The comorbidity of anxiety disorders and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is well-established. Although research on the comorbidity of anxiety disorders in adults with ASD is limited, preliminary studies suggest rates of comorbidity comparable to those found in children and adolescents. Little is known about the manifestation of anxiety symptoms in adults with ASD or the potential for these symptoms to impact quality of life in this population. The current study aimed to examine the role of anxiety symptoms in quality of life among young adults with ASD. We collected online survey data from a large sample (N = 224) of parents of young adults with ASD and a subsample of adults with ASD. Parent- and self-report data suggested a substantial proportion of adults with ASD exceeded clinical cutoffs for anxiety symptoms. Anxiety moderated the relationship between ASD severity and the social relations domain of quality of life. Anxiety symptoms did not, however, significantly moderate the effect on the psychological domain. Exploratory analyses also demonstrated significant indirect effects of ASD severity on social and psychological quality of life through anxiety symptoms. Results provide preliminary evidence that anxiety symptoms contribute to quality of life in adults with ASD independently of core ASD symptomatology. Future research should aim to further characterize anxiety symptoms among adults with ASD, as well as evaluate the impact of anxiety symptoms on quality of life and overall outcome through the use of prospective longitudinal studies. / Master of Science / The comorbidity of anxiety disorders and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is wellestablished. Although research on the comorbidity of anxiety disorders in adults with ASD is limited, preliminary studies suggest rates of comorbidity comparable to those found in children and adolescents. Little is known about the manifestation of anxiety symptoms in adults with ASD or the potential for these symptoms to impact quality of life in this population. The current study aimed to examine the role of anxiety symptoms in quality of life among young adults with ASD. We collected online survey data from a large sample (<i>N</i> = 224) of parents of young adults with ASD and a subsample of adults with ASD. Parent- and self-report data suggested a substantial proportion of adults with ASD have clinically significant levels of anxiety. Anxiety symptoms contributed to poor quality of life above and beyond ASD symptoms alone. Exploratory analyses also demonstrated significant effects of ASD severity on quality of life through the path of anxiety symptoms. Results provide initial evidence that anxiety symptoms contribute to quality of life in adults with ASD independently of core ASD symptoms. Future research should aim to further characterize anxiety symptoms among adults with ASD, as well as evaluate the impact of anxiety symptoms on quality of life and overall outcome through the use of prospective longitudinal studies.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / Through written survey and recorded interviews a snapshot in time was taken on how theorists of five promising approaches- Applied Behavioral Analysis, TEACCH, Daily Life Therapy, Miller Method, and DIR- think about children on the autism spectrum. Some of the findings include agreement on the need for a better definition of autism, the need for treatment-based research for developing and maintaining best practice, that the diversity of needs of people on the autism spectrum requires a wide range of approaches, and a general sense that people with autism have many valued strengths to contribute to society. Other findings include extensive use of non standardized assessments along with judicious employment of standardized instruments. Finally, all the theorists - some of home have spent more than 4 decades helping children with autism - all feel that the work they have done can be useful to youth with other challenges as well. / 2999-01-01

Background. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Given the heterogeneity of ASD it is important to understand individual differences within the disorder that are related to cognitive and language development, and how such differences may be related to differences in caregiver behavior or aspects of the social environment. Joint attention is an important component of early social communication and is considered to be a “core deficit” of ASD (Kasari, Freeman, Paparella, Wong, Kwon, & Gulsrud, 2005). Individual differences in joint attention during infancy have been shown to relate to language and cognitive development (Mundy, Block, Delgado, Pomares, Van Hecke, & Parlade, 2007; Nichols, Martin, & Fox, 2005). Therefore, joint attention serves an essential role in the study of child behavior within ASD across development. The present study consists of two manuscripts that explored how joint attention in children with ASD related to sensory responsiveness and social competence (Study 1), and how child joint attention related to mother attention and contextual factors (Study 2). Specifically, Study 1 investigated relations among children's sensory responses, dyadic orienting, joint attention, and their subsequent social competence with peers. Participants were 38 children (18 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 20 developmentally matched children with typical development) between the ages of 2.75 and 6.5 years. Observational coding was conducted to assess children's joint attention and dyadic orienting in a structured social communication task. Children's sensory responses and social competence were measured with parent report. Group differences were observed in children's joint attention, sensory responses, multisensory dyadic orienting, and social competence, with the ASD group showing significantly greater social impairment and sensory responses compared with their typical peers. Atypical sensory responses were negatively associated with individual differences on social competence subscales. Interaction effects were observed between diagnostic group and sensory responses with diagnostic group moderating the relation between sensory responses and both joint attention and social competence abilities. Study 2 investigated relations between child joint attention and mother attention during three social contexts (competing demands, teaching, and free play) among 44 children with ASD between the ages of 2.5 and 5.6 years, and their mothers. Observational coding was conducted to assess children’s joint attention and mother’s dyadic orienting. Children’s expressive and receptive language was measured by teacher report. The rate of children’s joint attention, and mothers’ dyadic orienting differed depending on the context of their interaction. Children’s joint attention, expressive and receptive language, age, and ASD severity, and mother dyadic orienting were related, and these relations differed by context. Child initiating joint attention (IJA) was also related to mother attention, and this relation was moderated by the child’s expressive and receptive language. A temporal contingency was revealed for the association between child IJA and mother attention with a bi-directional association such that child IJA predicted subsequent mother attention, and mother attention predicted subsequent child IJA. When the sample was split by children’s language ability (i.e., minimally-verbal and verbal groups) there was a group by receptive language, and a group by expressive language interaction on the contingency between child IJA and subsequent mother attention. Conclusion. The results from study 1 and study 2 suggest that individual differences in children with ASD, including their sensory responses and social competence, as well as mother attention and contextual factors are related to children’s joint attention. When addressing theory and interventions for children with ASD, it is important to consider children’s language and sensory sensitivities, the demands of the interactive context, and factors related to mother attention and approach to her child.

The low physical activity levels of children today are a cause for serious concern. When examining certain populations of children, such as children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there is a possibility of even lower overall physical activity levels. However, when exploring the current literature examining the physical activity levels of children with ASD compared to children without ASD there were conflicting results. Some studies indicate that the physical activity levels between children with ASD and children without ASD are similar. Others indicate that children with ASD were less active than their counterparts. Although many of the previous studies employed sound protocol designs including using objective measures for physical activity, these studies did not appropriately match the groups. A child's environment is one of the determining factors of their overall physical activity levels. Current literature indicates that parents have a significant influence on the physical activity levels of their children. In order to accurately compare the levels of physical activity between children with ASD and without ASD, using appropriate matching groups is crucial. The purpose of this study was to examine the current physical activity levels of children with ASD by matching groups based on similar environments and parental influences. A total of 16 children (8 pairs of siblings) participated in this study. Physical activity levels were examined by the activity counts using accelerometers, evaluating time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and determining if children with ASD met the physical activity recommendations more or less than their siblings. Results indicate no difference in daily physical activity levels and time spent in MVPA were found between siblings. A total of 5 of the 16 children met the recommended amount of physical activity. Only 3 out of the 8 children with ASD met the recommended amount of physical activity. This stresses their time spent in MVPA should be an area of concern for all children and interventions should attempt to increase their MVPA early on. In conclusion, children with ASD were no less active than children without disabilities; however the children are not meeting the current physical activity recommendations. This study also suggests that for children with ASD, it may not be the condition that limits their physical activity, but instead the environmental factors may influence their activity levels. / Graduation date: 2013

Thesis PlanA (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis(Ph.D.(Nursing Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Families with ASD children who have little support from a partner, friends, community and health care professionals report increased depression and lower life satisfaction compared to families with a good deal of social support. Social support may be a resource to boost an individual’s ability to overcome the negative consequences of stressors related to parenting a child with ASD.The study explored and described the experiences of families and teachers regarding support of families with ASD children, then developed and validated a social support model for families of children with ASD in the Gauteng and Limpopo provinces of South Africa.The method was qualitative, explorative, descriptive, contextual design employing a phenomenological approach and theory-generating study. Individual semi-structured and focus group interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Eight steps of Tesch’s inductive, descriptive open coding technique by Creswell were used followed by independent coding. Purposive sampling recruited 37 participants from the selected special schools of Gauteng and Limpopo Provinces. Trustworthiness criteria adhered to were credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability. Ethical clearance was sought from the University of Limpopo. The findings showed that there is a lack of social support for families with ASD children. These include difficulties in managing children’s patterns of behaviour and communication skills, severe stress related to having a child with ASD, knowledge deficiencies associated with ASD, the burden of caring, financial constraints, lack of material and human resources within the special schools, overcrowding of ASD learners, lack of a formal curriculum, lack of schools for autistic children in the Limpopo Province, poor infrastructure, and poor school management support.The study addressed the complex needs of ASD children and recommended that families should be assisted to build their capacity to care for, and protect their ASD children. A social support model was developed to serve as a reference framework for professional nurses in different spheres of health care and education, to promote a supportive environment for families with ASD children

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Motor deficits in children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have started to become recognized as an area of concern. The purpose of this study was to examine practices of board-certified music therapists who address motor goals of children with ASD. A total of 168 current board certified music therapists completed an 18-item online survey regarding music therapy practices with children who have ASD, particularly the frequency with which they address motor goals and specific goals and interventions. Respondents reported addressing motor goals with children who have ASD more frequently than suggested by previous research. Motor goals most commonly addressed include imitation, upper limb coordination, hand/eye coordination, compliance, and praxis skills. The most common interventions used to address motor goals were instrument play, movement activities, dancing, using manipulatives, and task-oriented music games. Using information provided from the study, music therapists will be better equipped in helping children with ASD who have motor deficits by providing a list of commonly used interventions and which specific motor goals they are used most commonly with.