A preliminary investigation assessing the basic digital capabilities of minimally verbal children on the autism spectrum with intellectual disability

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-135
Author(s):  
Petr Scholle ◽  
Gerardo Herrera ◽  
Javier Sevilla ◽  
Mark Brosnan
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Minimally Verbal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technological Support ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Tablet Device ◽  
Digital Tablet ◽  
Minimally Verbal Children

Purpose Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can demonstrate a preference for using digital technologies which can represent a relative strength within the autism community. Such a strength would have implications for digitally mediated interventions and support for autism. However, research to date has not developed a methodology for assessing the capabilities of minimally verbal children on the autism spectrum with intellectual disability (ID) to use digital technology. Design/methodology/approach Six minimally verbal children with ASD and ID undertook an accessible assessment that identified what capabilities for interacting with a digital tablet device they could and could not demonstrate. Twelve brief assessments were demonstrated, including turning on the device, adjusting the volume, operating the camera, touching, tilting and rotating the screen. Findings Participants could be assessed on their digital capabilities. In this study, participants could largely touch and swipe the screen effectively and leave the app, but could not tilt and rotate the screen nor turn on the digital tablet device. Research limitations/implications While the numbers were small, the findings indicate that the digital capabilities of this group can usefully be assessed. Future research can use such assessments to highlight how intervention effectiveness and support can be enhanced by matching the digital capacities of minimally verbal children with ASD and ID to technological support. This is a preliminary study and a greater understanding of children’s prior experiences with technology will better inform how and which digital capabilities develop. Originality/value This is the first study to assess a range of basic capabilities for using digital tablet devices in minimally verbal children with ASD and ID.

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.

The Window to Language is Still Open: Distinguishing Between Preverbal and Minimally Verbal Children With ASD

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte DiStefano ◽  
Connie Kasari
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Minimally Verbal ◽  
Linguistic Communication ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Preschool Age Children ◽  
Minimally Verbal Children

While a large number of preschool age children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) use no or little spoken language, only a portion will remain minimally verbal into elementary school. Determining whether a child is likely to remain minimally verbal past the preschool years is of great importance to families and clinicians, and can inform intervention efforts. Evidence from both behavioral and neuroimaging studies provide support for the idea that minimally verbal children with ASD have specific and unique expressive language deficits and are not simply at an earlier stage of language development. Intervention that focuses on pre-linguistic skills, such as joint attention, gestures, and vocalizations can be effective to increase language in pre- and minimally verbal children with ASD. The use of speech generating devices (SGD) has also been shown to support spoken language development in this population. Although many preschool aged children with ASD are using no or very little language, many of these children are in fact pre-verbal, and will continue to develop language skills. Targeted intervention, including a focus on pre-linguistic communication and SGD, will help support their language development.

Sensory Behaviors in Minimally Verbal Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: How and When Do Caregivers Respond?

2018 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Harrop ◽  
Nicole Tu ◽  
Rebecca Landa ◽  
Ann Kasier ◽  
Connie Kasari
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Minimally Verbal ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Minimally Verbal Children ◽  
Sensory Behaviors

Abstract Sensory behaviors are widely reported in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the impact of these behaviors on families remains largely unknown. This study explored how caregivers of minimally verbal children with ASD responded to their child's sensory behaviors. Using a mixed-methods approach, we examined two variables for each endorsed child behavior: (1) Did the caregiver respond/try to change the behavior? and (2) What response did they employ? Caregivers did not differ in the frequency of responses to hypo- or hyper-responsive behaviors but employed different responses. Caregivers responded to more social sensory behaviors and predominately changed their own behavior in response to their child's. Our findings demonstrate how extensively caregivers adapt to their child's behaviors and vary their response dependent on behavior exhibited.

Increasing the Number Sense Understanding of Preschool Students With ASD

2021 ◽  
pp. 027112142110061
Author(s):  
Bonnie L. Ingelin ◽  
Seyma Intepe-Tingir ◽  
Nanette C. Hammons
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Number Sense ◽  
Functional Relation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Preschool Students ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Early Number ◽  
Mathematical Success ◽  
Number Talks

Teaching children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) academic skills supports their future opportunities. For example, early number sense skills are predictive of future mathematical success for all children including children with ASD. Yet, research on foundational early childhood mathematics skills of children with ASD is limited. This study used an adapted version of Number Talks to increase the number sense skills of preschool children with ASD. Number Talks is a constructivist approach that was combined with systematic instruction (i.e., system of least prompts and modeling) in this study. A multiple probe across participants design established a functional relation between using an adapted version of Number Talks and the early number sense skills of preschool children with ASD. Findings suggest using an adapted version of Number Talks can increase the early number sense skills of preschool children with ASD. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Exploring Growth in Expressive Communication of Infants and Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
pp. 105381512199557
Author(s):  
Jay Buzhardt ◽  
Anna Wallisch ◽  
Dwight Irvin ◽  
Brian Boyd ◽  
Brenda Salley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Progress Monitoring ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Infants And Toddlers ◽  
Early Communication ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Language Growth

One of the earliest indicators of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is delay in language and social communication. Despite consensus on the benefits of earlier diagnosis and intervention, our understanding of the language growth of children with ASD during the first years of life remains limited. Therefore, this study compared communication growth patterns of infants and toddlers with ASD to growth benchmarks of a standardized language assessment. We conducted a retrospective analysis of growth on the Early Communication Indicator (ECI) of 23 infants and toddlers who received an ASD diagnosis in the future. At 42 months of age, children with ASD had significantly lower rates of gestures, single words, and multiple words, but significantly higher rates of nonword vocalizations. Children with ASD had significantly slower growth of single and multiple words, but their rate of vocalization growth was significantly greater than benchmark. Although more research is needed with larger samples, because the ECI was designed for practitioners to monitor children’s response to intervention over time, these findings show promise for the ECI’s use as a progress monitoring measure for young children with ASD. Limitations and the need for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals A systematic PRISMA review of individuals with autism spectrum disorder in secure psychiatric care: prevalence, treatment, risk assessment and other clinical considerations

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare S. Allely
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Care ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secure Psychiatric Care

Purpose Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with specific assessment, specific difficulties, needs and therapeutic issues and therefore are a challenging group for forensic services. Given the challenge that individuals with ASD present to forensic services, the suggested increase in the number of this group within this setting and the relatively little amount of research which suggests they face a number of difficulties within the prison environment, the purpose of this paper is to identify and review all the studies which have been carried out investigating any aspect of ASD in relation to secure hospital settings. Design/methodology/approach Seven internet-based bibliographic databases were used for the present review. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Findings A total of 12 studies were included in this review; 3 looked at the prevalence of ASD in secure psychiatric hospitals. One study evaluated the clinical utility of the AQ screening tool to assess self-reported autistic traits in secure psychiatric settings. Three explored any type of characteristics of patients with ASD detained in secure psychiatric hospitals. One study investigated the experiences or quality of life of patients with an ASD detained in secure psychiatric care. Two studies investigated awareness, knowledge and/or views regarding patients with ASD held by staff working within secure psychiatric hospitals. Lastly, three studies (one of which was also included in the prevalence category above) looked at the effectiveness of interventions or treatment of patients with ASD in secure psychiatric hospitals. Clinical recommendations and future research directions are discussed. Originality/value To the author’s knowledge, this is the first review to explore what research has been carried out looking specifically at patients with ASD in relation to secure forensic settings.

Fostering Communication in Elementary School Children on the Autism Spectrum Who Are Minimally Verbal

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (02) ◽  
pp. 103-113
Author(s):  
Jessica Steinbrenner
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Elementary School Students ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
School Children ◽  
Elementary School Children ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Minimally Verbal ◽  
School Students ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Children With Asd

AbstractAround 30% of elementary school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are considered minimally verbal, yet there is limited research addressing the needs of this group of students. Several recent studies have demonstrated successful improvement of the communication skills of elementary school students with limited verbal skills. Additionally, there are focused intervention practices that are evidence based and may be useful in targeting communication skills for children with ASD who are minimally verbal. This article will review existing information about interventions to target communication skills in elementary school children with ASD who are minimally verbal, identify potential target skills, and provide case examples of how to embed communication interventions in elementary school classroom settings from a pilot intervention study.

Validation of Wearable Sensor Technology to Measure Social Proximity of Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

2021 ◽  
pp. 108835762110282
Author(s):  
Sarah N. Douglas ◽  
Yan Shi ◽  
Saptarshi Das ◽  
Subir Biswas
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Sensor System ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Sensor Technology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Proximity ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle to develop appropriate social skills, which can lead to later social rejection, isolation, and mental health concerns. Educators play an important role in supporting and monitoring social skill development for children with ASD, but the tools used by educators are often tedious, lack suitable sensitivity, provide limited information to plan interventions, and are time-consuming. Therefore, we conducted a study to evaluate the use of a sensor system to measure social proximity between three children with ASD and their peers in an inclusive preschool setting. We compared video-coded data with sensor data using point-by-point agreement to measure the accuracy of the sensor system. Results suggest that the sensor system can adequately measure social proximity between children with ASD and their peers. The next steps for sensor system validation are discussed along with clinical and educational implications, limitations, and future research directions.

Assessment and treatment of anxiety in children and adolescents with ASD: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celal Perihan ◽  
Mack D. Burke ◽  
Lisa Bowman-Perrott ◽  
Joel Bocanegra
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Implementation Fidelity ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Children With Asd

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of current studies that assess and treat anxiety symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). More specifically the study aimed to answer the following questions: What are the qualities of the current studies using cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) to treat anxiety symptoms in children with ASD? Did studies make necessary modifications and adaptations to CBTs according to the evidence-based strategies and implement these versions of CBTs with precise fidelity? Were the selected measurements appropriate for assessing the anxiety symptoms in children with ASD? Design/methodology/approach A systematic review protocol was developed from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (Moher et al., 2009). A rubric was adapted based on the CEC (Council for Exceptional Children; Cook, 2014) group comparison studies standards and the Evaluative Method for Determining EBP in Autism (Reichow et al., 2007). The 3-point Likert Scale (Chard et al., 2009) was adapted to score each study based on the rubric. Findings CBT is a first-line treatment with significant mixed results. Current studies use adapted versions of existing CBTs for children with ASD without reporting empirical evidence to these adaptations and changes. Reporting of the implementation fidelity is still an issue in the treatment of anxiety. Anxiety measurements that were designed for typically developing children failure to detect unusual anxiety symptoms in children with ASD. Research limitations/implications The first limitation of this study was including a variety of studies across CBT programs and types of anxiety symptoms. Types of anxiety and CBT treatments may require separate analyses with specific indicators. Due to the limited studies, reviews could not be analyzed across types of CBT programs. The second limitation was the types of studies. Most of the studies were pilot studies. Pilot studies might use various instruments and CBTs components for making selections to produce the best effects and results. The final limitation was the lack of examination of the data analysis process. Originality/value These findings are important because due to the variety of changes or adaptation to CBTs, inappropriate implementations and failure to detect unusual anxiety symptoms of children with ASD may cause significant differences in treatment responses and outcomes. The study demonstrated that the majority of the studies used adapted versions of existing CBTs without reporting empirical evidence for these adaptations and changes. The findings have shown that reporting of the implementation fidelity is still an issue. Moreover, the majority of studies had used anxiety measurements that were designed for typically developing children, not for children with ASD.

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