Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2006. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-75). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR19701

Denna kvalitativa intervjustudie fokuserar på hur kuratorer upplever samtal med individer som har autism, med fokus på förhållningssätt och relationer. Autism är en funktionsnedsättning som bland annat kännetecknas av begränsningar i social interaktion, verbal och icke-verbal kommunikation och repetitiva beteenden. Dessa begränsningar kan innebära en rad olika svårigheter i det dagliga livet, och att hjälpa dessa personer kan vara komplext. Professionella som möter dessa individer behöver därför kunskap om vad det innebär att leva med autism. Fyra kuratorer intervjuades, och materialet har analyserats med hjälp av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Studiens resultat visar att relationen är viktig för samtalet, även vikten av att bygga och upprätthålla en relation. Vidare framkommer det att kuratorer upplever ett gott bemötande som ett viktigt förhållningssätt i mötet med individen.

Observational learning is defined as the capacity of an organism to acquire new behaviors as a result of viewing the behavior of a model. Researchers argue that learning via observation may account for the natural acquisition of behavior. While the ability to acquire new behaviors through observation has been studied heavily in typically developing children, as well as participants with developmental disabilities, no research has directly addressed observational learning in verbal operants. The current study examined observational learning across three verbal operants: tact, listener responding by feature, function, and class, and intraverbals using a multiple probe design. Two girls diagnosed with autism served as the learner model and observer in the study. The results demonstrated that the learner was able to learn the responses to mastery through direct instruction and reinforcement while the observer learned the responses to mastery through observation. Implications for teaching children with autism are discussed.

The present study examined the effects of a mindfulness activity and a values power point on teacher interactions with students diagnosed with autism. Three classroom assistant teachers participated in the study. All three participants were exposed to the same experimental conditions which consisted of a baseline phase, a mindfulness phase, and a mindfulness and values phase. Positive, neutral, and negative interactions were scored during 30 minute observations directly after sessions were individually conducted. During baseline, two participants had lower interactions than in any other phase. The third participant showed variable responses. Two of the participants were able to increase positive interactions with their students in the classroom by at least 20% from baseline.

The current study examined the relationship between the relational abilities of 13 children (92.31% of which were diagnosed with autism) and their corresponding performance on a widely used language assessment tool. The relational abilities of the participants were assessed using the Prompting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Equivalence Pre-Assessment (PEAK-E) and language skills were assessed with the Oral and Written Language Scales- Second Edition (OWLS-II). The data indicated a strong, significant correlation between participant scores on the PEAK-E and the OWLS-II assessments (r = .888, p<.01) which is further analyzed in each of the four subsets of the OWLS-II Oral Expression (r = .861, p<.01), Listening Comprehension (r = .84, p<.01), Written Expression (r = .792, p<.01), and finally Reading Comprehension (r = .762, p<.01). Results further demonstrate the validity of the PEAK-E assessment in individuals with autism and other related disorders.

The present study evaluated the possibility of correlation between the results of the Language Processing Test (LPT3) and the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Relational Training System – Equivalence Module (PEAK-E). Thirteen participants with language disabilities were administered both assessments, and results indicated a significant linear correlation (r = 0.9268, p < 0.1) between the two measures. Implications for a greater understanding of human language and cognition are discussed.

The present study sought to compare the relationship between the generalization skills and performance on a standardized IQ assessment on 30 individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities (73% had a diagnosis of autism). Participants’ generalization skills were tested using the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Generalization Module (PEAK-G), and IQ was assessed using either the WISC-IV Short Form assessment or the WPPSI-III Short Form assessment. The data indicated a strong, significant correlation between scores on the PEAK-G and IQ using both Raw IQ (r = .839, p > .01) and Full Scale IQ (r = .628, p > .01). Both Raw IQ and Full Scale IQ were further analyzed by comparing them each to the three subtests of the PEAK-G (Foundational Learning and Basic Social Skills, Verbal Comprehension, Memory and Advanced Social Skills and Verbal Reasoning, Problem Solving, and Advanced Mathematical Skills). The results help to provide a better understanding of how closely participants’ IQ scores correlate to their PEAK-G scores.

The present study evaluates the criterion validity and efficacy of the PEAK-E Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Relational Training System Equivalence Module (PEAK-E) through a single case design across 3 individuals with autism. Validity, reliability, and efficacy were all addressed in the study. The study showed that the PEAK-E assessment was an effective measure for skills which were not in the individuals’ repertoires. All participants demonstrated derived responses using the PEAK-E curriculum. After training all three participants using the PEAK-E curriculum, there was an overall increase in the participants’ abilities to derive relations when reassessed again using the PEAK-E assessment.

Verbal operant training is a typical intervention for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Response Interruption and Redirection (RIRD) is a highly effective intervention for problem behavior and various forms of stereotypy. In this study verbal operant training was combined with RIRD to see if there was a bigger impact in decreasing vocal stereotypy. The participant was a 9-year old male, and the intervention was done across settings. The results showed that combined with intraverbal training and RIRD, vocal stereotypy decreased significantly in all settings. The results also indicate this is a highly effective treatment for vocal stereotypy when the function is non-social automatic reinforcement (i.e. self-stimulation). Key words: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intraverbal, Response Interruption and Redirection, RIRD, Verbal Operants, Vocal Stereotypy

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of whether Behavioral Skills Training (BST) was effective in teaching PEAK-DT to parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Along with, if parent implementation of PEAK was effective in increasing the children’s PEAK scores. Three parents and their child with autism were participants in the current study using the PEAK Relational Training System-Direct Training module (PEAK-DT). The procedure first required the parents to read information on how to implement the programs found in the introduction of the PEAK-DT module. Following this step, parents observed their child’s therapy sessions conducted at an ABA clinic by student therapists. Next, the parents were instructed to implement three programs and received feedback from the child’s therapist. Implementation fidelity was collected based on the parent performance and child progress was recorded based on percent correct responding within the actual program. Each parent was able to successfully implement programs within the PEAK-DT module within their child’s therapy sessions and the children were accurately responding and two of the three children had increases in skill acquisition. The results of the present study suggest that training parents using a BST model to implement PEAK-DT was effective in teaching children with autism.