This study examines the effects of two teaching procedures and two testing procedures (“Skip” and “Guess”) on acquisition, retention and generalization of learning. Three typically developing females between the ages of 8 and 11 learned the 24 lower case letters of the Greek alphabet. Half of the letters were taught with the “Skip” procedure and the other half with the “Guess” procedure. The “Skip” procedure produced faster and more efficient learning than the “Guess” procedure. The “Skip” procedure also resulted in better initial retention (4 weeks), but this effect disappeared in subsequent retention tests. The training conditions did not have differential effects on generalization tests across learning channels, except for the Free/Say channel.

Having a child with autism not only has devastating consequences for the individual child, but it also profoundly influences the entire family, including siblings. Researchers have explored the impact of having an ASD sibling on the typically-developing brother/sister; these studies have yielded inconsistent results, with some children benefitting from the experience while others encounter negative outcomes. The present study examined the role of birth order on ASD children’s typically-developing siblings’ outcome. It was predicted that typically-developing siblings born prior to their ASD sibling would have fewer behavioral difficulties and would do better academically compared to typically-developing siblings born after their ASD sibling. Typically-developing siblings born after their ASD sibling, by contrast, were expected to have more behavioral difficulties and do more poorly in school. Results demonstrated that none of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire subscales approached statistical or practical significance in siblings who were younger vs. older than their ASD child. However, compared to a normative sample, typically-developing siblings of the ASD children were found to score significantly higher on all the SDQ measures including total difficulties. In addition, it was found that the more years separating the ASD sibling from the typically-developing sibling, the more conduct problems the typically-developing sibling displayed. These findings suggest that typically-developing siblings may benefit from some kind of intervention. For example, creating in-home interventions or services that target typically-developing siblings which may include helping them find positive ways to interact with their ASD sibling, may provide some extra support for these children.

D / Naming pictures of polysyllabic words (three or more syllables (PSWs)) seems to provide speech pathologists with information about communication status not necessarily present when naming pictures of short words (monosyllabic words (MSWs) and di-syllabic words (DSWs)). Typically developing children and children with speech, language and literacy impairments err on PSWs even when short words are accurate. In this study, typical behaviour of PSW production was delimited and a model of PSW acquisition was developed because if erroneous PSWs mark impairment, then circumscribing the tolerances of them in typically developing speech is necessary to differentiate it from impairment. A proportional stratified, cluster sampling procedure was used to locate 354 children, aged 3;0 to 7;11 years, of whom 283 met the selection criteria, including normal hearing, language and cognition. All English phonemes were repeatedly sampled in 166 words, elicited through picture naming, that were varied for syllable number, stress and shape. Syllable, age and interaction effects were present with more mismatches in PSWs than in short words, decreasing with increasing age. Mismatches were captured in five a priori patterns of deletions, additions and reordering of syllables and segments in words as well as alterations of consonants or vowels in words that preserved the phonotactic shape. However, as all five patterns were word-specific, each affecting a core group of words containing PSWs and DSWs, the syllable effect was modified. It appeared to be a proxy for a complex interaction between segmental and prosodic features common to the core words that included non-final weak syllables, within-word consonant sequences that required labial-velar movements, velar and sonorant sounds and sounds that shared place or manner features, severally or together. The production changes conformed to the predictions of the model of PSW acquisition. These changes reflected alterations in the phonological representation, motor planning and motor execution skills aspects of the speech processing system. The phonological representation, changing from holistic to fine-grained, was argued as the key change because information for motor planning and execution was liberated that culminated in increased accuracy. If children’s productions of the PSWs used in this study exceed the tolerances defined in this thesis, impairment may be indicated. Future research is needed to determine that possibility.

Autism has just recently become a widely researched field and due to the sudden pique of interest, there has been little research conducted in regards to the effect children with autism have on their families, in particular on the siblings. Through the limited research that has been conducted, evidence has surfaced for both positive and negative effects on the relationships between children with autism and their typically developing siblings. By taking a deeper look into the social, emotional and academic aspects that are affected in typically developing siblings of children with autism, I hypothesize that having a sibling with autism will lead to internal emotional damage and restrict the non-autistic siblings’ social capabilities. There will be no significant results in regards to the normal sibling’s academic behavior. This paper aims to review the literature in hopes of exploring possible ways to treat or prevent the negative effects children with autism have on their typically developing sibling, in hopes of creating a healthier environment for the family.

D / Naming pictures of polysyllabic words (three or more syllables (PSWs)) seems to provide speech pathologists with information about communication status not necessarily present when naming pictures of short words (monosyllabic words (MSWs) and di-syllabic words (DSWs)). Typically developing children and children with speech, language and literacy impairments err on PSWs even when short words are accurate. In this study, typical behaviour of PSW production was delimited and a model of PSW acquisition was developed because if erroneous PSWs mark impairment, then circumscribing the tolerances of them in typically developing speech is necessary to differentiate it from impairment. A proportional stratified, cluster sampling procedure was used to locate 354 children, aged 3;0 to 7;11 years, of whom 283 met the selection criteria, including normal hearing, language and cognition. All English phonemes were repeatedly sampled in 166 words, elicited through picture naming, that were varied for syllable number, stress and shape. Syllable, age and interaction effects were present with more mismatches in PSWs than in short words, decreasing with increasing age. Mismatches were captured in five a priori patterns of deletions, additions and reordering of syllables and segments in words as well as alterations of consonants or vowels in words that preserved the phonotactic shape. However, as all five patterns were word-specific, each affecting a core group of words containing PSWs and DSWs, the syllable effect was modified. It appeared to be a proxy for a complex interaction between segmental and prosodic features common to the core words that included non-final weak syllables, within-word consonant sequences that required labial-velar movements, velar and sonorant sounds and sounds that shared place or manner features, severally or together. The production changes conformed to the predictions of the model of PSW acquisition. These changes reflected alterations in the phonological representation, motor planning and motor execution skills aspects of the speech processing system. The phonological representation, changing from holistic to fine-grained, was argued as the key change because information for motor planning and execution was liberated that culminated in increased accuracy. If children’s productions of the PSWs used in this study exceed the tolerances defined in this thesis, impairment may be indicated. Future research is needed to determine that possibility.

Having a child or sibling with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may be a positive experience, but it influences every family member differently. The present thesis examined the psychosocial adjustment of typically developing (TD) siblings of children with ASD and the extent to which this is impacted by key demographic and psychological variables. In addition, the influence of variables more specific to the families of children with ASD were considered, such as the broader autism phenotype (BAP) in parents and siblings, and the severity of symptoms in the child with ASD. A cross-cultural perspective was also adopted, in order to compare the coping and adjustment processes of siblings of children with ASD within two different cultures - Taiwan and the United Kingdom (UK). A combination of the Double ABCX Model and the Diathesis-Stress Model was used to explore: the influence of BAP-related traits; the interaction between coping, stressors, and support resources; and how these variables influenced TD siblings‘ adjustment outcome in the two locations. The research model was explored in two, interlinked studies using complimentary quantitative and qualitative methods. The first study was a large-scale questionnaire study including 89 and 77 parent-TD sibling dyads, in Taiwan and the UK, respectively. The findings indicated that UK siblings evaluated themselves as having significantly more adjustment difficulties but also significantly higher prosocial behaviour than their Taiwanese counterparts. Furthermore, there were substantial differences in terms of the variables which predicted TD siblings‘ adjustment outcome between the two countries. Taiwanese TD siblings‘ adjustment was more related to children‘s internal characteristics, while the UK TD siblings were influenced by both internal and external variables. The benefits of social support for adjustment were also evident in both countries. The discrepancies between parents and TD siblings‘ reports could be interpreted as resulting from culturally-specific patterns in parent evaluation of child behaviours. The siblings‘ level of BAP traits was also found to moderate the relation between ethnicity/culture and TD siblings‘ self-report adjustment difficulties. If Taiwanese TD siblings were reported to have higher BAP level by their parents, they showed fewer adjustment difficulties than those with lower BAP level, whereas the opposite pattern was found in UK siblings. This may indicate that for Taiwanese TD siblings‘ BAP level had a negative impact on their ability to evaluate their adjustment difficulties. Seven parent-TD sibling dyads from each country participated in the follow-up interview study. From thematic analysis of the data, a negative tone in the descriptions of the influence of ASD on the TD sibling was more evident in parents‘ and TD siblings‘ transcription in Taiwan, while a more balanced tone was apparent in the UK families. With the emphasis on involving their children in decisions about the child with ASD and providing age-appropriate information from the UK parents, it was speculated that UK siblings had a greater understanding of their parents‘ stress. Various types of support service were mentioned in the UK, whereas the availability of social services and support was relatively limited in Taiwan, whether for parents or TD siblings. Taken together, the findings from the two studies have important implications for clinical and educational settings. UK siblings‘ adjustment could be enhanced through modelling the coping of parents, while Taiwanese siblings could benefit from increased social support from peers. Health professionals should be aware of the influence of the BAP level displayed in parents and TD siblings, which might change the way they experience stress and respond under pressure. This thesis emphasised the importance of using TD siblings‘ report in comparison with parents‘ evaluation. Some potential relations, such as between BAP level and the coping style of parents and TD siblings remain unclear. With further development of self-report measurements, future research could replicate the present research design to clarify the influence of the variables discussed.

Background: Inclusive Education (‘Support for Learning’ in the UK) is now a mandatory educational policy across the European Union. And yet, we understand remarkably little about its psychosocial impact on students. Scant research has been conducted in this area, particularly with respect to typically-developing students. Findings from existing studies are difficult to extrapolate from, due to methodological flaws and/or contradictory results. Method: A Systematic Review was carried out of international qualitative research in this area, to summarise and critique findings. An empirical study was also conducted with typically-developing Scottish adolescents, to explore their views of Support for Learning using a robust qualitative methodology. Results: Findings from the Systematic Review showed that existing qualitative studies are mostly of poor to medium methodological quality; that typically-developing students tend not to understand Inclusive Education; and that the majority regard it with fearful wariness. The empirical study mirrored these themes, and provided new insights into how students perceive the benefits and dangers of Inclusive Education, as well as barriers to understanding it. Conclusion: Schools urgently need to inform students about the principles and practices of Inclusive Education, and professionals working with adolescents should be mindful of its perceived psychosocial dangers, in order to challenge prejudicial attitudes.

This study was done to validate a widely used parent questionnaire that assesses sleep problems in children ages 4‑10. To date, no Spanish‑language sleep questionnaire is available for the Spanish‑speaking population. Research has found that sleep problems affect both typically developing children and children with developmental disabilities, potentially detracting from their quality of life. Spanish is the second most frequently spoken language in the United States, so it is of high importance to make available a Spanish‑language sleep questionnaire. The Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) was chosen to be translated. The norming data for validation of the CSHQ‑S included 151 children from the community sample and 30 children from the clinical sample. A confirmatory factor analysis failed to replicate the purported internal structure of the English‑language CSHQ. Subsequent exploratory factor analysis yielded a unique 5‑factor solution which generally met criteria of reliability and validity. Our results show that children with disabilities experience more sleep problems than typically developing children. The CSHQ‑S can be considered to be a good Spanish‑language sleep measure in typically developing children and children with disabilities.

Previous research has shown that providing students with the opportunity to choose the type of academic assignment could reduce a variety of problem behavior. However, procedural limitations of previous research prevent definitive conclusions regarding the mechanism by which choice interventions effect behavioral change. Furthermore, because research related to choice interventions has been limited primarily to children with developmental and emotional disabilities, the generality of such interventions is unclear. Therefore, the current study set out to extend the efforts of previous researchers by attempting to further isolate the mechanism by which choice procedures produce improved behavioral performance and attempted to further assess the generality of choice procedures by examining its effects on the behavior (e.g., maladaptive behavior, on-task behavior, academic performance) of a population (i.e., typically developing adolescent youth) not frequently targeted.

The purpose of this study was to assess if Behavioral Skills Training (BST) can be used to train a sticker to function as a discriminative stimulus (Sᴰ) for engaging in household poison safety skills and assess whether this skill generalized to untrained household chemicals that bear the Sᴰ in the form of a sticker. Three typically developing children ages 3 and 5 and their parents participated in this study which took place in their homes. BST effectively taught children to engage in household poison safety skills when they come into contact with the trained household poison(s) labeled with the sticker Sᴰ and this skill generalized to novel household poisons that were also labeled with the sticker Sᴰ; however, some additional BST was required in two cases.