Concept de soi, théorie de l'esprit et adaptation sociale chez des enfants présentant une déficience intellectuelle et à développement typique

(eng) Self-concept, theory of mind (ToM) and social adjustment were investigated in 45 children with intellectual disabilities compared with 45 typically developing preschoolers, matched for developmental age assessed by means of the Differential Scales of Intellectual Efficiency – Revised edition (EDEI-R, Perron-Borelli, 1996). Children’s understanding of beliefs and emotions was assessed by means of ToM belief tasks (Nader-Grosbois & Thirion-Marissiaux, 2011) and ToM emotion tasks (Nader-Grosbois & Thirion-Marissiaux, 2011). The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for children (PSPCSA, Harter & Pike, 1980) and the Scale of Perceived Emotional Self (EPSE, Fiasse & Nader-Grosbois, 2008) assessed multiple dimensions (physical, cognitive, social and emotional) of children’s self-concept. Their teachers completed the Social Adjustment for Children Scale (EASE, Hugues, Soares-Boucaud, Hochman, & Frith, 1997). The main results of this thesis showed that for both groups together, perceived social acceptance mediates the relation between ToM skills and social adjustment. The presence or absence of intellectual disabilities does not moderate the relations either between ToM skills and perceived social acceptance, or between perceived social acceptance and social adjustment. These results did not confirm the difference hypothesis of structural and relational patterns between the three processes in children with intellectual disabilities, but instead supported the hypothesis of a similar structure that develops in a delayed manner.