Thesis (M. Med. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University, 2008. / Adviser: Gerald S. Fain. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2007. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-113). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss: NR32046

Thesis (M. Res.(Med.))--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-93)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Psychology." Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-61).

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-35).

The current study evaluated a progression of treatments designed to determine a least restrictive procedure to reduce vocal stereotypy. The progression of treatments consisted of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR), differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO), DRO plus response interruption and redirection (RIRD), DRO plus time-out (TO), RIRD, and TO. An effective treatment (NCR) was identified for one of three participants after completing the initial progression of treatments. An effective treatment was identified for the other two participants when NCR was further evaluated after the initial progression through the treatments. Because the current study failed to replicate several research articles demonstrating the effectiveness of RIRD, an analysis of data collected during RIRD sessions was conducted. The analysis revealed that different decisions would have been made regarding the effectiveness of RIRD if an interrupted data collection method (as frequently used in RIRD research) had been used in the current study.

Anecdotally, females with autism present differently from males. However, studies into autism tend to use a predominantly male sample, and make few gender-based comparisons. Hence, there is relatively little research on gender-specific presentations of autism. Furthermore, those studies that have been undertaken are equivocal in their findings. Should males and females with autism present differently, then the male preponderance in the research population may lead to a bias in our understanding of autism, and the diagnostic criteria it informs, creating circularity. This thesis aimed to investigate if and how females with autism present differently, while avoiding the problem of circularity. As diagnostic criteria for autism consider behaviour (potentially biased to favour males), the diagnosed samples of participants in studies will present with similar behaviours, regardless of gender. However, gender differences may persist in areas of cognition, such as block design. A literature review of gender differences among people with autism on the block design task revealed only one adequately powered study; this indicated a possible gender difference. To expand the data available, a meta-analysis of studies comparing people with and without autism on the block design task was carried out. Then, the ratio of males and females within autism and control groups was regressed as a proxy indicator of gender differences. This did not reveal any gender differences. An alternative approach was adopted within the research study. Through asking professionals highly experienced in diagnosing autism about gender differences in autism, it was hoped that they would express their own conception of autism, beyond the present diagnostic criteria, thereby avoiding circularity. A thematic analysis of interviews with 14 clinical psychologists with expertise in this area was conducted. Gender differences in presentation, but not underlying pathology, were noted by participants. Trans-diagnostic constructs such as social awareness and motivation were thought to drive the gender differences in presentation. However, although the presentation and constructs were gender biased, they were not gender-specific, suggesting a broader view of autism is needed beyond dichotomous gender differences.

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has two defining deficits: social communication and stereotyped and repetitive behaviour. This pilot study trialled 5 tasks based on current literature to measure the social cognitive skills of children with ASD, titled the Childhood Autism Social Skills Assessment (CASSA). The five tasks were designed to measure performance-based differences in children with ASD using response time and accuracy to compare 13 controls and 12 autism groups. Quantitative differences were found between the children with autism and the neurotypical controls, as well qualitative results which will be used to increase validity and reliability for these tasks in the future. Methods: The CASSA was administered within a single session. 27 youth aged 6-17 (13 with ASD, 14 Controls) were assessed using the 5 CASSA tasks. Participants’ parents completed standardized questionnaires as supplemental information. The CASSA is made up of five sections which are the Emotional Stroop, Navon, Blur into Focus, Theory of Mind, and McGurk tasks. The Emotional Stroop task is based on creating the Stroop Effect using an emotional face with an incongruent emotional word over the bridge of the nose. The Navon task measures reaction time of participant’s ability to recognize a target number that may or may not be embedded within a large number made up of small numbers. The Blur-to-focus task requires the participant to identify the emotion displayed on faces (Happy, Sad, Angry or Afraid), that start blurred and gradually come into focus. The CASSA measures Theory of Mind (ToM) development by a series of cartoons depicting the interaction of two children, whose situations become increasingly more complex as the task goes on. Results and Conclusions: Results indicate that the CASSA may be used as an addition to a clinical assessment battery, specifically using the Navon, Emotional Stroop, and Blur into Focus tasks which were able to produce statistically significant performance differences between groups. The CASSA has the potential to aid in diagnosis as part of a battery as well as to allow researchers and clinicians to assess social skills through electronic assessment. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

The focus of this dissertation was to gain a better understanding of autism, and its effects on family life. Studies have been done on the behavioral and cognitive effects of autism on the affected child, and how those effects manifest themselves into family life. No studies were found, however, that give a rich, qualitative account of what it is like to live with autism using first hand accounts as data, and what and how families are learning in the process. Using a phenomenological framework, this study was comprised of interview and observational data collected at the homes of six families with an autistic child. Selection criteria required that participants be parents living with the clinically diagnosed autistic child and, willing to participate in a study that would allow the researcher home visits. The data were analyzed using qualitative software (NVivo) and themes began to emerge. The themes were used to answer the question: What is the experience of living with an autistic child, and what does that experience mean? Knowledge was added to the current literature on autism in the areas of spousal support, expectation adjustment, finding joy in the "little things," avoidance, grieving, anxiety about the future, support systems, social withdrawal, divide and conquer, anger, embarrassment, sadness, intensity, living in the present, and ambiguity. Many themes generated by this study beconed future research. Included in this grouping: (a) The placement of anger generated by the implications of living with an autistic child. (b) The lack of sibling interaction and its affects on the families. (c) The stability of the family prior to the diagnosis concerning the adaptive or maladaptive response to the diagnosis. (d) The role of spousal support in the autistic family. Knowledge generated by this study can be used in a variety of educational ways: (a) the education of the family with an autistic child, (b) the education of professional caregivers that treat the child, but have a poor understanding of what family life may be like and, (c) law makers, insurance companies, the general public, and our schools could be made more aware of autism and family life, again allowing some degree of empathy to understand the hardships these families endure. / Ph. D.