Two of the most under-researched and under-served populations in the field of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), minimally to low-verbal (MLV) individuals and children from low-resource countries, would benefit the most from engaging their parents in research and intervention. First, parents’ unique familiarity with their children could be highly advantageous for language assessment providing a more ecologically valid representation of their children’s abilities. Second, parents’ verbal input, known to predict children’s language, is an important avenue to investigate to guide the development of parent-mediated interventions. Natural language samples, which are used in all three dissertation studies, are ideal for assessing expressive language and for analyzing communicative variations in verbal input. In Study 1, I examined the feasibility of parents (N=33) collecting language samples at home from their MLV children/adolescents with ASD (6;6–19;7years) following a semi-structured elicitation protocol, ELSA-A. I predicted that because of parents’ unique familiarity with their children, they will be better at eliciting speech from them. The results supported this prediction. When with their parents, the MLV children/adolescents produced twice as much speech than when with examiners. Parents collected longer ELSA-As but administered fewer of the recommended activities. Therefore, although parents are not as good at following semi-structured assessment protocols, they elicit speech that is more representative of their children’s everyday abilities. In Studies 2 and 3, I compared the parental input to 37 Bulgarian-speaking (2;7–9;10 years) and 37 English-speaking (1;8–4;9 years) children with ASD matched on expressive language. I compared input in terms of quantity and quality, such as lexical diversity and sentence types (Study-2), and in terms of how parents addressed their children, focusing on personal pronouns, names, and kinship terms (Study-3). Based on past research, I hypothesized that input would differ in quality but not quantity. Indeed, parents’ speech differed in sentence types but not in overall amount. Bulgarian parents asked fewer questions but used more statements. As predicted, they also used significantly more ways to address their children because of the structural characteristics of Bulgarian and potentially different discourse practices. These studies lay the foundation for future cross-linguistic and cross-cultural comparisons in ASD. / 2023-08-30T00:00:00Z

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Background: Atypical processing of auditory information in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be observed at a neurological as well as at a behavioural level. The Functional Auditory Performance Indicators (FÁPI) is an observational monitoring tool for pre-school children with hearing loss, but has not yet been described in children with ASD. A reliable instrument to monitor progress of functional auditory performance in young children with ASD may contribute to evidence-based practice during intervention. Method: The aim was to describe the overall performance of five-year-old children with ASD on the FÁPI; to determine the test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability of the tool. The study was exploratory with a descriptive design incorporating repeated measures. Twelve participants with ASD were purposely selected. The mean age was 65 months and all were exposed to English as additional language. Ten of the 12 participants had very little speech as reported by their parents. Pre-recorded sound and speech stimuli were used to elicit responses from participants in their familiar therapy rooms. For test-retest reliability three data collection sessions per participant were conducted over a two-week period. Video recordings were provided in randomised order and analysed by two independent raters. The raters were blind to the order of data sets. Results and conclusion: With an increase in complexity of auditory stimuli a marked decrease in response was observed in the participants. Category seven, the highest level of auditory responses, demonstrating the child's ability to process linguistic information, showed the least responses The test-retest reliability was good, with a single difference in the category 'Awareness and meaning of sound'. Inter-rater reliability indicated a significant difference in two of the seven categories of the FÁPI, 'Awareness and meaning of sound' and 'Sound localisation' with p-values of 0,006 and 0,003. These categories may be the most subjective in the tool. Despite some subjectivity in two of the seven categories the FÁPI was reliable to plot functional auditory performance in the sample group. Since the instrument relies on direct observation with very few demands to participate on a social level, it has potential for use in five-year-old children with ASD. Further research is required to determine the tool's performance using natural sound conditions to monitor the progress of children with ASD longitudinally, against themselves during intervention. / Dissertation (M Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MCommunication Pathology / Unrestricted

There has been a notable increase in the prevalence rates of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) over the last decade. Currently, the American Centre for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in every 68 children is diagnosed with ASD. The average age of diagnosis ranges from 3.1 to 5.7 years. However, the literature indicates that low socio-economic-status (SES) countries, such as South Africa could have higher prevalence rates and a later average age of diagnosis. This is due to the limited and strained resources on social and governmental levels. This is of great concern as research indicates that early diagnosis and intervention of learners with ASD leads to improved overall functioning. South Africa is not equipped to deal with services required to effectively screen and diagnose learners for ASD. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) is available in South Africa as a low cost and easy to administer screening tool for ASD. Unfortunately, it can only screen for ASD in learners up to the age of 5. No other similar low cost screening tool is available for use in South Africa which will be able to screen older learners. With the reality of a later age of diagnosis in South Africa, it is therefore pivotal to develop such a screening tool. This study set out to develop and pilot test the Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening Questionnaire (ASDSQ). The ASDSQ is a screening questionnaire that can be filled out by the parents or guardians of learners aged 6 to 9. It is low in cost and easy to administer, score and understand. It will assist in identifying learners that are at risk for an ASD diagnosis. This will ensure that learners who are identified as at risk for an ASD diagnosis can be referred to the correct professionals for ASD diagnostic tests. The current version of the ASDSQ (version three) is a 38 item, yes-no, questionnaire. In this pilot study the ASDSQ was able to successfully distinguish between learners with an ASD diagnosis and learners without an ASD diagnosis. Findings furthermore indicated that the ASDSQ was able to differentiate between the control and experimental group when compared to the results of the M-CHAT on the same sample. The ASDSQ shows great promise as a screening tool for ASD in South Africa. With further development, the ASDSQ could become an established level one screening questionnaire for ASD in South Africa. Future research on the ASDSQ should focus on validating, norming, and standardizing the questionnaire for use in the South African context. / Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

One out of every twenty children in school is affected, in significant ways, in classrooms across our nation by sensory processing disorders (SPD) (Nodding, 2017). In classrooms where students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are present, that number rises even higher because almost 100% of students with ASD experience SPD (Murray, Baker, Murray-Slutsky & Paris, 2009). Teachers must understand the unique needs of students with SPD in order to create environments where students feel comfortable to learn in every day. Optimal learning for students with SPD requires an environment that supports and assists them to effectively and systematically organize and understand the information they are taught. Unfortunately, most classrooms present sensory challenges that can be frustrating or even overwhelming for students diagnosed with SPD. The daily negative experience at school often adds more stress for these students due to their social interactions and how they regulate emotions (Lytle and Todd, 2009).<div><br></div><div>There are two purposes of the study: 1) general education teachers’ use of interventions to support students with ASD and SPD was examined to determine what worked most effectively in their classrooms, and (2) general education teachers’ perception of barriers for implementing research-based strategies was examined in order to identify potential problems in creating supportive environments for students with ASD and SPD in the general education classroom. Eighteen teachers participated in the study at a private school with 335 students in a suburban area. The survey included 8 questions about the effectiveness of sensory interventions for students with ASD and/or SPD at school.<br></div><div><br></div><div>The result of this study showed that the majority of teachers want to be supportive to students diagnosed with SPD. Seventeen teachers (94%) expressed a concern for students who may feel overwhelmed by providing some variation of a calming area within their classroom Concerning the use of flexible seating, 6 teachers (33%) responded that they do not offer flexible seating, and 3 teachers (17%) indicated it was the least effective intervention they offered students. These responses could indicate that there is misunderstanding concerning the use of flexible seating and how to effectively implement it within the general education classroom. Another notable result is that 7 general education teachers (39%) indicated they lacked the space to provide a calming area for students in their classrooms.<br></div><div><br></div><div>The result of the current study supports the findings in previous research that there is a need for teachers to be more knowledgeable about how to create classrooms that offer support, effective strategies for students diagnosed with SPD. A handbook was created for general education and special education teachers based on the result of the present survey study and findings in previous studies. This handbook focuses on clear explanations of the unique stresses that students with SPD face, with the hope that if teachers have a clearer understanding about the needs of these students, they will be inspired to consistently offer research-proven strategies to support and encourage their students who face unique challenges in the school environment every day. <br></div>

Language is a multimodal process with visual and auditory cues playing important roles in understanding speech. A well-controlled paradigm with audiovisually matched and mismatched syllables is often used to capture audiovisual (AV) speech processing. The ability to detect and integrate mismatching cues shows large individual variability across development and is linked to later language in typical development (TD) and social abilities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, no study has used a multimethod approach to better understand AV speech processing in early development. The studies’ aims were to examine behavioral performance, gaze patterns, and neural indices of AV speech in: 1) TD preschoolers (N=60; females=35) and 2) infants at risk for developing ASD (high-risk, HR; N=37; females=10) and TD controls (low-risk, LR; N=42; females=21). In Study 1, I investigated preschoolers’ gaze patterns and behavioral performance when presented with matched and mismatched AV speech and visual-only (lipreading) speech. As hypothesized, lipreading abilities were associated with children’s ability to integrate mismatching AV cues, and children looked towards the mouth when visual cues were helpful, specifically in lipreading conditions. Unexpectedly, looking time towards the mouth was not associated with the children’s ability to integrate mismatching AV cues. Study 2 examined how visual cues of AV speech modulated auditory event-related potentials (ERPs), and associations between ERPs and preschoolers’ behavioral performance during an AV speech task. As hypothesized, the auditory ERPs were attenuated during AV speech compared to auditory-only speech. Additionally, individual differences in their neural processing of auditory and visual cues predicted which cue the child attended to in mismatched AV speech. In Study 3, I investigated ERPs of AV speech in LR and HR 12-month-olds and their association with language abilities at 18-months. Unexpectedly, I found no group differences: all infants were able to detect mismatched AV speech as measured through a more negative ERP response. As hypothesized, more mature neural processing of AV speech integration, measured as a more positive ERP response to fusible AV cues, predicted later language across all infants. These results highlight the importance of using multimethod approaches to understand variability in AV speech processing at two developmental stages. / 2021-11-12T00:00:00Z

Stereotypic behavior is often observed in children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Stereotypy can inhibit skill acquisition by leading to inaccuracy on task performance and/or slower task completion (e.g., Koegel & Covert, 1972; Morrison & Rosales-Ruiz, 1997). Several studies have demonstrated that access to preferred matched stimulation leads to a reduction of vocal stereotypical behavior (e.g., Lanovaz, Rapp, & Ferguson, 2012). However, it is paramount that treatments not only be effective in decreasing the problem behavior, but do so without further inhibiting academic progress. The current study evaluated the effects of matched stimulation (i.e., music) on vocal stereotypy and acquisition of novel skills. Non-contingent access to music decreased levels of vocal stereotypy across participants and did not hinder mastery of discrimination skills. In addition, noncontingent access to music had only a minor impact on the participant’s latency to perform mastered tasks.

Every year children are unintentionally injured or killed due to finding an unattended firearm. Although research evaluating various approaches to teach safety skills shows that behavioral skills training and in situ training are effective, limited research exists evaluating small-scale simulation training in teaching safety skills to children. Furthermore, there is no research evaluating this approach with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study evaluated the effectiveness of small-scale simulation training in teaching firearm safety to 5- to 6-year-old children with ASD. Simulation training was effective for one participant and in situ training was necessary for one participant. However, in situ training was not effective for the third participant.

Many individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have deficits in social skills (e.g., Church, Alisanski, & Amanullah, 2000;). More specifically, individuals with an ASD may have deficits in tacting and commenting on the emotions of others as well as their own (Hobson, 1986). One potential way to facilitate the acquisition of social skills by individuals with an ASD is through the use a social skill application. The OiGO© application was developed to offer a modality to allow individuals to appropriately tact and comment on emotions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether participants would learn to tact and comment on the emotional responding of other individuals using OiGO©. This study used a multiple baseline across participants with embedded probes design to assess the effects of OiGO© plus reinforcement on tacting and commenting vocally and through the use of the application. Correct vocal responding increased from baseline levels for one of three participants. In addition, all participants quickly met mastery criterion via OiGO© responding during the OiGO© plus reinforcement phase. Furthermore, responding during the generalization probes was variable. These results combined suggest that individuals with autism can quickly learn to use this application.

This thesis is focused on the general knowledge about the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the matter of social integration and most importantly about the experiences of the parents of the children with ASD. The theoretic part begins with the chapter introducing the problematics where one shall find the definition, specific types of the ASDs, the diagnostics and the reaction of the family to the diagnosis. The second chapter describes specific integration ways which could help with the social integration of an ASD child. I refer to certain obstacles that may come up during their integration. Afterward, I move onto the methods and services helpful in the matter of more effective education of the child and getting to know its own surroundings. The third chapter continues with the topic of the prior one. It is dealing with the education possibilities for these children in the Czech Republic, the way the helping services have been established and how are they functioning nowadays. The last chapter is talking about society itself. More specifically, what are the differences among the children with and without ASDs, what myths are connected to the ASD topic today and what types of education are currently available to fight such myths. To demonstrate, I shall present a few organizations and research on...