Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-125). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNR11567

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ball State University, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Nov. 04, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 116-122).

The incidence of autism has increased tremendously over the past 20 years; however, the tools used for diagnosis and educational identification have largely remained the same. Diagnostic and educational decisions are based on observations and interactions to identify hallmark skill deficits associated with autism. Research demonstrates behaviors are affected by the environment, and real-time data collection is more accurate than reflective methods. The problem is current autism diagnostic and educational identification tools lack essential features. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), considered the gold standard, relies on contrived settings, and lacks an observational comparison to same aged peers. Autism behavior rating scales, rely on reflective data collection, and are not context specific. The purpose of this study was to gain feedback from stakeholders (clinicians, educators, parents) about the perceived efficacy and feasibility of a context-specific autism behavior rating tool with real time data collection methods for diagnosis and educational planning. Results showed stakeholders confirmed the perceived efficacy of the context-specific tool for improved accuracy for diagnosis, more specific information for educational planning, and increased understanding for parents to support their child's learning needs. Even though the tool was useful, stakeholder feedback also indicated the tool lacked feasibility for teacher use and may be better suited for administration by school psychologists or other trained professionals. The increased specificity and accuracy provided by a context-specific autism behavior rating tool has the potential to affect the future of autism evaluations and educational planning; thereby influencing the future life function of individuals with autism.

The purpose of the study was to investigate how parents of students with autism perceived individualized education program (IEP) meetings. I determined factors that contributed to the belief held by parents that their children were or were not being properly served by IEP meetings. Parental relationships with educators, IEP meeting experiences, IEP outcomes, and treatment by educators were revealed through participant input. Parents were asked to share their experiences of previous IEP meetings. Additionally, parents provided input regarding practices that school districts could take to improve IEP meetings, and actions that parents could take to serve as better advocates for their children. Research findings indicated that parents did not perceive themselves as being treated as equals during IEP meetings. Parents believed that their input was not valued or welcomed by educators. Not having an equal voice toward their child's education prevented parents from positively influencing outcomes in their child's IEP meetings in terms of obtaining quality services and building positive relations with educators. Parents further revealed that educators failed to implement proper IEP protocol. According to parents, student objectives agreed upon in IEP meetings were often not always fully implemented for students receiving special education services. Research findings concluded that parents new to the IEP process often experienced difficulty understanding special education law, and were unaware of services that school districts should provide for their children.Suggestions for improving IEP meetings include: educators valuing parents as equal partners during IEP meetings, educators properly adhering to IEP objectives set forth in IEP meetings, and both educators and parents taking measures to becoming more knowledgeable of special education law and the IEP process.

Behavior analysts have long recognized the need for direct and reliable measurement of complex behaviors that are important to society. Recently investigators have approached one of the singular most complex behaviors: happiness. Limited research, however, has explored happiness in parent-training programs with children with autism and their families. The current study applied the definitions and data systems used in Broome's 2007 study to obtain indices of happiness within a parent training program for parents of toddlers with autism. Direct measures of smiles and laughs were collected from videotaped assessments. Results suggest that the program increased behaviors associated with happiness. Results are discussed in terms of program development and future research.

Parents’ stress and coping strategies are often challenged in the context of childhood disability, highlighting the importance of studying these factors and their associations with parent behaviors to gather a better understanding of parent-child interactions in the context of developmental disabilities like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Less is known about how child characteristics (e.g., ASD severity, language, temperament, and behavior problems) and observed child behaviors relate to parent behaviors. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that were linked to key parent behaviors (i.e., cohesiveness, behavior regulation strategies, synchronization) during the parent-child interaction of parents with children with ASD. Forty-two mother-child dyads recruited from a therapeutic preschool participated in a parent-child interaction and completed questionnaires measuring parent psychosocial factors and child characteristics. Independent researchers coded videos for parent cohesiveness behaviors, parent behavior regulation strategies, parent synchronization, as well as child affect and compliance behaviors. Pearson correlational analyses were used to examine the relationships between parent psychosocial factors, child characteristics, and parent behaviors. Linear regression analyses were used to examine the effect of moderator variables on those links. Overall, externalizing and internalizing behaviors were related to depressive symptoms and stress, and stress and effortful control were related. Direct commands and positive parenting were associated with more positive child characteristics and behaviors, such as less negative affect and more committed compliance. The degree to which the mother cleaned and the amount of toys cleaned were also related to higher functioning child characteristics and less negative behaviors. Child characteristics did not significantly moderate the relationship between parent psychosocial factors and parent behaviors. Parents’ coping and self-efficacy did not significantly moderate the relationship between stress and parent behaviors. More research is needed to better understand how child characteristics and child behaviors relate to parent behaviors. The study offers suggestions for future research to better understand how to improve parent-child interactions during particularly difficult activities, such as clean-up, with a population of children who present unique challenges. Future work should aim to examine how to promote positive parent behavior regulation strategies during situations that require an end goal.

Behavior analysis, and more specifically the study of verbal behavior, has been used to empirically measure how parents and children interact for decades using single-subject research methods. Developmental psychology utilizes similar measures to describe these interactions across large samples of dyads, but findings across these two fields are rarely integrated due to differences in terminology and application. In order to integrate the literature of these fields, we must identify measures which can describe behavior of a large sample while still being sensitive enough to individual change from behavioral intervention. In particular, these measures must include the function of behavior, or the effect behavior has on the environment, in order to truly capture the strength of the interaction. In two studies, I seek to align measures of parent-child verbal interactions across both perspectives and describe how a variety of contextual, parent, and child characteristics affect parent-child interactions for families of children with autism. In Study 1, I apply a coding paradigm which utilizes aligned measures of parent and child verbal behavior across behavioral and developmental perspectives to remotely recorded video sessions across structured and free-play contexts. I further identify how verbal behavior changes as a function of the level of the child’s verbal development and parent characteristics. I found that parent verbal behavior is not sensitive to the verbal behavior development of their child, nor is it sensitive to the context of the interaction. However, parent behavior was associated with their report of how severe they perceived their child’s maladaptive behavior to be. Furthermore, parent report of their child’s maladaptive behavior was not associated with rates of maladaptive behavior observed in the sessions, but it was positively correlated with measures of child verbal development such that parents of children who demonstrated more complex verbal behavior reported them as exhibiting more maladaptive behavior. In Study 2, I report the effects of a parent training intervention in which I taught parents to accurately identify and consequate their child’s behavior in order to teach their child a new skill. All parents implemented the strategies with fidelity and reported positive changes in their interactions with their child in the home. However, parents did not independently generalize these skills to novel objectives or demonstrate changes to their verbal behavior in new contexts. All children learned these new academic skills, generalized them to the classroom setting, and maintained the skills 2 weeks following intervention. Results are discussed in terms of how functional measures and methods should be utilized across fields to bridge the gap between research and practice for families of children with autism.

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.

Attachment theory is concerned with the relational ‘tie’ that exists between a mother and her child, which is said to play an imperative role in a child’s mental development and future attachment relationships. Although there is extensive research on attachment theory on an international scale, there is a paucity of information with regard to this in the South African context. The object of this study is to investigate mothers’ experiences of attachment with their child who has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In addition this research aims to investigate whether this attachment relationship between a mother and her ASD child differs, or is the same across diverse socio-economic groups in the South African context. This research was qualitative in nature, which elicited rich, descriptive and personal accounts of mothers’ experiences of attachment with their ASD child across diverse socio-economic groups. Twelve participants from advantaged and disadvantaged communities from Johannesburg and the greater Johannesburg area were invited to participate in this study. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic content analysis. Seven themes emerged from this study which explored mothers’ experiences of attachment with their ASD child. In addition, similarities and differences were found in mothers experiences of attachment across the diverse socio-economic groups.

The term ‘autism’ was first used in 1906 to describe a condition in adults. The term was later used again in 1943 and 1944 by Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger respectively who used the term to describe symptoms found in children. Autism was a relatively unknown condition until the 1980s and 1990s when research on the condition began to increase. The increase in research and availability of information lead to a better understanding of autism and related disorders and there has since been an increase in the number of people diagnosed with 1 in 150 children being diagnosed with autism in South Africa. Autism manifests before 36 months of age with males being four times more susceptible to Autism Spectrum Disorders than females. Research available on autism and related conditions has focused largely on scientific studies in the attempt to discover a cause for the disorder and a cure for it. In recent years there has been an increase in parents writing about their experiences with their children who have autism, however very little literature is available on non-kin care-givers and their experiences in working with children with autism. This thesis provides a view into the world of the non-kin care-giver through research carried out at two school sites in the KwaZulu-Natal region. This research through participant observation and interviews aims to fill the gap in the literature regarding non-kin care-givers of children with autism. The study looks at why non-kin care-givers choose to work with children with autism, the stress and challenges associated with working with children with autism, the highlights and personal impacts of working with children with autism and why non-kin care-givers continue to work in this field. In addition this thesis looks at the experiences of parents of children with autism and as such aims to describe a symbolic journey that parents and non-kin care-givers embark on with autism. In order to understand this symbolic journey this thesis has used the theoretical framework of van Gennep’s (1960) Rites de Passage and Goffman’s (1969) Spoilt Identity and Stigma, analysing each stage of the participants involvement in relation to the concepts of separation, transition or liminality and finally incorporation. By using these theories to analyse the research findings this thesis argues for the formation of a group identity through shared experiences and understandings of autism and in this way for the creation of an Autism Community. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.