scholarly journals Development of a Social Communication Questionnaire (QSC-ID) for People With Intellectual Disability in a Deaf Sample: A Pilot and Feasibility Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Weber ◽  
Christoph Weber ◽  
Johannes Fellinger ◽  
Daniel Holzinger
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Adaptive Skills ◽  
Communication Mode ◽  
Social Communication Skills ◽  
Verbal Messages

Background: Social communication (SC) includes the use and interpretation of verbal and non-verbal messages within a social context and thus requires more than knowledge of language. Social communication skills are essential for connecting and engaging with others, and SC deficits are often associated with emotional and behavioral problems. There is a lack of feasible instruments for assessing SC skills in individuals with intellectual disability (ID).Methods: A questionnaire on social communication in adults with ID (QSC-ID) comprising 20 Likert-scaled items was developed and completed on behalf of participants (n = 52) from three Austrian therapeutic living communities for people with ID and deafness by their living- and working-facility key caregivers. The sample of adults with hearing loss was considered ideal for the development of a measure of SC that is not restricted to a specific communication mode or overly related with language skills.Results: The preliminary results showed high construct validity. Correlations were high between SC and language, social skills, and severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), moderate between SC and adaptive skills, and non-verbal intelligence and, as expected, low between SC and motor skills. Interrater reliability was found to be good or at least acceptable for all items. Total raw scores were well-distributed over the whole range—Cut-offs based on the 10th and 20th percentile are suggested to identify atypical and borderline SC skills. Caregiver feedback and completeness of data suggest that the questionnaire is highly feasible.Conclusion: Questionnaire on social communication in adults with ID is an easy-to-use caregiver-reported questionnaire for use with individuals with mild to severe forms of ID. Initial testing of validity looks promising. Further validation in populations with typical hearing is required. Due to substantial correlations between SC and structural language skills the calculation of specific SC cut-offs for different levels of linguistic skills should be considered when sufficient data is available.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on the Adaptive Functioning, Behavioral Problems, and Repetitive Behaviors of Italian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Observational Study

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Martina Siracusano ◽  
Eugenia Segatori ◽  
Assia Riccioni ◽  
Leonardo Emberti Gialloreti ◽  
Paolo Curatolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Adaptive Functioning ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Repetitive Behaviors ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adaptive Skills ◽  
The Impact

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families have represented a fragile population on which the extreme circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak may have doubly impaired. Interruption of therapeutical interventions delivered in-person and routine disruption constituted some of the main challenges they had to face. This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on adaptive functioning, behavioral problems, and repetitive behaviors of children with ASD. In a sample of 85 Italian ASD children (mean age 7 years old; 68 males, 17 females), through a comparison with a baseline evaluation performed during the months preceding COVID-19, we evaluated whether after the compulsory home confinement any improvement or worsening was reported by parents of ASD individuals using standardized instruments (Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (Second Edition), Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist, Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised). No significant worsening in the adaptive functioning, problematic, and repetitive behaviors emerged after the compulsory home confinement. Within the schooler children, clinical stability was found in reference to both adaptive skills and behavioral aspects, whereas within preschoolers, a significant improvement in adaptive skills emerged and was related to the subsistence of web-delivered intervention, parental work continuance, and online support during the lockdown.

Integrating Written Text and Graphic Cues Into Peer-Mediated Interventions: Effects on Reciprocal Social Communication Skills

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-28
Author(s):  
Todd M. Miller ◽  
Kathy Thiemann-Bourque
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Written Text ◽  
Social Skills Instruction ◽  
Social Communication Skills ◽  
Text Cues ◽  
Peer Mediated Intervention

A growing body of evidence has supported the use of peer-mediated interventions to increase the social-communication skills of students with a variety of developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Despite these promising results, however, many practitioners may struggle to effectively implement peer-mediated interventions across the diverse presentation and skill profiles of students with ASD, specifically in accommodating the unique language and communication needs of their students. This article presents an example of integrating written-graphic and text cues into a peer-mediated intervention for three elementary-age students with ASD. Emphasis is placed on describing the teaching procedures used to encourage students with ASD and peers to participate in shared games and activities together, using written-graphic and text cues to support appropriate social communication. Additionally, strategies for selecting and including typically-developing peers to participate in social skills programming are reviewed. Data collected throughout the peer-mediated intervention demonstrates the positive effect of systematic social skills instruction for both students with disabilities and their peers.

scholarly journals Callous-unemotional traits in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): replication of prevalence estimates and associations with gaze patterns when viewing fearful faces

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Virginia Carter Leno ◽  
Rachael Bedford ◽  
Susie Chandler ◽  
Pippa White ◽  
Isabel Yorke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Fearful Faces ◽  
Callous Unemotional

Abstract Research suggests an increased prevalence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and a similar impairment in fear recognition to that reported in non-ASD populations. However, past work has used measures not specifically designed to measure CU traits and has not examined whether decreased attention to the eyes reported in non-ASD populations is also present in individuals with ASD. The current paper uses a measure specifically designed to measure CU traits to estimate prevalence in a large community-based ASD sample. Parents of 189 adolescents with ASD completed questionnaires assessing CU traits, and emotional and behavioral problems. A subset of participants completed a novel emotion recognition task (n = 46). Accuracy, reaction time, total looking time, and number of fixations to the eyes and mouth were measured. Twenty-two percent of youth with ASD scored above a cut-off expected to identify the top 6% of CU scores. CU traits were associated with longer reaction times to identify fear and fewer fixations to the eyes relative to the mouth during the viewing of fearful faces. No associations were found with accuracy or total looking time. Results suggest the mechanisms that underpin CU traits may be similar between ASD and non-ASD populations.

scholarly journals Child and parent outcomes following parent interventions for child emotional and behavioral problems in autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Autism ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 1630-1644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Tarver ◽  
Melanie Palmer ◽  
Sophie Webb ◽  
Stephen Scott ◽  
Vicky Slonims ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Child Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Standardized Mean Difference ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Parent Interventions

There is growing interest in the development of behavioral parent interventions targeting emotional and behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorders. Such interventions have potential to improve a number of child and parental well-being outcomes beyond disruptive child behavior. This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses evidence for the efficacy of behavioral parent interventions for disruptive and hyperactive child behavior in autism spectrum disorders, as well as parenting efficacy and stress. A total of 11 articles from nine randomized controlled trials were included. Sufficient data were available to calculate standardized mean difference and show favorable effects of behavioral parent interventions on parent-reported measures of child disruptive behavior (standardized mean difference = 0.67), hyperactivity (standardized mean difference = 0.31) and parent stress (standardized mean difference = 0.37); effects on parent efficacy are less clear (standardized mean difference = 0.39, p = 0.17). There were insufficient data to explore intervention effects on internalizing behavior in autism spectrum disorders, parenting behaviors, or observational and teacher-reported outcomes, providing important avenues for future research. This review adds to growing evidence of the efficacy of behavioral parent interventions for child behavior and parental well-being in autism spectrum disorders (Prospero: CRD42016033979).

Technology-Aided Interventions for Individuals With Autism: Implications for Policy and Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy V. Pham ◽  
Kyle D. Bennett ◽  
Heidy Zetina
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Functional Capabilities ◽  
Social Communication Skills ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Assisted Instruction

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by pervasive difficulties in reciprocal social-communication skills and restricted, repetitive interests and behaviors. Advances in assistive technology can potentially improve the functional capabilities of individuals with ASD. This article reviews current legislation and professional standards related to educating students with ASD with an emphasis on technology and evidence-based practices. In particular, the article summarizes technology-aided interventions (e.g., speech-generating devices, computer-assisted instruction, video-based instruction, virtual reality, and robot-mediated interventions) that focused on social-communication skills among individuals with ASD. Implications and future directions of technology-aided interventions are discussed.

Automated Measures to Understand Communication Opportunities for Young Children With Autism in the Community: A Pilot Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren M. Little ◽  
Joanne P. Rojas ◽  
Anna Bard ◽  
Ying Luo ◽  
Dwight Irvin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Similar Amount ◽  
Social Communication Skills ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Young Children With Autism

Community participation is vital to children’s development and provides opportunities to practice social communication skills. Although previous studies suggest that young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience decreased community participation, there is little empirical evidence on the precise patterns of participation that may influence social communication opportunities. Therefore, this pilot study investigated the communication among families of children with ASD ( n = 5) versus typical development (TD; n = 5) across various community locations. We used automated, objective measures: the Language ENvironmental Analysis (LENA) system™ to measure the amount of communication and integrated this with a Global Positioning System (GPS; that is, Qstarz™) to measure community location. Results showed that families of children with ASD and TD spent a similar amount of time in community locations; however, there were differences in the amount of adult talk directed toward children with ASD versus TD across community locations. Findings suggest that automated measures may be successfully integrated to quantify social communication during community participation.

scholarly journals Executive Functions and Adaptive Behaviour in Autism Spectrum Disorders with and without Intellectual Disability

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simonetta Panerai ◽  
Domenica Tasca ◽  
Raffaele Ferri ◽  
Valentina Genitori D’Arrigo ◽  
Maurizio Elia
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Adaptive Skills ◽  
Adaptive Behaviour ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Mental Flexibility ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Adaptive Ability

Executive functions (EF) in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been often investigated, although results seem to be rather inconsistent. The first aim of this study was to detect which EF components are common to the ASD continuum (from high- to low-functioning ASD) and identify a possible EF profile for ASD people. Planning, mental flexibility, inhibition of response, generativity, and ecologic EF were investigated. This study was extended not only to high-functioning ASD, but also to ASD with intellectual disability (ID). The second aim was to find EF aspects correlating with adaptive skills in ASD. A total of 61 children participated in the study (27 ASD with and without ID and 34 controls). Results highlight an executive profile characterised by impaired flexibility and deficient planning; these deficits are associated with decreased adaptive ability, particularly socialization, and a deficient shifting in ecologic conditions. These features are present in all ASD subgroups with and without ID; for this reason, they might be assumed as being specific features in ASD.

Individual characteristics of students with autism spectrum disorders and school refusal behavior

Autism ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Kathrine Munkhaugen ◽  
Tonje Torske ◽  
Elen Gjevik ◽  
Terje Nærland ◽  
Are Hugo Pripp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
School Refusal ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
School Refusal Behavior ◽  
Students With Autism

This study compared social, executive, emotional, and behavioral characteristics of students with autism spectrum disorder who did and did not display school refusal behavior. The participants were 62 students with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability aged 9–16 years attending inclusive schools. Parents first completed questionnaires assessing social and executive functioning as well as emotional and behavioral problems. They then documented their child’s school refusal behavior for a period of 20 days. Compared to students without school refusal behavior (n = 29), students with school refusal behavior (n = 33) were significantly less socially motivated; displayed more deficits in initiating tasks or activities, in generating ideas, responses, or problem-solving strategies; and displayed more withdrawn and depressive symptoms. Assessing social and executive functioning, as well as emotional problems, may help professionals provide tailored interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder and school refusal behavior, which will further be valuable in recognizing characteristics associated with school refusal behavior.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document