| Developmental impairments in theory of mind (ToM) abilities among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) constitute a significant factor contributing to their social skill deficits. As a social cognitive capacity enabling the comprehension of others' mental states and the prediction of their behaviour, ToM deficits result in pronounced difficulties for children with ASD in crucial aspects of social interaction, including eye contact, emotion recognition, and perspective-taking. This impairment persists from early childhood into adulthood, severely compromising their social adaptation capabilities. In recent years, the rapid advancement of information and communication technologies (ICT) has offered potential therapeutic approaches for addressing ToM deficits in children with ASD. The multi-modal interaction and dynamic simulation capabilities of ICT have provided novel perspectives for clinical interventions targeting this population. This study aims to summarise ICT-related intervention methods, including serious games, wearable robots, virtual reality-supported approaches, and humanoid robots. It further examines the current clinical application of ICT in improving theory of mind deficits in children with ASD, comparing the advantages, limitations, and rehabilitative effects of various intervention methods. Concurrently, this study analyzed factors potentially influencing improvements in ToM abilities among children with ASD, aiming to provide valuable reference for research and application of ICT-based rehabilitation interventions addressing ToM deficits in this population. |
