the first program of its kind to teach ER in a systematic way using lifelike faces (Golan & BaronCohen, 2006). Golan and Baron-Cohen (2006) tested the efficacy of the Mind Reading software
in a two-part study of adults with high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome. The first
experiment compared a clinical sample to a group of clinical and non-clinical controls who
received no intervention. The second experiment added a social skills training component.
Marked improvement in emotion recognition skills was seen in both experimental groups over
Teaching Emotion Recognition
7
the 10-15 week period. Findings from the second study reflected the added benefit of social
interaction which is addressed in the present study. A pilot study has also been administered to
assess the Mind Reading software in a group of children. LaCava, Golan, Baron-Cohen, and
Myle’s (2007) analysis, though limited by the small sample of 8 children, did find significant
improvement in the recognition of both simple and complex emotions. Together, the results of
these studies are promising; however, the novelty of the tool leaves a need for further analysis.
The present study operationalizes theory of mind and the systemizing-empathizing
models in an attempt to empirically test the efficacy of this remedial program. While there is no
clear consensus on the assumptions proposed by these theories, there is overwhelming agreement
regarding the urgent need for successful social-emotional intervention methods for children with
ASD. The purpose of this study, then, is to evaluate ER remediation in a group of children with
ASD with the Mind Reading software when used for a much shorter period of time than used in
previous studies.
Methods
Participants
Six unmedicated children on the autism spectrum (5 males, 1 female) ages 7 through 11
(M= 8.5, SD = 1.38) participated in the study. All participants had a formal diagnosis of ASD by
an independently licensed psychiatrist or psychologist. Diagnoses were corroborated using the
Autism-Spectrum Quotient (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, & Clubley, 2001).
Diagnoses are shown in Table 1. Participants were recruited through schools and agencies that
assist students with special needs in the Miami, FL community. No compensation was offered
for participation; however, if successful, participants could potentially benefit from the use of the
intervention.
Teaching Emotion Recognition
8
Eleven healthy, unmedicated control subjects (6 males, 5 females) ages 7 through 12 (M=
9.27, SD =1.62) also participated in the study. These subjects were only administered the preand post-tests (described below) without training sessions as a means of assessing changes as a
function of repeated testing only. Participants were recruited through a local elementary school
in the Ithaca, NY community. No compensation was offered for participation.
Table 1. Clinical Participant Diagnoses
Diagnosis
Number of
Participants
Asperger’s
Syndrome
2
HighFunctioning
Autism
2
Autism
2
Materials
The material for the study was an interactive computer software program, Mind Reading:
A Systematic Guide to Emotions. This program contains a taxonomy of 412 emotions and
mental states. The software is organized according to groups of emotions and developmental
levels. Level 3, designed for children up to 13 years of age, was used for this study. The 10
complex emotions that made up the emotion set used in this study are proud, lonely, aggressive,
annoyed, bored, understanding, threatened, sorry, doubtful, and ignored. Emotions are
introduced by a definition and a short video clip with an actor depicting the emotion (see Figure
1). Silent films and written examples of situations that evoke the emotion were used in this study.
Each emotion contains a set of six films and six sentences (see Figure 1). The actors are of both
genders, mixed ages, ethnicities and races.
Teaching Emotion Recognition
9
Figure 1. Lesson Stimuli from Mind Reading Computer Software
Screenshots from Mind Reading: The Interactive Guide to Emotions, by S. Baron-Cohen, O. Golan, S. Wheelwright, &
J.J. Hill, 2004, London: Jessica Kingsley Limited. Copyright 2003 by the University of Cambridge.
Teaching Emotion Recognition 10
There are three applications within the Mind Reading program: the emotion library, the
learning center, and the game zone. The learning center contains lessons and quizzes. The
“build-your-own” section within the learning center allows the user to select a set of emotions to
focus on. Users can collect rewards (i.e. birds, spinning objects, trains) for answering questions
correctly. There is also the option to have a helper provide assistance while using the program.
Mind Reading lessons were used for practice lessons and quizzes were used for both preand post-testing (see Figure 2). An animated helper was also enabled during the study.
Figure 2. Quiz Stimuli from Mind Reading Computer Software
Screenshots from Mind Reading: The Interactive Guide to Emotions, by S. Baron-Cohen, O. Golan, S. Wheelwright, &
J.J. Hill, 2004, London: Jessica Kingsley Limited. Copyright 2003 by the University of Cambridge.
Autism-Spectrum Quotient (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, & Clubley,
2001): a 50-item survey designed to determine the extent of autistic traits and behaviors.
Questions were answered using a Likert-type scale. Answer choices ranged from “definitely
agree” to “definitely disagree.” The survey has generally been used on adults so a “not
Teaching Emotion Recognition 11
applicable” answer choice was added by the experimenter for the present study. Parents were
asked to complete this questionnaire with their child (see Appendix A).
Subject Data Form: The subject data form, created by the experimenter, asked basic
demographic questions (i.e. gender, age), child’s reported diagnosis, and child’s previous social
skills training (see Appendix B).
Procedure
Participants completed the study in five 30-45 minute sessions over a three week period
(see Figure 3). The experimenter remained with participants during the duration of each session.
The Mind Reading computer software was loaded onto a Dell Lattitude D600 laptop computer.
The computer was provided by the experimenter, and all sessions took place on the same
computer. Lessons were conducted in the homes of participants.
Figure 3. Procedure
Session one was a 45-minute session. First, consent was obtained from both
parent/guardian and child participants. Parents were asked to fill out a subject data form and the
Autism-Spectrum Quotient (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001). Upon completion of informed consent
and the distribution of parent forms, participants were given a computer-based pretest. A quiz
from the Mind Reading software was used as the pretest. The 10 emotions used in this study’s
pretest were selected based on results from a pilot study of children with ASD who used the
Teaching Emotion Recognition 12
Mind Reading software over a 6-week period. Each of the participants in the pilot study
incorrectly identified the 10 emotions used in the present study on the initial pretest, but with
training each was able to identify the 10 selected emotions. Hence, the emotions used in the
pretest are sufficiently difficult initially so as to allow progress as a function of the training
sessions. Participants were also tested on their ability to recognize 6 basic emotions: happy, sad,
angry, afraid, surprised, disgusted.
After pretesting, the experimenter introduced participants to the computer program using
an introductory sample computer lesson. During this lesson the experimenter demonstrated the
use of the computer program to the subject. Participants were introduced to each of the 10
emotions taught over the three week period. The experimenter was available to answer any
questions from participants.
Sessions two through four lasted for 30-minutes. These sessions utilized the lessons
section from the Mind Reading software. During each practice session, participants were briefly
re-introduced to the emotion set. The lessons contained 20 practice items presented in a nonrandom mixed order. Using the computer mouse to point and click, subjects chose the video clip
or emotional picture that correctly depicted the emotion named in the word on the screen.
The fifth and final session was 45-minutes in length. During this session subjects were
evaluated on a post-test, which used the same emotions as in the pretest. Upon completion of
post-testing, the child participant and parent/guardian were free to ask any final questions.
Results
The dependent measure was the number of emotions correctly identified, expressed as a
percent. First, all ASD subjects correctly identified the 6 basic emotions at a 100% level of
accuracy. Concerning the test stimuli, Table 2 shows mean scores on the pre- and post-test by
Teaching Emotion Recognition 13
level of difficulty of emotions. A paired-samples t-test revealed that participants with ASD
scored significantly higher on the post-test (M = 90%, SD = 8.94) than on the pre-test (M =
26.7%, SD = 10.33), t(5) = -.19, p < .001. As level of emotion difficulty increased, mean scores
on both the pre- and post-test decreased. As shown in Table 2, planned comparisons by use of
paired-samples t-tests on just the pre-test scores comparing the three levels of difficulty of
emotion showed a trend towards differences between levels 1 and 2, 1 and 3, but not between 2
and 3 in both control and ASD subjects. These differences can be seen in Figure 4, which shows
performance means for the ASD sample on the pre- and post-test as a function of emotion
difficulty level.
Table 2. Average Scores (% correct) by Level of Emotion Difficulty
Pretest
Posttest
1
.56
.94
2
.17
.92
3
.11
.83
Level
Figure 4.
Teaching Emotion Recognition 14
Whether other factors affected changes in performance from pre-test to post-test was also
assessed. First, no effects of repeated testing were found: controls, who received no training
sessions, showed no significant improvement from pre-test (M = 89%, SD = 8.31) to post-test
(M = 90%, SD = 10.95), t(10) = -.27, n.s. There was a fairly even distribution in directional
change from pre- to post-test performance for the control sample, with a portion of the sample
(27%) showing a decrease, 25% an increase, and the rest no change in performance from pre- to
post-test. In addition, other variables can be ruled out: none of the children in the clinical sample
were on medication, so results could not vary as a function of drug-status, and all had previously
received equivalent levels of social skills training.
Correlational analyses were conducted to test whether other subject variables were
related to pre-postchanges within the ASD group. Neither age nor clinical diagnosis was
correlated with degree of improved performance. Age and diagnosis also showed no correlation
with each other in this sample. A trend (p<0.16) was found between initial performance and
percent improvement, where higher performance on pre-test predicted greater levels of
improvement. This is consistent with the finding that children who received perfect scores on the
post-test all had a diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome.
Discussion
The Mind Reading computer software appears to significantly (p <.001) improve the
emotion recognition abilities in children with ASD. With training, participants in the clinical
sample reached levels of ER comparable to the levels of ER observed in our age-matched control
sample of children (both groups having a mean of approximately 90%). Control’s showed no
directional change from pre- to post-testing, thus enabling us to rule out the simple effects of
testing as an explanation of ASD improvement. Results also indicated that neither age nor
Teaching Emotion Recognition 15
diagnosis was correlated with performance. In addition, a trend indicated that greater initial
performance leads to greater gains through training.
The strength of this study may derive from several factors, one of which is the novelty of
its design. This is one of few studies to test the Mind Reading computer-based intervention tool
on children with ASD, and the first to use the software with a focus on a specific set of emotions.
In addition, previous studies have required participants to use the software independently for a
predetermined amount of time each week; participants in these studies were evaluated based on
tests using a general bank of emotions. Furthermore, the present study also incorporated guided
lessons, where all subjects were aided by the primary investigator throughout the duration of
each session. This social interaction component may have positively influenced the performance
change observed. Additionally, the composition of the clinical sample was an added benefit to
the study’s design. This is the first study to use the Mind Reading tool on a group of individuals
with mixed diagnoses. Previous studies have assessed Mind Reading only in individuals with
high-functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome.
Typical of many studies using clinical samples, generalizability is not assured in this
study due to the small size of the sample. In order to improve generalizability, however, the
sample was selected to include a range in age, diagnosis, and ability. It is also important to
mention that the primary investigator administered all pretests, lessons and posttests, and
therefore was not blind to any child’s performance. In spite of this, all stimuli and scores were
computer generated and recorded, thus any effects of the researcher on participant performance
should be minimal. At this point there is also no measure of retest stability of the performance
gains; this is currently being assessed in a 5-month follow up post-test of all ASD subjects.
Teaching Emotion Recognition 16
The goal of the present study was to use the Mind Reading computer-based intervention
tool to teach children with ASD to match a physical emotional face with both a meaning and a
label. According to the assumption that individuals with ASD lack a basic understanding of
human emotion, the improvement witnessed through Mind Reading training may have rectified
some of these ER impairments. Additionally, while an impaired theory of mind might underlie
deficits in emotion recognition of the human face, participants were all fully capable of facial
identity. Without probing, participants freely referred to the stimulus characters by name. Each
of the participants also demonstrated competence at recognizing basic emotions; this may be
attributed to prior social skills training.
Despite previous social skills training, in combination with proficient computer skills,
none of the ASD participants had received emotion recognition training through a computerbased intervention nor had any participants engaged in any form of systematic ER instruction.
The benefits of systematic ER training are clearly demonstrated here. Significantly, the improved
performance in ASD subjects found in this study was accomplished through the use of a
relatively short period of training (i.e., 3 sessions), which is much briefer than used in previous
studies (e.g., 15 sessions), indicating that systematic training of ER may occur very rapidly. It is
theoretically interesting to test whether one or two sessions of ER training might also be as
effective with this population. If so, it implies that ASD deficits in the emotional domain may be
more plastic than some have presumed. In any case, perhaps the significant improvement in ER
performance may be attributed to the superior systemizing abilities of children with ASD. While
ToM deficits could account for a lack of emotional understanding, the superior systemizing
abilities of these children may explain the capacity for considerable improvement through
training.
Teaching Emotion Recognition 17
The present study demonstrated that significant improvement in the recognition of
specific complex emotions is possible through training with the Mind Reading computer-based
intervention tool when used for a short period of time by a group of children with ASD. Future
studies should look into the generalizability of this tool, and whether benefits are present in the
long-term.
Teaching Emotion Recognition 18
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Teaching Emotion Recognition 21
Appendix A
DIAGNOSIS VERIFICATION FORM
PARTICIPANT ID
PARTICIPANT GENDER
PARTICIPANT AGE
ADMINISTRATION DATE
ADMINISTRATOR’S
RELATIONSHIP TO CHILD
Please respond to each statement by circling the appropriate response to the right of each
statement.
1. My child prefers to do things with others rather than
alone.
2. My child prefers to do things the same way over and
over again.
3. If my child tries to imagine something, he/she finds
it very easy to create a picture in his/her mind.
4. My child frequently gets so strongly absorbed in one
thing that he/she loses sight of other things.
5. My child often notices small sounds when others do
not.
6. My child usually notices license plates or similar
strings of information.
7. Other people frequently tell my child that what
he/she said is impolite, even though my child thinks
it is polite.
8. When my child is reading a story, he/she can easily
imagine what the characters might look like.
9. My child is fascinated by dates.
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
10. In a social group, my child can easily keep track of
several different people’s conversations.
11. My child finds social situations easy.
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
definitely
agree
definitely
agree
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
slightly
disagree
slightly
disagree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
definitely
disagree
definitely
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
not
applicable
not
applicable
not
applicable
15. My child finds himself/herself drawn more
strongly to people than to things.
16. My child has strong interests and gets upset if
he/she can’t pursue them.
17. My child enjoys social chit-chat.
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
18. When my child talks, it isn’t always easy for others
to get a word in.
19. My child is fascinated by numbers.
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
20. When my reads or listens to a story, he/she finds it
difficult to work out the characters’ intentions.
21. My child doesn’t particularly enjoy reading fiction.
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
12. My child tends to notice details that others do not.
13. My child would rather go to a library than a party.
14. My child finds making up stories easy.
Teaching Emotion Recognition 22
22. My child finds it hard to make new friends.
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
Teaching Emotion Recognition 23
23. My child notices patterns in things all the time.
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
24. My child would rather go to the theater than a
museum.
25. It does not upset my child if his/her daily routine is
disturbed.
26. My child often finds that he/she don’t know how to
keep a conversation going.
27. My child finds it easy to “read between the lines”
when someone is talking to him/her.
28. My child usually concentrates more on the whole
picture, rather than the small details.
29. My child is not very good at remembering phone
numbers.
30. My child doesn’t usually notice small changes in a
situation, or a person’s appearance.
31. My child knows how to tell if someone listening to
him/her is getting bored.
32. My child finds it easy to do more than one thing at
once.
33. When my child is on the phone, he/she is not sure
when it’s his/her turn to speak.
34. My child enjoys doing things spontaneously.
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
35. My child is often the last to understand the point of a
joke.
36. My child finds it easy to work out what someone is
thinking or feeling just by looking at their face.
37. If there is an interruption, my child can switch back
to what he/she was doing very quickly.
38. My child is good at social chit-chat.
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
39. People often tell my child that he/she goes on and
on about the same thing.
40. When my child was young, he/she used to enjoy
playing games involving pretending with other
children.
41. My child likes to collect information about categories
of things (e.g. types of car, types of bird, types of
train, etc.).
42. My child finds it hard to imagine what it would be
like to be someone else.
43. My child likes to plan any activities he/she
participates in carefully.
44. My child enjoys social occasions.
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
45. My child finds it difficult to work out people’s
intentions.
46. New situations make my child anxious.
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
definitely
agree
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
slightly
disagree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
definitely
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
not
applicable
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
definitely
agree
slightly
agree
slightly
disagree
definitely
disagree
not
applicable
47. My child enjoys meeting new people.
48. My child is a good diplomat.
49. My child is not very good at remembering people’s
date of birth.
50. My child finds it easy to play games with that
involve pretending.
Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, & Clubley, 2001
Teaching Emotion Recognition 24
Appendix B
Subject Data Form
Evaluation of Mind Reading Software Package on
Improving Autistic Children's Abilities to Recognize Emotion
Parent or Guardian:
Please complete all information inside the shaded box below. Please do not
make any markings outside the shaded box.
Child’s Gender:
____________________
Child’s Age:
____________________
Child’s Handedness:
____________________
(with which hand does your child typically write?)
Child’s Reported Diagnosis:
Additional Notes:
____________________
_______________________________
(please list any relevant information,
i.e. IQ scores, previous social skills training, etc.)
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Date:
____________________
ID Number:
____________________
Start Date:
____________________
Investigator Notes:
________________________________________________
________________________________________________