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Purpose: This study examined the narratives of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing peers across different listeners and communicative context. Method: Four children, between 8-11 years of age, with diagnoses of ASD (Asperger’s syndrome and PDD-NOS) and average or above average non-verbal cognitive ability were language-age matched with similar chronological age, typically developing peers. Participants were asked to generate narratives from a wordless picture book, story-retell of a short film, and a personal experience. Participants told the three types of narratives to peer- and adult listeners in two separate sessions. Narratives were analyzed for story length, causal statements, internal states, character references, irrelevant information, and examiner prompts. Results: No significant group differences were seen on measures of length, internal states, irrelevant information, or prompts. Compared to their typical peers, children with ASD were less likely to include causal statements in their story retell and wordless picture book narratives told to adult listeners and were more likely to use inaccurate or ambiguous references to characters in personal narratives told to an adult listener. The narratives told across various contexts and listeners by children with ASD were similar on measures of length, internal states, causal statements, use of irrelevant information, and prompts. Children with ASD used proportionally more correct character references in their narratives told to adults compared to their narratives told to children. Conclusions: Compared to typically developing children, children with ASD may exhibit differences in their use of causal statements and references within narratives. Based on the measures analyzed, the narratives of children with ASD were more similar than different across types of listeners and communicative contexts. A follow-up study is needed to investigate the between- and within-group differences on measures of episodic structure and syntactic complexity.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) management is challenging. This pilot study investigated parents/caregivers’ perception of therapies and other interventions in their ASD children. Information for children attending NDS department of MATC in Winnipeg was collected from participants through questionnaire-guided interviews. Mixed quantitative/qualitative methods were employed to analyze data. A total of 12 participants completed the study and data from14 children were collected. All children attended school, 88% were males, and more than 50% reported eating/sleeping difficulties. ADHD comorbidity was reported in 69%. The prescription drug most commonly tried was risperidone 56%, which found effective in controlling aggressive behaviours. Melatonin mostly tried in children for sleep. Behavioural therapy was rated as the most effective intervention, but was often limited by coverage and waiting period’s issues. Common concerns voiced by participants were the lack of trained professionals, the limited understanding of ASD children’s needs and the uncertainty for the future of their children (financial/service support at older age). Future studies should be conducted in a larger population and a longer observation time to document the changing needs of ASD children. / May 2016

<p>Syftet är att undersöka hur personer med autism med hjälp av bilder kan få förmågan att förstå samspelet i kommunikation. Våra frågeställningar är: 1. Hur tolkar och översätter omgivningen kommunikationen hos personer med autism? 2. Hur påverkar bilden förståelsen/översättningen i samspelet i kommunikationen hos personer med autism. Vi valde att göra en kvalitativ studie med intervjuer för att få med olika erfarenheter från några som är verksamma inom området. Vi har använt oss av privat litteratur, lånade böcker och kurslitteratur inom pedagogik samt information som vi hittat på Internet. Intervjuerna presenterar vi i en resultatdiskussion med kopplingar till den teoretiska kunskapen som finns i bakgrunden. Vi har valt att presentera utifrån de sammanfattningar som finns i resultatdiskussionen. Undersökningen visar hur kommunikationen sker och att bildanvändning kan underlätta kommunikationen hos personer med autism. Situationer och förutsättningar ser olika ut för varje individ med ändå finns områden som berör de flesta. Den kommunikation de har är oftast väldigt otydlig och mycket kraft går åt hos dem som finns i omgivningen till att tyda signalerna. Möjligheten att medvetet förmedla och uttrycka sina känslor och behov, t.ex. att vara hungrig och trött, kan uttryckas på ett annorlunda sätt bl.a. genom att banka och slå. Visuellt tydliggörande ger trygghet om vad som ska hända och på så vis kan många problem minskas. Bilden är ett betydande hjälpmedel för att kunna ha förmågan att förstå kommunikation och därmed visa vad man vill. Eftersom funktionshindret ställer stora krav på omgivningen gäller det att ha ett gott samarbete och tänka och planera långsiktigt.</p>

Siblings of children with autism (ASD-sibs) often exhibit deficits in social reciprocity and cognitive deficits similar to those of their affected siblings. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between degree of autistic symptomatology and degree of cognitive functioning in sibling pairs seen as part of a longitudinal ASD-focused sibling study. Both cognitive functioning and autistic symptomatology were assessed using continuous measures in sibling pairs. Three sets of bivariate correlations were conducted to examine the relationships between autistic symptomatology and cognitive ability. One ANCOVA and 6 ANOVAS were also conducted to identify possible group differences between younger siblings of children with diagnoses of ASDs (ASD-sibs) and younger siblings of children without diagnoses of ASDs (COMP-sibs). When associations were examined in the entire sample, all correlations examined were significant, p <.05. However, when examined by group, no associations between younger and older siblings were significant. Negative correlations were found between ASD symptomatology and cognitive functioning within the younger sibling, and between ASD symptomatology and cognitive functioning within the older sibling. Thus, within the ASD group, level of autistic symptomatology was negatively associated with level of cognitive functioning with individuals. Results indicate that intellectual disability (i.e., impaired cognitive functioning) runs in concert with symptomatology among children with ASDs and among their younger siblings. Additionally, by three years of age, ASD-sibs were receiving lower scores than COMP-siblings in the areas of receptive language, expressive language, and in visual reception. Clinically, the identification of specific limitations in ASD-sibs has important implications for intervention programs which could help to prevent or ameliorate poor outcomes.

Syftet är att undersöka hur personer med autism med hjälp av bilder kan få förmågan att förstå samspelet i kommunikation. Våra frågeställningar är: 1. Hur tolkar och översätter omgivningen kommunikationen hos personer med autism? 2. Hur påverkar bilden förståelsen/översättningen i samspelet i kommunikationen hos personer med autism. Vi valde att göra en kvalitativ studie med intervjuer för att få med olika erfarenheter från några som är verksamma inom området. Vi har använt oss av privat litteratur, lånade böcker och kurslitteratur inom pedagogik samt information som vi hittat på Internet. Intervjuerna presenterar vi i en resultatdiskussion med kopplingar till den teoretiska kunskapen som finns i bakgrunden. Vi har valt att presentera utifrån de sammanfattningar som finns i resultatdiskussionen. Undersökningen visar hur kommunikationen sker och att bildanvändning kan underlätta kommunikationen hos personer med autism. Situationer och förutsättningar ser olika ut för varje individ med ändå finns områden som berör de flesta. Den kommunikation de har är oftast väldigt otydlig och mycket kraft går åt hos dem som finns i omgivningen till att tyda signalerna. Möjligheten att medvetet förmedla och uttrycka sina känslor och behov, t.ex. att vara hungrig och trött, kan uttryckas på ett annorlunda sätt bl.a. genom att banka och slå. Visuellt tydliggörande ger trygghet om vad som ska hända och på så vis kan många problem minskas. Bilden är ett betydande hjälpmedel för att kunna ha förmågan att förstå kommunikation och därmed visa vad man vill. Eftersom funktionshindret ställer stora krav på omgivningen gäller det att ha ett gott samarbete och tänka och planera långsiktigt.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the attributes conducive to the healthy adaptation of a family despite having a child with autism to gain a better understanding of autism and the effects of autism on family life. The study comprised a non-random sample of the whole four family members, which includes the child with autism. It is often the family as a whole that is greatly affected by the diagnosis and so all members of the family were deemed essential for the results. <p>Using a phenomenological framework, the study comprised data collected during semi-structured interviews with the four members of one family. The participants were interviewed in a three-step process to determine if qualities of resilience would emerge. Six themes evolved from the participants interviews and were used to answer the research questions.<p>Interviews were transcribed and analyzed according to phenomenological procedures seeking the essence of a familys experience of raising a child with autism. The information gathered during the interviews clarified which factors contribute to the familys resilience. The researcher gained background knowledge of the guiding principles the family has used to overcome many of the challenges of autism. As well, direction and insight intended for other families with a child with autism were gained. <p>The contributing characteristics and attributes that emerged from the data were: acceptance and understanding; adaptability and flexibility; self-efficacy; strength and determination; and support from family or community.<p>The findings support the existing understanding of factors that contribute to resilience in families affected by autism. The data collected during the interviews revealed that the participants share many of the same feelings of frustration, guilt and stress as other families affected by autism but also attain strength and a sense of hope or optimism for the future. Once the parents were able to move through the cycle of grief their healthy adaptation became apparent. The themes derived from the lived experiences of the participants demonstrate how they have emerged from adversity with resilience.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the attributes conducive to the healthy adaptation of a family despite having a child with autism to gain a better understanding of autism and the effects of autism on family life. The study comprised a non-random sample of the whole four family members, which includes the child with autism. It is often the family as a whole that is greatly affected by the diagnosis and so all members of the family were deemed essential for the results. <p>Using a phenomenological framework, the study comprised data collected during semi-structured interviews with the four members of one family. The participants were interviewed in a three-step process to determine if qualities of resilience would emerge. Six themes evolved from the participants interviews and were used to answer the research questions.<p>Interviews were transcribed and analyzed according to phenomenological procedures seeking the essence of a familys experience of raising a child with autism. The information gathered during the interviews clarified which factors contribute to the familys resilience. The researcher gained background knowledge of the guiding principles the family has used to overcome many of the challenges of autism. As well, direction and insight intended for other families with a child with autism were gained. <p>The contributing characteristics and attributes that emerged from the data were: acceptance and understanding; adaptability and flexibility; self-efficacy; strength and determination; and support from family or community.<p>The findings support the existing understanding of factors that contribute to resilience in families affected by autism. The data collected during the interviews revealed that the participants share many of the same feelings of frustration, guilt and stress as other families affected by autism but also attain strength and a sense of hope or optimism for the future. Once the parents were able to move through the cycle of grief their healthy adaptation became apparent. The themes derived from the lived experiences of the participants demonstrate how they have emerged from adversity with resilience.

Behavioral manifestations of autism are said to be exhibited across cultures and socioeconomic status with little variation. The majority of the epidemiology studies have not studied race, and have typically used Western definitions to conceptualize autism when studying other non-Western cultures. Autism does not have a known etiology that is biologically based so the diagnostic criteria and procedure for diagnosing autism is based upon subjective judgment. In the medical and educational community, autism remains a disorder that is not diagnosed evenly across cultures. Discrepancies exist among ethnicity groups in the diagnostic rate of autism in the health community and in the identification of autism among diverse cultural groups in special education. Understanding the factors that may be influential in impeding early identification and diagnosis of autism among certain cultures is important. Currently, factors that influence interpretation of autistic symptoms by school psychologists are not overall clear. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that may influence the diagnostic decisions of school psychologists as they relate to identifying behavioral symptoms associated with autism in African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic boys of varying SES. Three hundred and eight school psychologists sampled from the general membership of the National Association of School Psychologists were utilized in the present study. The results are promising in that school psychologists appear able to accurately identify symptoms associated with autism regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic status. School psychologists are also able to recognize when patterns of behavior diverge from normal development; however, school psychologists were more likely to indicate the child’s problem was due to Child Abuse for a child from a low SES versus a high SES regardless of ethnicity. Furthermore, school psychologists were more likely to indicate the child’s presenting problem was due to Child Abuse for the Caucasian child and not likely for the Hispanic child. Likewise, the child’s socioeconomic status influenced school psychologists to more likely indicate the child’s presenting problems was due to Cultural Deprivation for the child from the low SES and least likely for the child from the high SES. SES by ethnicity interactions were not evident for any of the analysis. Thus, results indicate school psychologists may be influenced by factors beyond the behavioral presentation of autism. Consequently, this may explain the variation currently seen in the identification and diagnoses of autism by ethnicity. Explanation of results, implications for practice, and potential areas of future research are also discussed.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 283 p.; also includes graphics. Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Dianae, Sainato, School of Physical Activity and Educational Services. Includes bibliographical references (p. 220-227).