First-order theory of mind skills shortly after traumatic brain injury in 3- to 5-year-old children.

Post-acute effects of early childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) on first-order theory of mind (ToM) skills were examined in 86 children with orthopedic injury (OI), 42 children with moderate TBI, and 17 children with severe TBI aged 3 to 5 years at the time of injury. Three-year-olds with TBI performed more poorly than 3-year-olds with OI on an appearance-reality task. The severe TBI group was impaired on false-contents tasks compared to the moderate TBI and OI groups. Age and IQ were strong predictors of ToM performance; however, the relationship between ToM and IQ was not as strong for children with TBI.