Improving Emotional Competence in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Mild Intellectual Disability in Schools: A Preliminary Treatment Versus Waitlist Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 216-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Ratcliffe ◽  
Michelle Wong ◽  
David Dossetor ◽  
Susan Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Emotional Competence ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Mild Intellectual Disability

AbstractThis pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of delivering a new cognitive behavioural intervention package ‘Emotion-Based Social Skills Training (EBSST) for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Mild Intellectual Disability (ASD + MID)’ in schools. Fourteen school counsellors nominated 75 children (aged 7–13 years) with ASD + MID to receive 16 sessions of EBSST in groups of 3–8 children in their schools. Parent and teacher pre-post ratings of emotional competence (Emotions Development Questionnaire), social skills (Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales) and mental health (Developmental Behaviour Checklist) were collected. Forty-three children received 16 sessions of EBSST and 32 children were allocated to the 9-month waitlist control group. Teachers and parents also received six EBSST training sessions in separate groups at school. Significant improvements in parent and teacher ratings of emotional competence were found at posttreatment among children in the EBSST group relative to controls; however, the results were not significant after the Bonferroni adjustment. Small to medium effect sizes were found. No difference in untrained social skills or mental health was observed. This study provides preliminary support for the utility of EBSST in teaching emotional competence skills for children with ASD + MID in schools and provides valuable pilot data for future research.

Using the Teaching Interactions Procedure to Teach Social Skills to Children With Autism and Intellectual Disability

2016 ◽  
Vol 121 (6) ◽  
pp. 501-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aubrey Hui Shyuan Ng ◽  
Kim Schulze ◽  
Eric Rudrud ◽  
Justin B. Leaf
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Multiple Baseline ◽  
Baseline Design ◽  
Teaching Interaction ◽  
Teaching Interaction Procedure

Abstract This study implemented a modified teaching interaction procedure to teach social skills to 4 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder with an intellectual disability. A multiple baseline design across social skills and replicated across participants was utilized to evaluate the effects of the modified teaching interaction procedure. The results demonstrated that the teaching interaction procedure resulted in all participants acquiring targeted social skills, maintaining the targeted social skills, and generalizing the targeted social skills.

scholarly journals Lagging skills contribute to challenging behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability

Autism ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 898-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenna B Maddox ◽  
Patrick Cleary ◽  
Emily S Kuschner ◽  
Judith S Miller ◽  
Anna Chelsea Armour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Challenging Behaviors ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Environmental Demands

Many children with autism spectrum disorder display challenging behaviors. These behaviors are not limited to those with cognitive and/or language impairments. The Collaborative and Proactive Solutions framework proposes that challenging behaviors result from an incompatibility between environmental demands and a child’s “lagging skills.” The primary Collaborative and Proactive Solutions lagging skills—executive function, emotion regulation, language, and social skills—are often areas of weakness for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether these lagging skills are associated with challenging behaviors in youth with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability. Parents of 182 youth with autism spectrum disorder (6–15 years) completed measures of their children’s challenging behaviors, executive function, language, emotion regulation, and social skills. We tested whether the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions lagging skills predicted challenging behaviors using multiple linear regression. The Collaborative and Proactive Solutions lagging skills explained significant variance in participants’ challenging behaviors. The Depression (emotion regulation), Inhibit (executive function), and Sameness (executive function) scales emerged as significant predictors. Impairments in emotion regulation and executive function may contribute substantially to aggressive and oppositional behaviors in school-age youth with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability. Treatment for challenging behaviors in this group may consider targeting the incompatibility between environmental demands and a child’s lagging skills.

scholarly journals Mental Health of Parents of Special Needs Children in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 9519
Author(s):  
Sui-Qing Chen ◽  
Shu-Dan Chen ◽  
Xing-Kai Li ◽  
Jie Ren
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Special Needs Children ◽  
Parenting Distress

We assessed the mental health of parents (N = 1450, Mage = 40.76) of special needs children during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online survey comprising items on demographic data; two self-designed questionnaires (children’s behavioral problems/psychological demand of parents during COVID-19); and four standardized questionnaires, including the General Health Questionnaire, Perceived Social Support, Parenting Stress Index, and Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Five Factor Inventory. The results showed that there were significant differences among parents of children with different challenges. Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder were more likely to have mental health problems compared to parents whose children had an intellectual disability or a visual or hearing impairment. Behavioral problems of children and psychological demands of parents were common factors predicting the mental health of all parents. Parent–child dysfunctional interactions and parenting distress were associated with parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Family support, having a difficult child, and parenting distress were associated with having children with an intellectual disability. It is necessary to pay attention to the parents’ mental health, provide more social and family support, and reduce parenting pressures.

Characterizing therapist delivery of evidence-based intervention strategies in publicly funded mental health services for children with autism spectrum disorder: Differentiating practice patterns in usual care and AIM HI delivery

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110016
Author(s):  
Eliana Hurwich-Reiss ◽  
Colby Chlebowski ◽  
Teresa Lind ◽  
Kassandra Martinez ◽  
Karin M Best ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Usual Care ◽  
Teaching Strategies ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Active Teaching

This study identified patterns of therapist delivery of evidence-based intervention strategies with children with autism spectrum disorder within publicly funded mental health services and compared patterns for therapists delivering usual care to those trained in AIM HI (“An Individualized Mental Health Intervention for ASD”). Data were drawn from a randomized community effectiveness trial and included a subsample of 159 therapists (86% female) providing outpatient or school-based psychotherapy. Therapist strategies were measured via observational coding of psychotherapy session recordings. Exploratory factor analysis used to examine patterns of strategy delivery showed that among therapists in the usual care condition, strategies loaded onto the single factor, General Strategies, whereas for therapists in the AIM HI training condition, strategies grouped onto two factors, Autism Engagement Strategies and Active Teaching Strategies. Among usual care therapists, General Strategies were associated with an increase in child behavior problems, whereas for AIM HI therapists, Active Teaching Strategies were associated with reductions in child behavior problems over 18 months. Results support the effectiveness of training therapists in evidence-based interventions to increase the specificity of strategies delivered to children with autism spectrum disorder served in publicly funded mental health settings. Findings also support the use of active teaching strategies in reducing challenging behaviors. Lay abstract This study was conducted to identify patterns of therapist delivery of evidence-based intervention strategies with children with autism spectrum disorder receiving publicly funded mental health services and compare strategy use for therapists delivering usual care to those trained to deliver AIM HI (“An Individualized Mental Health Intervention for ASD”), an intervention designed to reduce challenging behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder. For therapists trained in AIM HI, intervention strategies grouped onto two factors, Autism Engagement Strategies and Active Teaching Strategies, while strategies used by usual care therapists grouped onto a broader single factor, General Strategies. Among usual care therapists, General Strategies were related to an increase in child behavior problems, whereas for AIM HI therapists, Active Teaching Strategies were related with reductions in child behavior problems over 18 months. Findings support the use of active teaching strategies in reducing challenging behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder and provide support for the effectiveness of training therapists in evidence-based interventions to promote the delivery of targeted, specific intervention strategies to children with autism spectrum disorder in mental health services.

Sensory processing in children with autism spectrum disorder and the mental health of primary caregivers

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanae Suzuki ◽  
Shu Takagai ◽  
Masatsugu Tsujii ◽  
Hiroyuki Ito ◽  
Tomoko Nishimura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder
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