Background: Background of this work was the investigation of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the Fmr1 knock- out (KO) mouse. The Fmr1- KO mouse is a mouse model for fragile X syndrome (FXS). FXS is the leading monogenic cause for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in humans. The Fmr1- KO mouse displays autistic behavior such as an impaired social interaction, repetitive behavior, cognitive deficits, increased anxiety and aggressiveness. Alterations of the ECS have been suggested to play a key role in the etiopathology of a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. Until today, little has been described about the involvement of the ECS in ASD. Interrogation: 1. Evaluating the manifestation of typical cannabinoid- induced effects in the Fmr1- KO mouse 2. Investigating the influenceability of autistic symptoms with THC treatment in the Fmr1- KO mouse 3. Analyzing the signaling cascade of the stimulated and unstimulated ECS in different brain regions of the Fmr1- KO mouse Material and Methods: Experiments were carried out on adult (12±1 weeks old) male Fmr1- KO and Fmr1- wild- type (WT) mice from the C57BL/6J- (B6)- background. N= 15 mice received THC (10mg/kg bodyweight) and N= 16 received WIN55,212 (3mg/kg bodyweight). 30min after injection, the body temperature was measured and the distance animals moved in an open field during 15min was recorded (locomotion). Then, animals were placed with their forepaws onto a horizontally fixed bar and the time remaining in this position (catalepsy) was measured. Finally animals were placed on a preheated plate and the temperature at which a pain stimulus occurred was determined (testing analgesia). All 4 experiments are called tetrad experiment. Afterwards changes in body temperature, locomotion, catalepsy and analgesia of the animals was evaluated. To explore long-term effects of THC after the tetrad, N= 15 animals were tested in a social interaction test with a female contact mouse, 10 and 20 days after THC treatment. Therefore, the tested mouse and the contact mouse were placed together into a cage and the time mice spent in social interaction (nose, body and anogential sniffing, allogrooming and body contact) was manually quantified during 6min of recorded testing time. Another group of N= 19 received a premedication of rimonabant (Cannabinoid- receptor 1 (CB1) antagonist, 3mg/kg bodyweight) 30min prior to THC treatment. Rimonabant prevents THC from binding to CB1 and therefore allows the assessment of the involvement of CB1 in mediating social behavior. Furthermore the suggestibility of context-dependent fear conditioning with THC treatment has been tested on N= 13 mice. Animals were placed into a conditioning chamber that delivered 6 short electric shocks with a 30sec pause to their paws (conditioning phase). Immediately afterwards mice received THC or placebo. 24h later contextdependent fear was evaluated by quantification of the time mice spent freezing in the conditioning-chamber (fear) without receiving foot shocks. Intraneuronal signaling of the ECS was analyzed with N= 29 animals using western blots. Quantities of phosphorylated (“activated”) protein kinases (ERK, AKT and S6) from different brain homogenates (hippocampus, striatum, cortex and cerebellum) were therefore measured after THC or placebo injection (30 minutes prior to sacrificing). Results: Cannabinoids induced hypothermia, hypolocomotion, analgesia and catalepsy in WTmice. These effects were significantly less detectable in Fmr1- KO mice. Effects of both cannabinoids, THC and WIN55,212, were comparable with a slightly greater but not significant efficiency of THC. THC treated WT- mice exhibited further reduced social interaction 10 days after treatment, an effect that was partially prevented by premedication with rimonabant. THC increased social interaction in Fmr1- KO mice comparable to the level of untreated WT- mice. THC had no effect on behavior of WT- mice in context-dependent fear conditioning. Fmr1- KO mice showed significant less contextdependent fear conditioning compared to WT- mice. THC facilitated the recognition of an anxiety-correlated context in Fmr1- KO mice comparable to untreated WT- mice. In western blots significant changes in the THC- induced signaling cascade were detectable and depending on genotype, brain-region and analyzed protein-kinase. In the hippocampus there were no changes in untreated Fmr1- KO mice compared to WT- mice. THC had no effect on activation of protein-kinases in WT- and Fmr1- KO mice. In the striatum there were no changes in untreated Fmr1- KO mice compared to WTmice. THC significantly increased activity of ERK, AKT and S6 in WT-mice and not in Fmr1- KO mice. In the cortex of untreated Fmr1- KO mice AKT showed a significantly increased activity compared to WT- mice. THC significantly increased AKT activity in WT- mice without having an effect on KO- mice. In the cerebellum there were no changes in untreated Fmr1- KO mice compared to WT- mice. THC significantly increased ERK- activity in Fmr1- KO mice but had no effect on protein kinase activity in WT- mice. Conclusion: We observed physiological cannabinoid effects in WT- mice after treatment with THC and WIN55,212. These effects are significantly attenuated in Fmr1- KO mice. This may be interpreted as a desensitization of the ECS in the Fmr1- KO mouse. At the same time it was demonstrated that THC has the potential to improve context dependent memory consolidation and to increase social interaction in the Fmr1- KO mouse. In particular the influence of THC on impaired social interaction should be a target of further investigations to find possible therapeutic options for this typical symptom of Autism. Underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear and the analysis of THC stimulated intraneuronal signaling gave no clear indication of possible molecular alterations in the Fmr1- KO mouse.

The master thesis copes with gender dysphoria (GD) in persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The quantitative research was chosen to study this topic. The main goal was to determine whether people with mild ASD have a higher prevalence of GD or higher rate of GD compared to the general neurotypical population (NT). The main methods used in this research were: Autism Quotient Questionnaire (AQ-10) and the Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire in Adolescents and Adults (GIDYQ-AA), which made it possible to determine the degree of GD and the potential co-occurrence of a diagnosis of gender incongruence (GI; according to ICD-11). In the research there were 196 subjects with the age ranging from 16 to 74 years. The ASD group was compromised 90 persons and in the NT group there were 106 people. While in the NT group no one admitted transgender identity, in the ASD group 2.2 % of subjects informed about transgender identity and 14.4 % of the autistic group were not sure about it. Based on the GIDYQ-AA results, 4.4 % of people with ASD had a low score indicating a possible presence of a diagnosis of GD (GI). Furthermore, the research found that women with autism had significantly higher rate of GD than both women in the NT group and men with ASD. Overall, subjects with ASD achieved...

Standard clinical and psychiatric thinking follows a unipolar logic that is centered at “normal” conditions characterized by optimal performance in everyday life, with more atypical conditions being defined by the (degree of) absence of “normality.” A similar logic has been used to describe cognitive control, assuming that optimal control abilities are characterized by a strong focus on the current goal and ignorance of goal-irrelevant information (the concept of willpower), while difficulties in focusing and ignoring are considered indications of the absence of control abilities. However, there is increasing evidence that willpower represents only one side of the control coin. While a strong focus on the current goal can be beneficial under some conditions, other conditions would benefit from a more open mind, from flexibility to consider alternative goals and information related to them. According to the metacontrol model, people can vary in their cognitive processing style, on a dimension with the extreme poles of “persistence” on the one hand and “flexibility” on the other. Whereas a high degree of persistence corresponds to the original idea of cognitive control as willpower, with a strong focus on one goal and the information related to it, a high degree of flexibility is characterized by a more integrative, less selective and exclusive processing style, which facilitates switching between tasks, ideas, and actions, and taking into consideration a broader range of possibilities. We argue that this approach calls for a more bipolar account in the clinical sciences as well. Rather than considering individuals as typical or atypical, it would theoretically and practically make more sense to characterize their cognitive abilities in terms of underlying dimensions, such as the persistence/flexibility dimension. This would reveal that possible weaknesses with respect to one pole, such as persistence, and tasks relying thereupon, may come with corresponding strengths with respect to the other pole, such as flexibility, and respective tasks. We bolster our claim by discussing available evidence suggesting that neurodevelopmental atypicality often comes with weaknesses in tasks related to one pole but strengths in tasks related to the other.

Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism is a form of pervasive developmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication and restricted and stereotyped interests. These children are often clumsy and motor uncoordinated. They also performed worse in standardized tests of motor function. In this diploma thesis we used Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2 (MABC-2) for assessment motor skills in children with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism aged 7-10 years in comparison with the group of children developing typically. Our study included 9 children with Asperger syndrome, 3 children with high-functioning autism and 64 children with typical development. Evident motor deficit (below 5. percentile) was found in 2 children with Asperger syndrome and 3 children with high-functioning autism. 1 child with Asperger syndrome was in a risk of motor deficit (6.-16. percentile). Children with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism performed significantly worse than children developing typically in a total score of this test. Significant difference was found in two components of MABC-2, in Aiming and catching (AC) and Balance (BAL). Better results reached children with typical development. Results of this study indicate that children with Asperger syndrome...

The aim of this thesis is to find out chat forms of zoorehabilitation exists and how it can help to people with autism and thein families. The work begins with a brief definitiv of autism and its history. The FIFA charter is devoted to autism spektrum disorders, its influence on social relationships, communication, imagination, games and interests. The sixth charter deals with disorders of the autism spektrum. I describe each disorder separately, its characteristics, even if there are not fixed boundaries between different disordes. The seventh charter is devoted to the diagnosis of autism spektrum disorders, chat are the metod sof diagnosis. Next charter describers chat options do parents of these childern have in education. Following charter describes Civic associations, that arise and hepl parents of childern affected by autism and ether formo f disabilities. In the tenth and in the next five chapters are described different types zoorehabilitation, its origin and use in the Czech Republic. From the seventeenth charter starts the practical part where i described free different stories of families with a child who has one of the autism spektrum disorder. Every child has a different disorder and esch reacts differently to zootherapy, whether at home or specialized facility. From case reports, it...

Diploma thesis Education of Practical school pupils is focused on observation pupils school achievements in two key subjects, it is Food preparation and Health education. Pupils take the final theoretical and practical exams. They obtain a certificate of studies completion and food preparation for auxiliary work qualifications. The target of this work is monitoring and recording the course of the lessons and performance of these pupils. There are two pupils who are the main participants of the study. The aim of the task is to refer about possibility of rising problems and its solutions. It is about the pupils tuition with autism, moderate mental retardation and speech development by one of them and with Asperger syndrome and mild mental retardation. Through the long-term observation of both pupils in the educational process the thesis offers possible solutions and prevention of failures or complications, in getting the required key competencies pointing towards passing the final exam and getting involved in a working process or to continue at a vocational school. In the theoretical part are recorded and described the both pupils diagnosis and anamnesis, defined the terms autism, Asperger syndrome, mild and moderate mental retardation, multiple disability and structured teaching. The theoretical...

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The thesis discusses the issue of multiple handicaps, and partial functions development, in children. The thesis is divided into two parts - theoretical and practical. There is an initial description of individual types of handicaps that are relevant to the topic. It focuses on partial functions and their specific development. The practical part aims at special elementary school education and educational work and methods in an orphanage. The thesis describes particular options of how to develop partial functions of the handicapped children. The thesis is qualitative research using observations, interactions with children and interviews with teachers. The main aim of this work was create a methodology for the evaluation of the children with multiple disabilitie

HOFMANNOVÁ, Romana. Autistic child starts a school attendance at a current elementary school. Čerské Budějovicee: University of South Bohemia, Pedagogical Faculty, Department of Pedagogy and Psychology, 2012, pp., Supervisor of the diploma thesis PhDr. Marta Franclová. My diploma thesis is focused on autism particularly on connection of autism and educational possibilities for persons with ASDs (Autistic Spectrum Disorders). My work consists of two parts. Theoretical part deals with theoretical informations about especially about expressions and qualification. Theoretical part contain autistic persons in CZ an about consultant services. Very important role plays Individual education plan. Second practical part is in a form of personal study.