Individer med autismspektrumdiagnos (ASD) har en begränsad förmåga till sociala interaktioner och ömsesidig kommunikation samt uppvisar ofta hyper- eller hyporeaktioner på sensoriska stimuli. Därför kan till exempel ett besök på vårdcentral, akutmottagning eller vårdavdelning skapa en ökad påfrestning. Eftersom musik används inom olika former av terapi, exempelvis vid demens, eller som smärtlindring vid cancer var det av intresse att undersöka dess effekt vid ASD. Syftet med denna litteraturöversikt var att undersöka hur individer med ASD påverkas av musik. Sammanlagt 11 vetenskapliga artiklar analyserades. I resultatet framträdde fyra teman: fysisk påverkan, social påverkan, emotionell påverkan samt koncentration och coping. Musik eller musikterapi sågs exempelvis inverka på ångest, humör och sociala interaktioner på ett positivt sätt. Även rent fysiskt sågs reaktioner i de delar av hjärnan som involveras i musikuppfattning och känslobearbetning när musik spelades. Sjuksköterskans mål är att utföra en personcentrerad omvårdnad där kunskap om musikens inverkan skulle kunna kombineras med klinisk praxis för att underlätta interaktioner med patienter med ASD. Framtida forskning om musikens påverkan på vuxna individer med ASD kan ge ytterligare kunskap i ämnet som kan leda till riktlinjer och rutiner för enkel användning av musik som icke-farmakologisk åtgärd vid vård av patienter med ASD. / Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to have a limited capacity for social interactions, communications, and usually show hyper or hypo reactions to sensory stimuli. Time spent in health facilities can therefore be extra stressful. Since music is used for therapy or pain relief in cancer treatment and dementia care for example, it would be interesting to further explore the effects of music. The aim of this literature review was to investigate how individuals with ASD are affected by music. Eleven literature articles were analyzed and as a result, four themes emerged: physical, social, emotional influence and also focus and coping. Anxiety, mood, and social interactions were affected in a positive way by music or music therapy. Physical reactions in the brain were seen in regions underlying music perception and emotional processing. The nurse’s goal is person-centered care, and the knowledge of the effects of music and the possibility to use music in clinical practice, could make working with ASD patients easier. Future research on this subject could provide further knowledge and result in guidelines and routines for an easy use of music in the care of individuals with ASD.

Bakgrund: Autismspektrumtillstånd (AST) är ett samlingsnamn för flertalet neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar. Oförståelse, bristande helhetssyn samt behov av rutiner utmärker diagnosen. Kommunikation och kunskap om AST är något som brister i möte med dessa patienter. Därmed är kunskap om AST samt hur dessa patienter upplever mötet med vården betydande för att främja omvårdnaden och deras hälsa. Syfte: Att beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att möta patienter som har diagnostiserats med autismspektrumtillstånd. Metod: En litteraturöversikt med kvalitativ och kvantitativ ansats baserad på tio vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Ur analysen framkom två teman; anpassning och förberedelse för att möta patientens behov samt kunskapens och kompetensens betydelse i mötet, med fyra underteman. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskan ska i mötet vara engagerad i patienten och dess situation samt ha en god dialog med närstående och arbeta i team för att finna rätt tillvägagångssätt i mötet. Det är viktigt att sjuksköterskan har kunskap och utbildning kring AST och de olika kommunikationshjälpmedlen som anses vara en av de mötesfrämjande faktorer. / Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a collective name for many neuropsychiatric disabilities. Understanding, routines and a lack of overall perception characterize the diagnosis. Communication and knowledge about ASD is something that fails in meeting with these patients. Therefore, knowledge of ASD and how these patients experience the meeting with care are significant in promoting nursing and their health. Aim: To describe the nurses experience of meeting patients diagnosed with ASD. Methods: A literature review with qualitative and quantitative approach based on ten scientific articles. Results: The analysis revealed two themes; adaptation and preparation in the meeting as well as the importance of knowledge and competence in the meeting, with four sub-men. Conclusion: The nurse should be engaged in the patient and it´s situation in the meeting and have a good dialogue with close associates and work in teams to find the right approaches in the meeting. It´s important that the nurse has knowledge and education about ASD and the various communication aids that are considered to be one of the promotional factors.

Transitions within the school setting have been a challenge for school staff working with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Teachers and students lose valuable academic time when the procedures in place are not working to create a quick transition - decreasing problem behavior, and increasing learning time. Students with ASD typically have a difficult time transitioning frequently throughout a school day, and problem behavior can be more apparent during this time. Hine, Ardoin, and Foster (2015) found that a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) based intervention was successful in decreasing classroom transition times for students in general education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a similar CAI based intervention to decrease latency to on-task behavior during transitions in a classroom with students diagnosed with ASD. Two different transitions within a classroom were evaluated using the CAI-based intervention with three student participants diagnosed with ASD. Results indicated using a CAI-based intervention in collaboration with teacher input decreased latency to on-task behavior for all three participants for both transitions without the use of a group contingency or reinforcement component. High implementation fidelity and social validity scores demonstrated acceptance of the intervention by both teacher and student participants.

Existing research has started to explore the experiences of the people around children and adults diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA). However, there are very few studies looking at the experiences of fathers, and there are less studies in relation to adults rather than children. This study aims to take an in depth look at the experiences of these fathers in order to start building our knowledge of the experiences of being the father of someone with a diagnosis of AS or HFA. Four fathers of sons and three fathers of daughters with a diagnosis of AS or HFA were interviewed using a semi-structured interview. The experiences of the fathers were explored qualitatively, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Analysis of the transcripts brought out four superordinate themes for the seven fathers. The first theme: 'The changing role but constant responsibility of being a "Father"' described the fathers' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities towards their child as they have grown up and into the future. The second theme: 'The importance of knowledge and understanding' described the importance the fathers placed on developing their understanding of their child and the need for other people to understand them and their child. The third theme: 'The intense emotional impact' came from the fathers' descriptions of the positive and negative emotional reactions to the challenges their children and families have faced. The final theme: 'The importance of good support' includes the fathers' good and bad experiences of support services and support from family and friends. The results of the analysis are discussed in relation to the existing literature and in terms of what they mean for the clinical practice of people working with fathers of children and adults with AS or HFA. The strengths and limitations of the study are also discussed.

Unusual responses to sensory stimuli have been reported in nearly all children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). A few studies on adults indicate that the sensory and perceptual problems persist into adulthood. Sensory symptoms have not been included in the diagnostic criteria for ASC but in the new diagnostic manual (DSM-5, 2013) hyper- or hyporeactivity or unusual sensory interests were included in the diagnostic criteria for ASC. Sensory phenomena are mostly investigated in studies involving children and the scales used to measure sensory reactivity have been constructed on the basis of the scientific literature and parents’ reports. The experiences of adults with ASC are not well understood and have not been systematically used to develop measures. The overall aim of the thesis was to capture the first-hand experiences of and perspectives on sensory reactivity and translate them into a self-rating scale. To fulfil this overarching aim the personal sensory experiences of adults with ASC were investigated and the variations and range of atypical sensory phenomena explored and described in two qualitative studies (study I and II). The analyses of the firstperson descriptions enabled the development of items for a scale. These were reduced in steps and the final scale which was named the Sensory Reactivity in Autism Spectrum scale (SR-AS) comprised 32 items in four subscales: high awareness/ hyperreactivity, low awareness/hyporeactivity, strong sensory interests and sensory/motor. The SR-AS was validated using content and factor analyses. Its discriminative validity was then investigated as well as its reliability in the form of internal consistency (study III). In the final step the scale was used to identify clusters of atypical sensory functioning in adults with ASC by hierarchical cluster analysis (study IV). Three different sensory clusters were found. The main contribution of this thesis is its presentation of individual experience and perspectives and the creation of an clinical tool to measure atypical sensory reactivity frequently experienced by people with ASC. The ways in which the SR-AS can be used comprise assessment of individual sensory patterns for self-knowledge and awareness, to enable the development of coping strategies and to provide information on environmental adjustments required. In diagnostic processes where other criteria for ASC are fulfilled the SR-AS can be used for assessing sensory symptoms according to the DSM-5.

Background: The two most common neuropsychiatric disabilities are attention deficithyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Functional impairmentsentail some difficulties for the child that affects the family situation such as interaction withother people and learning and memory difficulties. Aim: The aim of this study was to illuminate the family's experience of living with childrenwho have a neuropsychiatric disability. Method: A qualitative approach was used for this literature based study. The CINAHL and PubMed databases were used to search for scientific articles. Through systematic searches we found ten articles and these were analyzed using Friberg's five-step method. Results: The result is presented on the basis of three themes: An everyday battle, Experiences of understanding and support from the outside world and Family life in light and darkness. It shows that it was a daily struggle for family members in their daily lives. The parents experienced a lack of understanding from the outside world and received limited support. Several parents felt socially isolated and alone. Their daily situation ended up in strong emotions. Conclusion: This study provides an understanding of how family members experience their everyday situation with the child with neuropsychiatric disability. The family relationship was affected in one way or another and it was important for family members to receive support. The nurse has an important responsibility to provide the support and care that family members need to avoid suffering.

iii Abstract Sibling relationships are amongst the most influential relationships in one’s life. Bringing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) into these interactional dynamics has a marked influence on these relationships for both the sibling with ASD and the typically developing siblings. The main aim of this study was to investigate how typically developing adolescents describe their present attitudes towards their sibling with ASD, compared to their attitudes when they were younger. Thirty typically developing adolescents who have siblings with ASD were selected to complete the survey instrument, namely the Modified Lifespan Sibling Relationship Scale (MLSRS). The survey instrument operated on the conceptualisation of attitudes as consisting of three components: affective, cognitive and behavioural. The results indicated that the majority of adolescents have very strong positive feelings towards their sibling (affective component), both at the time of the research and when they were younger. Their beliefs about their siblings and their relationship with them (cognitive component) have become more positive as they became older. Their actual interaction (behavioural component) was, however, found to be significantly lower than their feelings towards their siblings (both as adolescents and as younger children) and their beliefs about their relationships as adolescents. This study highlighted the need for children who develop typically to be taught how to interact effectively with their sibling with ASD and the need for siblings to be provided with age appropriate information about their sibling’s disorder. The results also indicate that although most of the children seemed to be coping well with the extra demands placed on them they would nevertheless still be able to benefit from support groups for siblings of children with ASD. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) / unrestricted

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal-dominant neurocutaneous disease caused by loss of the TSC1 (encoding hamartin) or TSC2 (encoding tuberin) genes. Neurologic symptoms are common and varied in TSC and include epilepsy and behavioral conditions like autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Between 17 and 61% of children with TSC exhibit symptoms of ASD. The purpose of this study was to investigate a potential correlate of poor neurological outcome in TSC by assessing the integrity of brain language pathways and the relationship to ASD. 42 patients with TSC and 42 age-matched control subjects were scanned with advanced diffusion-weighted MRI. White matter language pathways were identified with a validated automatic method and analyzed for microstructural characteristics, including fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). Well-defined white matter pathways in the brain are characterized by high FA and low MD. During normal development, brain white matter pathways increase in FA and decrease in MD. Out of 42 patients with TSC, 12 had ASD (29%). After controlling for age, TSC patients without ASD showed a small decrease in FA of the arcuate fasciculus compared to control subjects, and TSC patients with ASD had much lower FA than both control subjects and TSC patients without ASD. Similarly, while TSC patients without ASD had only a small increase in MD compared to control subjects in the arcuate fasciculus, TSC patients with ASD had much higher MD than control subjects and TSC patients without ASD. A new method for assessing the microstructure of young patients showed similar results with decreased compactness in language pathways of TSC patients with ASD. Another new method designed to better analyze regions with crossing pathways showed modifications in language pathway microstructure that correlated with ASD diagnosis in the TSC patients. Preliminary analysis of neuropsychiatric data also showed a trend toward an association of arcuate fasciculus MD with verbal IQ, although the result was not significant after multiple comparisons correction. It remains unclear why some patients with TSC develop ASD, while others have better language outcomes. Our results suggest that aberrant development of language pathways may act as a marker for poor neurological outcome in TSC patients. The impaired microstructure in language pathways of TSC patients may be responsible for the development of ASD, although prospective studies examining the development of language pathways and subsequent ASD diagnosis in this patient population remain essential. It is also possible that a primary problem with language leads to decreased use and subsequent poor development of language pathways. Early diagnosis of ASD is crucial for improving the outcomes of affected children.

The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics pertaining to emotional intelligence (EI) that parents and Foundation Phase teachers may use when supporting learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in an inclusive classroom setting. Teachers are facing various degrees of challenges due to the demands of a range of diverse needs attributable to the influx of learners with disabilities in the school system. Given the increase in the number of children diagnosed with ASD, research indicates that it is likely that teachers will encounter learners with ASD in their classes. Teachers are generally not trained to identify and cope with such a disability, as many requirements of these learners are beyond the services of a general school system. A multiple case study was conducted where the perspectives of a teacher and two parents were gained, in order to understand experiences with children with ASD from the participants' point of view. The primary aim of this study was therefore to provide both parents and teachers with listed characteristics of EI that they could utilise while supporting learners with ASD in households or the educational sphere. Findings illuminated the collective characteristics of learners with ASD, which include intense obsessions with a narrow range of subjects, repetitive routines, central coherence difficulties and problems with social-emotional functioning, communication and executive functioning. These indicators require specific responses from parents and teachers to effectively provide support to these learners. Qualities identified that relate to EI are patience, empathy, problem solving skills, working collaboratively with parents and being proactive. The main recommendation relates to specific training in EI skills, to prepare student teachers in supporting the growing number of learners with ASD in their classes. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Early Childhood Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Mirror neurons are very specific nerve cells that are both motor and sensory in nature. Mirror neurons are a relatively new discovery first identified by a team of neurophysiologists at the University of Parma. These neurons were first observed in primates, and then later in humans in several regions of the cerebral cortex. A large amount of research on mirror neurons have shown that they play an important role in imitation, language acquisition and empathy. The theoretical part of this work summarizes what is currently known about mirror neurons. It emphasizes the relationship between mirror neurons, autism, empathy, and its training. This theoretical framework is followed by pilot research, which consists of two components: the quantitative part consisted of a questionnaire survey to ascertain the level of empathy of the participants using the Index of Interpersonal Reactivity. The participants were the parents of autistic children who were compared with a control group. A statistically significant difference in empathy levels between the two groups was not observed but there was a tendency for higher scoring in some questionnaire scales in experimental group The second part of this work is an analysis of observations of the interactions between parents and autistic children. Additionally, two...