This diploma thesis represents inclusive education of a pupil with ASD in a common type of primary school. It deals with the definition of the autism spectrum disorder concept and relates it with the difficulty of educating pupils who have this diagnosis. The thesis describes the adjustment of educational conditions and possible differences in approach of pedagogical staff to these pupils. Attention is further focused on inclusion and its specifics. The practical part of the diploma thesis gathers pedagogical staff opinions on the education of a pupil with ASD and also the strategies which are applied in his education by these members of staff. Qualitative reserach is realized through pedagogical documentation research and through individual interviews with participants of the educational process, especially with teachers and teaching assistants. The aim of the work is to determine the opinion spectrum of pedagogical staff in a common school type towards educating a pupil with ASD. The focus of the work presents interviews and analysis with teachers. Findings based on open coding showed that the education of a pupil with ASD in a common type of primary school is a challenging process for the pedagogical staff, who require better preparation, support and mutual cooperation among the participants....

Legal mandates and best practice recommendations for the education of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) emphasize the importance of systematic, ongoing observational data collection in order to monitor progress and demonstrate accountability. The absence of such documentation in decision-making on instructional objectives indicates a weakness in bridging the research-to-practice gap in special education. Utilizing a multiple baseline design across participants, the current study evaluated the effects of a prototypical teacher training program (i.e., workshop, checklist, in-classroom training with feedback, and maintenance with a thinned schedule of feedback) on the frequency of data collection on core deficits of ASD and the use of data-based decision-making. Results indicate increases in daily mean frequency of data collection following intervention. Maintenance and generalization indicates variable responding across participants. Effect size (Cohen's d) indicates a large, clinically significant effect of the training program. Results are discussed in relation to training models, maintenance, and future research.

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with a range of physical, growth, and neurobehavioral deficits characteristic of individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Although declarative memory impairment is a key feature of the neurocognitive profile of FASD, the mechanisms underlying this deficit require further clarification. The aim of this cross-sectional research was to examine, both directly and indirectly (via bottom-up and top-down processes), a critical cognitive mechanism that supports successful declarative memory functioning (viz., memory encoding), in children with FASD. Data were collected from a sample (N = 88) of South African children with and without PAE. In Study I, I used a blocked design functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm to investigate neural activation during visual perception, a lower-order cognitive process essential to memory encoding. The task elicited bilateral category-specific activation during the visual perception of objects and scenes in all participants. The absence of between-group differences suggests that functional recruitment of brain regions during basic visual perception is less susceptible to the effects of PAE than during higher-order processes supporting memory encoding. In Study II, I used an event-related fMRI paradigm to investigate neural activation during memory encoding itself. All participants demonstrated similar memory performance accuracy and recruited extensive bilateral networks during memory encoding. However, participants with a diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or partial FAS (PFAS) activated additional regions associated with attentional function. Within the FAS/PFAS group, higher exposure levels were associated with smaller activation increases in the parahippocampal gyri and greater activation increases in the right hippocampal formation during encoding. Data from this study therefore suggest that children with FAS/PFAS recruited more extensive neural resources to support successful memory encoding during this task. In Study III, I used a behavioral source memory paradigm to investigate higher-order executive processes essential for memory encoding. Despite similar recognition accuracy across all diagnostic groups, participants in the FAS/PFAS group showed impaired memory for source details. This pattern of impairment was only partially mediated by working memory performance. These three studies provide novel clarification of the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying declarative memory impairments in children with FASD.

Children’s self-regulation has shown to be related to the trajectories across various domains of adaptive functioning and school success. Delay in self-regulation development represents an area of major challenge for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (e.g., Jahromi, 2017), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Children with ASD are often reported academic difficulties and underachievement compared to their typically developing peers (e.g., Nation et al., 2006). It has been well-documented that typically developing children with greater self-regulation had better academic achievement (e.g., Blair & Razza, 2007). However, few studies have extended the examination of the association between self-regulation and academic learning to the populations with special needs, especially to those with ASD. Moreover, the majority of previous studies solely relied on standardized assessments to reflect children’s temporary learning outcomes rather than their dynamic learning process. Little is known about how children’s self-regulatory skills are related to the way they learn and how various child characteristics moderate this association. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine how the self-regulatory capacities of children with ASD, including executive function and effortful control, were linked to their dynamic academic learning process and to investigate the moderating effects of various child characteristics on this association, including ASD-related symptoms severity, school engagement, reward sensitivity, and adaptive behavior, all of which represent areas of challenge for children with ASD. Additionally, children with ASD often receive many different types of reinforcement at school. Their ability to wait for delayed reinforcement and their responsiveness to different reinforcers seem crucial for how successful they could adapt to school lives. Thus, another goal of this study was to investigate children with ASD’s responses to delayed reinforcement as well as token and social reinforcers in the natural classroom environment and to identify strategies that can facilitate their tolerance to delayed reinforcement and responsiveness to different types of reinforcers. Thirty-two preschoolers aged 36 to 68 months from two specialized applied behavior analysis schools in the greater New York City area participated in the study. Each participant had an Individualized Education Program with a classification of Preschooler with Disability and had a current diagnosis of autism confirmed with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2; Lord et al., 2012). Children with ASD received direct measures on their executive function in a laboratory setting and assessments on their responses to delayed reinforcement as well as token and social reinforcers in the natural classroom environment. Parents filled out reports regarding children with ASD’s executive function, effortful control, and reward sensitivity. Teachers completed scales on these children’s school engagement and adaptive behavior. Regarding the participants’ academic learning, instead of using one-time standardized assessments, this study derived school data of multiple literacy and mathematics programs over a period of time to investigate the number of learning opportunities and additional one-to-one educational interventions a child required to achieve an academic objective in the learning process. Findings in this study showed that children with ASD with better self-regulation engaged in school activities to a greater extent, demonstrated better adaptive behavior at school, and were reported to have stronger social communication skills. Children with ASD with better emotional control, attention, and inhibitory control achieved academic objectives in literacy faster, especially in the domains of word recognition and reading comprehension. Also, children with ASD with a better overall EF level learned math concepts and problem-solving skills faster in both trial-based and script-based mathematics curricula, and those with better working memory demonstrated a higher learning rate in the trial-based mathematics programs. Further analyses showed that the relationship between self-regulation and academic learning in children with ASD was influenced by their behavior school engagement and reward sensitivity. These results inform future interventions to focus on the school engagement behaviors and sensitivity to reward in children with ASD when developing their self-regulation and academic learning skills. Moreover, three socially-oriented strategies, including using language, gestures, and eye contact, were found to help children with ASD respond better to delayed reinforcement, above and beyond their self-regulation level. Also, these children responded better in a task that they already mastered under a situation in which tokens could be earned for exchanging preferred items or activities contingent on their performance rather than in a situation where only social attention was available. Overall, self-regulation emerged as a potential protective factor for young children with ASD in their school success in terms of engagement and adaptive level as well as academic learning rates. Self-regulation development is recommended to be included as an essential component in future academic and social-emotional interventions for children with ASD. Meanwhile, developing the ability to use language, gestures, or eye contact to communicate needs and emotions may help children with ASD have a better response to delayed reinforcement in the natural classroom environment. Considering the majority of them demonstrated altered reward sensitivity characterized by nonsocial stimuli hypersensitivity and social rewards hyposensitivity, it is important to enhance their responsiveness and sensitivity to social reinforcers to promote their school adjustment and success.

BACKGROUND: Autism Spectrum Disorder is a range of neurodevelopmental disorders that typical manifest as social deficits, delayed or impaired communication skills, and repetitive behaviors in day-to-day life. Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often present with other concurrent clinical disorders. Sleep disorders (SD) and sleep issues are highly prevalent in ASD children and rank as one of the most common concurrent clinical disorders. Prevalence rates vary widely, ranging from 40 to 80 percent, as compared with that of typically developing children in which prevalence rates are approximately 30 percent. Sleep problems can have an impact on daytime health and may result in neurocognitive dysfunction and behavioral disruptions. A cyclical pattern arises: individuals with autism are observed to have sleep difficulties, which may exacerbate autistic traits, which can in turn further worsen their quality of sleep. Therefore, sleep disorders may have wide ranging effects on daytime functioning, developmental progress, and quality of life for children with ASD. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this thesis is to provide a review of the research status of ASD, SD, the interplay between these two disorders, and therapeutic interventions that have been researched or are currently being investigated. A goal of this thesis is also to recommend areas of future investigation based on the current state of autism research. METHODS: A literature review of studies, abstracts, and clinical trial data relating to ASD, SD, and other comorbidities observed in ASD was performed. CONCLUSION: Current models and theories on the relationship between ASD and SD suggest that the underlying etiology of autism itself may contribute to sleep troubles, and might even have wide-reaching impacts on other unrelated aspects of ASD. Gastrointestinal, otolaryngologic, and psychiatric comorbidities are observed in autism and may affect sleep in these patients, but the mechanism by which this occurs is unclear. There are many treatments for sleep troubles in ASD such as melatonin and behavioral interventions, with varying success. Much work is required to understand the underlying mechanism between both autism and sleep disorders. There is also a need for more efficacious therapeutic interventions, but there are multiple clinical trials underway which may have promising results. Future studies should also incorporate robust data-collection instruments such as polysomnography to validate findings. / 2021-06-14T00:00:00Z

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Previous research has demonstrated mixed evidence on impaired memory functioning in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with the only consensus that there appears to be much heterogeneity. In addition, no research to date has examined the stability of memory in ASD. This study examined the stability of memory function in ASD compared to typically developing age-matched controls. Participants were administered the Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL) twice, three years apart, in an established longitudinal NIH-supported investigation of ASD. Based on available research contrasting memory development in healthy individuals versus those with ASD, it was hypothesized that memory performance in the control group would be stable across time and that, compared to the control group, the autism group would demonstrate less stable memory function as measured by the TOMAL. Repeated Measures ANOVA and Reliable Change Index calculations of TOMAL Index and Subtest scores largely supported these hypotheses. The control group remained stable across time on all TOMAL indices and the ASD group showed improvement on the Composite Memory Index, Verbal Memory Index, and Delayed Memory Index but not the Non Verbal Memory Index. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) continues to rise, families and educators are challenged with providing intensive, evidence-based practices in the least restrictive environment. Evidence exists for a variety of effective intervention approaches. Selection of appropriate interventions requires consideration of the individual needs of the child and family. An activity-based approach to early intervention combines strategies from a variety of evidence-based practices and allows for intensity of instruction through distributed opportunities for practice. Brief teaching interactions are elicited within the context of typical routines and activities throughout the day. Thus, intervention can be provided in inclusive classroom settings as well as at home, without disrupting the ongoing activities and routines. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of collaborative planning for an activity-based approach to early intervention for children with ASD across school and home settings. Dependent measures included the combined rate of learning opportunities delivered by the teacher and parent across settings as well as the combined rate of the child's correct demonstrations for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goal. Teacher and parent perceptions of the value and effectiveness of collaborative planning for an activity-based approach to early intervention were also assessed using pre- and post-survey responses as well as information from a final interview. Participants were a preschool-aged boy with ASD, his mother, and his preschool teacher. A single subject, multiple-probe design was selected to analyze the effect of collaborative planning for an activity-based approach to intervention for a young child with ASD across school and home settings. The teacher and parent selected three matched routines that typically occur both at school and at home as the context for embedding activity-based learning opportunities to address a selected IEP goal. Results indicated that following collaborative planning meetings for each of the routines, there was both an increase in the collective learning opportunities delivered at school and at home, as well as a simultaneous increase in child outcomes for the targeted IEP objective in both settings. Responses from the teacher and parent pre- and post-surveys and final interviews provided social validation for the ease and practicality of collaborative planning for activity-based intervention. Both the teacher and parent felt confident in supporting the child's IEP goal within the context of typical daily routines. The teacher also expressed that the collaborative planning helped her to really focus on the child's individualized goal. Furthermore, both the teacher and the parent affirmed the intervention's potential for generalization. Collaborative planning to embed children's goals within the context of typical routines both at school and at home allowed for a collective increase in learning opportunities and related child performance on an individualized goal that may not have otherwise been possible. By including the parent as an active an equal decision maker in the educational planning process, intervention at school was enhanced and carried over into the home. The use of collaborative planning for activity-based intervention with both the teacher and the parent strengthened the power of instruction for an IEP goal by providing multiple and varied learning opportunities throughout the day and across settings, ultimately increasing child outcomes.

Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neuro-developmental disorders that are characterized by impaired social interaction, communication, and restricted or repetitive behavior. Children with an ASD also display significant sensory experiences due to sensory disintegration. This integrative review of literature examines the sensory experiences of children with an ASD and determines nursing interventions that will enable them to better cope within the hospital setting. Method: an extensive search of databases and current literature on sensory experiences of children with an ASD and interventions that facilitate coping. Results: Children with an ASD experience a wide range of sensitivity and defensiveness toward stimuli that differs on an individual basis. There is no current research that reflects nursing interventions for children with an ASD, therefore interventions from other heath care occupations were examined and applied to nursing. Conclusion: Further research is needed to better understand sensory defensiveness and research is needed in the area of nursing interventions to enable the best nursing care of children with an ASD.