Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. S.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Howard Goldstein, Florida State University, College of Communication, Dept. of Communication Disorders. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 15, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 54 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

<p>Vårt syfte med denna studie var att spegla hur ett arbetslag bedriver den pedagogiska undervisningen runt en elev med autism. Vi utgick ifrån en kvalitativ undersökningsmetod och gjorde samtalsintervjuer med fyra pedagoger på en särskola. Studien visar att autism handlar om ett annorlunda sätt att förstå, tänka och uppfatta omvärlden. Det kom fram att det är viktigt att pedagogerna runt eleven ser vilka behov som finns och ger det stöd som behövs för att skapa trygghet så utveckling kan ske. Det är viktigt med rutiner och struktur, det ger eleven förförståelse om hur dagen ser ut vilket leder till trygghet och motivation i lärandet. Eleven behöver ett arbetsschema som beskriver innehåll för dagen och möjliggör för eleven att utveckla självständighet och delaktighet. För att bäst kunna stödja eleven i undervisningen behövs stöd och tid för pedagogerna, att diskutera i arbetslaget skapar samsyn och utveckling.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2007. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-81).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ball State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Nov. 11, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 135-155).

abstract: Previous research has suggested that the social interactions parents engage in with their typically developing children are critical to the relationships children form with peers later in development. Fewer studies, however, have investigated the relation between parent and child interactions and peer relations in children with autism. The current study aimed to investigate the relation between parent-child joint attention skills, social competence and friendship quality in children with autism and in typically developing children. A matched sample of 20 preschool-aged children with autism and 20 preschool-aged typically developing children were observed interacting with their parents in a laboratory setting. Approximately one year later, parents filled out a questionnaire assessing their child's social competency and quality of friendships with peers. Results indicated significant group differences between children with autism and typically developing children in all study variables, with children with autism displaying less initiation of joint attention, lower social competence and low quality friendships. Additionally, child initiated joint attention was positively related to social competence for both groups; effects were not moderated by diagnosis status. It is concluded that parent and child interactions during the preschool years are important to the development of social competence with peers. Intervention and policy implications are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Family and Human Development 2010

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a highly prevalent neuropsychiatric disorder, currently affecting one in every 68 children. ASD is understood as a heterogeneous disorder, and individuals with this condition vary considerably in terms of symptom presentation. This heterogeneity contributes to the difficulty faced by researchers and clinicians in trying to determine the precise underlying mechanisms and treatment for this condition. Furthermore, it remains unknown whether the variations in symptom manifestation are attributed to differences in underlying etiologies of the disorder or other factors as yet to be identified. Currently, it is believed that ASD is likely due to the interaction between different genetic and environmental factors. The maternal immune system is one example of where the environment may act upon genetic predispositions and lead to altered fetal brain development. Considering the importance of the immune environment during fetal development, maternal antibodies (Abs) directed against fetal proteins have been considered as potentially playing a critical function in the pathology of ASD. This thesis examines the literature focused on the role of maternal Abs in fetal development and their impact on the neuropathology of ASD. Studies have collected samples from mothers of children diagnosed with ASD and examined the reactivity patterns of the maternal Abs against fetal proteins. Through review and inspection of methodologies and results, this thesis highlights the important insights obtained as well as proposes possible reasons for the disparity in findings. Lastly, this thesis proposes future directions and therapeutic implications of identifying the maternal Abs that could be involved in at least a subset of ASD cases.

As the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) increases, School Psychologists (SPs) and Educational Psychologists (EPs) have an increasing role in assessing children with ASD. The systematic literature review aimed to provide an overview of the tools and processes EPs and SPs are using to assess children with ASD or possible ASD. Studies published between 1996-2016 were identified from four databases. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, and were analysed using quality and relevance frameworks. Six studies were included in the final review. Commonly used tools are identified and discussed. The SLR drew some tentative conclusions around the range of tools used by SPs in the US. The small and dated UK sample means that limited conclusions can be drawn about current EP practice. Due to the gap in current knowledge around how EPs assess children with ASD or possible ASD, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to EP professionals in the UK and Ireland in order to gain an up to date picture. Data from 161 participants were used in the analysis. Analysis of the quantitative data involved descriptive statistics and content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative responses. Frequently used tools and the factors that seem to influence decision making around the choice of assessment are discussed. Implications for EPs' assessment practices and directions for future research are discussed. Having considered evidence based practice and practice based evidence, the final paper discusses dissemination of evidence to professional practice. A strategy for disseminating the findings of the empirical study to the profession is outlined.

Impulsive behavior can be viewed as selecting the less beneficial option when multiple choices are presented. This type of sub-optimal decision-making behavior has been demonstrated to be a basic behavior process that is not unique to humans. In recent years, a large body of research has surfaced analyzing the sub-optimal decision-making of animals, generating models that are analogous to impulsive human behavior. This literature attempts to investigate the factors that influence the choice-making of organisms and lead organisms to choose less reinforcement over more reinforcement in some circumstances. Research has shown that reinforcement contingencies alone do not account for all of the behavior produced, especially when organisms fail to optimize their receipt of reinforcement when given a choice. The current study sought to replicate the recent animal research on sub-optimal behavior with humans. Specifically, the current study investigated the choice-making behavior of three young boys with autism using a concurrent-chains schedule of reinforcement. Results replicated previous research with the finding that two of the three participants indicated an increasing preference for the least optimal choice while a third participant maximized his reinforcement throughout the study. Implications for future research are discussed.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Anna Kallal, for the Masters of Science degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences presented on March 28, 2016, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: AUTISM AND OUR COMMUNITY: FEEDBACK FROM EARLY INTERVENTION PROVIDERS MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Valerie Boyer Early Intervention (EI) providers often work closely with children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or children who have signs and symptoms of ASD. An understanding of the characteristics in children at early ages can lead to an earlier diagnosis of ASD. The current study investigated specific characteristics that EI providers identify prior to making a referral for an ASD evaluation as well as what treatment strategies EI providers report utilizing when working with children who have ASD. Information was gathered for this study by use of a survey. The survey contained two vignettes of children with varying degrees of ASD characteristics. Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) who work as EI providers responded to a survey. Results showed that respondents were more willing to make referrals for ASD evaluations when a child displayed more severe characteristics. Respondents listed treatment strategies they were likely to employ with children who display similar characteristics of the children in the vignettes. The researcher identified from survey responses that EI providers are more likely to identify social communication characteristics when describing features critical to referral. This study identifies the characteristics important to making earlier referrals for ASD evaluations, as well as what treatment strategies work best when working with children with ASD.