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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disability affecting communication and social behaviors. Research is needed because the percentage of children affected by ASD is 1 in 59, and it is diagnosed in males at a rate of 1 in 42. Animal models must be used, because the neurological changes that lead to ASD occur during prenatal development. In this study, three mouse models were used to represent possible causes of ASD. The BTBR model is a genetically engineered model that displays social behavior deficits and has neuroanatomical findings similar to ASD. The other models include the Poly-IC and valproic acid injected mice which exposes the pregnant mother to a virus activating her immune system or a drug thought to affect brain development, respectively. In all three models the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF, which is an important cytokine in the brain responsible for synaptic plasticity, maintenance and recognition, are being studied via expression levels of NTRK2. BDNF activates cell signaling cascades in glutamatergic neurons via the TrkB receptor which is encoded by the NTRK2 gene. It was previously found that NTRK2 expression was reduced in glutamatergic cells in people affected by ASD. The first outcome of the study is to determine gene expression differences in glutamatergic neurons captured from the cingulate cortex in all three models as well as in wild type control mice. Additionally, a second outcome of the study is to optimize a new protocol for single cell gene expression using a nested PCR method. This was done by comparing the previously used method for relative end-point PCR with the nested method to identify gene expression alterations. To prepare for the two PCR methods, samples were dehydrated and laser capture microdissection was performed on mouse brain tissue to obtain pyramidal neurons from the cingulate area. This area is highly connected to the limbic system and plays a role in personality and communication. All animal procedures were approved by the ETSU animal care committee. RNA isolation was performed on 1000 cells after which RNA was reverse transcribed into cDNA using the Superscript III cDNA synthesis system. Initial optimization experiments included using various amounts of starting cDNA and determining expression differences using relative end-point PCR and Agilent tape station. The same starting cDNA was used and initially 20 cycles of PCR were performed using Prime5 HotStart Master Mix followed by a quantitative PCR reaction using Powerup on the BioRad CFX96 RT detection system. Gene expression was performed using NTRK2 as the target gene and GAPDH as the reference gene for each method. Both methods will allow the detection of changes in the expression levels of NTRK2 and GAPDH when different sample concentrations are used. This data could help establish a link between maternal immune system activation or exposure to certain drugs during pregnancy with the occurrence of ASD.

The claustrum (Cl) is a subcortical gray-matter structure housed between the external capsule medially and the extreme capsule laterally. Due to its extensive reciprocal connections throughout the brain, it has been implicated in consciousness and other higher order functions including linking behavior and emotion. Such linkage may be important in understanding the neurobiology of autism since other cortical and subcortical regions including the spatially and ontologically related basal ganglia, as well as limbic structures, have been implicated in the disorder. Participants were males with autism (n=16) and typically developing (TD; n=14) matched for head circumference and age. The Cl and other structures were identified in 3-Tesla MRI scans using ANALYZE®, then segmented and volume quantified. Four Cl volumes were traced (i.e., right, left, right ventral, left ventral) first in axial plane then in coronal plane for entire Cl visualization. Two-tailed single sample t-tests revealed significant differences in the right claustrum (p=.014), left claustrum (p = .041), right total claustrum (p = .018) and left total claustrum (p=.044). Right Cl volume was found to be significantly larger than left within each of the groups (Autism, p=.021; TD, p=.033). These preliminary results demonstrate that the Cl can be consistently identified in vivo using ROI tracing with apparent right-versus-left asymmetry documented. Smaller claustral volumes in autism support theories of a disconnect in long-range circuitry associated with autism.

This study focuses on the use of a humanoid robot to facilitate the initiation of social engagement behaviors in two children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Approximately 10 minutes of a 50-minute treatment session were devoted to interaction using a humanoid robot, Troy, to facilitate interactions with a graduate clinician or caretaker. These interactions were recorded, analyzed, and coded in 5 s intervals. This study focused specifically on the children's initiations of social engagement behaviors. Results suggested that the robot had potential to facilitate social engagement between the children and the adults.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka hur lek gestaltas i undervisningen för elever med autism. Syfte är också att undersöka om leken kan utvecklas med hjälp av lärarna för att därefter kunna användas som en arbetsmetod i undervisningen. Frågeställningar: - Hur gestaltar sig leken för barn med autism? - Kan pedagoger utveckla deras lek? - Hur kan leken användas i undervisningen? Teori: De teoretiska utgångspunkterna i föreliggande studie är känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) som bygger på att arbeta med det som ger hälsa och sociokulturella teorin att personer lär i samspel med andra. Metod och urval: Metoderna som används för att besvara frågeställningarna och syftet är deltagandeobservationer vid fyra tillfällen av vardera fyra särskoleelever dvs. totalt 16 observationer och kvalitativa intervjuer med fem pedagoger. Resultat: Att prova nya saker är inget som man skall vara rädd för så länge man harvetskap om hur eleven fungerar, att det finns ett ömsesidigt förtroende och att det finns en tydlig tanke bakom vad det är man vill göra och uppnå.

This essay is about the sexual- education at special schools for young people in the ages thirteen through sixteen with the diagnosis autism. The study aims to identify, describe and understand the teachers’ experiences in how the education is practiced in their daily work with these children. The way of procedure we have used in the study is qualitative interviews with teachers at special schools. The result show that how the teachers practice the education depends on how the student group is constructed and the students’ qualifications. The teachers feel that the sexual- education is important and valuable. The study shows that they try to widen the topic, so that the students learn how to strengthen their self-esteem, self-determination and the knowledge in feeling confidence in being a woman or a man. The study also show what hindrance the teachers meet in their pursue to educate the children about their sexuality. The hindrance that the teachers feel exist is parents influence and the staffs own values.

Students with HFA/AS present with a unique set of cognitive deficits that may prevent achievement in the mathematics curriculum, even though they present with average mathematical skills. The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the use of a modified learning strategy to increase the mathematical word problem solving ability of children with high functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome; determine if the use of Solve It! increases the self-perceptions of mathematical ability, attitudes towards mathematics and attitudes towards solving mathematical word problems; and, determine if Solve It! cue cards or a Solve It! multimedia academic story works best as a prime to increase the percentage correct if the student does not maintain use of the strategy. The subjects were recruited from a central Florida school district. Diagnosis of ASD was confirmed by a review of records and the completion of the Autism Diagnostic Inventory-Revised (Lord, Rutter, & Le Couteur, 2005). Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) subtest scores for reading comprehension and mathematical computation were completed to identify the current level of functioning. The Mathematical Problem Solving Assessment- Short Form (Montague, 1996) was administered to determine the need for word problem solving intervention. The subjects were then taught a mathematical word problem solving strategy called Solve It!, during non-content course time at their schools. Generalization data were collected in each subject's regular education mathematics classroom. Sessions were video-taped, work samples were scored, and then graphed using a multiple baseline format. Three weeks after the completion of the study, maintenance data were collected. If subjects did not maintain a high use of the strategy, they were entered into the second study to determine if a video prime or written prime served best to increase word problem solving. The results of the study indicate a functional relationship between the use of the Solve It! strategy and the percentage correct on curriculum based mathematical word problems. The subjects obtained efficient use of strategy use in five training sessions and applied the strategy successfully for five acquisition sessions. Percentage correct on mathematical word problems ranged from 20% during baseline to 100% during training and acquisition trials. Error analysis indicated reading comprehension interference and probable executive functioning interference. Students who did not maintain strategy use quickly returned to intervention level using a prime. Both primes, cue cards and multimedia academic story, increased performance back to intervention levels for two students. However, one prime, the multimedia academic story and not the cue cards, increased performance back to intervention levels for one student. Findings of this study show the utility of a modified learning strategy to increase mathematical word problem solving for students with high functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome. Results suggest that priming is a viable intervention if students with autism do not maintain or generalize strategy use as a means of procedural facilitation.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by core impairments in social reciprocity and communication, together with a repetitive/restricted pattern of behavioral interests. Up to a third of individuals with autism also suffer from epilepsy, and human cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that the co-existence of epileptic seizures tends to result in more severe autistic phenotypes. It remains unknown as to whether this phenomenon is a result of anticonvulsant medications, the underlying autism promoting insult or the effect of recurrent seizures themselves. In an attempt to establish a connection between recurrent seizures and their impact on social behavior, we designed a simple and reliable mouse model of recurrent seizures by employing daily intraperitoneal injections of the chemoconvulsant PTZ (pentylenetetrazole, a GABA antagonist). Social motivation was assayed on the three-chamber social interaction test. We observed that 24 hours following 10 daily injections of a subconvulsant dose of PTZ (30mg/kg), both male and female mice display a reduction in social interaction. Mice exposed to seizures also vocalized significantly less than control mice. These social impairments were not related to a gross impairment in locomotion, olfaction, or exploration and were found to persist up to 30 days following their last seizure. These results suggest that recurrent seizures themselves may be facilitating some of the heightened social deficits frequently seen with autism and epilepsy. These results also lend naturally to i) studies examining molecular and structural neuroplastic changes occurring in brain circuits that are important for social behavior, and ii) data that may highlight the contributions of specific genes that may accelerate or protect against the development of seizure-induced impairments in social behavior.

The incidence of autism has increased from an average of one in 88 to one in 110 (Center for Disease Control, 2010; ADDM Network, 2012). Autism spectrum disorders are an important health and educational problem affecting many areas of daily living, (CDC, 2012; Cermak, S., et al, 2010). Over 80 percent of children diagnosed with autism demonstrate sensory modulation symptoms and related behaviors such as sensory seeking, sensory avoiding, self-stimulation, etc, (Kintwell, et al, 2011; Ben-Sasson, et al, 2009; Tomchek & Dunn, 2006). There is some beginning evidence found in the literature that sensory processing of children on the autism spectrum interferes with their daily routines (Nadon, et al, 2011; Stein, et al, 2011/2012; Schaff, et al, 2011), and there is a paucity of research which addresses the impact sensory processing has on the daily routine of eating. This study will contribute to this expanding body of knowledge. Eating difficulties are a frequent problem for children on the autism spectrum (Nadon, et al, 2011; Schreck & Williams, 2006) which impacts their physical health (Lukens & Linscheid, 2008), their functioning in the family (Schaff, et al, 2001) and their functioning in educational settings (Koenig & Rudney, 2010). This study assesses the differences in sensory processing and eating problem behaviors between two groups of children, aged 5 -12 years, those identified on the autism spectrum (N=34) and those typically developing (N=34). Data was collected through parent and child questionnaires that assessed sensory processing and eating behaviors (BAMBI, Short Sensory Profile, Sensory Eating Checklist, and Touch Inventory for Elementary-Aged Children). Results of the t test, anovas and correlation analyses revealed statistically significant differences on all measures between both samples (p