Recognizing voice: the child with autism spectrum disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 140-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Jennifer Ni Chuileann ◽  
Jean Quigley
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Simultaneous Presentation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Facilitation Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Mental Age ◽  
Comparison Groups ◽  
Matched Comparison

Purpose This paper assesses the ability of the minimally verbal child with autism to recognise their own voice. The rationale for this study rests in recent advances in technology aimed at making the voice of speech generating devices (SGDs) sound more like the child using them (van Santen and Black, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the child’s ability to actually recognise the sound of their own voice in a series of short experiments using computer-based methodology. Design/methodology/approach Using a voice-face matching computerised paradigm, the performance of 33 children with autism was compared to that of 27 children with developmental delay (DD), and 33 typically developing (TD) children. The children were matched for verbal and non-verbal ability and a training period was conducted prior to the main test to ensure children’s understanding of what was expected of them. Findings The findings of this study suggest that the child with autism recognise the sound of their own voice at test, but with much greater difficulty than age-and-ability matched comparison groups. The implications of this finding are useful for researchers in the field of speech mimicry technology and manufacturers of SGD software packages. The paper also provides empirical insights about how the child with autism may process voice in their everyday social interactions. Research limitations/implications Some limitations to this study exist, for instance, there were only a small number of presentations involving self-voice in this task. This may have over simplified the process for the young TD children and the children with DD. Nevertheless, it is striking that despite being matched for non-verbal mental age, the children with autism performed significantly less well than either of the other two groups of children. However, future studies would benefit from adjusting the number of presentations of voice and face accordingly. It is also important to note that for some children with autism the simultaneous presentation of faces and voices may act more as an interference effect (Cook and Wilding, 1997; Joassin et al., 2004) than a facilitation effect (Molholm et al., 2002). Future studies may wish to test a subgroup on voice recognition without the aid of visual prompts. Practical implications The paper includes implications for the type of voice children with autism may prefer to use when communicating via a SGD. The authors suggest that if the child does not recognise or prefer the sound of their own natural voice on such devices, partial or complete abandonment of the SGD may occur. Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need to research how children’s abilities and preferences can be taken into account at the point of decision making for particular communication tools.

Stability and change in resolution of diagnosis among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: Child and parental contributions

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4pt1) ◽  
pp. 1045-1057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurit Yirmiya ◽  
Ifat Seidman ◽  
Nina Koren-Karie ◽  
David Oppenheim ◽  
Smadar Dolev
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Maternal Attachment ◽  
Child Characteristics ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Mental Age ◽  
Parental Characteristics

AbstractThe contribution of change over time in parent and child characteristics to parents’ resolution of child's diagnosis was examined among 78 mothers and fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Children's characteristics (e.g., mental age and severity of symptoms), parental characteristics (e.g., attachment-related anxiety and stress level), and parents’ resolution of their child's diagnosis (resolved vs. unresolved) were examined at Time 1, and reassessed 3 years later at Time 2. Results indicated a deferential contribution of change in parent and child characteristics among mothers and fathers. An increase in child symptom severity and in maternal attachment-related anxiety, as well as longer durations of time since receiving the diagnosis, significantly predicted maternal resolved status at Time 2. Conversely, none of the changes in children's or paternal characteristics predicted paternal resolved status at Time 2. Results are discussed in relation to child and parental contributions to resolution, the differences in the adjustment and well-being of mothers and fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder, parental growth following receiving the diagnosis, and the need for intervention components specific to parental resolution and attachment-related anxiety.

Using digital social stories to improve social skills in children with autism: a pilot experimental single-subject study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed F. Safi ◽  
Maitha Alnuaimi ◽  
Abdelaziz Sartawi
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Causal Relation ◽  
Social Stories ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Intervention Phase ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face difficulty with educational attainment because of to their inability to interact with others. One intervention that is used to increase social skills in individuals with ASD is social stories. This study aimed at exploring the impact of digital social stories in improving social skills of two students with ASD in the UAE. Design/methodology/approach An experimental AB single-subject study was conducted to investigate the impact of digital social stories on nonverbal communication, targeting two specific behaviors: raising hands before leaving one’s seat (TB1) and playing and sharing toys with peers (TB2). Two digital social stories (DSS1 and DSS2) were developed for the purpose of this study and transformed using a digital platform to be displayed on an iPad (tablet). Findings This study involved two male participants with ASD (10 and 11 years old). Participant one demonstrated improvement in TB1 (mean of 1.11) because of DSS1 in the intervention phase. Participant two demonstrated improvement of 18% in TB2 ( mean of 0.18) as a result of DSS2 in the intervention phase. Practical implications Both students that participated in the study showed a positive change in their target behaviors during the intervention phase intervention at different levels. Using an ABA study design would have been stronger in establishing a more valid causal relation in this single-subject design study. However, due the COVID-19 closures and curfews, the researchers had to switch to the AB design. Originality/value This study demonstrated how social stories had a positive impact on ASD social skills. Further, it indicated the potential effectiveness of using digital social stories to reduce undesirable behaviors or increase a desirable behaviors in children who have ASD.

scholarly journals Understanding and improving the care pathway for children with autism

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 208-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Hurt ◽  
Kate Langley ◽  
Kate North ◽  
Alex Southern ◽  
Lauren Copeland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Creative Writing ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Care Pathway ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Care Pathways ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
High Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe current care pathways for children with autism including enablers and barriers, as experienced by health professionals, education professionals and families in South Wales, UK. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a mixed-methods approach using focus group discussions, creative writing workshops and visualisation using rich pictures. Findings The experiences of the care pathways differed significantly across the three groups. Health professionals described the most rigidly structured pathways, with clear entry points and outcomes. Education professionals and parents described more complex and confusing pathways, with parents assuming the responsibility of coordinating the health and education activity in a bid to link the two independent pathways. All three groups identified enablers, although these differed across the groups. The barriers were more consistent across the groups (e.g. poor communication, missing information, lack of transparency, limited post-diagnosis services and access to services based on diagnosis rather than need). Practical implications This research could inform the design of new services which are premised on multi-agency and multi-disciplinary working to ensure children with Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) receive joined up services and support. Originality/value Although this study did not represent all professional groups or all experiences of autism, the authors examined three different perspectives of the ASD pathway. In addition, the authors triangulated high-level process maps with rich pictures and creative writing exercises, which allowed the authors to identify specific recommendations to improve integration and reduce duplication and gaps in provision.

The acquisition of the Arabic construct state (CS) constructions by Arabic-speaking children with ASD

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdel Rahman Mitib Altakhaineh ◽  
Razan N. Alkhatib
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Head Direction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Arabic Speaking ◽  
Better Than

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether age plays a role in the acquisition of construct state (CS) constructions in Arabic by 14 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It also examined the challenges faced by children with ASD in producing different types of CS constructions. Finally, the study analysed the sources of difficulties children with ASD encounter during the learning process of the CS.Design/methodology/approachFor the purposes of this study, the participants were asked to orally complete short sentences with the help of illustrative pictures.FindingsResults revealed that the age of the 14 children with ASD plays a role in the acquisition of CS constructions. Children of age 12–15 performed better than those of age 8 and 10. Results also showed that children with ASD performed better in producing phrases rather than compounds. Moreover, the participants performed better on endocentric compounds as opposed to exocentric ones. Finally, analysing the errors produced on the text revealed that the acquisition of head direction precedes definiteness.Originality/valueThe topic of the study has not been investigated yet and the study concluded with some important findings concerning teaching Arabic CS to children with ADS.

scholarly journals Metacognitive monitoring and the hypercorrection effect in autism and the general population: Relation to autism(-like) traits and mindreading

Autism ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M Williams ◽  
Zara Bergström ◽  
Catherine Grainger
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Bayes Factor ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
High Confidence ◽  
Null Result ◽  
Matched Comparison ◽  
Metacognitive Ability

Among neurotypical adults, errors made with high confidence (i.e. errors a person strongly believed they would not make) are corrected more reliably than errors made with low confidence. This ‘hypercorrection effect’ is thought to result from enhanced attention to information that reflects a ‘metacognitive mismatch’ between one’s beliefs and reality. In Experiment 1, we employed a standard measure of this effect. Participants answered general knowledge questions and provided confidence judgements about how likely each answer was to be correct, after which feedback was given. Finally, participants were retested on all questions answered incorrectly during the initial phase. Mindreading ability and autism spectrum disorder–like traits were measured. We found that a representative sample of ( n = 83) neurotypical participants made accurate confidence judgements (reflecting good metacognition) and showed the hypercorrection effect. Mindreading ability was associated with autism spectrum disorder–like traits and metacognition. However, the hypercorrection effect was non-significantly associated with mindreading or autism spectrum disorder–like traits. In Experiment 2, 11 children with autism spectrum disorder and 11 matched comparison participants completed the hypercorrection task. Although autism spectrum disorder children showed significantly diminished metacognitive ability, they showed an undiminished hypercorrection effect. The evidence in favour of an undiminished hypercorrection effect (null result) was moderate, according to Bayesian analysis (Bayes factor = 0.21).

scholarly journals Robots in special education: reasons for low uptake

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-69
Author(s):  
Maria Jose Galvez Trigo ◽  
Penelope Jane Standen ◽  
Sue Valerie Gray Cobb
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Autism Spectrum Conditions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the main reasons for low uptake of robots in special education (SE), obtained from an analysis of previous studies that used robots in the area, and from interviewing SE teachers about the topic. Design/methodology/approach An analysis of 18 studies that used robots in SE was performed, and the conclusions were complemented and compared with the feedback from interviewing 13 SE teachers from Spain and the UK about the reasons they believed caused the low uptake of robots in SE classrooms. Findings Five main reasons why SE schools do not normally use robots in their classrooms were identified: the inability to acquire the system due to its price or availability; its difficulty of use; the low range of activities offered; the limited ways of interaction offered; and the inability to use different robots with the same software. Originality/value Previous studies focussed on exploring the advantages of using robots to help children with autism spectrum conditions and learning disabilities. This study takes a step further and looks into the reasons why, despite the benefits shown, robots are rarely used in real-life settings after the relevant study ends. The authors also present a potential solution to the issues found: involving end users in the design and development of new systems using a user-centred design approach for all the components, including methods of interaction, learning activities and the most suitable type of robots.

Rhythm in Interactions between Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Mothers

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-34
Author(s):  
Asimenia Papoulidi ◽  
Christina F. Papaeliou ◽  
Stavroula Samartzi
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Coding System ◽  
Mental Age ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Maternal Responses ◽  
Affect Attunement

Humans are endowed with an innate ability to produce rhythmic expressions that reveal intentions and feelings and attune their rhythmic behavior with that of another person who is attentive and affectionate. A small number of studies in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show that the rhythmic patterns of their expressions differ from those observed in typically developing (TD) children, and they are not well attuned to the expressions of their communicative partner. The aim of the present study was to assess rhythmic patterns in mother–child cooperative communication in children with ASD compared to TD children. Ten children with ASD and ten TD children, matched for mental age, were videotaped in their homes during play sessions with their mothers. For the microanalysis, the Eudico Linguistic Annotator was used and a coding system was developed for the annotation of communicative modalities. Results showed that children with ASD are less likely to initiate joint action and respond to mother’s efforts for mutual interaction. Exploratory/relational play was their preferred means for initiation. Maternal responses were provided mainly through the modality of gaze for both ASD and TD children. Moreover, the gaze direction of the dyad indicates that ASD partners focus mainly on different directions, whereas TD partners look mostly at the same object. Analysis of their affective states demonstrates that affect attunement is difficult to achieve. These findings indicate that children with ASD exhibit disturbances in rhythmic interaction with their caregiver, which reveal severe deficiencies in the motive for interpersonal awareness.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a group webinar and individual video-conferencing support program designed to upskill staff working with children with autism in regional and remote areas

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve Johnsson ◽  
Michelle Lincoln ◽  
Anita C. Bundy ◽  
Debra Costley ◽  
Kim Bulkeley
Keyword(s):  
Allied Health ◽  
Mode Of Delivery ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Support Program ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Remote Areas

PurposeThe rollout of individualised disability funding in Australia resulted in an increased demand for services for people with a disability, particularly support for the high percentage of Australians with autism spectrum disorder. Continuing professional development is one way to grow and maintain a skilled workforce; however, face-to-face opportunities can be limited in remote areas of Australia. Technology may provide a low-cost and widely accessible platform for providing education and support for staff in these areas.Design/methodology/approachThe current study evaluated a novel webinar training and individual online support program for 36 allied health, education and community support staff. Data were collected via a survey on changes in perceived “knowledge and skills” and “confidence” in supporting children with autism, as well as mode of participation, and accessibility of the program.FindingsParticipants reported a significant increase in their “knowledge and skills” and “confidence”, in working with children with autism. This increase was positively related to the number of webinars the participants accessed. The mode of webinar access was predominantly via watching recordings of webinars (asynchronous learning). Synchronous learning via individual online sessions was accessed by a small number of participants, mostly allied health professionals. Workload and scheduling were identified as barriers to engaging in the program. The technology platform was found to be accessible and acceptable.Originality/valueA predominantly asynchronous mode of delivery was successful, thereby increasing program access and flexibility for remote staff. Technology was not a barrier to accessing the program regardless of remoteness or job role.

The effectiveness of sensory integration intervention on the emotional-behavioral problems of children with autism spectrum disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghorban Hemati Alamdarloo ◽  
Hasan Mradi
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Sensory Integration ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Attention Problems ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Autism spectrum disorder is a kind of neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction across multiple contexts, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities. The purpose of this paper is to determine the effectiveness of sensory integration intervention on emotional-behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder. Design/methodology/approach This research was conducted in a pretest-posttest design with control group. The participants were 30 children with autism spectrum disorder (6–11 years old) who were selected through convenience sampling from among children with autism spectrum disorder in Zeinab center of Isfahan and were randomly divided into two groups of 15 subjects. The children of the experimental group received 14 sessions of sensory integration intervention while the control group did not receive this intervention. To measure emotional-behavioral problems, the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Second Edition was used. To analyze the data, ANCOVA and MANCOVA tests were used. Findings The results showed that sensory integration intervention improves emotional-behavioral problems and its subscales (hyperactivity, aggression, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, somatization, attention problems, learning difficulties, atypicality and withdrawal) in children with autism spectrum disorder. Research limitations/implications Therefore, it can be concluded that sensory integration intervention can be a suitable treatment for reducing sensory problems and improving emotional-behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder. Originality/value The study of the effect of sensory integration on emotional-behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder is necessary as a simple and non-side-effect educational and therapeutic method, both as a step to fill the research gap in this field, besides being a cheap and affordable way for improving the various skills of children with autism spectrum disorder for professionals, teachers, parents and educators.

The psychometric properties of the Iranian version of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) in children with autism spectrum disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeid Bashirian ◽  
Ali Reza Soltanian ◽  
Mahdieh Seyedi ◽  
Salman Khazaei ◽  
Ensiyeh Jenabi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Content Validity ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Autism Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the validity of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) in an Iranian population to determine its efficacy in identifying children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who parents have Persian-speaking parents. Design/methodology/approach A case–control study was performed in March until July 2020 in Hamadan city, Iran. The case group was children were examined by the clinicians used a coding scheme based on the DSM-IV criteria for ASD. The control group was all children in the family, including healthy siblings, were asked to participate in the study. The reliability, content and face validity were performed to assess the psychometric properties of the tool. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to evaluate the four-dimensional structure of the tool (Scores A, B, C and D). Statistical analysis was performed using AMOS for SPSS 21, and the statistical significant level was less than 0.05. Findings The quantitative content validity analysis revealed that the mean of content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) for all domains was 0.94 and 0.91, respectively. For CFA, four domains A, B, C and D were used and demonstrated a good fit (CFI = 0.92 and RMSEA = 0.06). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) in domains A, B (verbal), C and D were 100%. For domain B (non-verbal), the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 86.7%, 100%, 100% and 88.2%, respectively. Research limitations/implications This study showed that ADI-R has sufficient ability to discriminate between children with ASD and those with no psychiatric diagnosis, and it is a reliable tool in Iran. The sensitivity and specificity for correctly diagnosing ASD was high, regardless of the age and cognitive level of the examiner. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper on psychometric properties of ADI-R in children with ASD.

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