Introduction: Young people with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) have been shown to be at higher risk of many negative factors associated with internet use. However, many anecdotal reports have suggested that social media can have a positive impact on young people with ASC, with the emergence of social media for the ASC population being compared to the emergence of sign language in the deaf community. This has been hypothesised to be due to online communication lessening “the emotional, social and time pressures experienced in offline situations” (Benford and Standen, 2009 p.2). Method: This research explored young people (aged 14-19) with ASCs’ digital identity and how they feel it relates to; relationships, psychological well-being and life outcomes. Phase one data collection was through a questionnaire formed of three standardised measures to assess; digital identity (the Autism Digital Identity Scale, adapted from the Deaf Acculturation Scale; Maxwell-McCaw & Zea, 2011), relationship formation (the Friendship Scale; Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright, 2003), and well-being (the Moods and Feelings Questionnaire; Angold & Costello, 1987). Four questions on a Likert scale were used to ascertain views about life outcomes. For phase two, participants were asked to contribute to an online forum, where a qualitative thematic analysis and a systematic qualitative analysis were undertaken to find any phenomena occurring. Two participants were chosen as case studies. Results: A relationship was found between those who identify as non-autistic online and enjoy close relationships. A relationship is found between those with an autistic digital identity and those who feel that the internet will support their life outcomes with regards to forming relationships. A negative correlation was found between non-autistic digital identity and believing the internet will improve both work and life outcomes. A variety of sub-categories arose from the qualitative analysis, including; choosing/disclosing a non-autistic digital identity, advantages to online communication, removal of eye-contact/time pressures online, making new friends, online social support and confidence in online interaction. Discussion: The findings from both phase one and phase two are discussed in relation to previous research. Potential areas of further research are discussed, while highlighting a paucity in research for training appropriate use of social media for young people with ASC.

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience elevated levels of anxiety and worry compared to neurotypical people. However, there is a dearth of extant research on effective interventions for comorbid anxiety and worry in this population. Mindfulness, which is often defined as paying attention to the present moment in a nonjudgmental manner, has been shown to be a propitious treatment for anxiety, worry, and other psychological ailments in neurotypical people. However, in a relatively new area of study, evidence has been growing which suggests mindfulness can also be effective in helping people with ASD cope with anxiety and worry. The current study had two major aims: 1) to see if a group of high functioning young adults with ASD (n=23) had inherently less dispositional mindfulness abilities than a neurotypical group (n=22) and 2) to see if mindfulness affected trait anxiety and worry differently for the ASD group than for the control group. Results suggested that adults with ASD were less able than neurotypical adults to effectively label and describe their internal experiences, to act with awareness in the present moment, and to allow aversive inner experiences to come and go without struggle. The results also suggested that the one powerful predictor of anxiety and worry in people with ASD was nonreactivity to inner experiences. However, there were three salient predictors of anxiety for neurotypical people: nonreactivity to inner experience, acting with awareness in the present moment, and nonjudging of thoughts and feelings. In the current study, none of the mindfulness facets predicted less worry in the neurotypical group. These results have implications for the development and implementation of mindfulness interventions to more effectively treat anxiety and worry in people with ASD.

No description available.

No description available.

People with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have difficulty empathizing with others, contributing to deficits in social interaction and communication. The degree of difficulty empathizing may be related to the level of impairment associated with the ASD. Little is known about the early development of empathy prior to ASD diagnosis. A novel way of studying the early development of ASDs is to study the development of younger siblings of children with ASDs, who are at an increased genetic risk for these disorders, and compare them to children with typically developing older siblings. The current study examined how empathic responding and cooperation, a measure of prosocial functioning, at 24 and 30 months of age differed between children who later received a diagnosis of autism or pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified, and those who did not. Overall, children engaged in more empathic responding at 30 months than at 24 months. As expected, children later diagnosed with autism engaged in less empathic responding than children with no diagnosis. Additionally, lower empathic responding at 24 months predicted higher autism symptomatology at 30 months. In terms of cooperation, children tended to engage in less noncompliant behavior at 30 months than at 24 months. However, no age differences were found for compliant behavior. Contrary to expectations, there were no diagnostic group differences in cooperative behavior nor was there a relation between empathic responding and cooperation. This was one of the first studies to investigate empathic responding in young children prior to diagnosis with an ASD. Results show that empathy deficits are present from an early age, and may be an important predictor for later diagnosis. Implications for these findings and future directions are discussed.

Thirty-two infants and their parents were observed at 6 months in the Face-to-Face/Still-Face (FFSF) paradigm. Attachment security was assessed in the Strange Situation Paradigm (SSP) at 15 months. Eighteen of these infants had an older sibling with a clinically diagnosed ASD (ASD-siblings) and 14 had older siblings with no ASD (comparison-siblings). Results suggested that at fifteen months, before diagnostic outcomes are available, ASD-sibs are no more likely to evidence insecurity in attachment, or attachment disorganization, than are COMP-sibs. Additionally, 15-month secure and insecure infants differed with respect to 6-month gazing at their parent's face during the still-face (SF) and reunion (RE) episodes as well as the amount they were tickled by their parent in the RE episode. Parent tickling in the RE episode appeared to be differentially associated with later attachment security between ASD and COMP-sibs. For COMP-sibs insecurity in attachment at 15-months was associated with more parent tickling in the RE episode. For ASD-sibs it was not. Results suggest that infant and parent emotional behaviors at 6 months of age in a standardized emotion-eliciting paradigm provide a window into the processes of developing attachment security.

No description available.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit deficits in reading comprehension. Previous research indicates that music increases attention span, as well as increases auditory discrimination, memory and verbal skills in children with ASD. This study attempts to increase the reading comprehension of three children with autism by implementing a musical modality approach to learning. To assess the effects of musical presentation on reading comprehension a multiple baseline design across children was used. In baseline each child was told to read a story silently to themselves and then answer standard reading comprehension recall questions (who, what, where, when). In treatment the children were presented stories read to them (speaking modality) or sung to them (singing modality) and again asked standard recall questions. Results found that all three participant’s reading comprehension scores increased in relation to baseline, and one out of three participants reading comprehension scores increased in the signing modality condition as compared to the baseline and speaking modality conditions.

Sammanfattning Bakgrund: Förr ansågs barn med autismspektrum störning (AST) vara besatta av demoner eller var allmänt ouppfostrade. Följden blev att föräldrarnas oro ökade och de fick en känsla av skuld och skam eftersom deras barn inte betedde sig på ett acceptabelt sätt. Tidigare forskning visar att det är mer stressfullt att leva med ett barn med AST. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen var att beskriva föräldrars livssituation av att leva med ett barn eller ungdom som har en AST-diagnos. Metod: Uppsatsen gjordes genom en litteraturöversikt av kvantitativa och kvalitativa artiklar. Resultat: Resultatet visar på olika slags copingstrategier som föräldrar till barn med AST an vänder sig av. Resultatet visade att den mest vanligt förekommande copingstrategin var sökandet av socialt stöd. I resultatet kunde även en skillnad ses vad gäller mödrar och fäders olika användande av copingstrategier. Slutsats: Det är viktigt att sjuksköterskan har kunskap om AST samt förståelse för de känslor och copingstrategier som föräldrarna använder. Det för att kunna möta föräldrarna utifrån den upplevelse de har och därefter kunna ge dem stöd och råd i sitt föräldraskap.

Children with sensorial and cognitive disabilities have been largely ignored under the ‘universal’ design philosophy. This is clearly an oversight on the part of the design community as autism, present designers with the opportunity to take on new environmental design challenges. As research demonstrates, children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are extremely disadvantaged when it comes to playing both with others and alone. As a result, children with autism have underdeveloped socializing skills and can suffer from low self-esteem, self-worth and loneliness. This practicum supposes that safe, stimulating and engaging play spaces for autistic children could not only improve their development in these areas, but enrich their lives. Furthermore, it provides background into autism, its affect on the human senses and play, supplies results of an observational study and provides an example of a play space designed to increase social interaction and accommodate sensorial needs in order to decrease isolation. / February 2009