Research has shown that social interaction and the development of friendships is important in promoting academic, personal and emotional development. Social interaction is a core difficulty for children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). An increasing number of pupils with ASD are being educated within mainstream school where it is hoped that they will benefit from social opportunities with their peers and that the professionals working with them will be confident to support them (Keen and Ward, 2004). There is however growing evidence that school staff do not feel confident in supporting these pupils (House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, 2006; Robertson, Chamberlain and Kasari, 2003) and that this population of children are vulnerable to experiencing significantly poorer academic and social and emotional outcomes than their peers (Department for Education, 2012a; Humphrey and Lewis, 2008; Howlin and Goode, 1998). Teaching assistants (TAs) are often employed by schools to support pupils with ASD however research has suggested that the deployment of TAs might actually compound social interaction difficulties (Humphrey and Symes, 2011; Blatchford et al., 2009). TAs are in a unique position to support the social interaction of the pupils they work with however there is limited research into how TAs can be best utilised to facilitate social interaction between pupils with ASD and their typically developing peers within the classroom. This study piloted a researcher developed intervention, Better Together and conducted a process and outcome evaluation in order to investigate potential outcomes for TAs and pupils and examine systemic factors which might support or impede the intervention’s implementation and sustainability. The Better Together intervention aimed to train TAs to facilitate social interaction between pupils with ASD and their mainstream peers. The study involved three TA: pupil pairings within a single mainstream primary school and a single project coordinator. An evaluation of the ‘Better Together’ intervention package was undertaking using a fully mixed, sequential, dominant status design. Information pertaining to TA confidence levels was gathered pre and post intervention through semi-structured questionnaires. Structured observations were undertaken pre and post intervention and after a school term to gather information about the rate, range, maintenance and success of facilitative strategies used by the TAs. Semi-structured interviews with the TAs and project coordinator were carried out in order to obtain information about the implementation and outcomes of the intervention. The Social Inclusion Survey was administered at three time points to ascertain whether any changes in the social inclusion of target pupils had occurred.13Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings from this small scale study suggest that the TAs had an increased rate and range of facilitative behaviours following the intervention and that there was a simultaneous increase in student interactions between pupils with ASD and their peers. These gains were sustained over time. The intervention was valued by staff and plans were made to extend the principles to other schools within the area through the establishment of a TA network of support. Core facilitators and barriers to the implementation of the intervention were explored and discussed and implications for future research and the role of the Educational Psychologist (EP) are considered.

Being the victim of bullying is a problem for many children and young people, yet challenges in defining the term and methodological issues have made research findings difficult to compare (Pugh & Chitiyo, 2012). Nevertheless, there is agreement that certain factors at different ecological levels can raise or lower the likelihood of being bullied, and that children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) tend to be more vulnerable than their peers without ASD. The social impairments at the core of ASD have led to these children being termed “perfect victims” (Klin, Volkmar, & Sparrow, 2000, p. 6), although their developmental and behavioural profiles may mean that some bullying research conducted with typically developing peers is inappropriate for this group. Nevertheless, if left unaddressed, the problem of bullying may prevent inclusion in school and have serious negative effects on the child.The aim of the current study was to investigate prevalence, victim role, risk and protective factors for being bullied among children and young people with ASD, using a representative sample taken from the evaluation of Achievement for All (Humphrey et al., 2011). An embedded mixed methods design was used to permit a richer understanding of being bullied. For the risk and protection analyses there were 722 responses from teachers and 119 from parents concerning children with ASD. Teachers and parents completed a survey on bullying and wider outcome areas, with additional contextual data collected. Data were analysed using multiple regression, including a cumulative risk analysis. There were five focus pupils in the qualitative strand, and interviews were conducted with teachers, parents and pupils to investigate issues around being bullied. Thematic analysis was used to explore the interview data.Results indicated that children and young people with ASD were bullied more than other pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, although actual prevalence varied greatly according to the method of measurement. Children with ASD were more likely to be victims, although the proportion of bully-victims was higher than in the general population. A multiple regression analysis with bullying mean score as the dependent variable indicated that 43% of variance was attributable to the predictor variables in the teacher model, and 38% in the parent one. Risk factors were having higher levels of behaviour problems, being in Years 5, 7 and 10 (compared with Year 1), use of public/school transport to get to school, and being at School Action Plus; protective factors were increased positive relationships, attending a special school, and higher levels of parental engagement and confidence. Bullying rose according to the number risks to which a child was exposed, and the rise was exponential in the teacher model. Qualitative results allowed an exploration of the experience of bullying and processes contributing to vulnerability, with transition emerging as an additional concern. Implications and directions for future research are discussed in the context of these findings.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are two neurodevelopmental disorders with distinct diagnostic criteria that often co-occur. Although both ASD and ADHD are associated with structural and functional brain abnormalities when compared to typically developing (TD) populations, it is necessary to disentangle the shared and specific abnormalities between these disorders, potentially underlying similarities and differences in their clinical and neurocognitive profiles. The aim of this thesis was to explore the shared and disorder specific functional and structural brain abnormalities between ASD and ADHD. For this purpose, the neural underpinnings of a group of children with ADHD, a group of children with ASD and a group of TD children aged 8 to 12 years old were compared using different neuroimaging techniques. In Chapter 2, the experimental sample included in this thesis was described using multiple clinical and neurocognitive measures. In the first study (Chapter 3), total and regional brain volumes were compared between groups, using voxel-based morphometry. The results of this study showed larger grey matter volume (GMV) in the left precuneus and decreased GMV in the right thalamus in the ADHD group compared to either the TD or the ASD groups, and increased GMV in the right precentral gyrus in the ASD group compared to either the ADHD or the TD groups. In the second study (Chapter 4), white matter microstructure was compared between groups using diffusion tensor imaging derived indices (fractional anisotropy [FA] and mean diffusivity [MD]). Reduced FA (i.e. reduced diffusion directionality) in the genu of the corpus callosum (CC) was found in the ASD group compared to either children with ADHD or TD children, whereas lower FA in the body of the CC was a shared feature between the ADHD and ASD groups. Finally, in the last study (Chapter 5), inhibition-related brain activation was compared between groups during the execution of an inhibition stop-signal task. In children with ADHD, successful inhibition was associated with right inferior parietal activation, whereas right frontal regions were activated in children with ASD. Between-group comparisons disclosed higher middle frontal activation in the ASD group compared to the ADHD or the TD groups. Taken together, our findings provide further evidence contributing to disentangle the shared and specific brain structural and functional abnormalities between ASD and ADHD. / Doctorat en Sciences psychologiques et de l'éducation / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Ableism is based on the belief that it is better to not have a disability than to have one and that it is preferable to function in society the way nondisabled people do. In this thesis, the theory of ableism is applied to the field of special education. Two different perspectives on dis/ability are explored and how they, in turn, relate to ableism specifically in terms of autistic pupils. The medical perspective, where diagnoses are used to correct abnormalities, is set against the relational perspective, in which the environment is seen as the cause of disabilities. The thesis argues that autistic social impairment is a “double empathy problem”, rather than stemming from a more medicalized understanding of autistic impairment.  Through a systematic literature review, previous research concerning autistic pupils in special education is analyzed to explore whether it shows indications of ableism, and if so, how. The review, conducted through Swepub and ERIC, included peer-reviewed scientific articles published 2010-2020 based on research conducted in school environments with autistic pupils (ages 6-18) within special education. The thesis identifies four themes of ableism within previous research: (1) the aim of “fixing” autistic individuals; (2) viewing autistic individuals as impaired; (3) the absence of autistic agency; and (4) the use of “with autism” instead of “autistic”. All the analyzed research contained at least one of the four identified themes. As such, the analysis indicates that all examined studies contain some form of ableism, where the use of “with autism” was the most commonly found, closely followed by the goal of fixing the autistic individual. Additionally, the autistic pupils rarely had agency in the previous research, which is problematic as autistic individuals can be more difficult to interpret via observation. In turn, this affects both the reliability of the research results and the types of interventions and adaptations implemented to improve autistic pupils’ school situation. However, a few of the analyzed studies did discuss and share this view on agency. In addition, some of the previous research analyzed in this thesis also incorporated clear non-ableistic views, which shows a possible path forward for future research as well as for the design of special education programs. The thesis concludes that autistic phenomenal expertise could play a role in better understanding which adaptations are effective for autistic pupils in school.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第23373号 / 医博第4742号 / 新制||医||1051(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 古川 壽亮, 教授 林 康紀, 教授 髙橋 良輔 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is part of the cognitive and emotional brain circuitry that mediates social interaction. Imbalances between inhibitory, GABAergic neurons, and excitatory, glutamatergic neurons, in this region are essential to brain circuity during social responses and are thought to be involved with behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Enriched cell populations of glutamatergic neurons, obtained through laser capture microdissection, were used for gene expression studies of GABAergic receptors (GABRA1, GABRA4, and GABBR1). Additionally, proteins that impact GABAergic synapses (Spinophilin, CPLX1, mTOR, IGF1R, PSD95, PARP1) were investigated using Western Blotting with punchdissected homogenate brain tissue from ACC and frontal cortical brain regions. No significant differences in gene expression nor protein were identified between ASD and control brain donors. Evidence of GABAergic synaptic pathology was not found; however, future studies of alternative GABAergic markers and increased study numbers are needed to confirm these findings in ASD human tissue.

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The aim of this bachelor's thesis is to study how libraries make it possible for people with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to visit. The library law says that everyone is welcome to the library. But people with ASD have a sensory overload, which means that they have problems with loud noise and bright lights, but can themselves be quite loud. Many libraries have gone from a quiet place to a more lively place or meeting area and that has become a problem for people with ASD to visit. The libraries have made some adjustments to make it accessible for people with ASD, but they still have a long way to go. The main reason is lack of education to make the library more accessible.

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Denna uppsats har som syfte att undersöka pedagogers syn på vilka problem ochmöjligheter som pedagoger i förskolan möter i arbetet med barn med autism spectrumdisorder (ASD) som är den engelska benämningen på autismspektrumtillstånd. Studien tarutgångspunkt i teorin om utvecklingsekologi som kortfattat handlar om relationer och hurolika relationer påverkar varandra. Datainsamling genomfördes med kvalitativa intervjuerav pedagoger som är verksamma inom förskolan. Det som efterfrågades var pedagogerserfarenheter och upplevelser kring arbetet med barn med ASD. Det insamlade materialet iform av intervjuer analyserades sedan med en tematisk analys. I den tematiska analysenframkom att olika faktorer är grundläggande för arbetet med barn med ASD. Dessafaktorer är tid, storlek på barngrupp, intresse, samverkan och kunskap. Dessa faktorer varde som pedagogerna i intervjun lyfte upp som grundläggande och viktiga när det gällerarbetet med barn med ASD. Genom dessa faktorer blev problemen och möjligheternasynliga i analysen.Studiens resultat visar att det som är ett problem kring arbetet med barn med ASDhandlar om att det är brist på tid, kunskap, intresse samt samverkan med vårdnadshavareoch inom arbetslag. Studien visar också möjligheterna kring arbetet med barn med ASD inämnda faktorer grundat på didaktiska strategier. Studien visar att det finns en vilja blandpedagogerna att lära sig mer om specifika diagnoser för att kunna ge de barnen en bralärandeprocess och omsorg.