The media has the ability to influence societal perceptions about important issues. This study involved a dual examination of content and effects of news media representations of a prominent health issue—autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that now affects 1 in 88 individuals (CDC, 2013). Study 1 examined the presence of attributions of ASD and signaling “stigma” cues in news media and Study 2 investigated the effects of attributions of ASD emphasized in news media on community members’ emotions, behavioral intentions, and behaviors toward the disability. Study 1 revealed associations between certain attributions and signaling “stigma” cues and indicated news circulation plays a role in the appearance of cause attributions and social skill deficit cues. The results also illuminated intriguing trends in the presence of certain attributions of ASD and signaling “stigma” cues in news media over the past 16 years. Study 2 shed light on the direct and indirect effects of attributions about ASD emphasized in news stories on community members’ emotions, behavioral intentions, and actual behaviors; these findings partially align with attribution theory. This research provides a holistic understanding about the presence and power of language emphasized in news stories about ASD. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterised by impairments in social interaction and communication, and repetitive and compulsive behaviours. The heterogeneous nature of ASD is underpinned by complex genetic networks; hence there is no known single genetic cause of ASD. It is therefore imperative to identify both genetic and epigenetic loci associated with ASD or specifically ASD endophenotypes. This may aid in earlier interventions for ASD if molecular biomarkers were identified. The serotonergic system has a longstanding association with ASD, and the differential expression of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) is linked to particular ASD traits. This study focuses on a length polymorphic repeat region (5-HTTLPR) upstream of the SLC6A4 promoter, and SLC6A4 promoter DNA methylation. The short variant of 5-HTTLPR is directly linked to lowered SLC6A4 expression and is at higher frequencies in ASD populations. DNA methylation at the promoter of SLC6A4 is also known to affect SLC6A4 expression. This study hypothesis is that there is differential regulation of SLC6A4, through changes in 5-HTTLPR and DNA methylation, between an ASD and control cohort. This differential regulation was also predicted to differ between ASD endophenotypes based on severity levels categorised by ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2). ASD children (n=50) were compared to an agematched control group (n=13), all of whom were characterised phenotypically by an ADOS-2 assessment. The 5-HTTLPR and SLC6A4 promoter DNA methylation were analysed using restriction fragment length polymorphic analysis and the EpiTYPER assay, respectively. Significant differences were found in SLC6A4 regulation between the ASD and control group. A significant increase in frequency of individuals homozygous for the 5-HTTLPR long variant in the control group was observed when compared to the ASD cohort (p=0.049); with the long allele conferring reduced risk of ASD. Overall DNA methylation at the SLC6A4 promoter region was significantly decreased in the ASD cohort (p=0.011), the moderate ASD endophenotype (p=0.004), language impaired endophenotype (p=0.003), as well as the more severe socially and repetitive and restricted behaviour groups (p=0.006 and 0.045, respectively), when compared to the control cohort. Reduced levels of DNA methylation at CpG 30 in the target region were found to be significantly associated with higher levels of repetitive behaviour (p=0.001). The data from this study implicates the involvement of the serotonin transporter in overall ASD aetiology, specifically within the language impaired and repetitive and restricted behaviour endophenotypes. The data highlight the importance of maintaining appropriate methylation levels in order to modulate SLC6A4 expression. The regulatory mechanisms that control DNA methylation at the SLC6A4 promoter are unknown and need to be identified to completely understand how dysfunction of the serotonergic system is involved in ASD.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display deficits in communication and social interaction that can impact their ability to function in daily environments. To remediate these deficits, it is critical for professionals to use effective interventions. While there are many evidence-based practices (EBPs) identified for ASD (e.g., video modeling), the adoption of these EBPs may not occur automatically. Existing research suggests professionals have a generally favorable impression of video modeling. However, little research has examined opinions and applied use of video modeling, which was the purpose of the present study. Using survey methodology, data were collected from 510 professionals in various disciplines (e.g., special educators, speech-language pathologists [SLPs], and behavior analysts [BCBAs]). Data were analyzed primarily via factor analysis and multiple regression. Factor analysis was used to examine the underlying structure of the instrument, revealing two predominant factors: (1) interest in and (2) perceived accessibility of video modeling. Multiple regression was used to examine which demographic characteristics (e.g., age and years of experience) were associated with each factor. Results indicated that BCBAs and SLPs perceived video modeling as more accessible. In terms of interest, professionals who worked with preschool-aged students, who worked in a suburban location, and who had an extended family member with ASD showed higher interest in video modeling. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are an urgent health concern as new reports indicate approximately 1 in 110 children are affected by ASD (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). Although children with ASD struggle with social interactions, quantitative meta-analyses have revealed that traditional social skill interventions only produce minimal effects (Bellini, Peters, Benner, & Hopf, 2007). Due to these minimal effects, this study diverged from the common understanding of social skill deficits and introduced an autonomic nervous system circuit as one root of social behavior problems. Children with ASD show a "fight-flight" (i.e., sympathetic) state at baseline and to unfamiliar individuals (e.g., Bal et al., 2010). Research indicates, however, that music has the ability to calm cardiovascular functioning (Iwanaga, Kobayashi, & Kawasaki, 2005) and improve social behaviors in children with ASD (Whipple, 2004). This study recruited participants (N = 23) between 4-7 years old with a previously diagnosed ASD. Each participant was assigned to a Music group, n = 11, or an Audiobook group, n = 12. The 90-minute experimental session consisted of a receptive vocabulary assessment and psychophysiological monitoring during a baseline video, social engagement task, listening period, and a recovery video. A soothed autonomic state was measured by increased high frequency heart rate variability and decreased heart rate. Results indicated a significant soothing effect for the Music group. Moreover, the Music group evidenced a significant increase in social attention (e.g., joint attention and sharing emotions) relative to the Audiobook group. Mediation analyses may reveal partial mediation for the soothed autonomic state on the relationship between group and social attention improvements. Thus, these results suggest that social skill interventions may not be targeting a core element of social deficits (i.e., over-aroused autonomic state). / Master of Science

Synchrony is a multi-faceted construct, defined here as the mutual warmth and responsiveness between a mother and her child. As children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) struggle to navigate various aspects of social life, we expected that impairments in synchrony would be seen, but that mothers would show adaptability. Twenty-five children (10 met ASD criteria on a gold standard autism assessment) completed a brief cognitive assessment and nine semi-structured play tasks with their mother, adapted from the Marschak Interaction Method. Synchrony was not found to moderate the relationship between ASD severity and externalizing behaviors, as hypothesized. ASD severity did predict externalizing behaviors. While children in the ASD group were more negative during the observed play tasks, there were no group differences on mother or dyad scores. Despite power limitations, our findings suggest important future directions for examination of mother and dyad mechanisms that better explain these differences. / Master of Science

This study has explored how couples raising children on the autism spectrum negotiate intimacy in their marriages/committed partnerships as well as what contextual factors influence these process and how they change over time. Twelve couples currently raising children on the autism spectrum were interviewed conjointly regarding their experiences of intimacy negotiation. A methodological approached based on constructivist grounded theory was used to analyze the data collected from these couples. The results of this study indicate that intimacy negotiation for couples raising children on the autism spectrum is an interactive process in which both partners must work together to make several key cognitive and relational shifts. Couples were either aided or hindered in making these shifts by the degree to which contextual and environmental factors were experienced as resources or roadblocks. The result of the degree to which couples raising children with ASDs navigate the necessary cognitive and relational shifts, also taking into account the influence of any contextual factors on these processes, was found to be a couple's experience of intimacy. However, this study also found that intimacy was not a fixed point at which a couple one day arrived, but was instead an iterative process taking place over time and requiring work to develop and maintain. / Ph. D.

Background. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Given the heterogeneity of ASD it is important to understand individual differences within the disorder that are related to cognitive and language development, and how such differences may be related to differences in caregiver behavior or aspects of the social environment. Joint attention is an important component of early social communication and is considered to be a “core deficit” of ASD (Kasari, Freeman, Paparella, Wong, Kwon, & Gulsrud, 2005). Individual differences in joint attention during infancy have been shown to relate to language and cognitive development (Mundy, Block, Delgado, Pomares, Van Hecke, & Parlade, 2007; Nichols, Martin, & Fox, 2005). Therefore, joint attention serves an essential role in the study of child behavior within ASD across development. The present study consists of two manuscripts that explored how joint attention in children with ASD related to sensory responsiveness and social competence (Study 1), and how child joint attention related to mother attention and contextual factors (Study 2). Specifically, Study 1 investigated relations among children's sensory responses, dyadic orienting, joint attention, and their subsequent social competence with peers. Participants were 38 children (18 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 20 developmentally matched children with typical development) between the ages of 2.75 and 6.5 years. Observational coding was conducted to assess children's joint attention and dyadic orienting in a structured social communication task. Children's sensory responses and social competence were measured with parent report. Group differences were observed in children's joint attention, sensory responses, multisensory dyadic orienting, and social competence, with the ASD group showing significantly greater social impairment and sensory responses compared with their typical peers. Atypical sensory responses were negatively associated with individual differences on social competence subscales. Interaction effects were observed between diagnostic group and sensory responses with diagnostic group moderating the relation between sensory responses and both joint attention and social competence abilities. Study 2 investigated relations between child joint attention and mother attention during three social contexts (competing demands, teaching, and free play) among 44 children with ASD between the ages of 2.5 and 5.6 years, and their mothers. Observational coding was conducted to assess children’s joint attention and mother’s dyadic orienting. Children’s expressive and receptive language was measured by teacher report. The rate of children’s joint attention, and mothers’ dyadic orienting differed depending on the context of their interaction. Children’s joint attention, expressive and receptive language, age, and ASD severity, and mother dyadic orienting were related, and these relations differed by context. Child initiating joint attention (IJA) was also related to mother attention, and this relation was moderated by the child’s expressive and receptive language. A temporal contingency was revealed for the association between child IJA and mother attention with a bi-directional association such that child IJA predicted subsequent mother attention, and mother attention predicted subsequent child IJA. When the sample was split by children’s language ability (i.e., minimally-verbal and verbal groups) there was a group by receptive language, and a group by expressive language interaction on the contingency between child IJA and subsequent mother attention. Conclusion. The results from study 1 and study 2 suggest that individual differences in children with ASD, including their sensory responses and social competence, as well as mother attention and contextual factors are related to children’s joint attention. When addressing theory and interventions for children with ASD, it is important to consider children’s language and sensory sensitivities, the demands of the interactive context, and factors related to mother attention and approach to her child.

Thesis PlanA (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis(Ph.D.(Nursing Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Families with ASD children who have little support from a partner, friends, community and health care professionals report increased depression and lower life satisfaction compared to families with a good deal of social support. Social support may be a resource to boost an individual’s ability to overcome the negative consequences of stressors related to parenting a child with ASD.The study explored and described the experiences of families and teachers regarding support of families with ASD children, then developed and validated a social support model for families of children with ASD in the Gauteng and Limpopo provinces of South Africa.The method was qualitative, explorative, descriptive, contextual design employing a phenomenological approach and theory-generating study. Individual semi-structured and focus group interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Eight steps of Tesch’s inductive, descriptive open coding technique by Creswell were used followed by independent coding. Purposive sampling recruited 37 participants from the selected special schools of Gauteng and Limpopo Provinces. Trustworthiness criteria adhered to were credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability. Ethical clearance was sought from the University of Limpopo. The findings showed that there is a lack of social support for families with ASD children. These include difficulties in managing children’s patterns of behaviour and communication skills, severe stress related to having a child with ASD, knowledge deficiencies associated with ASD, the burden of caring, financial constraints, lack of material and human resources within the special schools, overcrowding of ASD learners, lack of a formal curriculum, lack of schools for autistic children in the Limpopo Province, poor infrastructure, and poor school management support.The study addressed the complex needs of ASD children and recommended that families should be assisted to build their capacity to care for, and protect their ASD children. A social support model was developed to serve as a reference framework for professional nurses in different spheres of health care and education, to promote a supportive environment for families with ASD children

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