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Speech development in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has rarely been studied, yet residual speech sound errors are over 30 times more common in children with ASD than in the general population. Two main theories could explain this. The Social Feedback Loop proposes that toddlers with ASD vocalize less often and so have fewer opportunities to benefit from adult feedback. Thus, fewer vocalizations and perceptible differences in those vocalizations should be found in toddlers with ASD. The Speech Attunement Framework proposes that while toddlers with ASD “tune in” to their native languages well enough to acquire language normally, they lack the ability to “tune up” their articulation to the same level of precision as typically-developing children. Thus, differences in the vocalizations of toddlers with ASD may be perceptible or not, and should exist irrespective of differences in vocalization rate. This study longitudinally examines vocalization rate, consonant inventory size, and voice-onset time (VOT) in syllable-initial bilabial stops using 30-minute speech samples from toddlers in three groups: those at low risk for ASD (LRC), those at high risk for ASD with ASD themselves (HRA+), and those at high risk for ASD without ASD (HRA ) . Transient delays in consonant development were found in both HRA- and HRA+, but only HRA+ toddlers vocalized less often. Further, the relationship between vocalization rate and consonant inventory was significantly different from LRC only for HRA-. VOT development was similar across groups, except that fewer HRA+ 36-month-olds produced distinct /b/ and /p/ populations, as measured by t-test and by Cohen’s d ≥ 0.8 between mean VOTs in the two populations of stops. Results support the Speech Attunement Framework. Consonant acquisition delays are not related to differences in vocalization rate and are not found only in toddlers who develop ASD. The finding of sub-perceptual acoustic differences in stop production in toddlers who develop ASD, with no accompanying differences in production rate, also supports the Speech Attunement Framework. This suggests that the Social Feedback Loop is not diminished in ASD by lower vocalization rate, but that toddlers with ASD may have diminished ability to monitor their own speech.

Autism spectrum disorders has been a serious and widely discussed social topic in terms of severity and increasing frequency during the last few years. Psychodiagnostics process itself is often very demanding, and the measurement of the child's cognitive abilities is also a part of the comprehensive examination. Therefore, the results may make an enormous contribution to psychological diagnosis, clinical practice and education. The aim of the master thesis and the further research is to obtain information about the cognitive profile of children with autism spectrum disorder in comparison with neurotypical children, namely in the age range of six to twelve years. Firstly, the testing was carried out in the research group of 80 respondents, respectively with 40 respondents in the research group and 40 respondents in the control group. Secondly, each participant underwent testing using the Wechsler Intelligence Battery (WISC- III). Thirdly, the group of children with PAS underwent the neuropsychological battery, the A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (NEPSY-II) subtest. A statistically significant difference in overall IQ, verbal IQ, and performance IQ was found between the PAS group and the control group. In addition, a significant difference between the groups was also found in all...

In the last decade, socially assistive robots have been used in therapeutic treatments for individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Preliminary studies have demonstrated positive results using the Penguin for Autism Behavioral Intervention (PABI) developed by the AIM Lab at WPI to assist individuals diagnosed with ASDs in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy treatments. In recent years, power-efficient embedded AI computing devices have emerged as a powerful technology by reducing the complexity of the hardware platforms while providing support for parallel models of computation. This new hardware architecture seems to be an important step in the improvement of socially assistive robots in ABA therapy. In this thesis, we explore the use of a power-efficient embedded AI computing device and pre-trained deep learning models to improve PABI’s performance. Five main contributions are made in this work. First, a robot-enhanced ABA therapy framework is designed. Second, a multilayer pattern software architecture for a robot-enhanced ABA therapy framework is explored. Third, a multifactorial experiment is completed in order to benchmark the performance of three popular deep learning frameworks over the AI computing device. Experimental results demonstrate that some deep learning frameworks utilize the resources of GPU power while others utilize the multicore ARM-CPU system of the device for its parallel model of computation. Fourth, the robustness of state-of-the-art pre-trained deep learning models for feature extraction is analyzed and contrasted with the previous approach used by PABI. Experimental results indicate that pre-trained deep learning models overcome the traditional approaches in some fields; however, combining different pre-trained models in a process reduces its accuracy. Fifth, a patient-tracking algorithm based on an identity verification approach is developed to improve the autonomy, usability, and interactions of patients with the robot. Experimental results show that the developed algorithm has the potential to perform as well as the previous algorithm used by PABI based on a deep learning classifier approach.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) involves a broad presentation of symptoms classified along continuum of severity, with core deficits in Social Affect and Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours required for formal diagnosis (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Lauritsen, 2013). The development of particular cognitive, behavioural and interpersonal difficulties seen in ASD is of great interest. Temperament offers particular value given that it influences the development of social behaviours, emotionality and self-regulation (Shiner et al., 2012). The self-regulatory temperament factor, effortful control, is known to be diminished in ASD (Garon et al., 2009, 2016) and is theorised to be related to attention and executive functioning (Rothbart & Rueda, 2005). This link is of particular interest, given that attention and executive function deficits are prominent in ASD (Craig et al., 2016; Lai et al., 2017; Sanders, Johnson, Garavan, Gill, & Gallagher, 2008). To date, however, a thorough literature search failed to yield a study which has investigated whether effortful control,attention and executive functioning are concurrently associated with ASD symptomatology.Moreover, the relationship between effortful control, attention and executive functioning is not as unambiguous as previously theorised in typical development, with little investigation into these relationships in ASD. To elucidate the association effortful control, attention and executive functioning have with ASD symptomatology, the relationship between effortful control and these cognitive variable needs to be better established empirically. Therefore the current investigation’s aims were twofold. Study One investigated the relationship of effortful control with attention and executive functions in neurotypical and ASD samples. Study Two explored the association between effortful control, attention, executive functions and core ASD deficits (i.e. Social Affect and Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours). A sample of 38 ASD and 38 neurotypical boys (aggregate-matched on key demographic factors), aged 6 - 15, and their primary caregivers were recruited. Study One considered both groups (n=76) and featured both quasi-experimental and relational investigations. Study Two focused only on the ASD sample (n=38) and used a purely relational design. Neurocognitive measures were used to assess two attention domains (i.e. attention span and sustained attention), and three executive functions (i.e. working memory, inhibition and switching). Effortful control was measured using a parent-report questionnaire and ASD core deficits were examined using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second edition (ADOS-2; Lord, Luyster, Gotham, & Guthrie, 2012). Results of Study One revealed effortful control was a significant predictor of attention span, working memory and inhibition, with ASD participants performing significantly more poorly on these cognitive domains and rated significantly more poorly on effortful control. Study Two’s results indicated that Social Affect was significantly correlated with inhibition and the interaction effect between effortful control and working memory. Furthermore, only effortful control, attention span and their interaction effect were significantly associated with Restricted Repetitive Behaviours. Specifically, effortful control was found to moderate this relationship. At high levels of effortful control, increased attention span was associated with less Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours. These findings may aid efforts to establish a predictive model for ASD core deficits on the basis of temperament and cognitive difficulties. Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Effortful Control, Attention, Executive Functions, Social Affect, Restricted Repetitive Behaviours

Children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder are in danger of developing serious mental health issues after the death of a beloved person. They are considered as not being able to grieve and understand the concept of death, which leads to exclusion from grieving processes and rituals. This increases the risk of negative grief outcomes. Deficits in understanding, communication and interpersonal relationships make them especially vulnerable after the loss. Grief support from the social environment or professional grief interventions can have a positive impact on the grieving process and outcome. This systematic literature review aimed to identify grief support for this target group, including social and professional support. Additionally, grief reactions of children with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder were examined to identify how the need for support can be recognized. Seven databases were used for the search process and six studies met the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. It was found that the grief reaction of children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder was similar to normal developing children, although some group-specific variations were recognized. The content of provided grief support included education and discussions about death and emotions, participation in death rituals and preparation for it, as well as family support. Books and stories were found to be successful tools for explaining emotions and coping strategies. Due to the limited data available no solid information can be given about the possibility of continuous and effective grief support for this target group. A research gap was identified regarding the grief experience of children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder and available grief support for this target group.

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Millions of students with disabilities in the United States have access to educational programming to assist and provide special education support services. In existence for mere decades, special education as it currently stands was founded on groundbreaking legislation and refining law in the form of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The most recent revision of this law in 2004 significantly extended parents' rights to be decision-makers in the educational planning process for children with disabilities. A litany of research into parent experiences of the IEP and special education process reveals that parents consistently report feelings of being marginalized in the decision-making process. A systematic literature review conducted by the author revealed that parents and family members of children with ASD report broadly similar themes of dissatisfaction with the special education process and communicating with staff. The current research proposal seeks to investigate the interaction experiences with Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) personnel of parents and family members of elementary-aged children with ASD. LSSPs, recognized as possessing expertise on autism spectrum disorder amongst special education evaluation personnel, often conduct evaluations for students with ASD.

In conducting this study, the ultimate goal was to determine whether parents and other caregivers of individuals with disabilities are experiencing higher levels of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms as compared to the general population. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities and other disabilities are more likely to engage in aggressive behaviors such as hitting, kicking, biting, screaming, and self-injurious behavior. Research has also shown that parents of children with special needs have higher levels of stress, and special education teachers are leaving the field due to burnout. In addition to comparing PTSD levels of these caregivers with the general population, results of parents in this sample size were compared with the results of other caregivers. Using the PTSD Checklist – Civilian version (PCL-C), a self-report questionnaire, PTSD total scores, the three subscale scores which included re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal were analyzed. In total PCL-C scores and the subscale scores, the respondents’ results were statistically significant, with a mean score of 46.7 as compared to 29 with the general population. In addition, results demonstrated that parents and other caregivers that worked with an individual with a disability who engaged in aggressive behavior had a higher mean score than those who didn’t among this population. When divided into two groups, parents had a higher mean than the other caregivers. Future research can be done on PTSD treatments for this specific population without having to remove them from their environments in order to help reduce burnout and attrition among caregivers of individuals with disabilities.

Bakgrund I Sverige diagnostiseras årligen mellan 100–200 barn med Autismspektrumtillstånd (AST). Att ett barn i familjen har AST påverkar hela familjen och kan skapa känslor av oro, sorg och ilska. Diagnosen innebär många kontakter med olika professioner inom hälso- och sjukvården, där familjen är i stort behov av stöd. Familjecentrerad omvårdnad handlar om att involvera hela familjen i vårdprocessen där samarbete, delaktighet och respekt är viktiga beståndsdelar.  Syfte  Syftet var att beskriva familjers upplevelser och erfarenheter av stöd i vårdmötet då ett barn i familjen har autismspektrumtillstånd. Metod Studien gjordes som en litteraturöversikt. Artikelsökningar gjordes i tre databaser relevanta för ämnet, samt genom en manuell sökning. Femton artiklar analyserades med en integrerad analys inspirerad av Kristensson (2014). Resultat Resultatet visade att det uppstår specifika behov av stöd då familjer har ett barn med AST: Stöd i form av ett respektfullt bemötande, stöd i form av individanpassad information, stöd i form av vägledning under och efter diagnostiseringsprocessen samt stöd i form av att familjen inkluderas i vårdprocessen. Slutsats Familjer med barn med AST upplever en övervägande brist på stöd i vårdmötet i form av otrevligt bemötande, brist på adekvat information och vägledning samt brist på delaktighet i barnets vård. Genom familjecentrerad omvårdnad kan sjuksköterskan och övriga professioner i vårdteamet se till hela familjens behov vilket leder till ett ökat stöd. Sjukvårdteamet har således en viktig funktion i att utföra familjecentrerad omvårdnad då det kan förbättra familjernas vårdupplevelse. För att kunna erbjuda en vård av hög kvalitet är det av stor vikt att sjukvårdsteamet får mer kunskap om AST samt att de utbildas i hur stöd på bästa sätt kan ges till familjer med barn med AST. / Background In Sweden, 100-200 children are diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) annually. Having a child in the family with ASD affects the whole family and can initiate feelings of anxiety, grief and anger. The diagnosis involves several contacts with multiple healthcare professionals, situations where the family is in great need of support. Familycentered care aims to involve the whole family in the care process, and collaboration, participation and respect are important components. Aim The aim was to describe families' experiences of support in the healthcare meeting when a child in the family has Autism spectrum disorders. Method The study was conducted as a literature review. Article searches were made in three databases relevant to the topic, as well as an additional manual search. Fifteen articles were analyzed with an integrated analysis inspired by Kristensson (2014). Results The results revealed a specific need for support when families have a child with ASD, such as respectful care, personalized information, guidance during and after the diagnosis process and support in terms of including the family in the care process.  Conclusions Families with children with ASD experience a predominant lack of support in the care meeting such as unpleasant treatment, lack of adequate information and guidance, and lack of participation in the child's care. Through family-centered care, the nurse and the multidisciplinary team can consider the needs of the entire family, which leads to increased family support. Thus, the professional team has an important role in providing familycentered care as it can improve families' care experiences. It is of great importance that the multidisciplinary team gain more knowledge about ASD, and also receives more training in how to provide support to families with children with ASD.