Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders with multiple neurobiological aetiologies, which could be genetic, structural, metabolic or immune-mediated. ASDs are diagnosed with deficits in social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviours, and are associated with sensorial atypicalities. 30% of cases have co-existing epilepsy. A series of in vitro, in vivo and post-mortem investigations were undertaken to examine sensory atypicalities in ASD. In vitro characterisation of hippocampal neuronal cultures using immunofluorescence demonstrated the presence of multiple cell types including neurons, astrocytes and microglia. The distribution of ion channels of the Shaker family and tumour necrosis factor α receptors in astrocytes and neurons were identified but not explored further. Neuroanatomical and neuropathological investigations of primary olfactory cortex, using post-mortem stereology, demonstrated a specific increase in glial cell densities in layer II, which was negatively associated with age in ASD. Increases in glia were also associated with symptom severity and often co-localised with the presence of corpora amylacea in layer I. Qualitative analysis of the olfactory tubercle demonstrated that corpora amylacea did not extend to this neighbouring region of the primary olfactory cortex in ASD. These changes were independent of co-existing epilepsy and not observed in epilepsy without ASD. Preliminary pilot studies of the hippocampus provided a stereological sampling strategy to quantify cell densities in future investigations of this area in ASD. Neurophysiological investigations using collected magnetoencephalography data demonstrated diminished occipital gamma oscillatory synchrony in ASD in a visual time perception task. This did not always predict behavioural outcome but was specific to ASD and could not be explained simply in terms of changes in task performance. Moreover, changes in oscillatory synchrony were associated with symptom severity. These observations in primary sensory domains in post-mortem tissue and in patients suggest possible novel mechanisms in ASD and extend knowledge of the neurobiological bases of these disorders.

This master's thesis discusses the topic of family with a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the support which this family may receive in the Czech Republic. In this context, functions and current functioning of family are described. Furthermore, the text brings information on the causes, manifestations and classification of ASD as well as on various autism spectrum disorders. Reactions of the family to the revelation about child's diagnosis are introduced together with the subsequent problems that the family faces. It also presents support options which families with an ASD-affected child may take advantage of. The following methods are used for the research: questionnaire construction, study of literature and unstructured interviews. The aim of this paper is to create a description of a family with an ASD-affected child and determine whether these families receive the necessary support and whether services provided for them are truly available to them.

The aim of this thesis is to determine what effects occur in communication of a child with autism spectrum disorder and what changes appear in his speech communication in the course of one year, during which the boy was three times recorded on the camcorder. Our method of research is a case study in which we focus on the analysis of communication skills of one boy in all language levels. The theoretical part includes information on the etiology and differentiation of autism spectrum disorders, diagnosis, but also treatment and symptoms from which we are concentrated particularly on impaired communication skills. The practical part includes an analysis of the recordings, where each analysis contains a brief summary of recorded events. Comprehensive comparison is included in the conclusion. Keywords: autism spectrum disorders, atypical autism, communication, impaired communication ability in verbal and non-verbal level, case study

The thesis deals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders in terms of their ethology and diagnostic criteria. The theoretical part further describes development of terminology of these disorders and historical concept of care of individuals with Autism. Included are also categories of disabilities and their symptoms. Another chapter discusses the specifics of self-help skills of children with Autism and characterizes motor development of preschool children with an emphasis on motor imitation, as one of the sub-kinetic abilities. The aim of the research work is to analyse the degree of influence of motor imitation on the development of self-help skills of children with Autism. It focuses on evaluation of the developmental level of the respondent's self-help skills and its development influenced by intensive imitation training. Determination of the actual developmental level allows easier orientation within self-help skills that can be practiced with the child. Their list is located in the attachments. Further research clarifies what techniques were the most successful during motor imitation training. KEYWORD Autism spectrum disorders, pervasive developmental disorder, triad of impairments, motor development, motor imitation, self-help skills.

This qualitative study explored the experiences of individuals living with a sibling diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how these individuals make meaning of this experience. The data for this study was collected from five (5) individuals between the ages of 12 and 19, who shared their experience of living with siblings diagnosed with ASD. The data was analysed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis method (IPA). I conclude that although living with a sibling diagnosed with ASD is a challenging experience, the way one makes meaning from the experience contributes greatly to their interpretation of their experience thereof; and therefore, making it a positive experience. The participants in this study showed great maturity and resilience. The findings of this study will be useful to parents, professionals and those who engage with individuals living with a sibling diagnosed with ASD. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology in Research Consultation)

The topic of this diploma thesis is communication in adult clients with autism and its systematic support. The text itself consists of two main parts: theoretical and empirical. The theoretical part is further divided into four chapters which deal with the basic concepts of autism spectrum disorders and communication. In these chapters, autism spectrum disorders are analysed from the viewpoint of historical development, etiology, classification and symptomatology with regard to the manifestation of ASD in adulthood. The chapters which deal with the topic of communication first define communication as such and the important terms associated with it, and then describe the specific abnormalities that may occur in the communication of people with autism spectrum disorder. They also provide support options that can be used to communicate with people with ASD. The practical part is then conceived as a qualitative research whose main aim is to describe the communication of people with autism spectrum disorder, to show its specifics and to describe the intervention that was introduced in five individual subjects. In accordance with the main objective, partial objectives and research questions were set. The research part describes the environment in which the research took place and provides five case...

Teachers of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often struggle to find effective instructional methods to use with their students on a daily basis. The characteristic verbal, social, and behavioral limitations of children with ASD make finding effective teaching methods difficult. Though some intensive intervention methods, such as discrete trial teaching (DTT), have numerous studies demonstrating their effectiveness with students with ASD, the required one-on-one format makes it impractical to use in a classroom setting on a regular basis. Direct Instruction (DI) appears in the literature as a promising intervention for students with developmental disabilities. One benefit of DI is that, unlike DTT and similar interventions, it can be implemented in a group format. This group format provides a practical alternative for classroom teachers to use with their students with ASD. This study utilized a multiple probe across behaviors design to further investigate the use of DI to teach high school students with ASD how to answer “wh-” questions. The researcher used the Science Research Associates (SRA) Reading Mastery language program, which is a DI program designed to develop language skills. Three participants between the ages of 15 and 17 participated in 20-25 minute instructional sessions four times a week for eight weeks. Data were collected on each participant’s accuracy in answering “wh-” questions during baseline, acquisition (teaching), and maintenance conditions. The results indicate that DI was effective in helping participants acquire the language skills necessary to accurately respond to “what,” “where," and “who” questions. Implications for small group language instruction for students with ASD and recommendations for future research are discussed. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Research has demonstrated that higher levels of parent language use is correlated with later language use and intellectual development of their children. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display deficits in social and communication skills. They also demonstrate repetitive and restrictive behaviors or interests. These behavioral deficits and excesses may contribute negatively to language development, as well as parent and child social interactions, and communication exchanges. The current study used a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design to evaluate the effectiveness of behavior skills training (BST) and on-going graphical and verbal feedback on increasing parent language use and child words and utterances. Results of this study demonstrated that BST with on-going feedback was effective in increasing parent language use and child words and utterances above baseline levels for all four parent-child dyads. The dissertation concludes with recommendations for future research. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

O Distúrbio do Espectro do Autismo caracteriza-se como uma síndrome comportamental complexa, que compromete o processo do desenvolvimento ao longo da vida, ocorrendo uma grande variabilidade na intensidade e forma de expressão da sintomatologia, nas áreas que definem o seu diagnóstico. Pessoas com autismo necessitam de atenção especial durante toda a vida e é necessário voltar a atenção também para cuidador. O estresse parental da família de uma criança com autismo é significantemente maior do que o observado em famílias de crianças com desenvolvimento típico ou outras deficiências. A comunicação é um aspecto especialmente afetado nos quadros de autismo e pode ser potencializadora do estresse, sendo uma das primeiras preocupações dos pais. Assim foi indagado se, com relação à comunicação, o fato do filho com autismo não usar alguma fala para se comunicar teria relação com o aumento do nível de estresse dos pais. O Objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o nível de estresse de pais de crianças com autismo, verificando sua associação com a ausência de oralidade na comunicação de seus filhos. Participaram dessa pesquisa os pais de 75 crianças com autismo e pais de 100 crianças sem nenhuma queixa quanto ao desenvolvimento, que foram divididos em três grupos, sendo o grupo 1 formado por pais de crianças autistas que não apresentam comunicação oral; o grupo 2 por pais de crianças autistas que apresentam comunicação oral e o grupo 3, por pais de crianças sem nenhuma queixa. Todos os participantes responderam ao questionário sócio-demográfico, ao questionário de nível de estresse (formulado pela própria autora) e ao questionário de qualidade de vida. Os resultados mostraram que a maioria dos pais dos três grupos apresentaram médio nível de estresse e que não houve diferença significativa entre os pais de crianças com autismo, com e sem comunicação verbal. Quando os pais de crianças com autismo foram comparados aos pais do grupo controle, foi verificada diferença significativa, sendo que mais pais de crianças com autismo apresentaram alto nível de estresse. Foi constatada existência de associações entre o nível de estresse identificado e a qualidade de vida relatada pelos pais, mostrando que quanto maior o estresse apresentado pelos pais, menor é a qualidade de vida. Conclui-se, portanto, que o nível de estresse de pais de crianças com autismo não é influenciado pela ausência de oralidade na comunicação de seus filhos / Autism spectrum disorders are described as a complex behavioral syndrome. It impairs the development throughout life and has great variability in symptoms and intensity in the various areas that define the diagnosis. Persons with autism need special care during all life and therefore the caretakers need attention too. Parental stress in families with children with autism is significantly higher than the observed in families with children with other disorders or with typical development. Communication is specially affected in autism, is one of parent\'s first concerns and may increase stress. This study asked if parents of non-verbal children with autism have higher levels of stress than parents of verbal children with autism. The purpose of this study was to assess the stress levels of parents of children with autism and to verify its association with the abscess of verbal communication. Participants were parents of 75 children with autism and 100 parents with no complaints about their children development. They were divided in 3 groups: Group 1 comprised by parents by children with autism and no verbal communication; Group 2 comprised by parents by verbal children with autism and Group 3 with parents with no complaints about their children development. All participants responded to a socio-demographic questionnaire, to a stress level questionnaire (proposed by the author) and the questionnaire about quality of life. Results show that most parents from the three groups presented medium level of stress and that there was no significant difference between parents of children with autism with and without verbal communication. When parents of children with autism were compared with parents from the control group a significant difference was observed, with more parents of children with autism with high levels of stress. Associations between the stress level and the quality of life were also observed, showing that when higher stress levels were reported, lower quality of life was verified. It can be concluded that the stress level of parents of children with autism not influenced by their lack of verbal communication

The behaviors frequently displayed by students with autism can place them at risk for overly reactive behavior interventions with unwanted side effects. The current study examined the level of intrusiveness of behavioral treatments developed for 198 students with disabilities from 13 different states. Results demonstrated that students diagnosed with autism had proportionally more intrusive behavior interventions when compared to students in five other disability categories and indicated that many students with autism were unnecessarily subjected to highly intrusive behavior interventions. The implications of these findings are discussed, and recommendations for future research are provided.