Teaching preschool age autistic children to make spontaneous initiations to peers using priming

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Zanolli ◽  
Julie Daggett ◽  
Tracy Adams
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Age ◽  
Autistic Children

scholarly journals The relationship between sensory reactivity, intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety subtypes in preschool-age autistic children

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110161
Author(s):  
Keren MacLennan ◽  
Timothy Rossow ◽  
Teresa Tavassoli
Keyword(s):  
Separation Anxiety ◽  
Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Sensory Reactivity ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Development Of Anxiety ◽  
Sensory Hyperreactivity

Sensory reactivity differences are a diagnostic criterion of autism. Sensory hyperreactivity has been linked to intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety in autistic children. However, research is yet to explore the mediating relationships or sensory hyporeactivity, seeking and anxiety subtypes in preschool-age autistic children. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the relationships between sensory reactivity, intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety subtypes in a heterogeneous group of 54 preschool-age autistic children, age 3–5 years, using observation and parent-report assessments. Correlational analysis found sensory hyperreactivity, intolerance of uncertainty and total anxiety were significantly intercorrelated. In addition, sensory hyperreactivity was significantly correlated with separation anxiety when controlling for autism traits. Serial mediation analyses indicated significant full mediation between sensory hyperreactivity and anxiety through intolerance of uncertainty, and significant full mediation between sensory hyperreactivity and intolerance of uncertainty through anxiety. Our results suggest that sensory hyperreactivity is a key early factor in the development of anxiety, and supports that intolerance of uncertainty is an important interrelated construct in the development and maintenance of anxiety in autism. Our findings have important implications for the development of effective interventions. However, due to limitations with the measures, our research also highlights a pressing need for objective assessments of anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty that can be used with preschool-age autistic children. Lay abstract This study found links between greater sensory hyperreactivity (e.g., over-sensitive to sensory input), intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety, including separation anxiety, in autistic pre-schoolers. Sensory hyperreactivity may predict both anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty, and anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty may both be mutually important, mediating factors. These findings have implications for early anxiety interventions. But there is a pressing need for objective assessments that can be used with preschool-age autistic children.

Autistic Artists Give Clues to Cognition

Perception ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan W Snyder ◽  
Mandy Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Autistic Child ◽  
Mental Representations ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Natural Scenes ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Normal Children ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Linguistic Ability ◽  
The Difference

Certain autistic children whose linguistic ability is virtually nonexistent can draw natural scenes from memory with astonishing accuracy. In particular their drawings display convincing perspective. In contrast, normal children of the same preschool age group and even untrained adults draw primitive schematics or symbols of objects which they can verbally identify. These are usually conceptual outlines devoid of detail. It is argued that the difference between autistic child artists and normal individuals is that autistic artists make no assumptions about what is to be seen in their environment. They have not formed mental representations of what is significant and consequently perceive all details as equally important. Equivalently, they do not impose visual or linguistic schema—a process necessary for rapid conceptualisation in a dynamic existence, especially when the information presented to the eye is incomplete.

scholarly journals Trajectories and perceptual precursors of intelligence in minimally verbal autistic children from preschool to school age

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Girard ◽  
Valérie Courchesne ◽  
Catherine Cimon-Paquet ◽  
Claudine Jacques ◽  
Isabelle Soulières
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Age ◽  
School Age ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Minimally Verbal ◽  
Verbal Iq ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Embedded Figures Test ◽  
Intellectual Abilities ◽  
Embedded Figures ◽  
Perceptual Abilities

Abstract Background The question of cognitive prognosis is frequently asked at the time of autism diagnosis, often at preschool age. It remains however difficult to answer this question at such a young age, given the considerable heterogeneity of cognitive development trajectories and the challenges associated with intellectual assessment in autistic children, particularly among minimally verbal children. Methods The current prospective cohort study investigated whether early perceptual abilities measured at preschool age could predict later intellectual abilities at school age in a group of 41 autistic (9 girls, 32 boys) and 57 neurotypical children (29 girls, 28 boys). Participants were assessed at three time points during the childhood period (between the age of 2 and 8 years old) using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence – Fourth edition as a measure of full-scale IQ and the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices as a measure of non-verbal IQ. The performance on two perceptual tests (Visual Search and Children Embedded Figures Test) as well as the frequency of perceptual behaviors served as predictors of later intellectual abilities. Results Early performance on perceptual tests measured at preschool age was positively related to later full-scale IQ in both autistic and neurotypical children. Furthermore, both perceptual behaviors and performance on perceptual tests measured at preschool age were associated with later non-verbal IQ in the autistic group. In contrast, only the performance on Children Embedded Figures Test was associated with later non-verbal IQ in the neurotypical group. Limitations: The sample size was relatively modest, with some attrition across time points, as expected in a sample including preschool minimally and non-verbal children. Conclusions Our findings support the important role of perception in autistic cognition. Early perceptual abilities may be a valid avenue for estimating general intelligence and non-verbal abilities at preschool age, particularly for minimally verbal autistic children.

scholarly journals The relationship between sensory reactivity differences and mental health symptoms in preschool-age autistic children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Rossow ◽  
Keren MacLennan ◽  
Teresa Tavassoli
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Sensory Reactivity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Preschool Aged Children

There is growing evidence for an association between sensory reactivity and mental health in autism. This study set out to explore the relationship between sensory reactivity and mental health in pre-school aged autistic children. In total 54 preschool-aged children with an Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) took part. Sensory and mental health symptoms were obtained from the Sensory Processing Scale Inventory, Sensory Assessment of Neurodevelopmental Differences and the Behavioural Assessment System for Children – 3. Correlational analyses showed a relationship between sensory reactivity and mental health symptoms in autistic preschool-aged children. Results also indicate divergence in sensory-mental health profiles between autistic preschool-aged children who are verbal and those who use few to no words. For the first time this study has revealed a relationship between sensory hyper-reactivity, as well as sensory seeking, and mental health symptoms outside of anxiety in autism. Of note, this relationship between sensory hyper-reactivity and internalising symptoms appears to be driven by those with few to no words. This has implications for both research and clinical interventions, in particular for our understanding of the factors underlying mental health symptoms in different autistic phenotypes, as well as the possible role of functional communication in mitigating the development of mental health symptoms

scholarly journals The relationship between sensory reactivity, intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety subtypes in preschool-age autistic children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keren MacLennan ◽  
Timothy Rossow ◽  
Teresa Tavassoli
Keyword(s):  
Separation Anxiety ◽  
Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Autism Spectrum Conditions ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Sensory Reactivity ◽  
Sensory Hyperreactivity

Sensory reactivity differences are a diagnostic criterion in autism spectrum conditions. Sensory hyperreactivity has been linked to intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and anxiety in autistic children. However, research is yet to explore the mediating relationships or sensory hyporeactivity, seeking, and anxiety subtypes in preschool-age autistic children. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the relationships between sensory reactivity, IU and anxiety subtypes in a heterogeneous group of 54 preschool-age autistic children, age 3-6 years, using a range of observational and parent-report assessments. Correlational analysis found sensory hyperreactivity, IU and anxiety subtypes, including generalised anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, physical injury fears, and separation anxiety, were significantly intercorrelated. Neither sensory hyporeactivity or seeking were significantly related to IU or anxiety subtypes. Serial mediation analyses indicated significant full mediation between sensory hyperreactivity and anxiety through IU, and significant full mediation between sensory hyperreactivity and IU through anxiety in preschool-age autistic children.Our results therefore suggest that theoretical models of anxiety in autism should consider sensory hyperreactivity as a predictive factor for anxiety, and supports that IU is an important interrelated construct in the development and maintenance of anxiety. Our findings have important implications for understanding anxiety and related symptoms in autistic children, which can inform the development of effective interventions. However, due to limitations with the measures, our research also highlights a pressing need for objective assessments of anxiety and IU that can be used with preschool-age autistic children.

Biracial Testing: The Question of Clinicians' Influence on Children’s Test Performance

1977 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Ratusnik ◽  
Roy A. Koenigsknecht
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Setting ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Speech And Language ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Drawing Test ◽  
Lower Socioeconomic ◽  
Preschool Age Children

Six speech and language clinicians, three black and three white, administered the Goodenough Drawing Test (1926) to 144 preschoolers. The four groups, lower socioeconomic black and white and middle socioeconomic black and white, were divided equally by sex. The biracial clinical setting was shown to influence test scores in black preschool-age children.

Development of Neural Structure and Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Potential Implications for Learning Language

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1783-1797
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Coburn ◽  
Diane L. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Language Intervention ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Neural Structure ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
And Function

Purpose Neurodevelopmental processes that begin during gestation and continue throughout childhood typically support language development. Understanding these processes can help us to understand the disruptions to language that occur in neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method For this tutorial, we conducted a focused literature review on typical postnatal brain development and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, magnetoencephalography, and electroencephalography studies of the neurodevelopmental differences that occur in ASD. We then integrated this knowledge with the literature on evidence-based speech-language intervention practices for autistic children. Results In ASD, structural differences include altered patterns of cortical growth and myelination. Functional differences occur at all brain levels, from lateralization of cortical functions to the rhythmic activations of single neurons. Neuronal oscillations, in particular, could help explain disrupted language development by elucidating the timing differences that contribute to altered functional connectivity, complex information processing, and speech parsing. Findings related to implicit statistical learning, explicit task learning, multisensory integration, and reinforcement in ASD are also discussed. Conclusions Consideration of the neural differences in autistic children provides additional scientific support for current recommended language intervention practices. Recommendations consistent with these neurological findings include the use of short, simple utterances; repetition of syntactic structures using varied vocabulary; pause time; visual supports; and individualized sensory modifications.

Quantifying the Effects of Background Speech Babble on Preschool Children's Novel Word Learning in a Multisession Paradigm: A Preliminary Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 345-356
Author(s):  
Meital Avivi-Reich ◽  
Megan Y. Roberts ◽  
Tina M. Grieco-Calub
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Exposure Condition ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Verbal Recall ◽  
Referent Selection ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Noise Ratio ◽  
Novel Word Learning

Purpose This study tested the effects of background speech babble on novel word learning in preschool children with a multisession paradigm. Method Eight 3-year-old children were exposed to a total of 8 novel word–object pairs across 2 story books presented digitally. Each story contained 4 novel consonant–vowel–consonant nonwords. Children were exposed to both stories, one in quiet and one in the presence of 4-talker babble presented at 0-dB signal-to-noise ratio. After each story, children's learning was tested with a referent selection task and a verbal recall (naming) task. Children were exposed to and tested on the novel word–object pairs on 5 separate days within a 2-week span. Results A significant main effect of session was found for both referent selection and verbal recall. There was also a significant main effect of exposure condition on referent selection performance, with more referents correctly selected for word–object pairs that were presented in quiet compared to pairs presented in speech babble. Finally, children's verbal recall of novel words was statistically better than baseline performance (i.e., 0%) on Sessions 3–5 for words exposed in quiet, but only on Session 5 for words exposed in speech babble. Conclusions These findings suggest that background speech babble at 0-dB signal-to-noise ratio disrupts novel word learning in preschool-age children. As a result, children may need more time and more exposures of a novel word before they can recognize or verbally recall it.

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