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No. of bitstreams: 1 flaviareginaferreiraalves.pdf: 1319698 bytes, checksum: f39e3d5e6541b4293135009090736586 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-20 / O esquema corporal de uma criança autista, hoje nomeada e ou classificada como Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA), encontra-se perturbado, Levin (2000), não por uma falha, na sua construção, mas pela ausência, carência do outro que não compreende o seu espectro, que não fez os contornos desse corpo, que não gerou desejo, imagem, que para ser gerada irá necessitar do outro que imagine que ali há um sujeito e não uma “coisa”, um objeto (LEVIN, 2000). Só assim, a criança poderá espelhar-se nessas imagens (no olhar desejante), no outro que, assim, outorga a possibilidade de construir uma maior compreensão do seu corpo e seu funcionamento. Com base neste ponto de vista, a criança com TEA tem a necessidade de ser estimulada e o profissional de Educação Física, que estiver trabalhando com ela, deve considerar as reais características e necessidades do aluno com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA). Para tanto, esta dissertação é apresentada sob a forma de três artigos: o primeiro, intitulado Avaliação motora em crianças de 2 anos a 8 anos com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA) aborda testes motores aplicados a crianças com TEA e suas respostas; o segundo foi intitulado de Relação entre o desempenho motor e a prática de exercícios físicos, em crianças com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA), buscando fazer um levantamento de como a criança com TEA se desenvolve por meio da prática de exercícios físicos regulares, hoje, ainda, tão escassos para este público específico; o terceiro, intitulado A prática de exercícios físicos e a relação professor-aluno para a aprendizagem e socialização da criança com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA): a visão dos pais para esta prática, do tipo qualitativo - descritivo, um estudo realizado com análise de conteúdo, no qual, por meio de entrevista semiestruturada, buscou-se compreender melhor a visão dos pais e responsáveis sobre a prática de exercícios físicos para o desenvolvimento motor de seus filhos. Foi realizada, junto aos pais, uma entrevista com perguntas relativas aos atendimentos realizados com seus filhos e como estava sua rotina diária após inserção no Projeto de Atividade Física para Crianças Autistas. A presente pesquisa foi realizada com o objetivo de propor um programa de exercícios físicos para crianças com TEA e sua prática para respeitar a individualidade biológica de cada criança atendida. Ficou claro que, com os testes motores aplicados para o desenvolvimento deste trabalho, junto ao questionário de Atividade Física e entrevista sobre os exercícios motores aplicados, respondidos pelos pais, para saber como era a rotina diária dos sujeitos atendidos nesta pesquisa, foi possível fazer as intervenções necessárias para um melhor desenvolvimento motor dos mesmos. Por meio dos resultados obtidos, percebe-se que a prática de exercícios físicos, em crianças com TEA, é benéfica para seu desempenho motor e, assim, visando a seu desenvolvimento como um todo, podendo potencializar sua rotina diária e melhorar a qualidade de vida, desde que a individualidade do aluno com TEA seja respeitada e adaptada de acordo com suas características. / The body schema of an autistic child, known as with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is disconcerted, according to Levin (2000). This is not because of a fail on its structure, but due to the absence or lack of another schema, which does not cover its spectrum, which did not follow the body contours, which did not generate wishes, image, which, to be generated, will need another that imagines that there is a certain person, not a thing or an object. Only thus, the child may mirror itself on those images, on desirer look, on another that grants this way the possibility of construct a great comprehension of its body and its functioning. From this point of view, a child with ASD needs to be stimulated, and the physical education professional, who is working with it, must consider the actual characteristics and needs of students with ASD. Therefore, we present this dissertation in three articles, namely: (i) “motor assessment on children from 2 to 8 years old with autism spectrum disorder”, on which we describe the motor tests applied to children with ASD and their response; (ii) “ratio between motor performance and practice of physical exercises on children with autism spectrum disorder”, attempting to perform a survey of how a child with ASD develops through practice of regular physical exercises, which remain scarce for this specific target; and (iii) “practice of physical exercises and teacher-student relations for learning and socialization of children with autism spectrum disorder: the parents vision”, a qualitative descriptive study performed by analysing the content on which, by means of unstructured interview, we sought to better understand the view of parents and carers about the practice of physical exercises for motor development of their children. In fact, the research was performed aiming to propose a physical exercises program for children with autism spectrum disorder, and its practice, in order to respect the biological individuality of each child. Thus, questions were made to parents about service for their children and about how their daily routine was, after they being integrated in the project of physical activities for autistic children. By using motor tests, however, was possible performing necessary intervention for their best motor development. Therefore, we found that the practice of physical exercises on children with autism spectrum disorder is beneficial to their motor performance, and directing at their development as a whole, and may potentiate their daily routine and improve their life quality, since individuality of students with ASD is respected and adapted according to its characteristics.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-11T14:02:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 david lima.pdf: 2199406 bytes, checksum: 3671a666ea48250faadbd05a2d26e54b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-28 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O objetivo desta dissertação é contribuir para as formas de reabilitação cognitiva e social em crianças com Transtornos do Espectro do Autismo (TEA), fornecendo suporte computacional adequado a sessões de musicoterapia em que a criança já esteja se preparando para ser incluída em grupos de musicalização infantil. Isto será realizado através da prototipação de um aplicativo para o dispositivo móvel iPad para a apreciação e produção musical, seguindo o processo de desenvolvimento incremental com design de interface participativo. Espera-se, com isso, contribuir não só para o aprimoramento das habilidades musicais das crianças como também para o desenvolvimento de sua organização cognitiva e espacial. A musicalização com suporte computacional é importante, pois utiliza-se de recursos triviais, como sons, música, voz e instrumentos musicais, propiciando os indivíduos com TEA aprimorarem suas habilidades sociais, emocionais, cognitivas e de comunicação.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:39:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Patricia Fukuda de Siqueira Baptista.pdf: 1719530 bytes, checksum: 6206faad33c0cdff7d8d996720499582 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-07 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are a heterogeneous group of syndromes characterized by impairment in social interaction, impairment in communication and a pattern of repetitive or stereotyped behaviors. Gastrointestinal disorders and associated symptoms are commonly reported in individuals with ASDs, but key issues such as the prevalence and best treatment of these conditions are not fully understood. The main objective of this study was to investigate gastrointestinal symptoms (GS) in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, check its frequency and possible relation to serum levels of serotonin, eating habits and medication use. The sample consisted of 100 children / adolescents diagnosed with ASD aged 3 to 21 years old. For determination of gastrointestinal symptoms was used a questionnaire that assesses the presence and frequency of gastrointestinal disorders. The dosage of serotonin serum was determined by high performance liquid chromatography, dietary was assessed by food frequency questionnaire. The results showed that 42% of the participants had some type GS, being constipation the most often (31% of cases). It was found a correlation between severity of ASD and GS. In the analysis of serotonin hyperserotonemia was verified in 19% of patients and did not show correlations between dietary, use of medications and GS. / Transtornos do Espectro do Autismo (TEA) são um conjunto heterogêneo de síndromes caracterizadas por prejuízos nas interações sociais, deficiência na comunicação e um padrão de comportamentos repetitivos ou estereotipados. Doenças gastrointestinais e sintomas associados são comumente relatados em indivíduos com TEA, mas questões centrais como prevalência e melhor tratamento destas condições não são totalmente compreendidas. O objetivo principal deste estudo foi investigar os sintomas gastrointestinais (SGI) em indivíduos com Transtornos do Espectro do Autismo, verificar a sua frequência e possível relação com os níveis séricos de serotonina, hábitos alimentares e uso de medicamentos. A casuística foi composta por 100 crianças/adolescentes diagnosticados com TEA com idade entre 3 e 21 anos. Para determinação dos sintomas gastrointestinais foi utilizado um questionário que avaliou a presença e a frequência dos distúrbios gastrointestinais. A dosagem de serotonina sérica foi determinada pelo método de cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência e a dieta alimentar foi avaliada pelo questionário de frequência alimentar. Os resultados mostraram que 42% dos participantes apresentaram algum tipo de SGI, sendo a constipação o mais frequente (31% dos casos). Foi evidenciada uma correlação entre gravidade do TEA e sintomas gastrointestinais. Na análise de serotonina foi verificada a hiperserotonemia em 19% dos pacientes e não foram evidenciadas correlações entre dieta alimentar, uso de medicamentos e SGI.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:40:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andresa Liberato Goncalez.pdf: 3175339 bytes, checksum: cffc5be328382fa6a1b2e97fd76e9e87 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-21 / Scientific studies show the difficulty of understanding a metaphor for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders, which leads us to question the understanding of other figures of speech by this group of subjects. The topic in question refers to the understanding of figures of speech for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) who attend elementary school to verify whether the study participants understand the meaning of certain figures of speech - Hyperbole and Onomatopoeia - contextualized in narrative texts, poems and comics. Set the understanding of these two figures of speech can significantly contribute to the school development of people with ASD, especially in the area of codes and languages so, especially in the discipline of Portuguese, as described in the guiding document "Currículo Oficial do Estado de São Paulo" (2008). A Protocol for Educational Activity was developed and implemented for 09 students with ASD, the elementary school, aged 10-14 years and 18 students of the same age and without ASD, matched by grade with the experimental group. For students with ASD, the application occurred at two different times, first they responded to the protocol without any assistance. Subsequently, the protocol was read by the researcher and answered orally by the students. The results were similar in both applications. Students with ASD showed less than the control group performance on some issues, however, the general framework, the results were similar between the two groups, which leads us to infer that the students analyzed include such figures of speech in the context that had them presented. This condition may be due to exposure of these students to communication situations permeated by these figures, such as conversations with classmates and teachers, texts everyday school, textbooks and books also through the media and in recreational settings such as video games, which may indicate that this group studied had been adequately stimulated regarding this type of educational content. / Estudos científicos apontam a dificuldade de compreensão de metáfora por pessoas com Transtornos do Espectro do Autismo, o que nos leva a indagar sobre a compreensão de outras figuras de linguagem por parte deste grupo de sujeitos. O tema estudado refere-se à compreensão de figuras de linguagem por alunos com Transtornos do Espectro do Autismo (TEA) que cursam o Ensino Fundamental, visando verificar se os participantes do estudo compreendem o significado de determinadas figuras de linguagem Hipérbole e Onomatopeia contextualizadas em textos narrativos, poemas e história em quadrinhos. Definir a compreensão destas duas figuras de linguagem pode contribuir de modo significativo para o desenvolvimento escolar de pessoas com TEA, principalmente na área de Códigos e Linguagens, sobretudo na disciplina de Língua Portuguesa, como descrito no documento norteador Currículo Oficial do Estado de São Paulo (2008). Um Protocolo de Atividade Pedagógica foi elaborado e aplicado em 09 alunos com TEA, do Ensino Fundamental, na faixa etária de 10 a 14 anos e em 18 alunos na mesma faixa etária e sem diagnóstico de TEA, pareados por série escolar com o grupo experimental. Para os alunos com TEA, a aplicação ocorreu em dois momentos distintos, primeiramente eles responderam ao Protocolo sem nenhum auxílio. Posteriormente, o Protocolo foi lido pela pesquisadora e respondido oralmente pelos alunos. Os resultados foram semelhantes em ambas as aplicações. Os alunos com TEA apresentaram um desempenho inferior ao grupo controle em algumas questões, todavia, em âmbito geral, os resultados foram similares entre os dois grupos, o que nos leva a inferir que os alunos analisados compreendem tais figuras de linguagem no contexto que lhes fora apresentado. Tal condição pode dever-se a exposição desses alunos a situações de comunicação permeadas por estas figuras, tais como diálogos com colegas de escola e professores, textos do cotidiano escolar, livros paradidáticos e também através da mídia e em contextos lúdicos, como jogos eletrônicos, o que pode indicar a que este grupo estudado fora adequadamente estimulado em relação a este tipo de conteúdo escolar.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:41:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cintia Perez Duarte.pdf: 2591292 bytes, checksum: 9f489f5853c436e4e5c66c23c1cd39a9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-01-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by impairments in social interaction, behavior and language. Despite the fact that there are no specific biological markers in ASD, there are evidences that its manifestation is due to biological alterations. This hypothesis is endorsed by the fact that, when compared with the general population, some family members of people with ASD - despite not fitting the diagnosis present some cognitive and social impairments as well. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of siblings of individuals diagnosed with ASD (ASDS) (N=29) with a control group composed of siblings of individuals with typical development (TDS) (N=25) on behavioral scales, neuropsychological tests and neurological assessment. Assessment of individuals diagnosed with SDA was carried out for subsequent analysis of the ASDS regrouped in relation to the compromise of their diagnosed siblings. The ASDS group presented higher impairment in the ASQ and in the level of adaptive behavior relating to socialization. When it comes to behavior impairment, they differed in the activity and social competence scales and in the anxiety/depression syndrome scales and in the socialization problems as well as in the internalization and total of problems scales. When compared based on the classifications normal, borderline or clinical, they had poorer performance for activities (competence), isolation and depression, somatic complaint, problems of socialization and in the internalization scale. In the neuropsychological tests, they differed in relation to processing speed in the execution of a picture naming task, time for visual search of stimuli presented in a piece of paper, in the copy and memory reproduction of the model of complex figure and in the evocation of words by the phonological principle in a verbal fluency test. Differences related to cephalic perimeter were described. In the intragroup (ASDS) analysis there was a difference when it was considered the level of adaptive behavior of their diagnosed siblings. Those who have siblings with deeper impairment also presented more alterations related to the everyday activities and to socialization when compared to the ones who have siblings with moderate impairment. In such case, siblings of individuals with the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders presented more alterations than the control group in neuropsychological tests, adaptive behavior assessment scales and behavior problems. / Os Transtornos do Espectro do Autismo (TEA) se caracterizam por comprometimentos em relação à interação social, comportamento e linguagem. Há evidências de que alterações biológicas sejam responsáveis pela manifestação do quadro, apesar de ainda não haver um único marcador biológico específico. Tal hipótese é endossada pelo fato de que alguns familiares de pessoas com TEA apresentam prejuízo cognitivos e sociais mais sutis do que as pessoas diretamente afetadas, em relação à população geral. Este estudo teve por objetivo comparar o desempenho em escalas de comportamento adaptativo, problemas de comportamento, testes neuropsicológicos e avaliação neurológica, de irmãos de pessoas com o diagnóstico de TEA (ITEA) (N=29), com grupo controle de irmãos de pessoas com desenvolvimento típico (IDT) (N=25). Foi realizada avaliação das pessoas com o diagnóstico, para posterior análise do grupo ITEA reagrupados em função do comprometimento de seus irmãos diagnosticados. O grupo ITEA apresentou maior comprometimento na pontuação do ASQ e nível de comportamento adaptativo, referente à socialização. Sobre os problemas de comportamento diferiram nas escalas de competências para atividades e social e nas escalas síndromes para ansiedade/depressão, isolamento/depressão e problemas de socialização, além das escalas de internalização e total de problemas. Quando comparados com base nas classificações normal, limítrofe ou clínico, foram piores para atividades (competência), isolamento e depressão, queixas somáticas, problemas de socialização e na escala de internalização. Nos testes neuropsicológicos, diferiram em relação à velocidade de processamento na execução de tarefas de nomeação de figuras, tempo para busca visual de estímulos no papel, na cópia e reprodução por memória do modelo de figura complexa e na evocação de palavras através do princípio fonológico em teste de fluência verbal. Diferenças em relação ao perímetro cefálico foram encontradas. Na análise intragrupo (ITEA) houve diferença quando foi considerado o nível de comportamento adaptativo de seus irmãos diagnosticados, sendo que aqueles que possuem irmãos com comprometimento severo/profundo também apresentam mais alterações relacionadas às atividades de vida diária e também de socialização, se comparados com os que possuem irmãos com comprometimento leve/moderado. Diferenças foram encontradas quando os grupos foram separados em função da pontuação no ASQ de seus irmãos com TEA, sendo pior o nível de comportamento adaptativo nas três áreas possíveis, comunicação, atividades de vida diária e socialização. Deste modo, irmãos de pessoas com o diagnóstico de Transtornos do Espectro do Autismo apresentaram mais alterações do que o grupo controle em testes neuropsicológicos, escalas para avaliação de comportamento adaptativo e problemas de comportamento.

Vårt syfte med den här studien var att undersöka hur föräldrar till barn som diagnosticerats med autismspektrumtillstånd (AST) upplevde kontakten med och stödet från kommunens familjebehandlare, en insats som tillhandahålls av socialtjänsten och ofta utförs av socionomer. Vi ville undersöka hur föräldrar har upplevt familjebehandlarnas bemötande, om de fick konstruktiv hjälp samt om familjebehandlarna har haft kunskaper om autismspektrumtillstånd. Vi har haft en kvalitativ ansats och genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer. De transkriberade intervjuerna har tolkats med teman baserade på den teoretiska ramen som består av begreppet allians och stödteori. I studiens resultatdel framkommer det att föräldrarna har haft positiva upplevelser i mötet med familjebehandlarna. De flesta har fått konstruktiv hjälp av familjebehandlarna som varit insatta i autismspektrumtillstånd samt upplevt att de har fått ett gott bemötande. Resultatet visar på vilka faktorer som påverkar för att en kontakt med familjebehandlare ska upplevas som positiv. / Our aim with this study was to explore how parents of children diagnosed within the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experienced the contact and support from the municipalities family therapist, an initiative provided by the social services and often executed by social workers. We wanted to investigate how parents experienced treatment from the family therapist, if they received constructive help and whether the family therapist had knowledge of the ASD. We have had a qualitative approach and conducted semi-structured interviews. The transcribed interviews have been interpreted with themes based on the theoretical framework that consists of the concept of alliance and support theory. Our result shows that the informants have had positive experiences in the meeting with family therapists. Most have received constructive help from family therapists who had knowledge about ASD and feel they have received good treatment. The result shows which factors contributed to a positive experience.

Background: Background of this work was the investigation of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the Fmr1 knock- out (KO) mouse. The Fmr1- KO mouse is a mouse model for fragile X syndrome (FXS). FXS is the leading monogenic cause for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in humans. The Fmr1- KO mouse displays autistic behavior such as an impaired social interaction, repetitive behavior, cognitive deficits, increased anxiety and aggressiveness. Alterations of the ECS have been suggested to play a key role in the etiopathology of a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. Until today, little has been described about the involvement of the ECS in ASD. Interrogation: 1. Evaluating the manifestation of typical cannabinoid- induced effects in the Fmr1- KO mouse 2. Investigating the influenceability of autistic symptoms with THC treatment in the Fmr1- KO mouse 3. Analyzing the signaling cascade of the stimulated and unstimulated ECS in different brain regions of the Fmr1- KO mouse Material and Methods: Experiments were carried out on adult (12±1 weeks old) male Fmr1- KO and Fmr1- wild- type (WT) mice from the C57BL/6J- (B6)- background. N= 15 mice received THC (10mg/kg bodyweight) and N= 16 received WIN55,212 (3mg/kg bodyweight). 30min after injection, the body temperature was measured and the distance animals moved in an open field during 15min was recorded (locomotion). Then, animals were placed with their forepaws onto a horizontally fixed bar and the time remaining in this position (catalepsy) was measured. Finally animals were placed on a preheated plate and the temperature at which a pain stimulus occurred was determined (testing analgesia). All 4 experiments are called tetrad experiment. Afterwards changes in body temperature, locomotion, catalepsy and analgesia of the animals was evaluated. To explore long-term effects of THC after the tetrad, N= 15 animals were tested in a social interaction test with a female contact mouse, 10 and 20 days after THC treatment. Therefore, the tested mouse and the contact mouse were placed together into a cage and the time mice spent in social interaction (nose, body and anogential sniffing, allogrooming and body contact) was manually quantified during 6min of recorded testing time. Another group of N= 19 received a premedication of rimonabant (Cannabinoid- receptor 1 (CB1) antagonist, 3mg/kg bodyweight) 30min prior to THC treatment. Rimonabant prevents THC from binding to CB1 and therefore allows the assessment of the involvement of CB1 in mediating social behavior. Furthermore the suggestibility of context-dependent fear conditioning with THC treatment has been tested on N= 13 mice. Animals were placed into a conditioning chamber that delivered 6 short electric shocks with a 30sec pause to their paws (conditioning phase). Immediately afterwards mice received THC or placebo. 24h later contextdependent fear was evaluated by quantification of the time mice spent freezing in the conditioning-chamber (fear) without receiving foot shocks. Intraneuronal signaling of the ECS was analyzed with N= 29 animals using western blots. Quantities of phosphorylated (“activated”) protein kinases (ERK, AKT and S6) from different brain homogenates (hippocampus, striatum, cortex and cerebellum) were therefore measured after THC or placebo injection (30 minutes prior to sacrificing). Results: Cannabinoids induced hypothermia, hypolocomotion, analgesia and catalepsy in WTmice. These effects were significantly less detectable in Fmr1- KO mice. Effects of both cannabinoids, THC and WIN55,212, were comparable with a slightly greater but not significant efficiency of THC. THC treated WT- mice exhibited further reduced social interaction 10 days after treatment, an effect that was partially prevented by premedication with rimonabant. THC increased social interaction in Fmr1- KO mice comparable to the level of untreated WT- mice. THC had no effect on behavior of WT- mice in context-dependent fear conditioning. Fmr1- KO mice showed significant less contextdependent fear conditioning compared to WT- mice. THC facilitated the recognition of an anxiety-correlated context in Fmr1- KO mice comparable to untreated WT- mice. In western blots significant changes in the THC- induced signaling cascade were detectable and depending on genotype, brain-region and analyzed protein-kinase. In the hippocampus there were no changes in untreated Fmr1- KO mice compared to WT- mice. THC had no effect on activation of protein-kinases in WT- and Fmr1- KO mice. In the striatum there were no changes in untreated Fmr1- KO mice compared to WTmice. THC significantly increased activity of ERK, AKT and S6 in WT-mice and not in Fmr1- KO mice. In the cortex of untreated Fmr1- KO mice AKT showed a significantly increased activity compared to WT- mice. THC significantly increased AKT activity in WT- mice without having an effect on KO- mice. In the cerebellum there were no changes in untreated Fmr1- KO mice compared to WT- mice. THC significantly increased ERK- activity in Fmr1- KO mice but had no effect on protein kinase activity in WT- mice. Conclusion: We observed physiological cannabinoid effects in WT- mice after treatment with THC and WIN55,212. These effects are significantly attenuated in Fmr1- KO mice. This may be interpreted as a desensitization of the ECS in the Fmr1- KO mouse. At the same time it was demonstrated that THC has the potential to improve context dependent memory consolidation and to increase social interaction in the Fmr1- KO mouse. In particular the influence of THC on impaired social interaction should be a target of further investigations to find possible therapeutic options for this typical symptom of Autism. Underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear and the analysis of THC stimulated intraneuronal signaling gave no clear indication of possible molecular alterations in the Fmr1- KO mouse.

Cette étude pilote est, à notre connaissance, le premier essai clinique qui vise à explorer les effets d’un programme d’accompagnement parental sur les CP chez les enfants de moins de 3 ans et à risque de TSA. Elle vise à évaluer les effets d'un essai contrôlé randomisé croisé portant sur un programme d’accompagnement parental de 12 semaines pour les enfants à risque de troubles du spectre autistique (ASD), sur leurs comportements problématiques (CP) et leurs comportements adaptatifs (CA). Les participants étaient 13 jeunes enfants (13 à 30 mois) et leurs parents. Ces dyades ont été assignées au hasard dans le “groupe d’intervention” (n = 8) ou dans le groupe “liste d’attente” (n = 5). L'intervention mise en place était basée sur le modèle du Early Start Denver for Parents (ESDM-P) et du Social Communication Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support (SCERTS). Les CP ont été évalués à l'aide de l’Évaluation Socioémotionelle des jeunes enfants (ESEJE) et les CA ont été évalués à l'aide du Système d’évaluation des comportements adaptatifs - 2ième édition (ABAS-II). Les analyses statistiques non paramétriques ne montrent aucun changement significatif au sein des groupes ou entre les groupes, pour les deux mesures. Même lorsque les participants, ayant tous reçu l’intervention, sont combinés en un seul échantillon (n =13), les résultats ne montrent aucune amélioration significative des CP et des CA. Les limites méthodologiques sont discutées. Plus d’études sont nécessaires afin d'évaluer les effets d’un programme d’accompagnement parental sur les comportements des enfants. / Abstract : Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment in social interactions, social communication, and restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviors. Children with ASD exhibit more challenging behavior (CB) and less adaptive behavior (AB) than their peers without ASD. Having CP decrease exposition to positive social interactions, and decreases the opportunities for learning appropriate social behaviors. Parent-mediated intervention aims to provide parents with tools and strategies to promote social and communication skills in their child, and promotes AB. To our knowledge, no clinical randomized control trial documented the effect of a parent-mediated program on CB in children with ASD and aged less than three years old. Objective: Explore the effect of a 12 weeks parent-mediated program on CB and AB in children with ASD aged less than three years old. Method: This program includes strategies from the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), and the Social Communication Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support (SCERTS). Participants were 13 families from Montreal and Eastern Township. The intervention groups (n = 8) received the intervention immediately, while the waiting list group (n = 5) waited an equivalent period of time before receiving the same intervention. CB were measured using the Infant-Toddler Social-Emotional Assessment (ITSEA), while AB were measured using the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System - Second Edition (ABAS-II). Results: When comparing the two groups, no differences were found for both outcome measures. Even when all participants were combined into one sample group, the intervention had no impact on the outcome measures. Conclusion: The intervention used in this study had no effect on CB and AB. Methodological limitations are discussed.

Autism has no cure, but early and appropriate diagnosis and intervention may increase outcomes for individuals affected. The level of awareness, acceptance, and support for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Nigeria is very low. There is a gap in the literature regarding a detailed account of the experiences of parents raising children with ASD within the Nigerian environment and culture. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of mothers raising children with ASD in Nigeria including the impact of Nigerian culture on their experiences. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory was the guiding conceptual framework for this study. Ten mothers of children with autism were recruited through purposeful sampling and interviewed using a semistructured interview format. Moustakas's steps to phenomenological research analysis were used to analyze the data and report emergent themes. The 8 themes that emerged from the data were low societal awareness about ASD, cultural attitudes and acceptance about ASD, neglect and abuse, inadequate services, impact on parents and other family members, refusing to be isolated by society, nature of support, and the way forward. The findings of this study can contribute to ASD awareness in Nigeria through the experiences reported. Positive social change may result from this increased awareness including improved acceptance and treatment, and policy changes or service improvements to support families living with this disorder in Nigeria.

Current accountability measures require English language arts (ELA) teachers to teach literacy skills to all students. However, the population of mainstreamed students is becomingly increasingly diverse and includes students on the autism spectrum for whom literacy skills may lie in opposition to population characteristics. Further, educators are encouraged to respond to students in culturally responsive ways, and current teacher evaluation systems often require teachers to demonstrate cultural competence. However, a dearth of research provides insight into the ways secondary ELA teachers perceive their students on the autism spectrum, or how they interact with those students or support them in culturally responsive ways. This narrative multiple case study was undertaken to examine how five new ELA teachers perceived their students on the autism spectrum and if they enacted culturally responsive practices with them. Further, because the teachers were new to the profession with three years or fewer teaching experience, the study examined in what ways they constructed knowledge about how to teach the population. Themes emerged suggesting, among other things, that 1) ELA teachers perceive both strengths and challenges for their students on the autism spectrum within their content area, 2) ELA teachers rely primarily on other people to help them learn how to teach students on the autism spectrum because other resources are lacking, and 3) ELA teachers tend to demonstrate more culturally responsive practices over time with their students on the autism spectrum depending on the nature of their experiences. I propose a model to capture movement in culturally responsive practices for the autism spectrum utilizing Gay’s (2010) characteristics of culturally responsive pedagogy.