Thesis (M.S.)--East Carolina University, 2009. / Advisor: John Heilmann. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed July 1, 2010). Presented to the faculty of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Includes bibliographical references.

The present study examined stimulus control in autistic children. A matching-to-sample procedure was employed in all experiments. In the first part of Experiment I, autistic and control subjects were trained to discriminate between a vertical line and a line tilted at an angle of 33 degrees from vertical. Following training, subjects were given a generalization test to determine the degree of dimensional control by line tilt. In the second part of Experiment I, subjects were trained to discriminate between a vertical line and lines tilted progressively closer to vertical. Experiment II was also a test for the degree of dimensional control by the line tilt. In Experiment I, the autistic subjects took a greater number of trials than the controls to reach the criterion of 24 consecutive correct trials. However, the difference in the number of trials taken by the two groups was not large. There was also little difference between the autistic and control subjects in part two of Experiment I. All of the autistic subjects successfully discriminated between a vertical line and a 2 degree line tilt to a criterion of eight consecutive correct trials. In the generalization tests in Experiments I and II, there was little difference between the autistic and control subjects in dimensional stimulus control. In Experiment III, the autistic subjects were examined for acquisition of a multidimensional discrimination. Both autistic and control subjects were trained to match a standard stimulus with one of four comparison stimuli that were varied in shape and in the presence and absence of a star within the shape. The autistic subjects took a greater number of trials than the controls to reach the criterion of eight consecutive correct trials. However, the difference between the autistic and control subjects in the number of trials taken to reach criterion was not large. In summary, the study found little difference between autistic and control subjects in the acquisition of simple or multidimensional discrimination. As well, there was little difference between the autistics and the controls in dimensional stimulus control. The results of the study suggest that the autistic child's problem is not one of stimulus selectivity. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

Chui Yuk Lan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-84). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT(ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSION) --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.iv / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.v / LIST OF TABLES --- p.viii / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.xi / LIST OF APPENDICES --- p.xiii / Chapter CHAPTER I - --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Weak Central Coherence Theory --- p.1 / Superior Spatial Hypothesis --- p.4 / Superior Segmentation Hypothesis --- p.4 / Global Precedence Hypothesis --- p.5 / Perceptual Span Hypothesis --- p.5 / Main Study-Global and Local Processing Study --- p.6 / Eye Movement Study --- p.10 / Purposes of the Present Study --- p.11 / Chapter CHAPTER II - --- GLOBAL-LOCAL PROCESSING STUDY: METHOD --- p.12 / Participants --- p.12 / Apparatus and Setting --- p.12 / Stimuli --- p.13 / Design and Procedure --- p.14 / Chapter CHAPTER III - --- GLOBAL-LOCAL PROCESSING STUDY: RESULTS --- p.19 / Age and IQ --- p.19 / Speed-Accuracy Trade Off --- p.19 / Performance Indices --- p.19 / Analyses Testing Global Precedence Hypothesis --- p.21 / Analyses Testing Group Difference on Global/Local Precedence --- p.21 / Analyses Testing Group Difference on Global-To-Local Interference --- p.24 / Analyses Testing Group Difference on Local-To-Global Interference --- p.25 / Analyses Testing the Perceptual Span Hypothesis --- p.39 / Chapter CHAPTER IV - --- GLOBAL-LOCAL PROCESSING STUDY: DISCUSSION --- p.45 / Implications of Incompatible Findings with Pervious Studies --- p.45 / Implications of Partial Support of Global Precedence Hypothesis --- p.47 / Interpretation of Perceptual Span Hypothesis --- p.50 / Chapter CHAPTER V - --- EYE-MOVEMENT STUDY: METHOD --- p.51 / Participants --- p.51 / Materials --- p.51 / Apparatus --- p.56 / Design and Procedure --- p.56 / Chapter CHAPTER VI - --- EYE-MOVEMENT STUDY: RESULTS --- p.62 / Age and IQ --- p.62 / Number of Objects Found in Object Search Tasks --- p.62 / Total Number of Fixations --- p.62 / Fixation Duration --- p.62 / Distance of Fixations --- p.66 / Fixations Located Outside the Screen --- p.66 / Fixations Located Within the Screen but Outside the Designated Areas --- p.66 / Number of Fixations Located Inside the Designated Areas --- p.67 / Chapter CHAPTER VII - --- EYE-MOVEMENT STUDY: DISCUSSION --- p.73 / Implications of Eye-Movement Patterns --- p.73 / Possible Explanations for Eye-Movement Patterns --- p.74 / Speculation of Faster Information Processing --- p.74 / Chapter CHAPTER VIII - --- GENERAL DISCUSSION --- p.76 / Possible Explanations of Global-Local Processing Findings --- p.76 / Relations to the Weak Central Coherence Theory --- p.77 / Limitations and Suggestions --- p.79 / REFERENCES --- p.81 / APPENDICES --- p.85

Diss. (sammanfattning) Göteborg : Göteborgs universitet, 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1994.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1994.

No description available.

Background. In children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), sensori-motor development and functional skills in activities of daily living (ADL) remain little explored in comparison to the other domains of development. Objectives. To determine the impact of sensori-motor skills on functional skills in ADL of preschool children with ASD, and to examine their type of sensory responses, their motor skills and their functional skills in ADL. Methods. This project is a pilot and cross-sectional study. Thirty-five children with ASD, three to four years of age, have been recruited and assessed. Control groups are also included: eight children with developmental delay (DD) and five children with typical development (TD). A battery of diagnostic and clinical tests was used. Results. ASD and DD groups have significantly more atypical sensory responses than the TD group as measured by the Sensory Profile. The ASD group has significantly poorer motor skills than controls (TD and DD) based on the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales --2nd edition (PDMS-2). Self-care skills of the ASD group fall below 2 standard deviations (SD) on the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM). Daily living skills (DLS) of the ASD group are significantly poorer than controls on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales -- Second Edition (VABS-II). The largest percentage of variability in self-care skills, as measured by the WeeFIM, is explained by cognitive functioning and auditory processing, while personal skills, as measured by the VABS-II, are predicted by fine motor skills and sensory avoiding. Conclusion. Pre-school children with ASD, but also children with DD, react differently to sensory stimuli than typically developing children. Also, children with ASD have significantly poorer motor skills than DD and TD children. These sensory and motor difficulties affect the functional skills in ADL. Therefore, it will be important clinically to individually assess and consider sensori-motor and functional skills in ADL of children with ASD. Future interventions may then aim at improving and supporting the development and autonomy of these children. In turn this may assist caregivers by reducing their care load. / Keywords: autism spectrum disorders, sensory responses, motor skills, functional skills, activities of daily living

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2003. / Adviser: Calvin Gidney. Submitted to the Dept. of Child Development. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-64). Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

Diss. (sammanfattning) Göteborg : Göteborgs universitet, 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.