scholarly journals Journey with Autism: Successful Educational and Social Interventions from a Single Case Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kwame De Jongge-Moore
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Interventions ◽  
Regular School ◽  
Educational Plan ◽  
The Social ◽  
Individualized Educational Plan

Problem Statistics indicate that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is on the increase in America and worldwide (Xu, Strathearn, Liu, & Bao, 2018; Baio et al., 2018). Autism spectrum disorder can impair an individual’s ability to engage in neurotypical behavior, which has the potential to increase their vulnerability to being shunned and bullied. This makes autism a major societal concern with significant costs to the individual, their family, private/public health insurance, state financial aid programs, and to the nation. This present study was undertaken to determine, in the opinions of those connected to the case, whether the interventions engaged in this case were effective and to what extent the educational and social interventions practiced in this specific case were responsible for enabling Carter to reach the place where the diagnosticians felt that he no longer met the criteria for receiving services for autism spectrum disorder. Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify social and educational interventions used in Carter's journey with Autism Spectrum Disorder and to document the social and educational interventions employed by several individuals who worked with him. Further, the study sought to describe the impact of these interventions on Carter, from the perspectives of the key individuals involved in the early education of the child. Additionally, the study set out to determine whether these interventions actually enabled Carter to no longer meet the criteria for receiving services for autism spectrum disorder. -- Method The study employed a qualitative case study approach which gathered data mainly through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Other data sources included Carter’s mother's (Meghan's) account of her experience, key documents, and examples of learning activities found to be of benefit to the child. The nine individuals who were interviewed were invited to participate because they had been directly involved with the case. The data was analyzed using NVivo data analysis. Results The results from the analysis of the data study indicate that there was a positive relationship between the interventions reported and Carter's no longer meeting the criteria for services for ASD. The activities reported proved to be too numerous to be mentioned individually and were therefore grouped thematically. The two large groups were the social interventions and the educational interventions. The social interventions group was comprised of activities, such as Gymfants (gymnastics for young children), Children’s Choir, Adventurers Club, and attending regular school which promoted social interactions. These groups facilitated Carter’s working with others, taking directions from others, imitating others, leading, following, and taking turns. Language was key to these interactions. Educational interventions included; reading, attending homeschool, regular school, strategic games such as Connect Four, Uno, and geographical puzzles, floor puzzles; foreign language videos and science videos among other activities. These interventions incorporated language and encouraged Carter in individual work, seated work, pattern identification, and viewing for a purpose among other things. These interventions were planned by Meghan outside of the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) and in addition to Speech Therapy. Conclusions As a result of this study, the reader can see that the curriculum developed for Carter by Meghan was directly related to his progress. The study concluded that Carter's family working together to provide the program of interventions contributed greatly to his no longer meeting the criteria to remain in the autism therapy program designed for him by the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) team. It appeared that the intentionality of Carter’s support team had a significant relationship with his progress. It was also concluded that there was a strong relationship between Music as a theme and Carter's progress. The study concluded that the combination of educational and social interventions employed with Carter helped to eliminate the need for him to receive services for autism spectrum disorder. The study showed that intervention in autism requires parental involvement as the delivery of a variety of social and educational interventions through the medium of the home allowed for a natural, meaningful and permanent transfer of knowledge and growth in a number of areas. It is therefore obligatory that the parent/therapist/school partnership be supported and empowered.

School Counselors’ Roles in Creating and Implementing Social Stories to Serve Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 2156759X0001800
Author(s):  
Emily Goodman-Scott ◽  
Robert Carlisle
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
School Counselor ◽  
Social Stories ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Challenges ◽  
The Social ◽  
Students With Autism

The percentage of students educationally identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is on the rise and school counselors are called to serve this population. Social stories are recommended in the educational literature to address the social and behavioral challenges of students with ASD, but a need exists to examine social stories within the context of school counseling. In this article, the authors provide a case study of a school counselor-facilitated social story using an action research framework in order to illustrate the creation, implementation, and impact of social stories.

scholarly journals Analysis of functional program of the building designed for pupils on the autism spectrum disorder, case study of Acland Burghley Resources Centre, London

2021 ◽  
Vol 1203 (2) ◽  
pp. 022116
Author(s):  
Klaudyna Mentel ◽  
Zbyszko Bujniewicz
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Program ◽  
American University ◽  
Regular School ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The article is a case study for Acland Burghley Resources Centre designed by Christopher Beaver and GA Architects for up to 20 pupils on the autism spectrum disorder. This is the inclusive regular school for 1265 students in London, built in 2011. The small part of the building was designed according to the theory developed by Beaver for students on ASD. The school was classified in third place according to Autism ASPECTSS Scores (Mostafa, 2015, p. 67) developed by Magda Mostafa, professor at the American University of Cairo. The case study is based on the diagrams presented in the article which were prepared on the basis of project documentation and photos of the building provided by the architectural office. These materials were prepared to survey opinions of autism therapists on the impact of individual building elements on people on ASD. Pupils on the autism spectrum have problems with the perception of many stimuli such as light, acoustic, aromatic, and tactile stimuli. It is important that autistic students who cannot cope with the mainstream school have an independent part of the building with the outdoor decking, social area, learning spaces, 1 to 1 activity rooms, seating spots, and escape personal spaces. The architect designed a calm space in which students feel sensory comfort and can improve their cognitive abilities. These were achieved with indirect light, neutral colours, matte textures, and curved walls. The interdisciplinary research proves that the functional and spatial solutions which are provided in Burghley Resources Centre are appropriate for the therapeutic purpose and support the therapy.

scholarly journals Developing Social Skills of Summer Campers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study of Camps on TRACKS Implementation in an Inclusive Day-Camp Setting

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly Maich ◽  
Carmen L Hall ◽  
Tricia Marie Van Rhijn ◽  
Laurie Quinlan
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
The Social ◽  
Inclusive Settings

This research provides preliminary results of an exploratory case study conducted of the Camps on TRACKS program in an inclusive, municipal day-camp program in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Positive changes are demonstrated in the social skills of nine day campers with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who participated in the program. In this model of social inclusion, all campers were taught skills to interact with peers with exceptionalities through a peer-mediated model. Social skills change was measured using direct observation and counsellor questionnaires. Primary findings included an overall increase in social skills in campers with an ASD, and an inverse relationship between adult and peer interactions. Camps on TRACKS is a promising model for supporting the social skills development of campers with an ASD in inclusive settings.

scholarly journals Natural language processing (NLP) tools in extracting biomedical concepts from research articles: a case study on autism spectrum disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (S11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Peng ◽  
Mengge Zhao ◽  
James Havrilla ◽  
Cong Liu ◽  
Chunhua Weng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Natural Language Processing ◽  
Natural Language ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Predictive Performance ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Research Articles

Abstract Background Natural language processing (NLP) tools can facilitate the extraction of biomedical concepts from unstructured free texts, such as research articles or clinical notes. The NLP software tools CLAMP, cTAKES, and MetaMap are among the most widely used tools to extract biomedical concept entities. However, their performance in extracting disease-specific terminology from literature has not been compared extensively, especially for complex neuropsychiatric disorders with a diverse set of phenotypic and clinical manifestations. Methods We comparatively evaluated these NLP tools using autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a case study. We collected 827 ASD-related terms based on previous literature as the benchmark list for performance evaluation. Then, we applied CLAMP, cTAKES, and MetaMap on 544 full-text articles and 20,408 abstracts from PubMed to extract ASD-related terms. We evaluated the predictive performance using precision, recall, and F1 score. Results We found that CLAMP has the best performance in terms of F1 score followed by cTAKES and then MetaMap. Our results show that CLAMP has much higher precision than cTAKES and MetaMap, while cTAKES and MetaMap have higher recall than CLAMP. Conclusion The analysis protocols used in this study can be applied to other neuropsychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders that lack well-defined terminology sets to describe their phenotypic presentations.

Assessment and Treatment of Selective Mutism in a Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
pp. 153465012098345
Author(s):  
Mirela Cengher ◽  
Joy C. Clayborne ◽  
Adrianna E. Crouch ◽  
Julia T. O’Connor
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Selective Mutism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Assessment And Treatment

Over 60% of children diagnosed with selective mutism are also diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Previous research established that behavioral interventions are effective at increasing speech in children with both diagnoses. However, few studies conducted assessments to determine environmental variables that inhibit speech, and such assessments are necessary for the development of effective and efficient treatments. This case study describes an assessment that evaluated the function(s) of selective mutism. The results confirmed that the participant did not talk to avoid social interaction and that mutism occurred primarily in the presence of multiple, unfamiliar people. Our first treatment focused on increasing tolerance for social interaction, demonstrated by an increase in speech production in the presence of unfamiliar people. Our second treatment focused on increasing qualitative aspects of the participant’s speech (i.e., both responses and initiations). Finally, we taught the participant’s parents to implement the treatment in naturalistic settings, and the participant demonstrated generalization of treatment effects across people and settings. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Renaming schizophrenia: 5 × 5

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (03) ◽  
pp. 254-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinan Guloksuz ◽  
Jim van Os
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Social ◽  
Technical Features ◽  
In The Beginning

AbstractThere had been a long way to go before we felt comfortable about even discussing the issues revolving around the concept of ‘schizophrenia’, let alone reckoning on mere semantic revision. In this editorial, we aim to extend our discussion on the reasons behind the slow death of the concept of ‘schizophrenia’ and the benefits of changing the name and embracing a spectrum approach with an umbrella psychosis spectrum disorder (PSD) category (similar to autism spectrum disorder) that goes further than a mere semantic revision. We attempted to cover the topic of the renaming by providing five most pertinent points categorised under five domains: reasons, signals, challenges, promises and steps for the change. Admittedly, even a modest revision, such as classifying all psychotic disorder categories under an umbrella category of PSD, and abolishing the term schizophrenia requires careful deliberation and some effort in the beginning, but the revision is well worth the effort considering the benefits in the long run. Renaming a particular form of mental suffering should be accompanied by a broader debate of the entire diagnosis-evidence-based-practice (EBP)-symptom-reduction model as the normative factor driving the content and organisation of mental health services that may be detached from patients’ needs and reality, overlooks the trans-syndromal structure of mental difficulties, appraises the significance of the technical features over the relational and ritual components of care, and underestimates the lack of EBP group-to-individual generalisability. Individuals may make great strides in attaining well-being by accommodating to living with mental vulnerabilities through building resilience in the social and existential domains. Changing the name and the concept of ‘schizophrenia’, which goes beyond a mere semantic revision, may become the first step that allows catalysation of the process of modernising psychiatric science and services worldwide.

scholarly journals Lexical Development in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): How ASD May Affect Intake From the Input

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (11) ◽  
pp. 2659-2672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudha Arunachalam ◽  
Rhiannon J. Luyster
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Lexical Representation ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Learning Situation ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
The Social ◽  
Processing Demands

Purpose Most children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have below-age lexical knowledge and lexical representation. Our goal is to examine ways in which difficulties with social communication and language processing that are often associated with ASD may constrain these children's abilities to learn new words and to explore whether minimizing the social communication and processing demands of the learning situation can lead to successful learning. Method In this narrative review of recent work on lexical development in ASD, we describe key findings on children's acquisition of nouns, pronouns, and verbs and outline our research program currently in progress aimed at further elucidating these issues. Conclusion Our review of studies that examine lexical development in children with ASD suggests that innovative intervention approaches that take into account both the social communication and processing demands of the learning situation may be particularly beneficial. Presentation Video https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.7324013

scholarly journals Prenatal Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Fetal Cortisol Exposure Predicts Child ASD Symptoms

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheena Ram ◽  
Mariann A. Howland ◽  
Curt A. Sandman ◽  
Elysia Poggi Davis ◽  
Laura M. Glynn
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Developmental Disorder ◽  
Maternal Plasma ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Fetal Exposure ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal Study ◽  
The Social ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial, complex, and likely involves interactions among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. With respect to environmental influences, a growing literature implicates intrauterine experiences in the origin of this pervasive developmental disorder. In this prospective longitudinal study, we examined the hypothesis that fetal exposure to maternal cortisol may confer ASD risk. In addition, because ASD is four times more prevalent in males than in females, and because sexually dimorphic responses to intrauterine experiences are commonly observed, we examined whether or not any associations differ by fetal sex. Maternal plasma cortisol was measured at 15, 19, 25, 31, and 37 weeks’ gestation in a sample of 84 pregnant women. ASD symptoms were assessed in their 5-year-old children with the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). Fetal exposure to lower levels of maternal cortisol was associated with higher levels of ASD symptoms only among boys. The observed hypocortisolemic profile exhibited by these mothers may indicate a risk factor that precedes the stress of caregiving for a child with ASD and may not be solely a consequence of the stress of caregiving, as previously thought. These findings confirm the value of examining prenatal hormone exposures as predictors of ASD risk and support the premise that altered prenatal steroid exposures may play a role in the etiology of ASD.

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