Agency and Presence: A Common Dependence on Subjectivity?

2006 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 539-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Herrera ◽  
Rita Jordan ◽  
Lucí Vera
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Mental Models ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Positive Results ◽  
Insight Into

This paper argues that presence, as shown in virtual environments, can usefully be seen as comprising various subtypes and that these in turn may have common conceptual and ontological features with a sense of agency as defined by Russell (1996, Agency: Its Role in Mental Development, Erlbaum.). Furthermore, an analysis of Russell's characterization of the concept of agency may be useful for acquiring insight into the sense of presence itself and the variables affecting it. Empirical evidence from cognitive developmental research and the positive results of attempts to develop symbolic understanding in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in virtual environments suggest that presence may be more about experiencing agency than either pretending to be there or constructing and reconstructing mental models in real time. This analysis is used to shed some light on the current issues of presence research and to open up new philosophical and psychological aspects, in relation to both presence and ASD.

scholarly journals The need for a comprehensive molecular characterization of autism spectrum disorders

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (04) ◽  
pp. 651-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jantine A. C. Broek ◽  
Eva Brombacher ◽  
Viktoria Stelzhammer ◽  
Paul C. Guest ◽  
Hassan Rahmoune ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Molecular Characterization ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

Assistive Technologies and Design for People With Autism Spectrum Disorders

2022 ◽  
pp. 48-70
Author(s):  
Denise Gulino
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Job Performance ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Positive Results ◽  
Specific Technology

This chapter has the aim to provide a concise overview of which assistive technology tools can be used to implement interventions for people with autism spectrum disorders and what developers and designers must take into account when they want to approach to the development of these technologies. Four areas of intervention have been identified: (1) treatment of phobias, (2) social interactions, (3) academic skills, (4) job performance. Ten contributions have been reviewed for a total of 216 participants. Positive results and limits of various studies have been identified. In each session a specific technology will be analyzed, and some general guidelines will be provided. Some suggestions will be emphasized for future research.

Autism, Metacognition, and the Deep Self

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 446-464
Author(s):  
NATHAN STOUT
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Moral Responsibility ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Cognitive States ◽  
Satisfactory Account ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Metacognitive Abilities

ABSTRACT:Many ‘deep self’ theories of moral responsibility characterize the deep self as necessarily requiring that an agent be able to reflect on her own cognitive states in various ways. In this paper, I argue that these metacognitive abilities are not actually a necessary feature of the deep self. In order to show this, I appeal to empirical evidence from research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that suggests that individuals with ASD have striking impairments in metacognitive abilities. I then argue that metacognitive conceptions of the deep self are implausible insofar as they fail to give a satisfactory account of the responsibility of persons with autism.

scholarly journals Drosophila functional screening of de novo variants in autism uncovers deleterious variants and facilitates discovery of rare neurodevelopmental diseases

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul C Marcogliese ◽  
Samantha L Deal ◽  
Jonathan Andrews ◽  
J Michael Harnish ◽  
V Hemanjani Bhavana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Candidate Genes ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Gene Discovery ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Functional Screening ◽  
Simons Simplex Collection ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

Abstract:Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit an increased burden of de novo variants in a broadening range of genes. We functionally tested the effects of ASD missense variants using Drosophila through ‘humanization’ rescue and overexpression-based strategies. We studied 79 ASD variants in 74 genes identified in the Simons Simplex Collection and found 38% of them caused functional alterations. Moreover, we identified GLRA2 as the cause of a spectrum of neurodevelopmental phenotypes beyond ASD in eight previously undiagnosed subjects. Functional characterization of variants in ASD candidate genes point to conserved neurobiological mechanisms and facilitates gene discovery for rare neurodevelopmental diseases.

scholarly journals Towards a molecular characterization of autism spectrum disorders: an exome sequencing and systems approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. e394-e394 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Y An ◽  
A S Cristino ◽  
Q Zhao ◽  
J Edson ◽  
S M Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Exome Sequencing ◽  
Molecular Characterization ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

scholarly journals The Lived Experiences of Mothers of Children with the Autism Spectrum Disorders in Egypt

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ereny Gobrial
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Social ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Insight Into

The aim of this study was to gain insight into the experiences of mothers caring for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in relation to the early life, resources and to address the consequences of raising a child with ASD in Egypt. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 mothers of children with ASD in Egypt, the children were aged 5–14 years old (mean: 7.3 years). Data were thematically analysed. Results revealed that life with ASD was daunting for the Egyptian mothers. Findings suggested that provision of inadequate education, healthcare and stigma constitute the main issues for mothers. Furthermore, ASD impacted negatively on the social life, emotional wellbeing and sacrifices of mothers of children with ASD. The findings provided valuable insight into the life of mothers, revealing what life really is like for mothers caring for a child with ASD in one of the low-medium-income countries. Understanding the mothers’ experiences of caring for children with ASD is crucial in providing support and developing the services that are urgently needed in Egypt.

Language Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Insights from Neuroscience

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 98-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane L. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Language Measures ◽  
Insight Into

Language is an area of difficulty even for verbal, high-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Behavioral measures have provided limited understanding of the bases for these differences, as verbal individuals with ASD frequently score within the average range on standardized language measures, even as they have difficulty with the comprehension and use of language in daily life. Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning has yielded some insight into the neurofunctional basis of linguistic processing in ASD but has limited application due to the need for intravenous injection of a chemical radiotracer. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a noninvasive methodology that has provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the underlying neural processing while an individual performs a cognitive task. FMRI studies have been completed with young children, adolescents, and adults with ASD using a variety of language tasks. These studies have revealed differences in the way individuals with ASD process language even without differences in behavioral performance. Although still preliminary, these results provide speech-language pathologists with valuable insight into the cognitive processing challenges associated with ASD that can inform the design of interventions to address the problems individuals with ASD have in the comprehension and production of language.

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