This applied dissertation study was designed to inform and advance knowledge regarding research in the area of the effectiveness of functional communication training (FCT) in reducing challenging behaviors among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who were nonverbal, by using a quantitative single subject approach. The researcher specifically focused on determining which modality, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) or manual sign language, would be the most effective as a replacement behavior to bring about a reduction in challenging behaviors. Previous researchers in the field of FCT did not address this area, thus leaving a gap in the research. The participants for the study were three children with ASD between the ages of 4 and 6. Prior to the start of the study, multiple assessments were administered to assess the function of challenging behaviors, level of functioning, imitation skills, and preferences. The intervention phases consisted of randomly alternating between a session of PECS and manual sign daily with each session consisting of 10 trials. Baseline data was collected to assess preexisting skill level to mand for items. The intervention trials continued until the participants reached mastery level in either modality. Results demonstrated that only PECS was effective for both the participants who completed the study, and for the participant who mastered both manual signing and PECS, PECS had a quicker acquisition rate. Implications from the findings suggest that FCT is an effective intervention in reducing challenging behaviors, and that PECS might be more effective for quick reductions of challenging behaviors. The study is a valuable addition to the current FCT research as it aligns with and extends findings from previous research.

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The main purpose of the study was to examine the significance of contextual factors from a patient / support person perspective in order to be able to achieve quality experiences in health care for patients with an autism diagnosis. The research study was based on a member survey of the interest group Autism and Asperger's Association, whose questions mainly concerned experiences of contact with health care. From the survey, free text responses from respondents have been processed with a qualitative thematic analysis where the results show that contextual factors such as competence, attitude, accessibility and continuity according to the respondent group can contribute to quality experiences in health care. The results from the analysis also showed a correspondence between these factors and the fundament on which the thesis' theoretical starting point, the theory of person-centered care, rests. This means that tools to meet the needs of autism patients are already available for professionals within the line of health care, but that these probably need to be complied to a greater extent and adapted to a greater extent to this patient group.This research study is relevant for the line of social work because as a professional in this widespread working area you often come across individuals which has an autism spectrum disorder. This may involve work with users and patients in areas such as health care, social psychiatry or social welfare. Regardless of the profession in which professionals meet people with autism, a general knowledge of associated disabilities and the related needs that may arise is needed. / Studien hade som sitt huvudsakliga syfte att ur ett patient/stödpersonsperspektiv undersöka kontextuella faktorers betydelse för att skall kunna uppnå goda vårdupplevelser inom hälso- och sjukvård för patienter med en AST-diagnos. Studien utgick från en medlemsundersökning av intresseorganisationen Autism- ochAsperger förbundet vars frågor främst berörde upplevelser av kontakt med hälso- och sjukvård. Från undersökningen har fritextsvar från respondenter bearbetats med en kvalitativ temaanalys där resultaten visar att kontextuella faktorer som kompetens, bemötande, tillgänglighet och kontinuitet enligt respondentgruppen kan bidra till goda vårdupplevelser. Resultaten från analysen visade även en överenstämmelse mellan dessa faktorer och de fundament som uppsatsens teoretiska utgångspunkt, teorin kring personcentrerad vård vilar på. Detta innebär att verktyg för att tillgodose AST-patienters behov redan finns att tillgå för vården men att dessa troligtvis behöver efterlevas i högre grad och anpassas i högre utsträckning efter den aktuella patientgruppen. Studien är relevant för socialt arbete då man som yrkesutövare inom detta breda yrkesområde ofta kommer i kontakt med individer som diagnostiserats med AST. Det kan handla om arbete med brukare och patienter inom områden som exempelvis hälso- och sjukvård, socialpsykiatri eller biståndshandläggning. Oavsett inom vilken profession som professionella möter personer med AST behövs en generell kunskap om tillhörande funktionsnedsättningar och till dessa kopplade behov som kan uppstå.

Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties in forming functional communication. The purpose of this study was to replicate Ishizuka and Yamamoto (2016) to determine which intervention, contingent vocal imitation or contingent vocal responses, produced the highest level of vocalizations of young children diagnosed with ASD in a play-based setting. For the contingent vocal response treatment phase, the experimenter vocally responded to each child vocalization with a response that was topographically different than the child’s response. For the contingent vocal imitation treatment phase, the experimenter vocally imitated the child’s vocalization with a topographically identical response. Two children diagnosed with ASD, ages 41 and 57 months, participated in this study. An alternating treatment design was used to compare the effects of each treatment on increasing child vocalizations. . Results indicated that contingent vocal imitation resulted in a higher number of child vocal imitations for both children. Results also indicated that contingent vocal responses and contingent vocal imitation produced comparable levels of overall vocalizations, which replicated the findings of Ishizuka and Yamamoto (2016). / Applied Behavioral Analysis

Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties in forming functional communication. The purpose of this study was to replicate Ishizuka and Yamamoto (2016) to determine which intervention, contingent vocal imitation or contingent vocal responses, produced the highest level of vocalizations of young children diagnosed with ASD in a play-based setting. For the contingent vocal response treatment phase, the experimenter vocally responded to each child vocalization with a response that was topographically different than the child's response. For the contingent vocal imitation treatment phase, the experimenter vocally imitated the child's vocalization with a topographically identical response. Two children diagnosed with ASD, ages 41 and 57 months, participated in this study. An alternating treatment design was used to compare the effects of each treatment on increasing child vocalizations. . Results indicated that contingent vocal imitation resulted in a higher number of child vocal imitations for both children. Results also indicated that contingent vocal responses and contingent vocal imitation produced comparable levels of overall vocalizations, which replicated the findings of Ishizuka and Yamamoto (2016). / Applied Behavioral Analysis

In general education classrooms across the United States, students with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learn how to write and cultivate their writing skills. Teachers of students with ASD have the unique responsibility of carrying out effective instruction to all students. However, the growing body of research around evidence-based practices and approaches for students with ASD is limited. Two effective practices that have shown positive statistical significance for students with ASD are the self-regulated strategy development model (SRSD) and the social-emotional learning (SEL) framework. General education instruction faces a research-practice gap because of the widespread lack of strategy instruction and lack of evidence-based practices implemented in the classroom. The purpose was to design an integrated strategy instruction tool with an SEL framework, to provide potentially more feasible and equitable writing instruction for elementary students with ASD in general education classrooms. Therefore, a relationship skills themed expressive writing unit aligned with fifth grade language arts Florida State Standards was developed. Specifically, the researcher integrated the SRSD model into a five-day themed writing unit that teaches mnemonic writing strategies. The writing unit utilizes high-quality, SEL themed children's literature, cooperative learning practices, writing stations, and many formative assessment opportunities. In the future, the researcher's next step is to implement the writing unit in a general education classroom with a substantial ASD population to examine its efficacy and effectiveness. Hopefully, the feasibility of this innovative writing unit will decrease the research-practice gap that general education teachers face.

Syftet med denna studie var att lokalisera, värdera och sammanfatta befintlig litteratur som besvarar på den centrala frågeställningen. De två centrala frågorna för studien är om tv- och datorspel kan användas för att hjälpa underlätta problematiken som människor med någon form av autism kan uppleva, och hur bra denna metods effektivitet är gentemot mer traditionella metoder som terapi. Den teoretiska tolkningsramen som ligger till grund för denna studie är The Social Model of Disability, en modell som menar att samhället exkluderar människor med funktionsnedsättning via fördomar och okunskap på hur man bör inkludera människor med funktionsnedsättning. Data har samlats in via en form av litteraturstudie som kallas för Scoping Study och har därefter analyserats via analys genom uppräkning och tematisk analys. Resultatet visar på att datorspel kan användas för att lära ut språkliga kunskaper, igenkänning av ansiktsuttryck och emotioner, sociala erfarenheter, samt living skills (levnadsfärdigheter). Slutligen försöker studien även utpeka kunskapsluckor inom forskningsfältet och hur dessa kan besvaras på ett lämpligt sätt. / The aim of this study was to localize, evaluate and summarize existing literature to answer two central questions. The two central questions for this study is whether video and computer games can be used to ease the problems that people with some form of autism can experience, and how well this method works in comparison to traditional methods such as therapy. The theory which this study is based upon is The Social Model of Disability, a model which claims that society excludes people with disabilities through means such as prejudices a lack of knowledge for how to provide for said people with disabilities. Data was collected through a form of literature review called a Scoping Study, and was analyzed through enumerative content analysis and thematic analysis. The findings show that computer games can be used to teach language skills, recognition of facial expressions and emotions, social skills and living skills. Finally, this study also attempts to find gaps in the existing literature and the field of research, suggesting on how to adequately address these.

The metaverse has seen increased usages in its capabilities as an educational tool by immersing users in virtual scenarios. This technology is inaccessible for user groups that require higher degrees of accessibility and personalization, as most metaverse implementations do not adjust to the user’s needs. One such group are individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), rendering them unable to use immersive learning to foster skills that enable independent living. To solve this issue, this thesis aims to employ design science to produce an artefact that answers the research question: ”How can machine learning-based adaptations to 3D-environments be integrated into existing virtual reality platforms in order to increase accessibility for users with ASD?”. By the use of literature studies along with personas supplied from a research project, four different user profiles were established to represent users with ASD. Requirements for the artefact to be produced were then established by exploring possible stakeholders affected by the artefact. Employing data generative techniques, a neural network was trained to predict how the virtual environment should be augmented given the user’s specific characteristics. This neural network was then integrated into a virtual environment set up via Unity, by use of participatory modelling. The resulting artefact was then evaluated against the established requirements, via an experiment that mirrors a typical morning routine meant to increase the person’s skills in independent living. The results of this evaluation found that the artefact could handle known user profiles with a high accuracy (87.7%). The artefact also proved effective in approximating what kind of aide should be presented for the unknown user profiles (8/10 cases). The use of modern development tooling also proved satisfactory in aiding developers to use the artefact to create accessible environments with ease. The artefact’s use of neural networks proved an effective way to model complex user groups, though further ethnographic studies and non-synthetic data is needed to validate this capability.

The goal of this study is to design and evaluate a mobile augmented reality (AR) game application prototype to assist and motivate adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to maintain a conversation and identify the necessary design aspects to achieve this. The problem is that people with autism can have difficulties with communicating with others and handling social situations, which makes it hard for them to make friends. To solve this problem the use of pedagogical games and AR is examined as a potential tool. The use of technology and computer-based learning has been found to be helpful in improving the social and communication skills of individuals with ASD. Pedagogical games have also been effective in assisting people with disabilities to manage their daily lives. AR has been useful for contextualizing what the user sees and feels to apply digital instructions. AR games have been developed to help people with ASD become more comfortable in social situations. The study used design science methodology to develop the game prototype and tests with observations and pre/post-test interviews to evaluate the prototype. The results show that clear instructions, accessibility options, and individual adaptation are necessary design aspects to create an effective tool. The use of AR is not suitable according to the results due to increased stimuli, and a better suitable reward system is needed to motivate continued use of the game. Future research areas are also discussed, such as the use of more participants which are a part of the intended target demographic.