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What Are Presuppositional Skills in Children?

Presuppositional skills are important, basic skills that we all use in our everyday interactions. They help us to predict the thoughts and feelings of other people without being explicitly told what those people are thinking. Children with certain developmental delays, notably autism, may struggle with these skills or lack them entirely.

  1. Theory of Mind

    • Theory of mind is the ability to form an educated guess about what is going on in someone else's mind. For example, a person with a good theory of mind would be able to recognize that another person does not know all the things they do. Very young children lack theory of mind. This skill develops progressively between ages 3 and 10. When a person lacks theory of mind, this is known as "mind blindness," which is common among children with Asperger's syndrome and autism.

    Humor and Colloquialisms

    • Presuppositional skills help children to understand humor and sarcasm. These skills also help a child understand that not everything a person says is literal, which makes it easier for kids to understand colloquial expressions as well as exaggeration and metaphor.

    Body Language

    • The ability to read body language is an important presuppositional skill. Children with some developmental delays may struggle with reading body language, which can lead to difficulty in social interactions.

    Empathy

    • The ability to place oneself in another person's shoes and understand his feelings is empathy. Empathy is often associated with compassion and strong social relationships. Some children, however, cannot empathize with another person's feelings. This is not due to a lack of compassion but can make a child appear uncompassionate. Children with autism commonly struggle with empathy.

    Social Skills

    • Though we often fail to realize it, much of our social interactions involve reading body language and making predictions about what another person may be feeling. Children who seem to be acting appropriately but who are still struggling with social interactions may lack good presuppositional skills. Other children may notice that these children have strange body language or do not seem to pick up on subtle social cues.

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