Social Communication Intervention for an Adult with Asperger Syndrome: Experiences, Perspectives, and Challenges

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-37
Author(s):  
Siva priya Santhanam
Keyword(s):  
Asperger Syndrome ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Work Settings ◽  
Social Abilities ◽  
Old Adult ◽  
Social Communication Intervention ◽  
Highly Able ◽  
Organizational Needs

Adults on the autism spectrum, despite having received intervention throughout their childhood and adolescence, continue to experience challenges with everyday social interactions, forming and maintaining relationships, and social abilities needed in work settings. This article presents a case example of a 22-year-old adult with Asperger syndrome, and highlights the issues in providing intervention for highly able young adults on the autism spectrum. A unique feature of this report is the inclusion of the client's own insights into his experiences, perspectives, and challenges with the intervention. The approaches used to address his social communication and organizational needs are outlined, and clinical implications discussed.

scholarly journals Developmental changes within the genetic architecture of social communication behaviour: A multivariate study of genetic variance in unrelated individuals

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beate St Pourcain ◽  
Lindon J Eaves ◽  
Susan M Ring ◽  
Simon E Fisher ◽  
Sarah Medland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Communication ◽  
Genetic Architecture ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Cholesky Decomposition ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Relationship Matrix ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Communication Difficulties ◽  
Latent Factor Models

AbstractBackgroundRecent analyses of trait-disorder overlap suggest that psychiatric dimensions may relate to distinct sets of genes that exert their maximum influence during different periods of development. This includes analyses of social-communciation difficulties that share, depending on their developmental stage, stronger genetic links with either Autism Spectrum Disorder or schizophrenia. Here we developed a multivariate analysis framework in unrelated individuals to model directly the developmental profile of genetic influences contributing to complex traits, such as social-communication difficulties, during a ∼10-year period spanning childhood and adolescence.MethodsLongitudinally assessed quantitative social-communication problems (N≤ 5,551) were studied in participants from a UK birth cohort (ALSPAC, 8 to 17 years). Using standardised measures, genetic architectures were investigated with novel multivariate genetic-relationship-matrix structural equation models (GSEM) incorporating whole-genome genotyping information. Analogous to twin research, GSEM included Cholesky decomposition, common pathway and independent pathway models.ResultsA 2-factor Cholesky decomposition model described the data best. One genetic factor was common to SCDC measures across development, the other accounted for independent variation at 11 years and later, consistent with distinct developmental profiles in trait-disorder overlap. Importantly, genetic factors operating at 8 years explained only ∼50% of the genetic variation at 17 years.ConclusionUsing latent factor models, we identified developmental changes in the genetic architecture of social-communication difficulties that enhance the understanding of ASD and schizophrenia-related dimensions. More generally, GSEM present a framework for modelling shared genetic aetiologies between phenotypes and can provide prior information with respect to patterns and continuity of trait-disorder overlap.

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