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Rationale: To determine whether failure to pass a theory of mind (ToM) test identifies a distinct group of children with ADHD. The ToM (-) group is hypothesized to have more difficulty in the areas of social language and/or executive function (EF) compared to the ToM (+). Methods: 6-7 year olds with ADHD, IQ>70, no autism, in mainstream educational settings were recruited. The Sally-Anne (SA) test identified 17 ToM (-) children and 21 Tom (+) children. Both groups were further tested with The Social Language Development Test and WISC-IV (processing speed and working memory were used as measures of EF). Results: The ToM (-) group had more difficulty with social language (p<.001), processing speed (p=.005) and working memory (p=.034). Full scale IQ (p<.001) was also lower, an un-expected finding, because ToM is considered independent of IQ. Conclusion: A distinct group of ADHD, ToM (-) children is identified using the Sally-Anne test with lower EF, social language and IQ. Funding: Feld Grant
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