Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) involves a broad presentation of symptoms classified along continuum of severity, with core deficits in Social Affect and Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours required for formal diagnosis (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Lauritsen, 2013). The development of particular cognitive, behavioural and interpersonal difficulties seen in ASD is of great interest. Temperament offers particular value given that it influences the development of social behaviours, emotionality and self-regulation (Shiner et al., 2012). The self-regulatory temperament factor, effortful control, is known to be diminished in ASD (Garon et al., 2009, 2016) and is theorised to be related to attention and executive functioning (Rothbart & Rueda, 2005). This link is of particular interest, given that attention and executive function deficits are prominent in ASD (Craig et al., 2016; Lai et al., 2017; Sanders, Johnson, Garavan, Gill, & Gallagher, 2008). To date, however, a thorough literature search failed to yield a study which has investigated whether effortful control,attention and executive functioning are concurrently associated with ASD symptomatology.Moreover, the relationship between effortful control, attention and executive functioning is not as unambiguous as previously theorised in typical development, with little investigation into these relationships in ASD. To elucidate the association effortful control, attention and executive functioning have with ASD symptomatology, the relationship between effortful control and these cognitive variable needs to be better established empirically. Therefore the current investigation’s aims were twofold. Study One investigated the relationship of effortful control with attention and executive functions in neurotypical and ASD samples. Study Two explored the association between effortful control, attention, executive functions and core ASD deficits (i.e. Social Affect and Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours). A sample of 38 ASD and 38 neurotypical boys (aggregate-matched on key demographic factors), aged 6 - 15, and their primary caregivers were recruited. Study One considered both groups (n=76) and featured both quasi-experimental and relational investigations. Study Two focused only on the ASD sample (n=38) and used a purely relational design. Neurocognitive measures were used to assess two attention domains (i.e. attention span and sustained attention), and three executive functions (i.e. working memory, inhibition and switching). Effortful control was measured using a parent-report questionnaire and ASD core deficits were examined using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second edition (ADOS-2; Lord, Luyster, Gotham, & Guthrie, 2012). Results of Study One revealed effortful control was a significant predictor of attention span, working memory and inhibition, with ASD participants performing significantly more poorly on these cognitive domains and rated significantly more poorly on effortful control. Study Two’s results indicated that Social Affect was significantly correlated with inhibition and the interaction effect between effortful control and working memory. Furthermore, only effortful control, attention span and their interaction effect were significantly associated with Restricted Repetitive Behaviours. Specifically, effortful control was found to moderate this relationship. At high levels of effortful control, increased attention span was associated with less Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours. These findings may aid efforts to establish a predictive model for ASD core deficits on the basis of temperament and cognitive difficulties. Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Effortful Control, Attention, Executive Functions, Social Affect, Restricted Repetitive Behaviours

Children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder are in danger of developing serious mental health issues after the death of a beloved person. They are considered as not being able to grieve and understand the concept of death, which leads to exclusion from grieving processes and rituals. This increases the risk of negative grief outcomes. Deficits in understanding, communication and interpersonal relationships make them especially vulnerable after the loss. Grief support from the social environment or professional grief interventions can have a positive impact on the grieving process and outcome. This systematic literature review aimed to identify grief support for this target group, including social and professional support. Additionally, grief reactions of children with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder were examined to identify how the need for support can be recognized. Seven databases were used for the search process and six studies met the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. It was found that the grief reaction of children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder was similar to normal developing children, although some group-specific variations were recognized. The content of provided grief support included education and discussions about death and emotions, participation in death rituals and preparation for it, as well as family support. Books and stories were found to be successful tools for explaining emotions and coping strategies. Due to the limited data available no solid information can be given about the possibility of continuous and effective grief support for this target group. A research gap was identified regarding the grief experience of children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder and available grief support for this target group.

No description available.

Millions of students with disabilities in the United States have access to educational programming to assist and provide special education support services. In existence for mere decades, special education as it currently stands was founded on groundbreaking legislation and refining law in the form of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The most recent revision of this law in 2004 significantly extended parents' rights to be decision-makers in the educational planning process for children with disabilities. A litany of research into parent experiences of the IEP and special education process reveals that parents consistently report feelings of being marginalized in the decision-making process. A systematic literature review conducted by the author revealed that parents and family members of children with ASD report broadly similar themes of dissatisfaction with the special education process and communicating with staff. The current research proposal seeks to investigate the interaction experiences with Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) personnel of parents and family members of elementary-aged children with ASD. LSSPs, recognized as possessing expertise on autism spectrum disorder amongst special education evaluation personnel, often conduct evaluations for students with ASD.

In conducting this study, the ultimate goal was to determine whether parents and other caregivers of individuals with disabilities are experiencing higher levels of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms as compared to the general population. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities and other disabilities are more likely to engage in aggressive behaviors such as hitting, kicking, biting, screaming, and self-injurious behavior. Research has also shown that parents of children with special needs have higher levels of stress, and special education teachers are leaving the field due to burnout. In addition to comparing PTSD levels of these caregivers with the general population, results of parents in this sample size were compared with the results of other caregivers. Using the PTSD Checklist – Civilian version (PCL-C), a self-report questionnaire, PTSD total scores, the three subscale scores which included re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal were analyzed. In total PCL-C scores and the subscale scores, the respondents’ results were statistically significant, with a mean score of 46.7 as compared to 29 with the general population. In addition, results demonstrated that parents and other caregivers that worked with an individual with a disability who engaged in aggressive behavior had a higher mean score than those who didn’t among this population. When divided into two groups, parents had a higher mean than the other caregivers. Future research can be done on PTSD treatments for this specific population without having to remove them from their environments in order to help reduce burnout and attrition among caregivers of individuals with disabilities.

Bakgrund I Sverige diagnostiseras årligen mellan 100–200 barn med Autismspektrumtillstånd (AST). Att ett barn i familjen har AST påverkar hela familjen och kan skapa känslor av oro, sorg och ilska. Diagnosen innebär många kontakter med olika professioner inom hälso- och sjukvården, där familjen är i stort behov av stöd. Familjecentrerad omvårdnad handlar om att involvera hela familjen i vårdprocessen där samarbete, delaktighet och respekt är viktiga beståndsdelar.  Syfte  Syftet var att beskriva familjers upplevelser och erfarenheter av stöd i vårdmötet då ett barn i familjen har autismspektrumtillstånd. Metod Studien gjordes som en litteraturöversikt. Artikelsökningar gjordes i tre databaser relevanta för ämnet, samt genom en manuell sökning. Femton artiklar analyserades med en integrerad analys inspirerad av Kristensson (2014). Resultat Resultatet visade att det uppstår specifika behov av stöd då familjer har ett barn med AST: Stöd i form av ett respektfullt bemötande, stöd i form av individanpassad information, stöd i form av vägledning under och efter diagnostiseringsprocessen samt stöd i form av att familjen inkluderas i vårdprocessen. Slutsats Familjer med barn med AST upplever en övervägande brist på stöd i vårdmötet i form av otrevligt bemötande, brist på adekvat information och vägledning samt brist på delaktighet i barnets vård. Genom familjecentrerad omvårdnad kan sjuksköterskan och övriga professioner i vårdteamet se till hela familjens behov vilket leder till ett ökat stöd. Sjukvårdteamet har således en viktig funktion i att utföra familjecentrerad omvårdnad då det kan förbättra familjernas vårdupplevelse. För att kunna erbjuda en vård av hög kvalitet är det av stor vikt att sjukvårdsteamet får mer kunskap om AST samt att de utbildas i hur stöd på bästa sätt kan ges till familjer med barn med AST. / Background In Sweden, 100-200 children are diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) annually. Having a child in the family with ASD affects the whole family and can initiate feelings of anxiety, grief and anger. The diagnosis involves several contacts with multiple healthcare professionals, situations where the family is in great need of support. Familycentered care aims to involve the whole family in the care process, and collaboration, participation and respect are important components. Aim The aim was to describe families' experiences of support in the healthcare meeting when a child in the family has Autism spectrum disorders. Method The study was conducted as a literature review. Article searches were made in three databases relevant to the topic, as well as an additional manual search. Fifteen articles were analyzed with an integrated analysis inspired by Kristensson (2014). Results The results revealed a specific need for support when families have a child with ASD, such as respectful care, personalized information, guidance during and after the diagnosis process and support in terms of including the family in the care process.  Conclusions Families with children with ASD experience a predominant lack of support in the care meeting such as unpleasant treatment, lack of adequate information and guidance, and lack of participation in the child's care. Through family-centered care, the nurse and the multidisciplinary team can consider the needs of the entire family, which leads to increased family support. Thus, the professional team has an important role in providing familycentered care as it can improve families' care experiences. It is of great importance that the multidisciplinary team gain more knowledge about ASD, and also receives more training in how to provide support to families with children with ASD.

A functional analysis (FA) is the most commonly used assessment methodology for identifying maintaining variables influencing problem behavior. However, if an FA does not produce clear differentiation, researchers and practitioners often then modify procedures to include additional individualized variables. The interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA) provides a marked departure from FA methodology and aims to include individualized factors at the initiation of the assessment in order to more rapidly produce differentiation and clear results. We sought to further evaluate and compare the outcomes of two different functional analysis methods: the single-contingency functional analysis (FA) and the interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA) to determine the function of problem behavior and evaluate the subsequent function-based treatment determined from the functional analysis results with two children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Both participants engaged in problem behavior maintained by single-contingencies of reinforcement identified within the single-contingency FA and emphasized by the effectiveness of each single-contingency function-based treatment.

Recognising people’s emotions is a promising research area in human-computer interaction as emotional communication plays a crucial role in humans’ lives. One of the main reasons for ineffective emotional communication is a deficit in understanding emotional signals such as facial expressions and body posture. There is a bidirectional challenge between autistic and non-autistic individuals since they display their emotional signals differently. This thesis discovers differences in emotional signals, in particular facial expressions, body posture, and physiological signals. Based on the interviews and questionnaires conducted in this thesis, the need to design an aid tool to assist autistic and non-autistic participants during their emotional communication is identified. Therefore, Emognition, a smartwatch, and its mobile application is designed to blur these differences and enhance the emotional communication between them. Furthermore, Emognition’s user evaluation indicates that the smartwatch could successfully detect nonautistic participants’ sadness and happiness. Also, they found the mobile application useful and aesthetically motivating to interact with. Even though we could not evaluate how well the Emognition recognises autistic participants’ sadness and happiness, it is promising to measure their emotions successfully by accurate sensors and, more importantly, by finding their autonomic response patterns to different emotions and enhance emotional communication between autistic and nonautistic people by Emognition.

Bakgrund: Autism är en neuropsykiatrisk funktionsvariation som en person har livet ut, 1.7 % av världens befolkning beräknas ha diagnosen autism. De autistiska dragen visar brister i social kommunikation och social interaktion, ett begränsat och upprepande beteendemönster samt fokuserade specialintressen. Autism har ofta en samsjuklighet med flera andra tillstånd, svårigheter och sjukdomar. Hela familjen påverkas emotionellt och ekonomiskt när en familjemedlem har autism. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva föräldrars erfarenheter av sjukhusvård till deras barn med autism. Metod: Deskriptiv litteraturstudie som sammanställt tio vetenskapliga artiklar. Huvudresultat: I resultatet framkom det att föräldrar beskrev att deras barn med autism upplevde sensoriska utmaningar i sjukhusvården. Det innebar en stor sensorisk stress med en påfrestande ny miljö och vårdpersonalens beröring vid undersökning och behandling. Kommunikationssvårigheter gjorde att barnen hade svårt att förmedla känslor och smärta. Föräldrarna upplevde att vårdpersonalen därför hade svårt att göra en rättvis bedömning och behandling. Resultatet visade att enligt föräldrarna behövde vårdpersonalen kompetens om autism för att kunna ge rätt bemötande till varje enskilt barn. Det framkom också att föräldrarna hade stor kunskap om sitt barns beteende och strategier och att vårdpersonalen hade stor nytta av att respektera och använda denna kunskap. Slutsats: Det visade sig vara viktigt att sjuksköterskan minimerade de sensoriska intrycken genom att värdera om undersökningar, förflyttningar och ny personal verkligen behövdes. När en sjuksköterska hade kompetens om autism kunde föräldrarnas kunskap nyttjas, säker vård främjas samt att barnens vårdupplevelse förbättrades. / Background: Autism is a neuropsychiatric disability that a person has for life, 1.7% of the world population is estimated to have an autism diagnosis. The autistic features show shortcomings in social communication and social interaction, a limited and repetitive pattern of behavior and focused special interests. Autism often has a comorbidity with several other conditions, difficulties and diseases. The whole family is affected emotionally and financially when a family member has autism. Aim: The aim of the literature study was to describe parents' experiences of hospital care for their children with autism. Method: Descriptive literature study that compiled ten scientific articles. Main results: The results showed that parents described that their children with autism experienced sensory challenges in hospital care. This meant a great deal of sensory stress with a stressful new environment and the healthcare professionals touch during examination and treatment. Communication difficulties made it difficult for the children to convey feelings and pain. The parents experienced that healthcare professionals had difficulty making a fair assessment and treatment. The results showed that according to the parents, the healthcare professionals needed competence about autism in order to be able to give the right treatment to each individual child. It also emerged that the parents had a great deal of knowledge about their child's behavior and strategies and that the healthcare professionals benefited greatly from respecting and using this knowledge. Conclusion: It turned out to be important that the nurse minimized the sensory impressions by evaluating whether examinations, transfers and new staff were really needed. When a nurse had competence in autism, the parents' knowledge could be used, safety care promoted, and the children's care experience improved.

Syftet med den här litteraturstudien var att granska effekten av fysisk aktivitet och träning på motoriska och kognitiva förmågor hos barn med autismspektrumtillstånd (AST) samt att undersöka vilken tillförlitlighet som finns för fysisk aktivitet och träning som behandlingsmetod hos denna patientgrupp. Strukturerade sökningar utfördes i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL. Nio randomiserade kontrollerade studier identifierades. Insamlade data bearbetades sedan genom att alla artiklar som inkluderas i studien granskades enligt PEDro-skalan och resultatens tillförlitlighet klassificerades enligt SBU GRADE. Effekten av interventionerna presenteras i en narrativ sammanställning av kvantitativa data. Kvalitén och bevisvärdet på ingående artiklar är låg till medelgod, men enskilda artiklar visar signifikanta resultat som indikerar att fysisk aktivet och träning kan bidra till positiva effekter vad gäller både kognitiv och motorisk förmåga hos barn med AST. Tillförlitligheten bedöms enligt SBU GRADE som mycket låg för fysisk aktivitet och träning i form av styrka och koordination, bollsporter, ridning och cykling. Resultatet i den aktuella studien ger vissa indikationer, trots stor variation av interventioner, att fysisk aktivet och träning kan bidra till positiva kognitiva effekter hos barn med AST. Även gällande motoriska effekter hos barn med AST kan positiva indikationer skönjas, men här är effekten dock ännu mindre tydlig. Det sammanvägda resultatet har mycket låg tillförlitlighet bedömt med SBU GRADE. Ytterligare studier efterfrågas.