The purpose of the study isto,based on network theory, systems theory and development ecological systems theory,understand parent’sexperiences of having children with autismspectrum, as well as understand the importance of social networksfor the parents. All of the intervieweeswere mothers. The results showed that it is important to parentsto have contact with other parents who are in the same situation as them. Many of the interviewees had a small social network. The parents have tostruggle to get the support they are entitled to and thereforetheyfeel likethe "annoying" parent. Some of the parents felt that they are socially isolated and do not have the energy to maintain asocial life. In some cases,thesurrounding had a lack of patience and understanding for the families with children with autismspectrumand the family did not have the energy to keep in touch with them.The resultsalso showed that all the interviewees have previously had difficulties in the cooperation with the school butithas slowly gotten better, which may be because the mothers have to be the "annoying" parents who require their rights to theirchildren.

Denna uppsats handlar om personer med neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar (NPF) som det finns en pågående samhällsdebatt kring (Lundälv 2013). Syftet med studien var att förstå hur personer med gruppen hanterar eventuella svårigheter i vardagen. Där ville vi bland annat urskilja om det fanns resultat som tydde på strategier, som personer med gruppen använder sig av för att kunna dölja eller anpassa sina funktionsnedsättningar i samhället och i sådana fall vilka. Som metod använde vi en hermeneutisk utgångspunkt där vi hämtade empiri från bloggar skrivna av personer som finns i målgruppen. Som teori använde vi oss av Lazaruz & Lazarus (2006) copingstrategier. Vi tematiserade vårt resultat och analys utifrån de två olika huvudkategorierna i coping, problemfokuserad och känslofokuserad coping. Under problemfokuserad coping tematiserade vi det utifrån copingstrategierna planering, söka information, söka och finna lösningar, konfrontera, ventilera och prioritera. Under känslofokuserad coping tematiserade vi det utifrån copingstrategierna distansera, förneka, undvika, känna uppgivenhet och ventilera. Vi framställde vårt resultat och analys gemensamt efter vardera copingstrategi. Vi kom fram till att de använder sig av strategier som de i vissa fall kanske inte ens är medvetna om och att det var enkelt att koppla det till copingteorin. I slutdiskussionen kopplade vi ihop vårt resultat med den tidigare forskning där vi jämförde om tidigare forskning styrkte vårt resultat vilket den främst gjorde. Undantaget var främst att Bussing och Mehtas (2013) studie visade på existerande stigmatisering av ungdomar med ADHD vilket vi inte hittade mycket i bloggarna om. / This paper is about people with neuropsychiatric disorders, NEPRC, which we have seen is an ongoing public debate in Sweden and many other countries(Lundälv 2013). The purpose of the study is to understand how people with neuropsychiatric disabilities manage difficulties in their everyday life. We wanted to distinguish whether there were any results which suggested strategies that people with NEPRC uses to hide or adapt their disabilities in society. As method we used a hermeneutical research were we got our empirical data from blogs written by people with a NEPRC. As theory, we used Lazaruz & Lazarus(2006) coping strategies. We themed our results and analysis divided in the two main categories of coping: problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. In problem-focused coping, we themed the result and analysis in the coping strategies planning, sought information, sought and found solutions, confronted, ventilated and prioritized. During emotional focused coping, we themed the coping strategies in distance, deny, avoid, feel despair and ventilate. We produced our results and analysis together by each coping strategy. We came to the conclusion that we were able to see that the people we used in our study uses strategies, which they may not be aware of in some cases, and it was easy to bind it to the theory of coping. In the discussion we connected our results with previous researches in which we compared the results of our study if it confirmed each other or not, which it mainly did. The exception was Bussing´s and Mehta´s (2013) study which showed the existing stigmatization of adolescents with ADHD, which we did not find much from the bloggers that confirmed it.

Selective eating (SE) refers to an individual narrowing their range of preferred foods, resulting in a restricted food intake, high levels of rigidity and food refusal (Bryant-Waugh, 2000). SE is encompassed in the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition (DSM-V) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) category avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Such difficulties are common in children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Raiten & Massaro, 1986) and neuropsychological differences have been found in children with ASD (Hill, 2004). This research aimed to be the first to investigate whether a distinct neuropsychological profile exists in children and adolescents with SE and furthermore, whether aspects of the profile vary depending on whether the child or adolescent displays elevated autistic traits. A case series of 10 children between the ages of 8 to 13 years old were recruited. A well-established neuropsychological test battery, the Ravello Profile (Rose, Frampton & Lask, 2012), was modified and administered to assess visuospatial processing, central coherence, executive functions (including cognitive flexibility, inhibition and planning) and theory of mind abilities. The results demonstrated a high degree of variability across the group in terms of visuospatial processing and theory of mind, weak central coherence across all participants and otherwise relatively intact abilities in executive function domains. There were no substantive findings in relation to those children with elevated autistic traits although a trend toward visuospatial processing differences did emerge. This exploratory case series was the first attempt to describe a neuropsychological profile in SE, however the small sample size and high variability in the data meant that a distinct neuropsychological profile did not emerge. The results did however provide an initial indication of possible trends in strengths and weaknesses across neuropsychological domains in SE. These findings have implications for the assessment and treatment of SE difficulties.

Syftet med föreliggande examensarbete är att undersöka och kritiskt granska hur specialpedagogisk handledning används för att skapa en inkluderande skola för elever med Autsimspektrumtillstånd (Autism Spectrum Disorder - ASD).  Studien avser att särskilt undersöka hur fyra specialpedagoger arbetar med handledning som syftar till att bidra till att lärare utvecklar strategier/arbetssätt som skapar förutsättningar för lärande och delaktighet hos elever med ASD.    Resultaten i den tidigare forskning som granskas i föreliggande examensarbete hänvisar till att lärare generellt har sämre attityder gentemot elever med ASD ju högre upp i skolålder de undervisar. Samtidigt pekar andra studier på att lärares attityder och förhållningssätt gentemot sina elever och i synnerlighet de med ASD, är essentiellt för elevens akademiska framgång och sociala inkludering i gruppen. De visar även betydelsen av ett systematiskt tänk i lärande organisationer och de positiva effekterna av att ha ett mångfaldsperspektiv (som exempelvis i Universal Design for Learning).   Det teoretiska perspektiv jag utgår från är systemteorin med utgångspunkt i Antonovskys begrepp Känsla av sammanhang, KASAM, och i komplexitetsteorin. Metoden är kvalitativa forskningsintervjuer med fyra specialpedagoger i form av en kombination av samtal och intervju. Resultaten visar att den specialpedagogiska handledningen spelar en central roll i ett förändringsskapande av attityder och förhållningssätt gentemot elever. Resultaten visar även vikten av ett systematiskt helhetstänk i en organisation för att kunna arbeta framgångsrikt med inkludering av elever med ASD och deras förutsättningar för en tillgänglig undervisning.

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) per DSM-5 criteria are characteristically limited in their ability to interact socially due to conversational speech delays. Typically, children with ASD experience a more constrained number of appropriate initiations and responses in conversations with peers. Previous research has shown the benefits of using scripted language to increase verbalizations in these children. However, limited research has been conducted on the use of technology to increase social interactions between children with ASD. This study will be based on hypotheses and results from the dissertation, “Teaching Conversational Speech to Children with Autism Using a Text Message Intervention” by Denise Grosberg. Grosberg evaluated the performance of a text message intervention (TMI) procedure using scripted language to teach conversational speech with typically developing peers. The present study used a multiple baseline design across dyads to again assess the efficacy of a text message intervention between dyads of children with ASD, including younger and lower-functioning participants. Results demonstrated an increase in appropriate conversational speech through the TMI and an increase in unscripted language following the intervention. Seven of the participants generalized the behavior across peers and settings as well as after a two-week follow-up period. Data are discussed in terms of the percentage of appropriate phrases used, as a function of appropriate phrases, inappropriate phrases, and the number of times a participant did not respond.

The aim of this study was to procure knowledge about how members of families, where one of the members is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, described the mutual relationships, and also how the same family members experienced the response of the society. The study is qualitative and based on ten Swedish autobiographical texts written by different family members. The texts have been analysed through theories by both Salvador Minuchin and Erving Goffman. The result of the study showed that family members, regardless of if it was a sibling, a child, a parent or the person that was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder itself, described a quantity of different emotions about the family relationships in which they were part of. The emotions were described in both positive and negative terms. The family members described the response of the society as varying, they met both condemnatory comments and lack of understanding but also helpfulness, openness and love.

ABSTRACT Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often accompanied by atypical attention to faces. Some previous studies have suggested that children with ASD demonstrate strengths when processing visual information from cartoons, whereas others have argued that photographic stimuli confer benefits. No previous studies have compared photograph and cartoon images of faces (i.e., Boardmaker [BM] images) in the context of a Social Story™ (Gray, 2010): a common intervention to support behavior and social cognition in children with ASD. In this study, we examined visual attention to static face stimuli in the context of Social Stories™. Participants were 19 typically developing (TD) children and 18 age-matched children with ASD. We addressed two questions: 1) Is there a difference between TD children and children with ASD in how they attend to cartoon and photographic stimuli in the context of a Social Story™? and 2) Do group differences in visual attention to BM and/or photographic stimuli correlate with age and indices of autism severity, executive function, intellectual functioning, and weak central coherence? With regard to question 1 and with one exception, we found no differences between groups when viewing images of faces. The exception involved our cartoon and photograph images that differed in content from the other face images in that they represented a person's full body as well as a range of objects (i.e., it was a more complex scene). For these images an interaction was observed such that the TD and ASD groups were no different in their looking patterns in the BoardMaker condition but they were different in the photograph condition. More specifically, we found that a shift toward more mouth-looking in the photograph condition among children with ASD was negatively associated with attention shifting and verbal IQ and that a shift toward more "other"-looking (i.e., looking that occurred outside the eye and mouth region of the face) was negatively associated with attention shifting, age, and central coherence. These findings suggest that children with ASD demonstrate typical visual attention patterns to both cartoon and photographic stimuli representing faces but that children with ASD employ an atypical scanning strategy when presented with photographic stimuli representing more complex social scenes. The theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

Adolescence is challenging time for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who generally exhibit a myriad of psychosocial difficulties. While this developmental period represents an important window for intervention, few evidence-based programs exist. Recent research suggests that interventions targeting emotion regulation (ER) skill deficits in ASD may represent a promising approach to promoting more favourable outcomes for these youth (Mazefsky et al., 2014). Nurturing mindfulness has been shown to be an effective means of improving ER and wellbeing in diverse child and adult populations, although research in ASD is limited. This pilot study evaluated the impact of a 9-week mindfulness intervention on the ER and socioemotional functioning of 14 adolescents (13-17 years) with high functioning ASD using a pre-test post-test design. Parents reported statistically significant changes of small to medium effect size in adolescents’ overall problem behaviours and social skills, ER, adaptability, hyperactivity, and withdrawal behaviours. Additionally, parents reported changes of small effect size that approached significance for adolescents’ anxiety symptoms and atypicality. Adolescents reported changes of small effect size that were statistically significant for anxiety symptoms and interpersonal functioning, and non-significant for depression and social stress symptoms. Changes in many parent-reported outcome variables showed moderate to strong correlations with home practice adherence and parent-reported changes in ER. Qualitative observations of program impact and social acceptability were positive and supported the quantitative findings. The results provide promising evidence for mindfulness training with youth with ASD. Implications for assessment, intervention, and future research are discussed. / October 2016

Assessment of executive functioning in neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism) is a crucial aspect of neuropsychological evaluations. The executive functions are accomplished by the supervisory attentional system (SAS) and include such processes as inhibition, switching, and planning. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tends to present similarly to other neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., ADHD). For example, ASD and ADHD may share similar etiological underpinnings in the frontostriatal system of the frontal lobe. Research on executive functioning in ASD has been mixed, thus the precise nature of executive functioning deficits in ASD remains equivocal. In recent years, simulation technologies have emerged as an avenue to assess neurocognitive functioning in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders impacting frontostriatal function. Simulation technology enables neuropsychologists to assess neurocognitive functioning within a testing environment that replicates environments in which the subject is likely to be in everyday life, as well as present controlled, real-world distractions, which may be better able to tap “hot” executive functions. A Virtual Classroom Continuous Performance Test (CPT) has been used successfully to assess attention in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders impacting frontostriatal function. The current study aimed to investigate executive functioning in individuals with high functioning ASD using a new construct driven Stroop assessment embedded into the Virtual Classroom. Group differences were found in the Virtual Classroom with distractions condition, indicating individuals with ASD may be more vulnerable to external interference control than neurotypical individuals.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine school psychologists' use of evidence- based practices (EBP), in general, and more specifically in the area of social skills training (SST) for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Study participants, consisting of 498 school psychologists from across the nation, participated in an online survey that gathered information about their training, attitudes, and practices. The frequency with which specific EBP practices for social skills training for students with ASD was examined, as was prediction of use of these practices. Multiple-regression analyses revealed multiple independent variables that were predictors for overall use of EBP. Results indicated that over half of the participants provide SST for students with ASD. Although the majority of participants indicated that their graduate program included at least one course with information about ASD and EBP practices, in general, nearly half indicated that their coursework did not include any courses that directly addressed social skills training for students with ASD. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the extent to which the data fit the factor model. Participants' perception of the importance placed on EBP by their school district, scores on the openness subscale of the Evidence Based Practices Assessment Scale, perception of how well their graduate program prepared them in the EBP process, perception of whether they were adequately trained in the area of SST for students with ASD, and having a caseload evenly divided among settings were significant predictors of overall use of EBP.