Plejert, C., & Sundqvist, A. (2013). A dialogical approach to theory of mind in aided and non-aided child interaction. In N. Norén, C. Samuelsson, & C. Plejert (Eds.), Aided communication in everyday interaction (pp. 153–188). J&R Press.
This study examined evidence of a dialogical view of theory of mind in the collaborative interactions of four children with cerebral palsy aged 6 to 12 years in aided and non-aided interactions with adults and peers. The first three excerpts included students engaged with one or more adults in testing of their expressive abilities within role play, who demonstrated evidence of theory of mind in the forms of adaptation and repair. In excerpt one, the student displayed understanding that his partner experienced interactional trouble by adapting his answer so that it aligned with his partner’s repair initiation request; his displayed theory of mind by shifting his response from a personal evaluation of the context to one where he engaged in pretence. In excerpt two, the student displayed understanding that his partners treated his contribution as unfinished, by adapting his contribution to add an additional element. In the third excerpt, the student required more support from adults to provide contributions that were accepted by the adult, yet he demonstrated understanding of interactional trouble by responding to repairs with verbal and non-verbal feedback signals, as well as adapting his response to align with a pretence-frame request. In the final excerpt, joint understanding through collaborative engagement was observed in a non-aided multiparty peer play interaction. The non-verbal actions of a non-speaking child aligned with mutual agreement of cooperation (e.g., filling in sand together with one child) or exclusion (e.g., keeping bucket away from another child) that was verbalized by a speaking child, as well as mockery (i.e., throwing sand in response to a child’s teasing).