scholarly journals Protocol: New approaches to managing the social deficits of Turner Syndrome using the PEERS program

F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1864
Author(s):  
Jeanne Wolstencroft ◽  
William Mandy ◽  
David Skuse
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Turner Syndrome ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Conditions ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Intervention Programme

Turner Syndrome (TS) is a sex chromosome aneuploidy (45,X) associated with social skill difficulties. Recent clinical care guidelines recommend that the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) social skills intervention programme be trialled in this population. PEERS has been successfully used in adolescents with autism spectrum conditions without intellectual disabilities. The PEERS program will be piloted with adolescents and young women with TS aged 16-20 using an uncontrolled study trial with a multiple-case series design. The program will be delivered face to face and online. The assessment battery is designed to measure social skills comprehensively from diverse informants (parent, teacher young person). It includes measures of social performance, social knowledge and social cognition. Parents and young people taking part in the intervention will also feedback on the acceptability and feasibility of the pilot. The outcomes of this small scale pilot (n=6-10) will be used to adapt the programme based on feedback and estimate the sample for a future randomised controlled trial.

scholarly journals Protocol: New approaches to managing the social deficits of Turner Syndrome using the PEERS program

F1000Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1864
Author(s):  
Jeanne Wolstencroft ◽  
William Mandy ◽  
David Skuse
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Turner Syndrome ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Conditions ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Intervention Programme

Turner Syndrome (TS) is a sex chromosome aneuploidy (45,X) associated with social skill difficulties. Recent clinical care guidelines recommend that the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) social skills intervention programme be trialled in this population. PEERS has been successfully used in adolescents with autism spectrum conditions without intellectual disabilities. The PEERS program will be piloted with adolescents and young women with TS aged 16-20 using an uncontrolled study trial with a multiple-case series design. The program will be delivered face to face and online. The assessment battery is designed to measure social skills comprehensively from diverse informants (parent, teacher young person). It includes measures of social performance, social knowledge and social cognition. Parents and young people taking part in the intervention will also feedback on the acceptability and feasibility of the pilot. The outcomes of this small scale pilot (n=6-10) will be used to adapt the programme based on feedback and estimate the sample for a future randomised controlled trial.

scholarly journals Students’ Stereotypes of Autism

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantelle Wood ◽  
Megan Freeth
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
University Students ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Conditions ◽  
Disabled People ◽  
Free Response ◽  
Behaviour Study

<p>This research aimed to ascertain the contents (Study 1) and valence (Study 2) of the stereotype associated with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) in university students. Study 1 used a free-response methodology where participants listed the characteristics that they thought society associates with individuals with ASC. This study revealed that the stereotypic traits most frequently reported by students without personal experience of ASC were poor social skills, being introverted and withdrawn, poor communication and difficult personality or behaviour. Study 2 had participants rate the valence of the 10 most frequently mentioned stereotypic traits identified in Study 1, along with additional traits frequently used to describe disabled and non-disabled people. This study found that eight of the ten most frequently listed stereotypic traits from Study 1 were seen as negative, and were rated significantly more negatively than traits used to describe non-disabled people. The knowledge of the contents and valence of the stereotype of ASC gained from this research can be used to tackle negative aspects of this stereotype.</p>

scholarly journals Treating specific phobias in young people with autism and severe learning difficulties

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillippa Burton ◽  
Anna Palicka ◽  
Tim I. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Young Person ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Systematic Desensitization ◽  
Treatment Protocols ◽  
Specific Phobias

AbstractAnimal phobias in young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) can provoke behaviours that put them at risk and impede access to the community. Previous studies suggest that cognitive behavioural therapy including systematic desensitization and modelling are effective for people with ID, including those with comorbid ASD. Methods of adapting such treatment to people with little spoken language are not well described, and ethical issues concerning both young people and animals during treatment have not been addressed. The aim of this study was to describe, using a case series of consecutive referrals: (1) adaptations to systematic desensitization when communication of the young person is impaired, and (2) the ethics of involving animals in therapeutic interventions. Treatment was planned based on the use of systematic desensitization with a hierarchy of feared situations using visual symbols and schedules to communicate with the participants. Five young people with ASD, severe ID and minimal language were successfully treated for dog phobia. Modifications to treatment included both the use of non-verbal means of communication including printed symbols and graded activities such as jigsaw puzzles and picture matching to present information to clients in a more finely graded format. The treatment of specific phobias is possible with the use of minimal language provided that a variety of individualized stimuli approximating to the feared objects are developed and the safety of all participants is respected. Further work is required to develop sufficiently flexible treatment protocols, which in turn would enable a randomized controlled trial.

scholarly journals Enhancing the Impact of Genomics Research in Autism through Integration of Research Results into Routine Care Pathways—A Case Series

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 755
Author(s):  
Iskra Peltekova ◽  
Daniela Buhas ◽  
Lara Stern ◽  
Emily Kirby ◽  
Afiqah Yusuf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Care ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Routine Care ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Care Pathways ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Individualized Care ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Genetic Results

The return of genetic results (RoR) to participants, enrolled as children, in autism research remains a complex process. Existing recommendations offer limited guidance on the use of genetic research results for clinical care. We highlight current challenges with RoR and illustrate how the use of a guiding framework drawn from existing literature facilitates RoR and the clinical integration of genetic research results. We report a case series (n = 16) involving the return of genetic results to participants in large genomics studies in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We outline the framework that guided RoR and facilitated integration into clinical care pathways. We highlight specific cases to illustrate challenges that were, or could have been, resolved through this framework. The case series demonstrates the ethical, clinical and practical difficulties of RoR in ASD genomic studies for participants enrolled as children. Challenges were resolved using pre-established framework to guide RoR and incorporate research genetic results into clinical care. We suggest that optimal use of genetic research results relies on their integration into individualized care pathways for participants. We offer a framework that attempts to bridge the gap between research and healthcare in ASD.

scholarly journals A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Korean Version of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills for Young Adults (PEERS®-YA-K) With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miae Oh ◽  
Elizabeth Laugeson ◽  
Joo-Hyun Kim ◽  
Kyungah Lee ◽  
Jeeyun Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Adults With Asd ◽  
Relational Skills

Evidence-based social skills interventions for young adults are limited, despite social difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) persisting after transition to adulthood. The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills for Young Adults (PEERS®-YA) is an evidence-based intervention found to be effective in improving relational skills in young adults with ASD. To translate the original American version of the PEERS®-YA treatment manual into Korean, intensive interviews were performed. Based on results from interviews, several rules of dating etiquette and social activities were modified to be culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate. Next, young adults diagnosed with ASD (18–35 years of age; IQ &gt; 70) and their social coaches were recruited for the randomized controlled trial (RCT). Participants were randomly assigned either to a treatment group (TG; n = 19) or a delayed treatment group (DTG; n = 18). In the analysis of group differences in the TG and DTG, social skills knowledge was improved. The within group analyses showed positive effects of improving social skills knowledge on reducing depression and anxiety symptoms. After modest cultural adaptations focusing on dating and social activities, the implementation of the PEERS®-YA-K was found feasible for the Korean community. This is one of only a few cross-cultural validation trials establishing evidence-based treatment in young adults with ASD.Clinical Trial Registration: This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03310775.

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