Early Neuro-Psychomotor Therapy Intervention for Theory of Mind and Emotion Recognition in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Pilot Study

• Main Authors: Elisa Giangiacomo (Author), Maria Castellano Visaggi (Author), Franca Aceti (Author), Nicoletta Giacchetti (Author), Melania Martucci (Author), Federica Giovannone (Author), Donatella Valente (Author), Giovanni Galeoto (Author), Marco Tofani (Author), Carla Sogos (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2022-07-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/children9081142; 2227-9067
• Keywords: neurodevelopmental disorder; disability; theory of mind; emotions; early rehabilitation; neuro-psychomotor therapy; Pediatrics; RJ1-570
• Source: Children, Vol 9, Iss 8, p 1142 (2022)

The aim of the present study is to explore the effect of early neuro-psychomotor therapy to improve theory of mind skills and emotion recognition in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. A pilot study was set up, consisting of in-group training activities based on the neuro-psychomotor approach. Children were evaluated using Neuropsychological Assessment for Child (Nepsy-II), Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC), and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). For data analysis, one-sample Wilcoxon signed rank test was used with a significance of <i>p</i> < 0.05. Two children with a developmental language disorder and four children with autism spectrum disorders participated in a 3-month training program. Our findings revealed significant improvement in emotion recognition, as measured with Nepsy-II (<i>p</i> = 0.04), while no statistical improvement was found for theory of mind. Despite the limited sample, early neuro-psychomotor therapy improves emotion recognition skills in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, considering the explorative nature of the study, findings should be interpreted with caution.