Theory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability to attribute mental states to others and oneself in order to explain and predict behavior. ToM is a social-cognitive capacity that focuses on beliefs, intentions, desires, or knowledge and the understanding that others can have mental that differ from one’s own. It has been hypothesized that an impaired ability to understand other people’s minds is at the very core of the autistic symptomatology related to the challenges in social-communication development, in empathy, and in imitation, all of which involve taking other people’s perspective (Chevallier, 2013).
Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders by 