scholarly journals Weighted Blankets and Sleep Quality in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Single-Subject Design

Children ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Bryan M. Gee ◽  
Kimberly Lloyd ◽  
Jesse Sutton ◽  
Tyler McOmber
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Single Subject Design ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Subject Design

The purpose of the study was to explore the efficacy of weighted blanket applications and sleep quality in children with autism spectrum disorder and behavioral manifestations of sensory processing deficits. Two 4-year-old participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who also experienced sleep disturbances took part in a single-subject design study. Objective sleep measures and caregiver surveys were tracked for a baseline period of eight days, followed by a 14-day weighted blanket intervention and a seven-day withdrawal phase. Caregiver reports and objective data were evaluated using visual analysis and the percentage of non-overlapping data methods. The results suggest minimal changes in sleep patterns as a result of the weighted blanket intervention. The findings based on using a weighted blanket intervention were enhanced morning mood after night use and a significantly decreased time to fall asleep for participants, though they were not strong enough to recommend for clinical use. Future directions include single-subject and cohort-designed studies exploring the efficacy of weighted blankets with increasing sleep quality among children with autism.

scholarly journals Impact of Family-Centered Early Intervention in Infants with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Single-Subject Design

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Ho Il Park ◽  
Hae Yean Park ◽  
Eunyoung Yoo ◽  
Areum Han
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Single Subject Design ◽  
Subject Design ◽  
Social Interaction Skills ◽  
Family Centered

Objective. Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication, social skills, and behavior and can present in early childhood. The present study is aimed at investigating the effects of family-centered early intervention on the quality of social interaction and social interaction skills in infants with suspected autism spectrum disorder using a single-subject design. Method. As a single-subject design study, evaluations were conducted at baseline phase A, intervention phase B, baseline phase A′, and follow-up phase. The family-centered early intervention program was implemented during the intervention phase. Family-centered early intervention programs included home environmental modification, play video recording and training, task and feedback, related information training, and question and answer. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised, with Follow-Up and Evaluation of Social Interaction was used for evaluation. Result. Three participants completed the study. After applying the family-centered early intervention program, the quality of social interaction and social interaction skills of all participants improved. In addition, the risk of autism spectrum disorder in all participants was reduced. Conclusion. Family-centered early intervention was confirmed to have a positive effect on the improvement of social interaction skills in infants with suspected autism spectrum disorder.

Comparative Effects of Picture Symbol With Paired Text and Text-Only Augmentative and Alternative Communication Representations on Communication From Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 584-597
Author(s):  
Christine Holyfield
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Book Reading ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Children With Asd

Purpose Technology features that maximize communicative benefit while minimizing learning demands must be identified and prioritized to amplify the efficiency and effectiveness of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention. Picture symbols with paired text are a common representation feature in AAC systems for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are preliterate, yet little research about their comparative benefit exists. Method Four school-age children with ASD and limited speech who were preliterate participated in two single-subject studies. In one study, communication of high imageability words (e.g., nouns) on an AAC app during a book-reading activity was compared across two representation conditions: picture symbols with paired text and text only. In the second study, communication of low imageability words (e.g., verbs) was compared. Both studies had baseline, intervention, generalization, and maintenance phases. Results Prior to intervention, participants communicated across both representation conditions at low rates except two participants who were relatively successful using picture symbol with paired text representations of high imageability words. In response to intervention, all participants demonstrated increases in communication across representation conditions and maintained the increases. Participants demonstrated generalization in the text-only representation condition. Conclusions Children with ASD who were preliterate acquired communication at comparable rates regardless of whether an AAC app utilized picture symbol with paired text or text-only representation. Therefore, while larger scale research is needed, clinicians and technology developers could consider increasing the use of text in AAC representation given the inherent value associated with learning to recognize written words. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13661357

Online Communication Training for Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah N. Douglas ◽  
Rebecca Kammes ◽  
Erica Nordquist
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Parent Training ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Online Training ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Probe Design ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
The Impact

Parent training is an essential part of quality programming for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, limited research exists exploring online training approaches to support parents of children with both ASD and complex communication needs (CCN; e.g., limited verbal ability), despite the many benefits that online training might have for these parents and the overall sustainability and scalability of such approaches. This study utilized a single-subject multiple probe design with three parents and their children to explore the impact of online parent training for parents and their children with ASD and CCN. Training included online interactive components to teach parents a communication strategy, as well as live practice sessions during which parents implemented the strategy, had an opportunity to ask questions, and engaged in self-reflection. Results indicated that training increased communication opportunities and responses provided by parents, and communication by the child. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

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