Diploma thesis Assistance to the handicapped people and their families deals with demanding challenges which parents with children born with handicap are faced. Concerning the exacting situations that aren't one - time but long-term, parents are grateful for each support or help. Therefore a sensitive assistance to these families is very important. To make it effective, it's necessary to understand both thinking, feelings, handicapped child's needs and members of their broad surroundings. That's why this thesis occupies with challenging life situations, stress and stress coping in general, child's handicap, accepting this child and related unexpected new situations by parents. The thesis deals with issues related to children with autism and with Down's syndrome. It presents significant role of support for children with handicap and their families provided by the self-governed associations and groups. It occupies with assistance to these families with handicapped children by means of challenge for pastoral work and evangelization. Key words: Stress, demanding situation, handicap, family, autism, Down's syndrome, pastoral work, assistance, self-governed associations, social network.

The thesis deals with the setting of functional communication using the Picture Exchange Communication System method at people with autism spectrum disorder through individual levels of education and is divided into the theoretical and the practical part. The key terms explaining the problematic of autism, significance of communication and education of people with autism spectrum disorder introduces the theoretical part which is split into a few areas. The main overarching is the Picture Exchange Communications System methods which compensates the disorder in communication of an individual with autism spectrum disorder either temporarily or permanently. Furthermore, based on the interviews with participants in the educational process, the thesis analyzes the application of the method and cooperation of the individual educational institutions but also parents. In the empirical part are the interviews complemented by the case study which completes the whole picture of research problem in question. The output of the thesis are recommendations compared with the results of the conducted research. The area of education of individuals with autism spectrum disorder is one of the most difficult pedagogical disciplines regarding to attention, individual approach, environment modification and at the same time...

Belohnungen sind im Leben des Menschen von enormer Bedeutung. Es wurde vermutet, dass die zentralen sozialen Schwierigkeiten bei Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen (ASS) auf eine verminderte Reaktionsfähigkeit auf spezifische soziale Belohnungen zurückzuführen sein könnten. Die Literatur zu diesem Thema ist jedoch nicht schlüssig. Diese Dissertation umfasst vier Studien, die die Reaktionsfähigkeit auf soziale und nicht-soziale Belohnungen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von ASS und autistischen Merkmalen untersuchen. In den Studien 1 und 2 wurden neuronale (ereigniskorrelierte Potenziale), autonome (Pupillengröße) und verhaltensbezogene (Selbstberichte und Reaktionszeiten) Indizes der Reaktion auf soziale und nicht-soziale Belohnungen bei Personen mit ASC sowie mit ausgeprägten und geringen autistischen Merkmalen untersucht. Wir stellten fest, dass ein höheres Maß an autistischen Merkmalen bei klinischen ASS und in der Allgemeinbevölkerung mit einer verstärkten neuronalen und autonomen Verarbeitung, typischen Leistungen und einer geringeren selbstberichteten Belohnungssensitivität verbunden war. Studie 3 untersuchte die Auswirkungen von sozialer Vertrautheit und Belohnungskontext auf die Pupillenreaktionen. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass der Belohnungswert eines positiven Reizes bei vertrauten Gesichtern höher ist und von der Assoziation zwischen Handlung und Ergebnis abhängt. Studie 4 ist eine theoretische Perspektive zum Verständnis der Multidimensionalität von Belohnungen und zum Umgang damit. In allen Studien konnte ich nachweisen, dass das Belohnungsverhalten von ASS vielfältig und atypisch, aber nicht defizitär ist. Außerdem schlage ich eine Definition von Belohnung vor, die sie von einem rein positiven Stimulus unterscheidet. Schließlich erörtere ich diese Arbeit im breiteren Rahmen der sozialneuropsychologischen Forschung und zeige Möglichkeiten auf, wie sie in künftigen Studien weiter verbessert werden kann. / Rewards are immensely important in human lives. It has been suggested that the core social difficulties in autism spectrum conditions (ASC) may stem from lowered responsiveness to specifically social rewards. However, the literature on this topic is inconclusive. This dissertation includes four studies investigating reward responsiveness to social and non-social rewards with particular focus on ASC and autistic traits. Studies 1 and 2 investigated neuronal (event-related potentials), autonomic (pupil sizes) and behavioural (self-reports and reaction times) indexes of responsiveness to social and non-social rewards in individuals with ASC, and with high and low autistic traits. We observed that higher levels of autistic traits in clinical ASC and in the general population were linked to enhanced neuronal and autonomic processing, typical performance, and decreased self-reported reward sensitivity. Study 3 investigated the effects of social familiarity and rewarding context on pupillary responses. The results indicated that the reward value of a positive stimulus is higher for more familiar faces and depends on action-outcome associations. Study 4 is a theoretical perspective on understanding and working with multidimensionality of rewards. Across all studies, I provide evidence for multifaceted and atypical, but not deficient, reward responsiveness in ASC. Further, I propose a definition of reward which differentiates it from a merely positive stimulus. Finally, I discuss this work in the broader framework of social neuropsychology research and identify the ways in which it can be further improved in future studies.

Eine effektive Förderung des Sozialverhaltens autistischer Kinder erfordert ein tiefgehendes Verständnis der Ursachen maladaptiver Reaktionen und die Bereitstellung eines leicht verfügbaren Förderangebots. Hier haben digitale Angebote ein großes Potential. Ebenso wie bei der Ursachenforschung mangelt es jedoch an Forschungsansätzen, welche eine Vielzahl an kognitiven und emotionalen Prozessen in die digitale Förderung integrieren. Dementsprechend untersuchte die Dissertation zunächst das Zusammenspiel verschiedener Ursachen aggressives Sozialverhaltens anhand eines etablierten Modells der sozial-kognitiven Informationsverarbeitung. Durch die Integration verschiedener Facetten der Empathie und deren zugrundeliegende Kompetenzen in ein digitales Förderangebot sollte im zweiten Schritt eine Verbesserung des Sozialverhaltens autistischer Grundschüler:innen erreicht werden. Es zeigte sich, dass Emotionsdysregulation verschiedene Formen aggressiven Sozialverhaltens und damit assoziierte feindselige Attributionen verstärkt. Letztere stand vor allem mit verbalen und verdeckten Aggressionsformen sowie mit guten Emotionserkennungsfertigkeiten im Zusammenhang. Eine Verbesserung des Sozialverhaltens und der Emotionsregulation konnte mittelfristig durch das sechswöchige, eltern-begleitete eLearningprogramm „Zirkus Empathico“ erreicht werden. Die multizentrische, randomisiert kontrollierte Studie ergab zudem kurzfristige und moderate Interventionseffekte für Empathie und Emotionserkennung als primäre Endpunkte. Insgesamt unterstreicht die Dissertation die Validität etablierter Modelle der sozialen Informationsverarbeitung sowie die Relevanz, diese zukünftigen Forschungs- und Interventionsansätzen zugrunde zu legen. Durch die Integration verschiedener sozio-emotionaler Kompetenzen scheint die digitale Intervention Zirkus Empathico prosoziales Verhalten autistischer Kinder auf effektive und praktikable Weise zu fördern. / Effective training of autistic children`s social behavior requires an in-depth understanding of the causes of maladaptive responses and the provision of easily accessible support services. In this context, digital interventions have great potential. However, there is a lack of research approaches that integrate a variety of cognitive and emotional processes into both, explanation and digital support. The present dissertation first examined the interplay of different causes of aggressive social behavior by applying an established model of social-cognitive information processing to a sample of autistic elementary school students. Second, by integrating different facets of empathy and their underlying competencies into a digital program, the social behavior of autistic elementary school children should be improved. First, it was shown that emotion dysregulation strengthens various forms of aggressive social behavior and associated hostile attribution biases. The latter was mainly related to verbal and covert forms of aggression and good emotion recognition skills. Second, the parent-assisted eLearning program "Zirkus Empathico" led to a medium-term improvement in social behavior and emotion regulation after a six-week training. In addition, the multicenter randomized controlled trial showed moderate intervention effects on empathy and emotion recognition as primary outcomes, which were no longer detectable three months later. Overall, the dissertation highlights the validity of established models of social information processing and the relevance of using them as a foundation for future research and intervention. By integrating various socio-emotional competencies, the digital intervention Zirkus Empathico seems to strengthen autistic children’s prosocial behavior effectively and feasibly.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterised by social communication difficulties. These difficulties have been mainly explained by cognitive, motivational, and emotional alterations in ASD. The communication difficulties could, however, also be associated with altered sensory processing of communication signals. Here, we assessed the functional integrity of auditory sensory pathway nuclei in ASD in three independent functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments. We focused on two aspects of auditory communication that are impaired in ASD: voice identity perception, and recognising speech-in-noise. We found reduced processing in adults with ASD as compared to typically developed control groups (pairwise matched on sex, age, and full-scale IQ) in the central midbrain structure of the auditory pathway (inferior colliculus [IC]). The right IC responded less in the ASD as compared to the control group for voice identity, in contrast to speech recognition. The right IC also responded less in the ASD as compared to the control group when passively listening to vocal in contrast to non-vocal sounds. Within the control group, the left and right IC responded more when recognising speech-in-noise as compared to when recognising speech without additional noise. In the ASD group, this was only the case in the left, but not the right IC. The results show that communication signal processing in ASD is associated with reduced subcortical sensory functioning in the midbrain. The results highlight the importance of considering sensory processing alterations in explaining communication difficulties, which are at the core of ASD.

Objective: Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a relatively common, well-known but heterogeneous neuropsychiatric disorder, specific knowledge about characteristics of this heterogeneity is scarce. There is consensus that IQ contributes to this heterogeneity as well as complicates diagnostics and treatment planning. In this study, we assessed the accuracy of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS/2) in the whole and IQ-defined subsamples, and analyzed if the ADOS/2 accuracy may be increased by the application of machine learning (ML) algorithms that processed additional information including the IQ level. Methods: The study included 1,084 individuals: 440 individuals with ASD (with a mean IQ level of 3.3 ± 1.5) and 644 individuals without ASD (with a mean IQ level of 3.2 ± 1.2). We applied and analyzed Random Forest (RF) and Decision Tree (DT) to the ADOS/2 data, compared their accuracy to ADOS/2 cutoff algorithms, and examined most relevant items to distinguish between ASD and Non-ASD. In sum, we included 49 individual features, independently of the applied ADOS module. Results: In DT analyses, we observed that for the decision ASD/Non-ASD, solely one to four items are sufficient to differentiate between groups with high accuracy. In addition, in sub-cohorts of individuals with (a) below (IQ level ≥4)/ID and (b) above average intelligence (IQ level ≤ 2), the ADOS/2 cutoff showed reduced accuracy. This reduced accuracy results in (a) a three times higher risk of false-positive diagnoses or (b) a 1.7 higher risk for false-negative diagnoses; both errors could be significantly decreased by the application of the alternative ML algorithms. Conclusions: Using ML algorithms showed that a small set of ADOS/2 items could help clinicians to more accurately detect ASD in clinical practice across all IQ levels and to increase diagnostic accuracy especially in individuals with below and above average IQ level.

In diesem Artikel sollen Potenziale im Flurbereich einer Wohngruppe für Menschen mit Autismus-Spektrum-Störung (ASS) betrachtet werden. Die Bewohner:innen dieser Wohngruppe haben einen äußerst hohen Bedarf an Unterstützung und können zum gegenwärtigen Zeitpunkt keine Sozialkontakte eingehen bzw. sind nicht gruppenfähig. Die Erkenntnisse sollen ermöglichen, dass Flure nicht nur die Funktion eines Durchgangsbereiches einnehmen, sondern auch als Orte der Begegnung, der Orientierung und der Förderung von Selbstständigkeit dienen. Und auch als solche konzeptionell berücksichtigt werden. Um sich der Frage zu nähern, ob es diese Potenziale gibt und wie diese durch architektonische Elemente unterstützt werden können, wurde ein ortszentriertes Behavior Mapping im Flur der intensivpädagogischen Wohngruppe durchgeführt. Ziel der Beobachtungen war das Nutzungsverhalten von Bewohner:innen und Personal der Wohngruppe zu analysieren, um daraus Gestaltungsempfehlungen abzuleiten. Folgende Elemente der Flurgestaltung ließen sich aus den Beobachtungen und der Literaturrecherche ableiten: Reizarmut der Umgebung zur Vermeidung von sensorischen Reizen. Ausreichend Platz für funktionelle Verkehrsfläche und Durchwegung sowie Arbeitsabläufe. Orientierungs- und Leitsysteme, um die Funktion von Bereichen zu kennzeichnen und die Orientierung zu erleichtern. Zonierung nach Funktionen zur Stärkung bestimmter Aktivitäten wie Kommunikation. Rückzugsmöglichkeiten tragen durch eine kontrollierbare Umwelt zur Stressreduktion bei. [... aus dem Text]

TITLE: Developing Communication Skills in Children with Autism Using Verbal Behavior - Applied Behavior Analysis AUTHOR: Bc. Kateřina Chrapková DEPARTMENT: The Department of Special Education SUPERVISOR: doc. PaedDr. Jiřina Klenková, Ph.D. ABSTRACT: This thesis deals with the development of communication skills in children with autism using Verbal Behavior - Applied Behavioral Analysis (VB-ABA). The aim of this work is to introduce VB-ABA approach as an effective intervention for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). It is a monographic work with emphasis on a theory. The empirical part consist evaluative single-case study. The thesis is devided into six theoretical and one empirical chapter. The first theoretical chapter presents the issue of communication in a view of behaviorism and compares this approach with classical linguistics. The second chapter describes theories of language acquisition and language development from behavioral and linguistic perspective. The third chapter discusses the development of children's speech in the context of ontogeny and its functions. The fourth chapter deals with the issue of communication skills in the context of ASD. The fifth chapter introduces evidence based practice and provides information on current international research of interventions for persons...

The diploma thesis considers possibilities of using therapies for preschool children with multiple disabilities in special nursery schools and in common nurseries with special classes. Provides an overview of therapies which mostly occur in schools. Based on the theoretical knowledge about single therapies identifies, how are integrated into the educational process in kindergartens. The analysis of the questionnaire survey highlights the shortcomings, that were the basis for a proposal to streamline therapies in these facilities.

The basic theme of this work is characterization of the role of Special Educational Centre in the training of teaching staff educating pupils and children with autism spectrum disorder. Theoretical knowledge in the field of autism and education of individuals with disabilities is compared with the content of specific educational seminars and with questionnaire survey from its participants. The analysis of the survey documents and reflects the needs of teachers and it is the basis for the workshop design optimization as well. The result of the presented work emphasizes the need to professionally educate teachers in the field of autism.