A phenomenological study was conducted to understand the lived experience of parents parenting a child with autism in a rural area. The philosophy of hermeneutic phenomenology was used to guide this inquiry. Interviews of 26 families served as primary data. Thematic statements were isolated using van Manen’s (1990) selective highlighting approach. Making the invisible, visible emerged as the essence of the parents’ experience. Parents shared that although autism is an invisible disability, they in fact made it visible in their constant battles to ensure their child received the best quality of life. Five themes represented this essence: using autism to enable, lifelong advocating, centering autism within the family, the ups and downs of living rurally, and a renewed sense of parenting. Findings from this study may be used to guide program development that is concerned with improving the quality of life families of children with autism.

The purpose of this autoethnography is to recount a one-year personal and professional journey of a parent/teacher/researcher as she designs and implements a teacher-led imaginative drama program for children, ages 5 – 10, with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The program uses strategies (familiar routines, picture boards, etc.) that assist children with ASD to learn new skills. Parents in the final ten-week session of the program are surveyed regarding their perceptions; 19 of the 22 students in the program participated in the 10-week study and 15 parents were present on the day the surveys were distributed and collected and completed. The researcher was specifically looking for what aspects of the program parents found valuable and what aspects needed improvement. Qualitative analysis of the data revealed that parents were satisfied with the program and would recommend it to families who have children on the autism spectrum. Key findings indicate that parents specifically appreciated the classroom structure and the teacher’s knowledge of ASD. Recommendations for future improvements to the program are also discussed. The researcher discusses why a program like this is so important for children on the autism spectrum: aiding in the ability to perspective take and make friends.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate a self-instructional package (Fazzio & Martin, 2007) to train parents of children with autism to conduct discrete-trials teaching (DTT). In Study 1, I investigated the effectiveness of a self-instructional manual and a self-instructional video for teaching five parents of children with autism to correctly apply DTT to teach three tasks to a confederate who role-played a child with autism. For three of the parents I also evaluated their ability to apply DTT to their children with autism. Following an average of 4.76 hours of training, the package produced a strong effect with three parents and a weak effect with two parents. In Study 2, I investigated the effectiveness of the self-instructional manual combined with role-playing and feedback, plus the self-instructional video, for teaching an additional five parents of children with autism to apply DTT to a confederate and to their children. Following an average of 4.68 hours of training, all five parents demonstrated large, clinically significant gains in their performance of DTT, both with a confederate as well as with their own child, with a minimal investment of one-on-one instructor time. The treatment procedures in both experiments were very well received by the parent participants. These results suggest that the training package in Experiment 2 has considerable potential as an effective, efficient and acceptable method of training parents of children with autism to apply DTT.

No description available.

This observational and experimental study takes the Intersubjectivity Theory of Rogers and Pennington (1991), as the guiding line by which to investigate imitation in autism. A deficit in imitation in early childhood is the principal aspect of this theory which distinguishes it from other major theories such as those of Baron- Cohen et al. (1985) and Hobson (1986). With much debate over the existence of a general deficit in imitation, this study aimed first to test for different types of imitation (including those differentiated by Piaget (1962), such as vocal, immediate and deferred imitation) and second, to examine other deficits linked to imitation in Roger and Pennington's theory - emotion perception, joint attention, theory of mind and play. The effect of age was also investigated. Rogers and Pennington (1991) predicted that young autistic children would show a profile of deficits including impaired imitation, emotion sharing, joint attention and pretend play while older children and adults would show impaired "theory of mind", emotion sharing and language pragmatics, relative to controls. In an observational study autistic children and adults showed less social interaction with peers, more manipulative play, less symbolic play in some comparisons and less evidence of mental state understanding but few differences in imitation, compared to children with learning disabilities and normal 3-4 year old and 5-6 year old children. Virtually the same samples were then tested experimentally for the ability to imitate. This was done for (1) elicited imitation (including vocal, simple body movements and symbolic actions, with and without objects), (2) spontaneous, problem-solving imitation and (3) deferred imitation. In addition, spontaneous, elicited and instructed play was tested and visual perspective-taking, joint attention, false-belief and emotion recognition. No general deficit for imitation in school-age autistic children and autistic adults was found, although a younger group (CA 4 - 7 years) of autistic children did significantly worse on all aspects of the task. Scores were lower on deferred imitation and on spontaneous, problem-solving imitation for the autistic groups and certain categories of actions in the elicited task proved more difficult for the autistic children, namely those requiring symbolic ability. Previous findings on joint attention, false-belief and emotion perception were, for the most part, confirmed, although no links between any of these behaviours and imitation were evident from examination of individual profiles. In addition, a picture of inconsistency across tasks emerged. However, some evidence was found for Rogers and Pennington's theory at a crude level, in that it was the youngest children who had most problems with imitation, symbolic play, and emotion recognition, relative to controls. It is concluded that although imitation may be lacking in early autistic development, Rogers and Pennington's theory may not be an altogether satisfactory way of explaining its contribution to the autistic disorder and is, in fact, very difficult to test.

Autism is a severe form of childhood psychopathology which has enormous impact on the child, his/her family, and the wider community. It challenges the expertise of doctors, teachers and therapists. In Kuwait, recognition of the disorder is still in its infancy. However, the government has established a new Centre for Autism, the first of its kind in the country, to provide up-to-date medical care and education for autistic children. This investigative study attempts to assess the impact autistic children's behaviours have on their families within the context of Kuwait. This will be related to Kuwait's progress in catering for autism, in the light of current thinking world-wide. Autism is defined, early descriptions and theories as to aetiology are outlined, and the main trends of modern research are indicated. Within the context of the Review of Literature, distinguishing characteristics of autistic behaviour and the general impact upon families are identified and discussed, after which specific stresses and related problems are reviewed. Diagnosis and treatment are also considered. Discussion then turns to the roles of the main governmental and other bodies concerned with provision for autistic children in Kuwait, and an account is given of the special schools which are currently known to cater specifically for this disorder. Because any medical condition, but particularly autism has an impact upon the immediate and extended family, information is also presented regarding coping strategies by Kuwaiti parents, as well as various therapies and training programmes and their claimed effects. Other factors influencing the family and which can cause further stress, such as financial or health matters are similarly considered. All these elements are viewed in the light of the situation in Kuwait at the present time. The evaluation of the impact on parents of the behaviour of autistic family members, was achieved by means of a questionnaire, Survey Questionnaire of Families and their Responses to Behaviour Problems Related to Autism, described in Chapter Six. It is found that, in Kuwait, provision is limited and fragmented compared with the UK and the USA. This has resulted in families having to cope as best they can with the behaviours of their autistic children, which in many cases has caused stress and related problems. Moreover, there is, as yet, relatively little information available to researchers, parents, or the general public in this regard. Accordingly, recommendations are made for both action and research, in order to raise the issues of stress and the family, as well as raise the profile of this disorder in Kuwait and extend provision.

This thesis uses music as a means of investigating both typical and atypical perception of emotion and attribution of social intent. The primary aim of this thesis is to investigate this perception and attribution in indviduals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and compare this with typical adults and children. Chapter 1 comprises a literature review of music and emotion, and of music cognition in individuals with ASD. The first manuscript (Chapter 2) describes the development of a new method for investigating perception of emotion from musical performance. Using this method, we found that typical adults can reliably rate the emotional content of musical performances which vary in expressive parameters. In the second manuscript (Chapter 3), we used this method to examine the ability of adolescents with ASD to rate the emotional content of musical performance. We compared the group with ASD to a group of typically developing adolescents as well as a group of individuals with Williams syndrome (WS). The results of this study showed that adolescents with ASD are impaired in this kind of emotional recognition relative to both comparison groups. Emotional recognition is an important aspect of everyday social interactions, both in understanding and predicting others' actions. Thus, in the third manuscript (Chapter 4), we examined the effect of musical soundtracks on attribution of social action and intent in ASD by adding music to an established visual task. [...] / Dans cette these, la musique est utili see pour investiguer la perceptiontypique et atypique des emotions ainsi que l' attribution d'intentions sociales.L' objectif premier est d' evaluer la perception des emotions et des intentionssociales chez des individus presentant un trouble du spectre autistique (TSA) enles comparant a des .adultes et des enfants dont le developpement est typique. Lepremier chapitre est consacre a une revue de la litterature portant sur la musiqueet les emotions ainsi que sur la cognition de la musique chez des individuspresentant un TSA. Le premier manuscrit (chapitre 2) porte sur le developpement d'une nouvelle methode permettant d'evaluer la perception desemotions associees a des performances musicales. [...]

This study explores discussion forums within two autistic community websites in an attempt to gain intimate insights into the educational experiences and cultural identification of high functioning autistics (HFAs). Throughout this thesis I have referred to people with Autism as 'autistics' or HFAs in recognition of their self-referencing on the websites and to strike consistency with their identity politics. (ex: Autistic Pride Parade). The study maintains a narrative component from the perspective of a teacher-researcher as a means of facilitating the development of a grounded theory for educating high functioning autistics. The study begins with an examination of contemporary controversies within the field of autistic studies, with a particular focus on issues surrounding the classification of Asperger's Syndrome under the deficit model of mental disorders. Several tables are then presented from data collected from Aspiesforfreedom.com and Wrongplanet.net. The tables present high functioning autistic opinions, thoughts and experiences related to emerging autistic advocacy efforts, as well as retrospectives of their social and academic experiences over the course of their schooling. An Internet Culture Theory (ICT) develops which honors the existence of an authentic community of autistics online. ICT explores how this acknowledgment can help shape educational policies and practices related to improving the self-esteem, identity formation, academic success and social experiences of HFAs in both our schools and communities. The study contends that modifications should be implemented prior to grade 7 due to reports of emotional deterioration during this particular year of development. Existing programs operating in the spirit of ICT are discussed in order to provide some concrete examples of what certain modifications might look like.

The effects of exercise intensity on the stereotypic behaviours of three autistic subjects were examined. Two exercise programs which differed on the basis of intensity as measured by heart rate were implemented. The frequency of stereotypic behaviours were measured prior to exercise, immediately following exercise and 90 minutes following exercise. / Significant reductions in stereotypic behaviors occurred as a function of the vigorous exercise condition only. The mean reduction of stereotypic behaviours between pre-jogging and post-jogging was 17.5%. The duration of these reductions was found to be temporary. Increases to pre-exercise levels were noted in stereotypic behaviours one and a half hours following implementation of the exercise conditions. / For the purpose of examining any differential effects of exercise intensity, the stereotypic behaviours of all subjects were categorized into three components motor, verbal and other. The motor component of stereotypic behaviour was most prominent. The moderate exercise condition had little effect on the motor component, while the vigorous exercise condition resulted in a mean reduction of 17%.

Individuals with autism experience specific deficits in the area of executive function. A differentiated view of executive function was recently described by Metcalfe and Mishel, in which a distinction was made between hot, affective components and cold more purely cognitive, non-affective components. The "Hot/Cold" distinction of executive function was examined in a group of children with autism in relation to a group of typically developing children matched on verbal, pattern and Leiter mental ages. Two hot (Gamble and Delay of Gratification) and two cold tasks (DCCS and SOP) were administered. Children with autism successfully completed fewer trials of the SOP, irrespective of the matching variable, and experienced more difficulty switching rules on the DCCS in relation to typically developing children when matched on non-verbal and performance mental ages. No differences were found on the hot executive function tasks, except for the group matched on VMA. These findings underscore the importance of using multiple matching groups in the study of persons with autism, and provide evidence for cold rather than hot executive function deficits as a primary in autism.