Submitted by Diana Cardoso (dianacardosota@gmail.com) on 2017-09-11T03:32:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE CARDOSO, DIANA MARIA PEREIRA.pdf: 1452082 bytes, checksum: c314bbc6ef48ca4d6fc62cb3a8762141 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Uillis de Assis Santos (uillis.assis@ufba.br) on 2017-09-12T18:41:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE CARDOSO, DIANA MARIA PEREIRA.pdf: 1452082 bytes, checksum: c314bbc6ef48ca4d6fc62cb3a8762141 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-12T18:41:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE CARDOSO, DIANA MARIA PEREIRA.pdf: 1452082 bytes, checksum: c314bbc6ef48ca4d6fc62cb3a8762141 (MD5) / A presente tese teve como objetivo verificar e analisar as habilidades básicas da matemática do 1º ciclo de aprendizagem do ensino fundamental I presentes na amostra de crianças com transtorno do espectro autista (TEA) e os comportamentos que sugerem relação com as funções executivas, observados por meio de atividades de matemática utilizadas no atendimento educacional especializado realizado no Centro de Atendimento Educacional Especializado Pestalozzi da Bahia (CAEEPB). Como opção metodológica foi adotada a pesquisa-ação, sob uma abordagem qualitativa. Fizeram parte desta pesquisa quatro crianças com diagnóstico de TEA, com idade entre 8 e 10 anos, sendo três do sexo masculino e uma do feminino. Atendendo ao propósito deste estudo, para a coleta de dados foram elaboradas quatro atividades matemáticas denominadas: “Cabides numerados”, “Piões coloridos”, “Cartões de contagem”, “Potes coloridos: aprendendo a classificar e a contar”. De acordo com os dados encontrados foi possível conhecer quais habilidades básicas da matemática as crianças pesquisadas dominam e perceber, a partir de atividades pedagógicas de matemática, os comportamentos e atitudes que sugerem relação com as funções executivas como: flexibilidade cognitiva, controle inibitório, memória de trabalho e atenção seletiva presentes nas quatro crianças que apresentam diagnóstico de TEA. Embora não se possa afirmar que os achados sejam decorrentes de prejuízo da função executiva, este estudo possibilitou saber o quanto é importante e necessário que o professor conheça mais sobre as funções executivas para melhor compreender os comportamentos repetitivos e perseverativos presentes nas crianças com TEA e, assim, saber quando e como intervir no contexto escolar. / ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis was to verify and analyze the basic mathematical skills of the first cycle of elementary education I present in the sample of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the behaviors that suggest relation with the executive functions, observed through mathematics activities used in the specialized educational service performed at the Centro de Atendimento Educacional Especializado Pestalozzi da Bahia (CAEEPB). As a methodological option the research-action was adopted under a qualitative approach. This study included four children diagnosed with ASD, aged between 8 and 10 years, three of them male and one female. According to the purpose of this study, four mathematical activities were elaborated: "Numbered hangers", "Colored doodles", "Counting cards", "Colored pots: learning to classify and to count". According to the data found, it was possible to know which basic mathematical skills the children studied dominate and to perceive, from mathematics pedagogical activities, the behaviors and attitudes that suggest relation with the executive functions as: cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, work memory and selective attention in the four children with a ASD diagnosis. Although it is not possible to say that the findings are due to impairment of the executive function, this study made it possible to know how important and necessary it is for the teacher to know more about the executive functions to a better understanding of the repetitive and persevering behaviors present in children with ASD, thus, knowing when and how to intervene in the school context.

This thesis concerns the educational methods applied by teachers of kindergartens and where children with autism spectrum disorder are educated. In the theoretical part of the thesis autism spectrum disorders, their etiology, classification and diagnosis are described. Further there is a description of preschool education approches, to children with autism, and the system cooperation with other partners (SPC, teacher's assistants, parents, school). There are also listed different educational methods and tools used in the educational process. The research part in the form of a qualitative research is devoted to the most frequently methods and devices used and to the level of teacher's collaboration with the others for the healthy development of the child. Everything is viewed from the kindergarten teachers perspective. All teachers work in Prague, in the kindergarten and preschools where children with autism are educated.

The differential outcomes effect (DOE) refers to an observed increase in rates of acquisition of simple or conditional relations when the contingencies of reinforcement arrange for reinforcers to be uniquely correlated with a particular stimulus or response relative to conditions where the reinforcers are not uniquely correlated with either stimulus or response. This effect has been robustly documented in the literature with nonhuman subjects. This study asked whether the DOE would be observed with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learning audio-visual conditional relations. Two participants learned two sets of 3 audio-visual conditional relations. For one set, the training conditions arranged for each of the three conditional relations to be uniquely correlated with a particular reinforcing stimulus (the DO condition). For the second set, the training conditions arranged for the same reinforcer to be used for all three audio-visual conditional relations (the NDO condition). Early results show that audio-visual conditional relations were acquired faster under the DO condition relative to the NDO outcomes condition (accuracy in DO condition was 30.8% higher on average than in NDO condition). These data suggest that differential outcomes should be more thoroughly investigated with children with diagnoses of ASD.

Background. The experience of parenting children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is generally understood to encompass higher levels of parenting stress relative to families of typically developing children and, in many instances, when viewed in comparison to children with other disabilities. Emerging evidence suggests that when children with ASD present with elevated attention problems, parents may be more likely to engage in harsh parenting during dyadic interactions (Donnelly, 2015). Despite this, few studies have examined the relationship between attention problems and observed parenting in families of children with ASD, which has been well-described in the literature as a particularly challenging context for parents. This dissertation investigated the relationship between child attention and observed parenting behaviors in a community sample of mothers of children with ASD in early childhood. The extent and nature of this relationship was further explored by observing whether parenting stress and depression played a role in mediating this relationship, and by investigating whether the relationship varied by child behavior and level of functioning. Parenting behaviors were directly observed across three dyadic tasks selected to approximate naturalistic situations in which parents and their children interact. It was hypothesized that increased attention problems would be linked to greater parenting stress, decreased positive parenting, and increased harsh parenting. Increased understanding of how attention problems relate to parenting within an ASD population will inform the selection and design of interventions uniquely suited to meet the needs of children and their families. Methods. This sample of 42 mother-child dyads included children with ASD attending a specialized preschool, where they received Applied Behavior Analysis educational programming. Child participants ranged in age from two years, six months to five years, six months, and all diagnostic classifications were corroborated through the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (Lord et al., 2012). Parent and child behaviors during dyadic interactions were video recorded and then coded using the Psychological Multifactor Care Scale — ASD Adapted Preschool Version (Brassard, Donnelly, Hart, & Johnson, 2016). These direct observations of parent and child behavior were used to examine quality of parenting, child negativity toward the mother, and child engagement in tasks during parent-child interactions. Following the interaction, mothers completed a number of self-report measures assessing demographic characteristics, Parenting Stress Index, Fourth Edition, Short Form (PSI-4: SF; Abidin, 2012, maternal depressive symptoms on the PHQ9 (Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2001), and the Attention Problems scale on the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001). Classroom teachers completed the Communication domain of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales –Third Edition (Vineland-3; Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Saulnier, 2016). Results. Children with ASD and clinically elevated attention problems (n = 19) had signifiantly lower verbal ability, more CBCL aggression, and their mothers reported signficantly more stress than children with ASD only (n = 23). Observed child engagement was significntly correlated with CBCL attention problems in the overall sample (r = -.42, p<.01), although the groups (ASD only v. ASD plus elevated attention problems) did not differ significantly (p < .06). Increased attention problems were significantly negatively related to positive parenting in this sample, even when ASD severity and verbal ability were controlled. Although a mediation model failed to support a model where attention problems predicted differences in observed parenting through parenting stress, reverse models showed increased positive parenting predicted decreased child attention problems through its effect on parenting stress. The role of maternal depressive symptoms as a mediator of this relationship was unsupported. Perhaps unsurprisingly, observed child behavior was found to be an important factor in understanding parenting behavior; however, the nature of its role was multifaceted. While observed child negativity was directly linked to lower levels of positive parenting, it moderated the relationship between child attention problems and harsh parenting, as mediated by parenting stress. In particular, attention problems were positively linked to greater stress, but this stress was more likely to be accompanied by a greater increase in harsh parenting behavior when children demonstrated negativity toward their mothers. The relationship between child attention problems and positive parenting varied by child verbal ability. For children with higher verbal ability, attention problems were linked to a drop in positive parenting, while this relationship was unsupported in children with underdeveloped communication skills. Conclusions. Child attention problems are a powerful predictor of parenting stress and less positive parenting. While it was expected that variation in attention problems would predict differences in parenting, reverse models showed more promise in identifying and defining the relationship between these variables, where mothers who exhibited more harsh parenting and less positive parenting experienced higher levels of parenting stress and their children demonstrated increased attentional problems and decreased engagement during dyadic interactions. The strength of this relationship varied according to observed child negativity and level of functioning. Clinical implications for practitioners and future directions for research investigating parenting children with ASD are discussed.

The token economy is a widely used and versatile motivational system within applied behavior analysis. Moreover, token reinforcement procedures have been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the experimental analysis of behavior, token reinforcement contingencies are conceptualized as three interconnected schedule components: (1) the token-production schedule, (2) the exchange-production schedule, and (3) the token-exchange schedule. Basic work with nonhuman subjects has demonstrated that the exchange-production schedule is the primary driver of performance in these arrangements, and that variable-ratio exchange-production results in reduced pre-ratio pausing and greater overall rates of responding relative to fixed-ratio exchange-production schedules. However, little applied research has been conducted to assess the generality of these findings within applied settings. The purpose of this study was to determine if fixed- and variable-ratio token exchange-production schedules would exert differential effects on pre-ratio pausing and overall rates of responding for three children with ASD during a free-operant sorting task. The results showed that pre-ratio pausing and overall rates of responding were not differentially effected by the fixed- and variable-ratio exchange-production schedules. Discrepancies between the experimental work and the current study are discussed along with additional limitations.

This paper discusses the design, implementation, and evaluation of a serious game intended to reinforce applied behavior analysis (ABA) techniques used with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by providing a low cost and easily accessible supplement to traditional methods. Past and recent research strongly supports the use of computer assisted instruction in the education of individuals with ASD (Moore & Calvert, 2000; Noor, Shahbodin, & Pee, 2012). Computer games have been shown to boost confidence and provide calming mechanisms (Griffiths, 2003) while being a safe environment for social exploration and learning (Moore, Cheng, McGrath, & Powell, 2005). Games increase children's motivation and thus increase the rate of learning in computer mediated environments (Moore & Calvert, 2000). Furthermore, children with ASD are able to understand basic emotions and facial expressions in avatars more easily than in real-world interactions (Moore, Cheng, McGrath, & Powell, 2005). Perspective-taking (also known as role-taking) has been shown to be a crucial component and antecedent to empathy (Gomez-Becerra, Martin, Chavez-Brown, & Greer, 2007; Peng, Lee, & Heeter, 2010). Though symptoms vary across children with ASD, perspective-taking and empathy are abilities that have been shown to be limited across a wide spectrum of individuals with ASD and Asperger's disorder (Gomez-Becerra, Martin, Chavez-Brown, & Greer, 2007). A game called WUBeeS was developed to aid young children with ASD in perspective taking and empathy by placing the player in the role of a caregiver to a virtual avatar. It is hypothesized that through the playing of this game over a series of trials, children with ASD will show an iv increase in the ability to discriminate emotions, provide appropriate responses to basic needs (e.g. feeding the avatar when it is hungry), and be able to communicate more clearly about emotions.

Background. Mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) report high levels of stress, depression, and poor well-being, with little sense of social support due to the high demands of their child’s care. The Incredible Years® for Autism and Language Delays (IY-ASLD) program offers a unique model in that there is a dual focus on both child and parent outcomes. However, there is a dearth of literature on whether IY-ASLD can improve parental mental health outcomes. While there is some evidence to suggest that in-vivo therapist-to-parent supportive statements reduce parental resistance to treatment, there remains a gap in the literature regarding whether these behaviors directly impact parental mental health outcomes. Therefore, the present study investigated the degree to which exposure to the IY-ASLD telehealth curriculum (total minutes in attendance across sessions) along with in-vivo therapist-parent group verbal support was related to parental mental health outcomes and parental verbal approval statements of the child at post-treatment after controlling for baseline mental health and verbal approval. Methods. Participants were seventeen mother-child dyads, with children ages 2-years-8-months to 5-years-old recruited from a preschool utilizing an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) approach to schooling. All or virtually all children referred to this school by their school district are at-risk for or have been diagnosed with ASD. All of the children had an IEP or IFSP with mandated speech services, 71% of the children met criteria for ASD (N = 12) on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale- 2-SF, and 2/3 of the sample had adaptive behavior composites below a standard score of 70 on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales- Third Edition Comprehensive Teacher Form (Sparrow et al., 2016). Participants were assigned to one of four treatment groups based on language level of the child and convenience of the group meeting time. Groups met for 12-weekly IY-ASLD sessions via telehealth. Data were collected at the beginning, mid-point, and end of treatment in the form of a parent questionnaire covering demographics, parental well-being (World Health Organization- Five Well-Being Index; WHO, 1998), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire; Kroenke et al., 2001), and parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index-Fourth Edition, Short Form; Abidin, 2012). At post-treatment, parents reported satisfaction with the IY-ASLD-T program (IY-ASLD Parent Program Satisfaction Questionnaire). Data were also collected throughout treatment by recording IY-ASLD parent sessions. From the recorded parent sessions, two primary variables were developed. The first was treatment dosage, calculated as the total minutes each parent attended over the course of the 12-week intervention. The second was exposure to supportive therapist verbalizations during the first 10-minutes of each session, which was coded using the Therapy Process Code (TPC) to measure therapist supportive verbalizations during therapist-parent interaction (Chamberlain et al., 1986). Additionally, data were collected via a virtual parent-child play session (PCI) at the beginning, mid-point, and end of treatment, and later coded using the Verbal Behavior Developmental Language Coding System (VBDT) to measure parental verbal approval to child (Greer & Ross, 2008). Results. Mothers in this study had low levels of depression (PHQ-9; M = 4.59, SD = 4.69), average parenting stress (PSI-4-SF; M = 78.12, SD = 23.78), and low levels of well-being (WHO-5; M = 12.82, SD = 4.47). There were no statistically significant changes in parental depression, parental stress, or observed verbal approval from pre- to post-treatment and the effect sizes were small based on the partial eta squared and Kendall’s W values as per Cohen’s (1988, 1994) guidelines (small = .20-.49, medium = .50-.79, large > .80). However, there was a statistically significant change in caregiver well-being from baseline, mid-treatment, to post-treatment and a small effect size based on Kendall’s W (W = .31). A Friedman test indicated that caregivers demonstrated significant improvements in well-being from baseline to mid-treatment, and the improvement remained at post-treatment, χ2 (2) = 10.04, p < .01. There was no significant relationship between treatment dosage or supportive verbalizations and change in caregiver well-being. There was a significant negative correlation between treatment dosage and well-being at mid-treatment (r = -.493, p = .044), trending in the same direction at post-treatment (r = -.369, p = .146), possibly suggesting that parents with lower well-being, and therefore in greater need of support, attended IY-ASLD more frequently. An additional unexpected finding indicated that parents who were exposed to more supportive verbalizations had statistically significantly lower well-being at post-treatment. One explanation proposed by the authors is that parents who had lower well-being, and attended IY-ASLD sessions more frequently, received more supportive therapist verbalizations, possibly because they pulled for supportive verbalizations from the therapist. Results from the Incredible Years satisfaction questionnaire indicated there was high satisfaction with the program and the group leaders. High ratings of satisfaction with the group leaders and the program overall indicated that group leaders in the program may have successfully accomplished providing a “good enough” sense of support and reinforcement to parents over the course of the intervention. Therefore, it’s possible that specific therapist-to-parent supportive verbalizations were less related to improvements in parental well-being, and rather, the overall sense of support from the therapist to the parents in the group, along with support between the parents in the group, were sufficient to result in improvements in maternal well-being over the course of the intervention. Conclusions. Over the course of the IY-ASLD-T intervention, mothers demonstrated significant improvements in their overall well-being. While exposure to treatment and to supportive verbalizations from therapist to parents were not related to residualized change in well-being, these seem to be important factors in understanding the needs of parents with young children with ASD (e.g., parents with low well-being had higher attendance and received more supportive verbalizations). Taken together, the results suggest maternal well-being is an important and promising target for evidence-based behavioral parenting interventions such as IY-ASLD.

This study examines state variations in health care services for children with Autism and other developmental disabilities across the fifty states through the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM). The ADDM network monitors and tracks the number of children with Autism and other developmental disabilities. The purpose of this study is, first, to understand the differences between the states in the implementation of the ADDM network and, second, to determine what state factors (political variable, i.e., party identification; structural administrative variables, i.e., Medicaid Home and Community Based Service Waiver, HCBS (Section1915C) and the number of pediatricians per 10,000 children; Autism prevalence variable, i.e., Autism among children in special education per 10,000 children; and state economic variables, i.e., spending per pupil for children with Autism in special education, children in poverty, and state financial health) influence the likelihood of a state applying for the ADDM network. Furthermore, the purpose of this study is to consider the potential impact of these various state characteristics in order to understand what state factors might contribute to such differences. The results reveal that structural administrative and economic factors influence a state’s decision to apply for the ADDM network. Furthermore, political factors (e.g., Democratic party control of governorship and legislature) did not influence a state’s decision to apply for the ADDM network. However, when controlling for Republican political party identification, the structural administrative, economic, and political (Republican-controlled legislature) state characteristics influence whether a state applying for the ADDM network. The results indicate that political party control does not play a significant role in determining whether a state will apply for the ADDM network. In expanding the research, to include another structural administrative factor (prior application), political party control (i.e., Republican-controlled legislature) was no longer significant. Thus, the bureaucratic environment is not influencing the actions of state administrators. Instead the individual characteristics of the state is influencing whether a state will apply for the ADDM network. Understanding the differences between the states in the implementation of the ADDM network provides a comprehensive model for establishing the ADDM network or similar programs in other states.

Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibiliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: At birth every human being is at the starting point of many different journeys: journeys of discovery and change, and journeys of mental and physical growth. Most children follow a similar path of physical and mental growth to adulthood, achieving predetermined milestones at approximately the same age. But what happens to a child who cannot follow this path, a child born without a map? How do the diagnosis and subsequent educational journey of the child affect the parents of that child, parents who find themselves disabled by their experiences of parenthood and life? This study is an autoethnography. It was undertaken to reflect on the physical and emotional journey two parents experienced in finding an educational niche for their son who was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Delay – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), an Autism Spectrum Disorder. In an attempt to engage and involve the non-academic audience, while at the same time addressing the analytical needs of the researcher audience, evocative autoethnographic co-constructed narratives were combined with analytic autoethnography. Not only did I aim to fill in some of the gaps in researcher knowledge about South African parents’ experiences in finding educational support for their children with pervasive developmental delays, but I also wanted to provide knowledge, hope and encouragement to other parents, especially those parents who are at the start of a journey leading to a brighter future for their child with special needs. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: By geboorte bevind elke mens hom by die beginpunt van verskeie reise: reise van ontdekking en verandering, en reise van geestelike en fisieke groei. Die meeste kinders volg ‘n gelyksoortige roete van geestelike en fisieke groei na volwassenheid, deur voorafbepaalde doelwitte op naastenby ooreenstemmende ouderdomme te bereik. Maar wat gebeur met ‘n kind wat nie hierdie pad kan volg nie, ‘n kind wat sonder ‘n roetekaart gebore word? Hoe beïnvloed die diagnose en gevolglike opvoedkundige reis van daardie kind sy of haar ouers, ouers wat hulself gestremd bevind in hul ervaring van ouerskap en die lewe? Hierdie studie is ‘n outo-etnografie. Dit reflekteer op die fisieke en emosionele reis deur twee ouers onderneem, in hul soeke na ‘n geskikte onderwysnis vir hul seun wat met PDD-NOS1, ‘n Outisme Spektrumversteuring, gediagnoseer is. In ‘n poging om die nie-akademiese gehoor te betrek, maar terselfdertyd die analitiese behoeftes van die navorsergehoor aan te spreek, is die tegnieke van stemmingsvolle outo-etnografiese mede-saamgestelde narratiewe en analitiese outo-etnografie gekombineer. Ek het nie slegs ten doel gehad om sommige gapings in navorsing rondom die ervarings van Suid-Afrikaanse ouers van kinders met Outisme Spektrumversteurings te vul nie, maar ook om kennis, hoop en aanmoediging te gee aan ander ouers, veral daardie ouers wat aan die begin staan van ‘n reis na ‘n beter toekoms vir hul kind met spesiale behoeftes.

Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of parents who have a child previously diagnosed with autistic disorder who is following or has in the past followed an intensive Applied Behaviour Analysis programme. Parents willingly participated in this research study. The aim of this study was to explore parents' experiences and the various challenges they face. This study also focuses on support and coping strategies experienced by parents. Parents were also asked to provide ideas for support strategies, coping strategies and advice to other parents who may be embarking on a similar journey. A literature review was conducted in order to obtain perspective on research conducted in this field. I fulfilled the dual role of researcher and trainee educational psychologist. The interpretive paradigm was chosen as the framework for this study and the data was gathered by means of semi-structured interviews and written reflections. This research report describes a variety of experiences that parents underwent and the repercussions thereof. Suggestions were made and parents shared advice and support strategies to help other parents who have a child with autism who may decide to embark on an intensive ABA programme. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doelwit van hierdie studie was om die ondervindinge van ouers met 'n kind wat voorheen met outistiese versteuring gediagnoseer is en wat tans of in die verlede 'n intensiewe Toegepaste Gedrags Analise program voltooi het, te verken. Ouers het vrywillig aan hierdie navorsingsprojek deelgeneem. Die mikpunt van die projek was om die ouers se ervaringe en die verskeie uitdagings wat hulle in die gesig staar, te ondersoek. Hierdie studie fokus ook op ondersteuning en hanteringstrategieë wat deur ouers ervaar word. Ouers is ook gevra om ondersteuningstrategieë, hanteringstrategieë en advies te bied aan ander ouers wat dalk 'n soortgelyke reis sal deurmaak. 'n Literatuuroorsig is gedoen ten einde die perspektief van navorsing wat op hierdie gebied gedoen is, te verkry. Ek het die dubbele rol van navorser en leerling opvoedkundige sielkundige gevul. Die interpretatiewe paradigma is gekies as die raamwerk vir hierdie studie. Die ervaringe is vanuit semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en geskrewe refleksies versamel. Hierdie navorsingsverslag beskryf 'n verskeidenheid ervaringe wat die ouers deurgemaak het, asook die gevolge daarvan. Voorstelle is gemaak en advies en ondersteuningstrategieë is deur ouers gedeel om hulp te verleen aan ander ouers van 'n kind met outisme wat 'n intensiewe ABA program gaan begin.