scholarly journals The relationship between gestures and non-verbal communication and attentional processing in high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 239694151878713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Pudło ◽  
Ewa Pisula
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Nonverbal Communication ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Executive Attention ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Adolescents With Autism ◽  
The Impact

Background and aims The links between gestures and various attentional processes in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder have not been studied sufficiently. Previous studies have highlighted the impact of orienting attention on the efficacy of gestures without exploring the influence of alerting and top–down attentional processes. The aim of the present study was to explore the links between attentional processes and indicators of descriptive, conventional and emotional gestures as well as other aspects of nonverbal communication in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder ( N = 46). Methods The attention network test and colour trails test were used to measure attentional processes, whereas descriptive, conventional and emotional gestures were assessed using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the autism diagnostic interview . Analysis showed a significant correlation between gestures with alerting, orienting and executive attention. Conclusions The relevant structural equation model revealed that attentional processes have an impact on gestures, but gestures do not have an impact on attentional processes. Emotional gestures are linked to alerting. Spatial-visual search was related to facial expression and the integration of nonverbal communication with behaviour. There was no significant interaction between executive attention and gestures. Implications The obtained results are discussed with reference both to gesture development and studies on attention in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

The Impact of a Rock Climbing Program for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 113-126
Author(s):  
Kathryn N. Oriel ◽  
Jennifer Wood Kanupka ◽  
Adam T. Fuehrer ◽  
Kayla M. Klumpp ◽  
Katelyn N. Stoltz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Rock Climbing ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adolescents With Autism ◽  
The Impact

Feasibility of a virtual nutrition intervention for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110511
Author(s):  
Acadia W Buro ◽  
Heewon L Gray ◽  
Russell S Kirby ◽  
Jennifer Marshall ◽  
Mikaela Strange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Food Frequency ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Adolescents With Autism ◽  
Culinary Education ◽  
The Impact

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder are at increased risk of unhealthy eating behaviors and obesity. This study examined feasibility of a virtual implementation of Bringing Adolescent Learners with Autism Nutrition and Culinary Education, an 8-week nutrition intervention based on social cognitive theory that addresses autism spectrum disorder–specific eating behaviors and food environment challenges. The implementation process was measured with fidelity checklists, engagement records, and field notes. Feasibility of virtually assessing adolescents’ outcomes (food frequency questionnaire, psychosocial survey, height, and weight) was also evaluated. Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder aged 12–21 years were recruited through a local community partner. Six groups (n = 27; group size ranged 2–7) participated. Univariate data analyses were performed. Mean lesson attendance was 88%, participation was 3.5/4 (4 = Frequently), homework completion was 51.9%, fidelity was 98.9%, and technical difficulty prevalence was 0.4/2 (2 = Major technical difficulties). Assessment completion rate was 100% (98.9%–100%) at baseline and 92.6%–96.3% (99.5%–100%) at post-intervention. Data quality was high for 88% of food frequency questionnaires and 100% of psychosocial surveys. Findings suggest that a virtual implementation and evaluation of Bringing Adolescent Learners with Autism Nutrition and Culinary Education was feasible. Bringing Adolescent Learners with Autism Nutrition and Culinary Education may be implemented virtually to reach diverse populations of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Future research should examine the impact of the intervention on dietary behavior and obesity outcomes. Lay abstract Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder are at an increased risk of unhealthy eating behaviors and obesity compared to their typically developing peers. Many nutrition interventions for this population focus on improving autism spectrum disorder symptoms or managing weight rather than addressing participants’ healthy eating self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine a virtual implementation of a new intervention for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, Bringing Adolescent Learners with Autism Nutrition and Culinary Education. We used fidelity checklists, engagement records, and field notes to measure implementation. We also examined the feasibility of assessing outcome measures, including a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), psychosocial survey, height, and weight. We recruited adolescents with autism spectrum disorder aged 12–21 years. Six groups of 2–7 adolescents (27 total) participated in the intervention and pre-/post-intervention measurements. Bringing Adolescent Learners with Autism Nutrition and Culinary Education consisted of eight weekly lessons: exploring taste, flavor, and texture; mealtimes and rules; food groups and nutrients; moderation; beverages; cooking; well-being; sustaining healthy eating habits. The virtual implementation was feasible based on lesson attendance, participation, homework completion, fidelity, and prevalence of technical difficulties. Evaluation was also feasible based on response rate, completion, and data quality for the food frequency questionnaire, psychosocial survey, and height and weight measurements. Bringing Adolescent Learners with Autism Nutrition and Culinary Education may be used in virtual settings to reach diverse populations of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Future research is needed to evaluate the impact of Bringing Adolescent Learners with Autism Nutrition and Culinary Education on dietary behavior and obesity outcomes.

A Matter of Perspective: An Exploratory Study of a Theory of Mind Autism Intervention for Adolescents

2020 ◽  
pp. 003329411989812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mishon Lecheler ◽  
Jon Lasser ◽  
Phillip W. Vaughan ◽  
Jesi Leal ◽  
Kirstina Ordetx ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Understanding ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Adolescents With Autism ◽  
The Impact

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the capacity to make attributions of mental states such as thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of others. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder are often characterized by delayed or impaired Theory of Mind development and poor social skills. A positive correlation between Theory of Mind skills and social skills exists, but effective interventions that generalize these skills have proven to be a challenge in the field. Furthermore, few effective interventions exist to increase Theory of Mind skills in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. The Teaching Theory of Mind curriculum is a 12-week intervention aimed at increasing social understanding in children and adolescents with deficits in Theory of Mind. To date, there have not been any empirical studies to test the efficacy of the curriculum. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of the Teaching Theory of Mind curriculum on adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and explore the impact of the intervention when addressing various domains of social understanding. Results, though tentative, indicated that parents saw improved social understanding following intervention, though direct measures of Theory of Mind with adolescent participants did not change significantly.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Investigation on Core Symptoms and Psychiatric Comorbidity in Preschoolers

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margherita Prosperi ◽  
Marco Turi ◽  
Silvia Guerrera ◽  
Eleonora Napoli ◽  
Raffaella Tancredi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Internalizing Problems ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Severity ◽  
Core Symptoms ◽  
The Impact

Findings regarding sex differences in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as far as core symptoms and psychiatric comorbidities (PC) are concerned, are inconsistent, inconclusive, or conflicting among studies. The lower prevalence of ASD in females than in males and the age and intelligence quotient (IQ) heterogeneity among samples made it difficult to investigate these differences. This case–control study tries to deepen the impact of sex differences on core symptoms of autism and PC in 214 preschoolers with ASD (mean age, 45.26) without impairment in non-verbal IQ (nvIQ ≥70). A total of 107 ASD females (mean age, 44.51 ± 13.79 months) were matched one by one with 107 males (mean age, 46.01 ± 13.42 months) for chronological age (±6 months) and nvIQ (±6 points). We used the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule 2 (ADOS-2) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) 1.5–5 to explore autism severity and PC. The results highlight that ASD females did not significantly differ from ASD males regarding the severity of autism. Statistically significant lower levels of emotionally reactive (p = 0.005, η2 = 0.04), anxious-depressed (p = 0.001, η2 = 0.05), internalizing problems (p = 0.04, η2 = 0.02), and DSM-Oriented Scales anxiety problems (p = 0.02, η2 = 0.04) in ASD females than in ASD males were also detected. Our findings of no difference in the autism severity and lower internalizing problems in females than males with ASD extend the knowledge of autism in females during preschool years. Compared to other similar studies on this topic, we can state that these results are not supported by differences in nvIQ between sexes nor by the presence of cognitive impairment. It confirms the need for clinicians to consider sex differences when describing autism psychopathology.

scholarly journals Using Peer Supports to Encourage Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder to Show Interest in Their Conversation Partners

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Linda M. Bambara ◽  
Christine L. Cole ◽  
Alana Telesford ◽  
Kathleen Bauer ◽  
Irem Bilgili-Karabacak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Students ◽  
Baseline Design ◽  
Adolescents With Autism ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a multicomponent peer-mediated intervention (PMI) on teaching adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) how to show interest in peer conversation partners by asking partner-focused questions about the person, their interests, or their experiences and by making partner-focused comments that positively affirm peer statements or express concern. Method A multiple-baseline design across three verbally fluent high school students with ASD was used to assess the effects of the PMI, which involved training peers ( n = 10) to support conversation and the students' use of target skills, and training the students to use partner-focused skills with the aid of a self-reflection cue sheet during conversation with trained peers in a high school cafeteria. Ten-minute samples of student–peer conversations were transcribed and analyzed. Generalization with untrained peers was assessed. Results The PMI was highly effective in increasing all students' use of partner-focused skills. Gains were maintained by two students in a return-to-baseline condition. Generalization was evident for all students with varied results. Peers and students with ASD perceived the intervention to be beneficial. Conclusions This study adds to the limited research showing that PMI can be used in high school settings to improve target conversational skills and provides preliminary evidence that PMI can successfully address an underresearched pragmatic language difficulty (i.e., introducing and maintaining topics of conversation of relevance and interest to conversation partners) common among adolescents with ASD. These findings invite replication to extend generality and assess the impact of the intervention on peer relationships. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.16915663

scholarly journals Autism Spectrum Disorder and Anorexia Nervosa. Is There a Link? An Italian Experience

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacopo Pruccoli ◽  
Altea Solari ◽  
Letizia Terenzi ◽  
Elisabetta Malaspina ◽  
Marida Angotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Young Patients ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Potential overlaps exist between psychopathological features of Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The impact of malnutrition on autistic traits in patients with AN should be considered. This study aims to investigate possible associations between Eating Disorders (ED) psychopathology, ASD traits and BMI in a group of young patients with AN, using the EDI-3 (Eating Disorder Inventory-3) test and gold-standard measures for ASD.Methods: Prospective study involving 23 inpatients admitted to an Italian Centre for paediatric ED. ASD traits and ED psychopathology were assessed administering ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2), AQ (Autism Quotient) and EDI-3 tests. Both present and past autistic traits were investigated using different versions of AQ. Possible effect of BMI, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) comorbidity and psychopharmacological treatments on results were evaluated with multiple linear regressions.Results: An ASD diagnosis was possible in 22% of patients. EDI-3 Interpersonal Problems (IPC), Affective Problems (APC), and Global Psychological Maladjustment (GPMC) subscales showed correlations with different ASD measures on ADOS-2 and AQ. Scores for ASD and their correlations with EDI-3 subscales were independent of BMI, age, OCD and psychopharmacological treatments.Conclusions: ASD traits presented high prevalence in a group of young inpatients with AN. These traits were significantly correlated to 3 specific EDI-3 subscales and independent of BMI. This is the first study to investigate the relationship between ASD traits as measured with gold-standard measures, EDI-3 scores, and BMI.

scholarly journals The impact of caregiver stigma on real-life social experience of Taiwanese adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110043
Author(s):  
Valerie Hwee Taur Lim ◽  
Yu-Wei Ryan Chen ◽  
Mei-Hui Tseng ◽  
Anita Bundy ◽  
Reinie Cordier
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Affiliate Stigma ◽  
Adolescents With Autism ◽  
The Impact

Caregivers of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder commonly experience stigma. However, how stigma influences social interactions of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder is unclear. We aimed to explore the impact of caregiver stigma on real-life social experiences of Taiwanese adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. In the context of everyday activities, 76 adolescents with autism spectrum disorder who were not intellectually disabled (69 males, aged 10–16 years) carried a mobile device that prompted them 7 times, randomly, each day for 7 days to record with whom they were interacting, what they perceived, and how they felt about the interactions. Caregivers completed the Affiliate Stigma Scale to measure caregiver stigma. Multilevel analyses revealed that participants whose caregivers perceived high levels of stigma were more likely than those whose caregivers experienced less stigma to interact with family members and less likely to be interested in interacting with people at school. However, those participants also experienced more anxiety while interacting with family members. The findings shed light on ways that caregiver stigma impacted the social experiences of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and suggest that, in promoting social participation for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, researchers and service providers must support caregivers to manage stigma. Lay abstract Caregivers of people with autism spectrum disorder commonly experience stigma. As a result, they may avoid contact with others, in turn, influencing their child’s social participation. This study aimed to explore the impact of stigma perceived by the caregivers on the everyday social experience of Taiwanese adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. We asked 76 adolescents with autism spectrum disorder who did not have intellectual disability (69 males, aged 10–16 years) to carry a mobile device for 7 days. The device prompted them 7 times each day to record who they were interacting with, what they perceived, and how they felt about their social interactions. In addition, we asked their caregivers to complete the Affiliate Stigma Scale to measure their experience of stigma. We found that participants whose caregivers perceived high levels of stigma were more likely to spend time with family members and less likely to be interested in interacting with people at school. Those participants also were more likely to experience anxiety while interacting with family. Our study suggests that it is important for clinicians to implement support services for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and help caregivers in managing stigma to promote their child’s social participation.

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