The purpose of this paper is to examine a strength-based reading instruction method for individuals severely affected by autism who do not respond well to typical literacy instruction methods, called the Oelwein Method (OM). Due to the unique learning profile of strengths and weaknesses in individuals with severe autism, they often do not respond well to typical literacy instruction models. This paper examines the unique learning profile of individuals with autism and why the OM is an effective literacy instruction model for this population of learners. Phonics-based and sight word-based approaches are compared, with a focus on the effectiveness of these approaches for individuals with autism. The materials and instructional process of the OM are explained, including empirical evidence that supports the different instructional components used in the OM. The Ontario Ministry of Education’s policies are reviewed, along with how the OM satisfies these policies. Methods to improve the OM are explored as well as directions for future research that would need to occur before widespread implementation could take place.

Reasoning from all knowledge and belief is an adaptive approach to thinking about the world. It has been robustly shown that conditional ‘if then’ reasoning with everyday content is influenced by the background knowledge an individual has available. If we are presented with the statement ‘if it rains, then John will get wet’ then we are told that it is raining and asked if John will get wet, we may consider a number of possibilities before answering the question; perhaps John has an umbrella or is sheltered from the rain. Hence, when engaged in conditional reasoning of this sort people typically draw on background knowledge to arrive at an informed response. People with autism tend not to process information in context. There is a wealth of evidence indicating that these individuals have a piecemeal rather than an integrative processing style. It was therefore hypothesised that adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) would be less influenced by background knowledge when engaged in conditional reasoning with everyday content. Adolescents with ASD showed a weak or absent effect of available background knowledge on reasoning outcomes compared to a typically developing control group. This finding was demonstrated in two separate conditional reasoning tasks. These results were not explained by a failure to generate background knowledge or by differences in the beliefs held by the two groups regarding problem content. Within the typical population a lack of contextualised reasoning was also found among participants with high scores on one particular autistic trait, attention to detail. The ability to integrate all relevant information during conditional reasoning was also found to be dependent on available working memory resources. These results extend the known domains which demonstrate a lack of contextualised processing in autism. They also show that for individuals with autism reasoning without regard for background knowledge stems from a failure to integrate information. The findings suggest that this failure is related to the cognitive demands of the task and the processing style of the individual.

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a behaviourally defined disorder characterised by impairments in three domains of social interaction, communication, and repetitive/restricted interests and behaviours (DSM-IV-TR; APA, 2000; ICD-10; WHO, 1992). Recent research suggests that this diagnostic triad may no longer fit as the best way to conceptualise ASD. Although not due for publication until 2013, a proposed revision of autistic disorder for DSM-V has merged three domains into two; i) Social/communication deficits and ii) Fixated interests and repetitive behaviours (APA, 2010). The aim of this study was to examine the structure of ASD symptom domains within the Adult Asperger Assessment (AAA; Baron-Cohen et al., 2005). Method: Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine data from a clinical population of adults diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA). Results: Analysis suggested that none of the theoretically-driven models were supported by the AAA data. However, it did highlight high correlations between social and communication factors (r > 0.9) within unmodified models. Discussion: The results of the analysis did not provide support for the move towards considering ASD as a dyad of ‘social-communication’ impairments and repetitive/restricted interests and behaviours, as none of the models were supported by the AAA data. The validity of the AAA as a diagnostic tool is discussed, as well as limitations and suggestions for future research. Conclusion: This study did not provide the evidence required to endorse a move towards the proposed DSM-V dyad. Further research to understanding the structure of autism symptoms could improve diagnostic and classification systems, and further studies of the genetic and neurobiological bases of ASD.

Introduction: Children with autism experience difficulties in social interaction and communication which are often manifested behaviourally. The nature of these difficulties means that the task of parenting is often challenging. This study therefore aims to explore which aspects of raising a child with autism are most meaningful for parents. It will also investigate what, if any, are the positive aspects related to the experience of having a child with autism. Method: A qualitative approach was used, with data collection and analysis being guided by the principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 1995). Seven interviews were conducted which yielded approximately 10 hours of data. Interviews were recorded and transcribed to facilitate analysis of the narratives. Results: The meaning of being the parent of a child with autism was conceptualised within four core themes of: autism as a journey, what it means to live with autism; negotiating the social world; and positive aspects of raising a child with autism. Three of these themes contained sub-themes which provided further insight into the participants’ experiences. Being the parent of a child with autism was represented as a complex and dynamic process. Discussion: The results of the research are discussed in the context of relevant literature. Previous findings regarding receiving a diagnosis of autism, coping, acceptance and adaptation are essentially supported by this research. However, these results also acknowledged the significant role of social encounters in the participants’ experiences and the positive aspects of raising a child with autism. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed. Suggestions for future research are also made in response to the current findings and potential imitations of the methodology are considered. Conclusions: The findings from this research indicate that being the parent of a child with autism is characterised by many meaningful experiences, some of which are significant moments in the process of raising a child with autism. For example, the journey to, and receipt of, their child’s diagnosis was identified as a particularly important event in the experiences of the participants. Furthermore, there are complex interactions between the different aspects of these experiences which reflect the ever-changing nature of the challenges of parenting a child with autism.

Introduction: This study aims to explore the ways in which Asperger’s Syndrome and High Functioning Autism are understood by those who have received a diagnosis in adulthood. The experience and understanding of diagnosis in adulthood has been little researched with only a small number of qualitative studies having been completed (Cousins, 2001; Molloy & Vasil, 2004; Punshon, 2006). These studies all highlight the importance of the beliefs held about Asperger’s Syndrome on the experience of diagnosis and post-diagnostic identity development. Due to the increasing awareness and diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome in adulthood, research into how the diagnosis is understood is invaluable for clinicians supporting individuals through the process. Method: This study uses a Q-methodology (Stephenson, 1953) to build upon recent qualitative research. The methodology is based on two techniques, the Q-sorting process and Q-factor analysis. For the Q-sorting process a set of 52 statements were developed which attempted to provide coverage of the understanding of Asperger’s Syndrome currently in the public domain. A wide range of sources were used to develop the Q-set, including a focus group with six adults with Asperger’s Syndrome. Eighteen individuals who had received their diagnosis in adulthood were recruited to complete the Q-sorting process, which involved them having to rank the statements based upon their agreement with them. Additionally a semi-structured interview was completed to gather information regarding the sort and supplementary demographic information. Results: Q-factor analysis involving principal components analysis and varimax rotation was then carried out. This led to four statistically significant and theoretically meaningful factors being extracted. The four factors were interpreted using the additional information gathered, and were labelled ‘An important part of me’, ‘It is a lifelong disability’, ‘Confused about myself, and ‘Support can bring improvement’. Discussion: The findings were discussed with consideration of the clinical implications and scope for further research. Particular emphasis was placed on discussing three main areas ‘acceptance and adjustment’, ‘consequences of diagnosis’ and ‘theoretical conceptualisations’. The importance of further research into the links between understanding and mental health were highlighted.

In this submission, five articles are presented examining one theme: diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. Three articles provides perspectives on various social and medical factors that influence the diagnosis of ASD, and the others examine social and behavioural outcomes for children diagnosed with ASD. One article provides an in depth examination of the dilemmas of diagnosis from a parental perspective. The research utilized both qualitative and quantitative methods. A secondary analysis of a longitudinal birth cohort study revealed that there were a number of children who had autistic traits equally severe as those with clinical diagnosis. Further analysis exposed a possible gender bias in diagnosis. Outcomes for children with ASD diagnoses were worse than for those without diagnoses but with comparable behaviours as preschoolers. ASD diagnosis apparently had no positive effect on the developmental trajectory of prosocial behaviour. The implications of these results are discussed. Analysis of qualitative data collected in semi-structured interviews with parents of both diagnosed and undiagnosed children exposed dilemmas faced by parents as they contemplated an ASD diagnosis and highlighted parental action to de-stigmatise the condition after diagnosis had been applied. The body of work as a whole falls at the junction of clinical and educational psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, social psychiatry, sociology and epidemiology. It draws attention to a number of social processes that contribute to ASD diagnosis. Overall, it is argued, the work supports the conceptualisation of ASD as both a biologically and socially determined condition.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how two teachers support reading comprehension in the subjects Swedish and Social science in primary school in a specialized teaching group for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study included eight classroom observations, four in Swedish and four in Social science. The study took place in a specialised teaching group which was divided into two different groups based on age and skill level. In one group there were three students aged 7-10 years and in the other group there were three students aged 10-13 years. Four observations in each group were performed. The study also included two interviews with the teachers to follow up on their views on instruction of reading comprehension for students with ASD. During the observations, both teachers gave much praise and acknowledgment to the students and they used photographs, films and other concrete materials in their teaching. Both teachers made adjustments for the students. They provided the students with texts with adjusted layouts, the students were offered to listen to the texts, and in writing tasks the teacher acted as a secretary to aid the students in handwriting. None of the teachers used Lena Franzén's materials where the students are asked to read a text and then answer detailed questions as well as questions based on inference about the text. One of the teachers used a similar working process with texts as the one used in Lena Franzéns material. None of the teachers used all the four strategies of reciprocal teaching during the observations: predict content, identify new words in the text, ask your own questions to the text, sort out and summarize the text. But both teachers occasionally used some of the elements from both reciprocal teaching and from Lena Franzén's material.

Denna studie har genomförts i syfte att öka kunskapen om psykosocial utvevckling hos barn med autismdiagnos i relation till aktiviteter med hästar. Studien är kvalitativ, baserad på fem intervjuer av föräldrar och det ingår fältobservationer. Intervjuerna har bearbetats enligt induktiv tematisk analys och redovisas under tre teman relaterade till barnens samspel med sin omvärld. Resultatet visar att aktiviteten med hästar inverkar positivt  på barnens vilja och förmåga att samspela och kommunicera med omvärlden. Färdigheterna visar sig i samspel med barn såväl som med vuxna, både inom familjen och i andra sammanhang. Studiens resultat visar överensstämmelse med tidigare forskning, samt att aktivitetens mångfassetterade innehåll och effekter synliggörs. Resultat som överraskar är erfarenheter av barnens annorlunda relation och kommunikation med hästar, samt iakttagelser av ridningens omedelbara effekter på barnen. Forskning föreslås ur ett familjeperspektiv där barnets röst lyfts fram, samt fortsatt forskning på ridningens fysiologiska effekter i relation till socialt interagerande. / This study has been conducted in order to increase knowledge about psychosocial development in children with autism diagnosis in relationship to activities with horses. The study is qualitative, based on five interviews with parents and includes field observations. The interviews have been processed according to inductive thematic analysis and are reported under three themes related to the childrens interaction with their environment. The result shows that the activity with horses has positive impact on the children's desire and ability to interact and communicate with the outside world. The skills manifests in interaction with children as well as with adults, both within the family and in other settings. The result of the study indicates conformity with previous research, and the event's multi-facetted content and effects are made visible. Surprising results are experiences of the children's different relationship and communication with horses, and observations of the immediate impact on the children when riding. Research from a family perspective highligtening the voice of the child is proposed, as well as further research on physiological effects of horseback riding in reltionship to social interacting.

Potential differences in developmental trajectory were investigated in autism at both the macro- and micro-scopic scale, using regional volumetric measurements from in-vivo scans and measurements of minicolumnar organisation of the cortex in post-mortem tissue. In addition, a study was carried out to investigate the sensitivity of measures of cortical diffusion to cortical architecture. Three key regions of interest were studied throughout this thesis, orbital frontal cortex (BA11), primary auditory cortex (BA41) and part of the inferior parietal lobe (BA40). Subjects with ASD showed increases in grey matter in left parietal cortex and decreases in left BA11 compared to controls. In addition, subjects with ASD showed increased grey matter volume with age in both BA41 and the inferior parietal lobe, whereas controls only showed a negative correlation between grey matter volume in BA41 and age. Wider minicolumns were found in ASD in all regions, suggesting pathology is not restricted to higher order association areas. Differences seemed more pronounced at younger ages suggesting an altered developmental trajectory in ASD. Such an increase in minicolumnar width arguably underlies the feature-based processing style seen in ASD. A pilot study using post-mortem DTI scans of MS brains revealed a relationship between measures of the directionality of diffusion and the width of axonal bundles in the cortex, an aspect of the minicolumnar arrangement. When extending this investigation to a set of ASD and control brains, evidence was found for different relationships between axon bundle width and measures of the directionality of diffusion in the cortex, suggesting that although differences in axon bundle width were not seen between groups, there may be differences in the composition of the axon bundles between ASD and control groups.

This thesis focuses on two specific clinical areas: music therapy with pre-school children with autistic spectrum disorder and their parents, and music therapy diagnostic assessments with children between the ages of four and twelve who are suspected of being on the autistic spectrum. Firstly, the literature was examined and the clinical work was described in detail. This process made it possible to determine what characterises the author’s particular approach, and to find out how it may be different to other music therapists’ work. A 45 minute video which illustrates the approach with pre-school children with autism and their parents accompanies this thesis. Two outcome research investigations were carried out. The first involved studying ten pre-school children with autistic spectrum disorder and their parents who received weekly, individual music therapy sessions over a period of 18 to 26 weeks each. The sessions were video-taped and the videos analysed in detail. The parents were interviewed and asked to fill in questionnaires both pre- and post-treatment. Nine out of the ten dyads achieved some or all of the individual aims set out before treatment began. The parents all felt that music therapy had been effective. The author also looked at how she spent her time in music therapy sessions across the ten children and found that she was generally very active and spent a high proportion of her time vocalising. The second investigation compared Music Therapy Diagnostic Assessments (MTDA) with Autistic Diagnostic Observation Schedules (ADOS) carried out on 30 children suspected of being on the autistic spectrum. A scoring system similar to that used for the ADOS was devised for the MTDA especially for this research investigation. In addition, the children were interviewed after both the MTDA and the ADOS and the people carrying out the tests filled in a questionnaire about their perceptions of the assessment tool after every test. The two assessments showed 72 % of agreement between diagnostic categories, indicating that the MTDA was providing similar information as a recognised and established diagnostic tool. However, the two assessments also showed significant differences in scores of individual questions, indicating that the MTDA could serve a useful and distinct purpose in helping the psychiatric team to diagnose children with autism. The children generally enjoyed the assessments and the music therapist felt that the test was easy to carry out and score, indicating that the MTDA was ‘user-friendly’. Throughout this thesis the author has adopted a personal style particularly when describing her own clinical work and when examining the literature. Although the two outcome investigations rigorously examined numerical data, the author also described her own impressions as the research investigation progressed.