scholarly journals Initiation and response of joint attention bids in autism spectrum disorder children depend on the visibility of the target

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 239694152095097
Author(s):  
Federica Cilia ◽  
Claire Touchet ◽  
Luc Vandromme ◽  
Barbara Le Driant

Background and aims Response to joint attention (RJA) and initiation of joint attention (IJA) are impaired in pre-schoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children’s response to joint attention may depend on the presence of the target in the child's field of vision or on the type of deictic index (head and eye orientation, pointing and verbalisations) used by the adult to initiate joint attention. Methods This study deals with 50 ASD children aged from 2 years 8 months to 11 years 7 months, with a communicative level comparable to children under 31 months of age, according to the French version of the Early Social Communication Scales (ECSP, by its French acronym). We compared the aforementioned ASD children with 50 typically developing (TD) children, aged 9 to 30 months who had no communication disorders according to the ECSP. During the ECSP test, we analysed joint attention behaviours on three posters present or absent from the children's visual field. Results We did not observe any difference in the number of IJAs between groups, but ASD children were less responsive than TD children were. Our results showed a developmental progression in the responses of children with ASD if several deictic cues were used by an adult simultaneously (looking and pointing, or looking and verbalising to indicate a target), whether the referent was present or absent from the child’s visual field. In addition, we observed developmental progression when the referent was behind the child and the adult only used their gaze to refer to it. Conclusion Thus, we argue that the type of cues used affects ASD children’s response behaviours during joint attention towards a referent that may be present or absent from their visual field. Implications: Regarding the social and the sensory difficulties of children with ASD, many therapeutic approaches focus their intervention methods on non-verbal communication skills and joint attention. This fundamental research makes it possible to identify the most appropriate type of deictic index for children with ASD with developmental delay, depending on the presence or absence of the referent in the child's visual field.

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Sullivan ◽  
Julianna Finelli ◽  
Alison Marvin ◽  
Elizabeth Garrett-Mayer ◽  
Margaret Bauman ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Taufiqi Hidayatullah ◽  
Hendriati Agustiani ◽  
Arlette Suzy Setiawan

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder with three main characteristics: communication disorders, social interaction disorders and repetitive behavior. The main problem faced when treating child patients with this disorder is the difficulty of establishing communication with the result that they are unable to understand instructions. One form of therapy frequently applied in cases of autism is that of applied behavior analysis (ABA). It is easier for children with ASD to absorb information visually. Purpose: The purpose of this study was  to evaluate the effectiveness of ABA-based behavior management using visual media in the form of picture cards for oral examination of children with ASD. Methods: The study design was observational descriptive in nature and the sample selection was based on purposive sampling. The study was conducted by observing changes in childrens’ behavior during treatment administered four times a month. The subjects were 13 children with ASD who met the study criteria and were receiving treatment for autism at Prananda special school in Bandung. The collated data related to changes in subjects’ behavior observed during four meetings assessed on the basis of score 1 confirming compliance with instructions and 0 indicating non-compliance. A Kruskal-Wallis statistical analisysis test was used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed a general increase in the former over the latter initial behavior during treatment. Statistical analysis showed that the coefficient of Kruskal-Wallis was meaningful in terms of statistical significance with a p-value of 26.947 (<0.05). The multiple comparison value for average ranks was 15.68 (SD 18.69). Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is that the application of a behavior management-based analytical methodology is effective in supporting the oral examination of children with ASD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen K. Carlisle ◽  
Rebecca A. Johnson ◽  
Colleen S. Koch ◽  
Leslie A. Lyons ◽  
Ze Wang ◽  
...  

Background: Cats are a common companion animal (CA) in US households, and many live in families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The prevalence of ASD is one in 54, and many children have behavior challenges as well as their diagnostic communication disorders.Objective: Benefits of CAs for children with ASD have been identified, but little is known about the welfare of CAs in these homes. This study explored the welfare of cats (N = 10) screened for ideal social and calm temperament using the Feline Temperament Profile (FTP) and adopted by families of children with ASD.Methods: Cat stress was measured using fecal cortisol, weight, and a behavior stress measure (cat stress score). Measures were taken at baseline in the shelter, 2–3 days after adoption, and at weeks 6, 12, and 18.Result: Outcome measures suggested the adopted cats' stress levels did not increase postadoption; however, the small sample size limited analytical power and generalizability.Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence for the success of cat adoption by families of children with ASD, when cats have been temperament screened and cat behavior educational information is provided. Further research is warranted to confirm these findings.


Author(s):  
Sahar Mohammed Taresh ◽  
Nor Aniza Ahmad ◽  
Samsilah Roslan ◽  
Aini Marina Ma’rof ◽  
Sumaia Mohammed Zaid

Background: Early intervention will help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to attain early learning reinforcement. This study focuses on exploring the ability of preschool teachers to identify children with ASD and their referral decision-making process. Method: This is a mixed-method study (qualitative and quantitative methods) involving 20 respondents. The qualitative study is based on an open question case study, while the quantitative study consists of questionnaire with demographic variables to identify the effect of the demographic variables on the preschool teachers’ ability to identify children with ASD. Sample: The sample was selected via convenience sampling among mainstream preschool teachers. The data was analyzed using SPSS software and thematic analysis. Results: The findings show that preschool teachers did not have skills at identifying children with ASD, and the majority of them labelled children with ASD as spoilt or hyperactive children. They also viewed children with ASD as having other disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or communication disorders such as introversion. Moreover, preschool teachers expressed that the reason for the child’s behaviour could be due to the parents’ inability to properly educate their child. Additionally, the demographic variables of the preschool teachers, such as age, education level and teaching experience, were found not to affect their ASD identification skills. Conclusion: Preschool teachers need to improve their skills in identifying ASD among children via training.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-285
Author(s):  
Weihua Jia ◽  
Jinghong Xie

ABSTRACT Introduction Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a typical neurological development disorder of the brain, exhibiting social communication and communication disorders, narrow interests, and repetitive, stereotyped behaviors. Movement development is an important evaluation index for the development of early motor function in children, so exercise intervention in children with ASD is of great significance. Objective This article conducts exercise intervention on children with ASD to stimulate their exercise ability and improve their self-care ability. Methods The article randomly grouped 24 children with an autism spectrum disorder. The experimental group received exercise intervention, and the control group had regular classes. After the experiment is completed, the influence of exercise intervention on children with autism is analyzed. Results The motor skills of the two groups of children were different after the intervention. The motor skills of the experimental group improved more significantly. Conclusion Exercise intervention can significantly improve the motor skills of children with an autism spectrum disorder. To evaluate whether the large-muscle motor skill learning of children with ASD and its influence on basic motor skills can be transferred to provide a reference for related motor intervention. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment results.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinyi Liu ◽  
Qiandong Wang ◽  
Xue Li ◽  
Xiaoyun Gong ◽  
Xuerong Luo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: This study examined the social synchronization in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when responding to others’ joint attention. Social synchronization refers to an individuals’ temporal coordination during social interactions, which has been found to play a crucial role in social development. Deficient joint attention has been repeatedly found in individuals with autism spectrum disorder, and previous studies have demonstrated various explanations about it. In a more recent perspective, joint attention could be associated with spontaneous social motor synchronization, and it is possible to explore social synchronization as a pathway to understanding the impairments of joint attention in children with ASD.Methods: Forty-one children aged 5 to 8 with ASD and 43 age-matched typically developing (TD) children watched a video to completed the response to joint attention (RJA) tasks, during which their gaze data were collected. The synchronization of gaze-shift behaviors between children and the female model in the video was measured with the cross-recurrence quantification analysis (CRQA). Results: We found that children with ASD had the ability, to some extent, to synchronize their gaze shifts with the female model in the video during RJA tasks. However, compared to the TD children, children with ASD displayed lower levels of synchronization and longer latency in this synchronized behavior. Limitations: The RJA task in our study was not a real social interaction task but rather a one-way interaction. Social interaction between two persons through live video or a natural scenario should be further explored. Besides, additional work is necessary to determine whether our findings generalize to individuals across the full autism spectrum. Conclusion: These findings provide a new avenue to deepen our understanding of the impairments of joint attention in children with ASD. Notably, the analytic method can be further applied to explore the social synchronization of numerous other social interactive behaviors in ASD. Additionally, the impairment of social synchronization may be a new implicit indicator for the evaluation of autism and can be utilized to screen children with ASD along with other indicators.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 327-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Gladfelter ◽  
Cassidy VanZuiden

Purpose Although repetitive speech is a hallmark characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the contributing factors that influence repetitive speech use remain unknown. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if the language context impacts the amount and type of repetitive speech produced by children with ASD. Method As part of a broader word-learning study, 11 school-age children with ASD participated in two different language contexts: storytelling and play. Previously collected language samples were transcribed and coded for four types of repetitive speech: immediate echolalia, delayed echolalia, verbal stereotypy, and vocal stereotypy. The rates and proportions of repetitive speech were compared across the two language contexts using Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests. Individual characteristics were further explored using Spearman correlations. Results The children produced lower rates of repetitive speech during the storytelling context than the play-based context. Only immediate echolalia differed between the two contexts based on rate and approached significance based on proportion, with more immediate echolalia produced in the play-based context than in the storytelling context. There were no significant correlations between repetitive speech and measures of social responsiveness, expressive or receptive vocabulary, or nonverbal intelligence. Conclusions The children with ASD produced less immediate echolalia in the storytelling context than in the play-based context. Immediate echolalia use was not related to social skills, vocabulary, or nonverbal IQ scores. These findings offer valuable insights into better understanding repetitive speech use in children with ASD.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faihan Alotaibi ◽  
Nabil Almalki

<p class="apa">The present study sought to examine parents’ perceptions of early interventions and related services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Saudi Arabia. In this study a survey was distributed to a sample of 80 parents with children who have ASD. Parents also were asked open-ended questions to enable them to provide suggestions. The findings indicate that parents have varying perceptions of early interventions and related services. However, they seem to agree that these services are important in assisting their children. Accordingly, parents have suggested that the government needs to increase these services by providing more centers for children with ASD in Saudi Arabia, providing more specialists to deal with children with ASD, promoting inclusion in regular schools and providing more information on early intervention.</p>


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