It is of utmost importance that students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the public school setting across the United States are receiving the best, most researched services and treatments. This study aimed to find out what services and treatments are most commonly being used for students with ASD in the public schools, to see whether or not those practices are supported by research, and to discover how involved parents and families are in the services being provided to their students. This study found that of the top 25 most commonly used practices, 17 of those were supported by and recommended by research, 3 are considered to have some research support, 1 was considered to not have research support, and 4 were undetermined to have research support. This study also found that overall, parents are aware of the services being provided to their students with ASD, but they do not feel like they are actively involved with majority of the services being provided.

Sensory motor deficits, although not part of the diagnostic criteria, are frequently reported in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The ob jective of this project is to study the temporal and spatial dynamics of an approximately periodic motor activity (circle drawing) in children with ASD. The natural rhythm of periodic motor activities such as circle drawing are known to exhibit statistical persistence in typically developing individuals. A sample of 15 children aged 4 to 8 years, with a primary diagnosis of ASD were asked to draw circles using a computerized tablet and pen, which record spatio-temporal data. Results were compared with those of 19 typically developing children. While no differences were seen in statistical persistence, differences were observed in timing of discontinuous circle drawing and in kinetic process variable such as grip and axial forces. Understanding the specific nature of graphomotor deficits is the first step towards developing targeted treatment for these impairments.

Sensory motor deficits, although not part of the diagnostic criteria, are frequently reported in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The ob jective of this project is to study the temporal and spatial dynamics of an approximately periodic motor activity (circle drawing) in children with ASD. The natural rhythm of periodic motor activities such as circle drawing are known to exhibit statistical persistence in typically developing individuals. A sample of 15 children aged 4 to 8 years, with a primary diagnosis of ASD were asked to draw circles using a computerized tablet and pen, which record spatio-temporal data. Results were compared with those of 19 typically developing children. While no differences were seen in statistical persistence, differences were observed in timing of discontinuous circle drawing and in kinetic process variable such as grip and axial forces. Understanding the specific nature of graphomotor deficits is the first step towards developing targeted treatment for these impairments.

ABSTRACT Based on my experience and research, I believe more educational resources are needed for teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I have combined interviews of participants --two certified and currently practicing art teachers working in the public school setting, two adaptive art specialists, and two art therapists-- with relevant information from my Review of Literature to compile an initial set of practices and adaptive techniques specifically for art teachers to use in constructing a successful learning environment in the art classroom for students with ASD. According to my review of literature, three factors necessary for creating a successful learning environment for students with ASD are preparation, collaboration, and instruction. To examine these factors, I focused my interviews on these topics. Results were aligned with the initial research as those interviewed described a need for more complete and applicable training, more opportunities for collaboration, and information about possible strategies to use with students with ASD in the art classroom. INDEX WORDS: Art Education, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Art Therapy, Adaptive Art

In recent years, autism diagnoses have steadily increased, putting a substantial emphasis on early identification as a crucial component for intervention. Autism diagnoses, however, often require a thorough and comprehensive assessment from a highly trained practitioner. Although ideal, such assessments are often time consuming and expensive, creating a need for a quicker, more simplistic method of screening for autism. Clinicians customarily used behavior rating scales to identify a number of various problem behaviors and/or disorders. The purpose of the present study is to examine the utility of two common behavior rating scales in accurately discriminating between a group of preschoolers with autism and a group of referred preschoolers with autism. Parents/guardians of 74 preschoolers with and without autism, who had been referred to a child development clinic due to behavioral or developmental concerns, completed both behavior rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment. Although analyses revealed significant differences between the two groups of participants on two of the scales from one of the instruments, these findings demonstrate little clinical value for screening purposes.

Working collaboratively with VSA Texas, the research study examined how a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) curriculum functions for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in an art learning setting. The curriculum focused on learning new media for art making in the form of digital film and video. My research and proposed successful classroom strategies are intended to assist current and future art educators in implementing aspects of UDL in their inclusive art classrooms to better educate students with disabilities through art. / text

Social communication deficits have been identified as one of the core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous studies have shown that video modeling is an effective intervention for improving social communication in children with ASD. The purpose of this project is to provide an accessible resource for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) seeking to implement video modeling interventions for children with ASD, drawing upon empirical research to inform recommended procedures for SLPs. This guidebook provides step-by-step procedures for implementing video modeling intervention, including selection of target behaviors and video models, video production, techniques for implementing interventions, and methods of measuring progress. Associated intervention strategies are also discussed. Additional resources are provided to support SLPs in implementing video modeling interventions, including data collection forms, sample scripts, and sample lesson plans. This project also includes examples of videos created using children and adults as models. As video modeling appears to be an effective approach for ameliorating social communication deficits in children with ASD, SLPs may benefit from a practical guide for implementing video modeling interventions in a variety of settings. / text

One of every 166 children born today could be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (CDC 2006). Growing bodies of evidence show sensory integration issues may be at the root of many of the symptoms children with ASD exhibit. Sensory integration is defined as the ability to feel, understand, and organize sensory information from the body and environment. The issues surrounding sensory integration are reflected in both hypersensitive and hyposensitive reactions by children with ASD to the vestibular, proprioception, visual, audio, tactile, and olfactory senses.The goal of this paper is to address the sensory integration issues of children with ASD by creating a sensory garden which would allow them to focus on therapeutic and diagnostic interventions. By using the principles and elements of design, guidelines for this garden focused on producing calming effects for hyper reactive children with ASD and stimulating effects for hypo reactions.

This thesis describes and analyzes how some early childhood educators and parents perceive cooperation in educational work with 4-5 years old children who have been diagnosed with autism. The work will examine which approach preschool teachers assume, the extent to which parents are involved in the work and how parents influence looks. The Literature section provides an overview of previous research on different pedagogical approaches with autistic children, what parental cooperation can mean for autistic children, and what advantages and disadvantages there are with cooperation between preschool teachers and parents.This work has a hermeneutic perspective. The method is based on a qualitative study where we used qualitative interviews with a hermeneutics base. The theoretical starting point for this work is the variety of theoretical perspectives.The final results/summary we came up with is that preschool teachers and parents of autistic children believe that parental cooperation in preschool has a crucial role in children's development and learning. Both sides believe that it is necessary to have a partnership, but we also came to the conclusion that parental cooperation, in addition to the positive, was also perceived as problematic to some degree.

名古屋大学博士学位論文 学位の種類 : 博士(医学)(課程) 学位授与年月日:平成25年3月30日 川上ちひろ氏の博士論文として提出された