Children's referential understanding of novel words and parent labeling behaviors: similarities across children with and without autism spectrum disorders

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 971-1002 ◽  
Author(s):  
HANADY BANI HANI ◽  
ANA MARIA GONZALEZ-BARRERO ◽  
APARNA S. NADIG
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Age Range

ABSTRACTThis study examined two facets of the use of social cues for early word learning in parent–child dyads, where children had an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or were typically developing. In Experiment 1, we investigated word learning and generalization by children with ASD (age range: 3;01–6;02) and typically developing children (age range: 1;02–4;09) who were matched on language ability. In Experiment 2, we examined verbal and non-verbal parental labeling behaviors. First, we found that both groups were similarly able to learn a novel label using social cues alone, and to generalize this label to other representations of the object. Children who utilized social cues for word learning had higher language levels. Second, we found that parental cues used to introduce object labels were strikingly similar across groups. Moreover, parents in both groups adapted labeling behavior to their child's language level, though this surfaced in different ways across groups.

scholarly journals A Study of the Wellbeing of Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Sibling Efficacy, Positive and Negative Affect, and Coping Strategies

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 102
Author(s):  
Emily Habelrih ◽  
Richard Hicks ◽  
Daisy Vanstone
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Academic Efficacy ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Social Efficacy ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
And Coping

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) include pervasive developmental disorders characterised by communication deficits, difficulty with social understanding, and repetitive behaviors. Few studies have compared the efficacy, affect, and coping strategies of siblings of typically developing children with siblings of children with ASD. Typically developing siblings are understood to be at an increased risk of externalising and internalising problems. The current study examined whether siblings of children with ASD differed in levels of efficacy, affect, and coping from siblings of typically developing children. Participants (156) included an Australia-wide sample involving 82 siblings of children with ASD, and 74 siblings of typically developing individuals. Participants completed The Self-Efficacy Scale for Children (assessing social, emotional, and academic efficacy), the Positive and Negative Affect Scales, the Brief COPE Scale, and other scales as part of the larger study. Results showed that ASD siblings reported lower scores on emotional efficacy, social efficacy, and positive affect, and higher negative affect, than did the comparison group siblings. However, no significant differences were found in coping strategies or academic efficacy between the ASD siblings and the typically developing siblings. Consistent with earlier research findings, there are perceived negative effects or risks from being a sibling of an individual with ASD, suggesting support interventions may assist the development of emotional and social efficacy and increased positive affect for these individuals.

The Use of Hand Gestures to Communicate About Nonpresent Objects in Mind Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wing-Chee So ◽  
Ming Lui ◽  
Tze-Kiu Wong ◽  
Long-Tin Sit
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Spatial Skills ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Children With Asd

Purpose The current study examined whether children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in comparison with typically developing children, perceive and produce gestures to identify nonpresent objects (i.e., referent-identifying gestures), which is crucial for communicating ideas in a discourse. Method An experimenter described the uses of daily-life objects to 6- to 12-year-old children both orally and with gestures. The children were then asked to describe how they performed daily activities using those objects. Results All children gestured. A gesture identified a nonpresent referent if it was produced in the same location that had previously been established by the experimenter. Children with ASD gestured at the specific locations less often than typically developing children. Verbal and spatial memory were positively correlated with the ability to produce referent-identifying gestures for all children. However, the positive correlation between Raven's Children Progressive Matrices score and the production of referent-identifying gestures was found only in children with ASD. Conclusions Children with ASD might be less able to perceive and produce referent-identifying gestures and may rely more heavily on visual–spatial skills in producing referent-identifying gestures. The results have clinical implications for designing an intervention program to enhance the ability of children with ASD to communicate about nonpresent objects with gestures.

Psychopharmacological treatment of ADHD symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin L. Handen ◽  
Johanna Taylor ◽  
Rameshwari Tumuluru
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Psychopharmacological Treatment ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Appropriate Treatment

Abstract One of the most frequently reported behavioral concerns among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is high rates of activity and inattention, symptoms that are often associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although there is a considerable body of research regarding the appropriate treatment of ADHD symptoms among typically developing children, the research among children with ASD is more limited. The evidence to date suggests that medication response rates among children with ASD are considerably lower than among typically developing children and that children with ASD tend to be at greater risk for experiencing side effects. The purpose of the present paper is to review the available research on the treatment of ADHD symptoms in children with ASD. This paper summarizes the data on a range of pharmacological options and provides specific recommendations for how best to clinically manage these symptoms.

scholarly journals Superior temporal sulcus hypoperfusion in children with autism spectrum disorder: an arterial spin-labeling magnetic resonance study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Saitovitch ◽  
Elza Rechtman ◽  
Hervé Lemaitre ◽  
Jean-Marc Tacchella ◽  
Alice Vinçon-Leite ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Arterial Spin Labeling ◽  
Spin Labeling ◽  
Superior Temporal Sulcus ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Brain Functioning ◽  
Children With Asd

AbstractAdvances in neuroimaging techniques have significantly improved our understanding of the neural basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Several attempts have been made to label the main neuroimaging phenotype of ASD, mostly by anatomical and functional activation studies, but none of the frameworks have been without controversy. Over the past decade, a renewed interest for rest brain functioning has emerged in the scientific community, reflected on a large number of resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) studies, but results remain heterogeneous. It is possible today to investigate rest brain functioning by measuring rest cerebral blood flow (CBF) with MRI using arterial spin labeling (ASL). Here, we investigated rest CBF abnormalities using non-invasive ASL-MRI in 18 children with ASD without cognitive delay (10.4 ± 2.8 y) and 30 typically developing children (10.6 ± 3.0 y). Following quality control, images from a final sample of 12 children with ASD (11.2 ± 2.9 y) and 28 typically developing children (10.1 ± 2.5 y) were analyzed. Whole brain voxel-by-voxel analysis showed significant rest CBF decrease in temporal regions, mainly in the superior temporal sulcus (STS), in children with ASD. This hypoperfusion was individually detected in 83% of children with ASD. Finally, negative correlation was observed between ASD severity scores and rest CBF in the right posterior STS. Strikingly, despite the small sample studied here, our results are extremely similar to previous PET and SPECT findings describing decreased rest CBF in the same superior temporal regions at group and individual levels, as well as correlation with symptoms severity. The congruence between these results, with different methods and in different ASD profiles, reinforce the strength of rest functional abnormalities within these superior temporal regions in ASD and strongly indicates it might be a core characteristic of the disorder. Identifying a core dysfunctional region in ASD bears direct implications to the development of novel therapeutic interventions, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation. In addition, if confirmed in a larger sample, rest temporal hypoperfusion could become a reliable brain imaging biomarker in ASD.

scholarly journals Trajectories of imitation skills in preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Pittet ◽  
Nada Kojovic ◽  
Martina Franchini ◽  
Marie Schaer
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Impact

Imitation skills play a crucial role in social cognitive development from early childhood. Many studies have shown a deficit in imitation skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Little is known about the development of imitation behaviors in children with ASD. This study aims to measure the trajectories of early imitation skills in preschoolers with ASD and how these skills impact other areas of early development. For this purpose, we assessed imitation, language and cognition skills in 177 children with ASD and 43 typically developing children (TD) aged 2 to 5 years old, 126 of which were followed longitudinally, yielding a total of 396 time-points. Our results confirmed the presence of an early imitation deficit in toddlers with ASD compared to TD children. The study of the trajectories showed that these difficulties were marked at the age of two years, and gradually decreased until the age of 5 years old. Imitation skills were strongly linked with cognitive, language skills and level of symptoms in our ASD group at baseline. Moreover, the imitation skills at baseline were predictive of the language gains a year later in our ASD group. Using a data-driven clustering method, we delineated different developmental trajectories of imitation skills within the ASD group. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed, particularly the impact of an early imitation deficit on other areas of competence of the young child.

scholarly journals Concordance between physiological arousal and emotion expression during fear in young children with autism spectrum disorders

Autism ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 629-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma Zantinge ◽  
Sophie van Rijn ◽  
Lex Stockmann ◽  
Hanna Swaab
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Physiological Arousal ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

This study aimed to measure emotional expression and physiological arousal in response to fear in 21 children with autism spectrum disorders (43–75 months) and 45 typically developing children (41–81 months). Expressions of facial and bodily fear and heart rate arousal were simultaneously measured in response to a remote controlled robot (Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery). Heart rate analyses revealed a main effect of task from baseline to fear ( p < 0.001, [Formula: see text]), no interaction effect and no effect for group. In addition, children with autism spectrum disorder showed intact facial and bodily expressions of fearful affect compared to typically developing children. With regard to the relationship between expression and arousal, the results provided evidence for concordance between expression and arousal in typically developing children ( r = 0.45, n = 45, p < 0.01). For children with autism spectrum disorder, no significant correlation was found ( r = 0.20, n = 21, p = 0.38). A moderation analysis revealed no significant interaction between expression and arousal for children with and without autism spectrum disorder ( F(1, 62) = 1.23, p = 0.27, [Formula: see text]), which might be the result of limited power. The current results give reason to further study concordance between expression and arousal in early autism spectrum disorder. Discordance might significantly impact social functioning and is an important topic in light of both early identification and treatment.

Participation of Children With ASD Using an Adapted Structured Preschool Participation Observation and Comparison With Typically Developing Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 7512500056p1-7512500056p1
Author(s):  
Anat Golos ◽  
Sophi Itkin ◽  
Hadas Ben-Zur
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Content Validity ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Preschool Participation ◽  
Primary Author

Abstract Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Participation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited compared with their typically developing (TD) peers. This study examined the participation of children with ASD using an adapted observation in comparison with TD children. Content validity was evaluated by 21 experts, and 70 children were observed. Children with ASD scored significantly lower than TD children in most areas. More structured settings enabled higher participation scores. Further studies are needed. Primary Author and Speaker: Anat Golos Contributing Authors: Sophi Itkin, Hadas Ben-Zur

Action coordination during a real-world task: Evidence from children with and without autism spectrum disorder

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Dominic A. Trevisan ◽  
James T. Enns ◽  
Elina Birmingham ◽  
Grace Iarocci
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Real World ◽  
Joint Action ◽  
Social Process ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Action Coordination

Abstract “Joint action”—the ability to coordinate actions with others—is critical for achieving individual and interpersonal goals and for our collective success as a species. Joint actions require accurate and rapid inferences about others’ goals, intentions, and focus of attention, skills that are thought to be impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research to date has not investigated joint action abilities in individuals with ASD during real-world social interactions. We conducted an experimental study that required children with ASD and typically developing children to move tables by themselves or collaboratively through a maze. This involved developing innovative methodologies for measuring action coordination—a critical component of the joint action process. We found that children with ASD are less likely to benefit from the collaboration of a peer than are typically developing children, and they are less likely to synchronize their steps when moving the table. However, these differences were masked when scaffolded by an adult. There was no evidence that ASD differences were due to gross motor delays in the participants with ASD. We argue that action coordination is a highly adaptive social process that is intrinsic to successful human functioning that manifests as atypical synchronization of mind and body in children with ASD.

Imitation Recognition by Minimally Verbal Young Children: A Comparison Between Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
pp. 108835762110350
Author(s):  
Gökhan Töret
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Minimally Verbal ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Minimally Verbal Children

Research has shown that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display limited imitation recognition behaviors in comparison with typically developing children. However, the levels of imitation recognition of minimally verbal children with ASD relative to those with developmental disabilities are unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare the imitation recognition behaviors of 20 minimally verbal children with ASD and 20 minimally verbal children with Down syndrome (DS) when imitated by an adult in a play context. Results showed that children with ASD display more limited imitation recognition than children with DS. These results indicate that children with ASD are weaker in displaying imitation recognition. On the contrary, both groups display an association between imitation recognition and a variety of play actions in both groups.

scholarly journals Investigating eye movement patterns, language, and social ability in children with autism spectrum disorder

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 529-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D. Stagg ◽  
Karina J. Linnell ◽  
Pamela Heaton
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Language Onset

AbstractAlthough all intellectually high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display core social and communication deficits, some develop language within a normative timescale and others experience significant delays and subsequent language impairment. Early attention to social stimuli plays an important role in the emergence of language, and reduced attention to faces has been documented in infants later diagnosed with ASD. We investigated the extent to which patterns of attention to social stimuli would differentiate early and late language onset groups. Children with ASD (mean age = 10 years) differing on language onset timing (late/normal) and a typically developing comparison group completed a task in which visual attention to interacting and noninteracting human figures was mapped using eye tracking. Correlations on visual attention data and results from tests measuring current social and language ability were conducted. Patterns of visual attention did not distinguish typically developing children and ASD children with normal language onset. Children with ASD and late language onset showed significantly reduced attention to salient social stimuli. Associations between current language ability and social attention were observed. Delay in language onset is associated with current language skills as well as with specific eye-tracking patterns.

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