Understanding and using mental state verbs is a critical reflection of cognitive development and is important for discourse development, academic success, social understanding, and conversational competence. We will begin by exploring the term, drawing from the fields of theory of mind, cognition, linguistics, and attachment. Next, the research exploring how students with language and social challenges differ from their neurotypical peers' understanding and use of mental state verbs will be reviewed. We will then turn our attention to intervention as we explore activities speech-language pathologists can use to build understanding and use of MSV in the students they work with.
We will end by proposing the use of rubrics to define initial baseline performance and structure goal writing and documentation of progress. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of the critical role that MSV plays in social success and cognitive development and activities and templates to incorporate into their therapy sessions and consultations with teachers and families.
