scholarly journals Quantifying the Child–Therapist Interaction in ASD Intervention: An Observational Coding System

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 366
Author(s):  
Giulio Bertamini ◽  
Arianna Bentenuto ◽  
Silvia Perzolli ◽  
Eleonora Paolizzi ◽  
Cesare Furlanello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Observational Research ◽  
Computational Techniques ◽  
Coding System ◽  
Observational Coding ◽  
Process Measures

Background: Observational research plays an important part in developmental research due to its noninvasiveness. However, it has been hardly applied to investigate efficacy of the child–therapist interaction in the context of naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBI). In particular, the characteristics of child–therapist interplay are thought to have a significant impact in NDBIs in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Quantitative approaches may help to identify the key features of interaction during therapy and could be translated as instruments to monitor early interventions. Methods: n = 24 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were monitored from the time of the diagnosis (T0) and after about one year of early intervention (T1). A novel observational coding system was applied to video recorded sessions of intervention to extract quantitative behavioral descriptors. We explored the coding scheme reliability together with its convergent and predictive validity. Further, we applied computational techniques to investigate changes and associations between interaction profiles and developmental outcomes. Results: Significant changes in interaction variables emerged with time, suggesting that a favorable outcome is associated with interactions characterized by increased synchrony, better therapist’s strategies to successfully engage the child and scaffold longer, more complex and engaging interchanges. Interestingly, data models linked interaction profiles, outcome measures and response trajectories. Conclusion: Current research stresses the need for process measures to understand the hows and the whys of ASD early intervention. Combining observational techniques with computational approaches may help in explaining interindividual variability. Further, it could disclose successful features of interaction associated with better response trajectories or to different ASD behavioral phenotypes that could require specific dyadic modalities.

scholarly journals Parents’ Perceptions of Early Interventions and Related Services for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faihan Alotaibi ◽  
Nabil Almalki
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Early Interventions ◽  
Related Services ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Government

<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>

Rhythm in Interactions between Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Mothers

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-34
Author(s):  
Asimenia Papoulidi ◽  
Christina F. Papaeliou ◽  
Stavroula Samartzi
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Coding System ◽  
Mental Age ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Maternal Responses ◽  
Affect Attunement

Humans are endowed with an innate ability to produce rhythmic expressions that reveal intentions and feelings and attune their rhythmic behavior with that of another person who is attentive and affectionate. A small number of studies in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show that the rhythmic patterns of their expressions differ from those observed in typically developing (TD) children, and they are not well attuned to the expressions of their communicative partner. The aim of the present study was to assess rhythmic patterns in mother–child cooperative communication in children with ASD compared to TD children. Ten children with ASD and ten TD children, matched for mental age, were videotaped in their homes during play sessions with their mothers. For the microanalysis, the Eudico Linguistic Annotator was used and a coding system was developed for the annotation of communicative modalities. Results showed that children with ASD are less likely to initiate joint action and respond to mother’s efforts for mutual interaction. Exploratory/relational play was their preferred means for initiation. Maternal responses were provided mainly through the modality of gaze for both ASD and TD children. Moreover, the gaze direction of the dyad indicates that ASD partners focus mainly on different directions, whereas TD partners look mostly at the same object. Analysis of their affective states demonstrates that affect attunement is difficult to achieve. These findings indicate that children with ASD exhibit disturbances in rhythmic interaction with their caregiver, which reveal severe deficiencies in the motive for interpersonal awareness.

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