scholarly journals Psychometric Properties of the POAGTS: A Tool for Understanding Parents’ Perceptions Regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder Genetic Testing

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 3323
Author(s):  
Shixi Zhao ◽  
Wei-Ju Chen ◽  
Oi-Man Kwok ◽  
Shweta U. Dhar ◽  
Tanya N. Eble ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
User Friendly

Due to the increased prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), more children with ASD may be referred for genetic testing. It is important to develop a tool to help parents consider the benefits and drawbacks of genetic testing for ASD before pursuing genetic testing for children with ASD. We developed the first theory-based survey—Perceptions of ASD Genetic Testing Survey (POAGTS), as a tool to assist healthcare providers to better understand parents’ perceptions and concerns regarding ASD genetic testing. The psychometric properties of POAGTS were first pre-tested and then formally tested with 308 parents of children with ASD who had not decided whether to pursue genetic testing for their children diagnosed with ASD. Findings suggest that the eight scales of the POAGTS were psychometrically sound, and had acceptable data reliability and validity. Additional research with various samples, such as parents of children with ASD who belong to diverse racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups, is warranted in the future to determine whether the POAGTS is applicable to these particular groups. Condensing and refining this tool to a shorter, more user-friendly version is also recommended for future research.

Exploring Growth in Expressive Communication of Infants and Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
pp. 105381512199557
Author(s):  
Jay Buzhardt ◽  
Anna Wallisch ◽  
Dwight Irvin ◽  
Brian Boyd ◽  
Brenda Salley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Progress Monitoring ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Infants And Toddlers ◽  
Early Communication ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Language Growth

One of the earliest indicators of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is delay in language and social communication. Despite consensus on the benefits of earlier diagnosis and intervention, our understanding of the language growth of children with ASD during the first years of life remains limited. Therefore, this study compared communication growth patterns of infants and toddlers with ASD to growth benchmarks of a standardized language assessment. We conducted a retrospective analysis of growth on the Early Communication Indicator (ECI) of 23 infants and toddlers who received an ASD diagnosis in the future. At 42 months of age, children with ASD had significantly lower rates of gestures, single words, and multiple words, but significantly higher rates of nonword vocalizations. Children with ASD had significantly slower growth of single and multiple words, but their rate of vocalization growth was significantly greater than benchmark. Although more research is needed with larger samples, because the ECI was designed for practitioners to monitor children’s response to intervention over time, these findings show promise for the ECI’s use as a progress monitoring measure for young children with ASD. Limitations and the need for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Acquisition of Verb Meaning From Syntactic Distribution in Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (3S) ◽  
pp. 668-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Horvath ◽  
Elizabeth McDermott ◽  
Kathleen Reilly ◽  
Sudha Arunachalam
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Verb Learning ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Syntactic Frames

Purpose Our goal was to investigate whether preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can begin to learn new word meanings by attending to the linguistic contexts in which they occur, even in the absence of visual or social context. We focused on verbs because of their importance for subsequent language development. Method Thirty-two children with ASD, ages 2;1–4;5 (years;months), participated in a verb-learning task. In a between-subjects design, they were randomly assigned to hear novel verbs in either transitive or intransitive syntactic frames while watching an unrelated silent animation or playing quietly with a toy. In an eye-tracking test, they viewed two video scenes, one depicting a causative event (e.g., boy spinning girl) and the other depicting synchronous events (e.g., boy and girl waving). They were prompted to find the referents of the novel verbs, and their eye gaze was measured. Results Like typically developing children in prior work, children with ASD who had heard the verbs in transitive syntactic frames preferred to look to the causative scene as compared to children who had heard intransitive frames. Conclusions This finding replicates and extends prior work on verb learning in children with ASD by demonstrating that they can attend to a novel verb's syntactic distribution absent relevant visual or social context, and they can use this information to assign the novel verb an appropriate meaning. We discuss points for future research, including examining individual differences that may impact success and contrasting social and nonsocial word-learning tasks directly.

Robots and Autism Spectrum Disorder

2016 ◽  
pp. 905-924
Author(s):  
Amie Senland
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Technological Intervention ◽  
Educational Applications ◽  
Potential Use

Technology featuring robots is a promising innovative technological intervention for treating and educating children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This chapter reviews, critiques, and presents future directions for research on clinical and educational applications of robots for these children. Specifically, this chapter reviews current research on: (1) robots that act as social mediators for children with ASD and (2) robots that assist them in developing social skills such as joint attention and imitation. A critical review of the research suggests that robots may have the capacity to assist some of these children, but additional rigorous studies are necessary to demonstrate their efficacy and effectiveness. Future research must (1) examine whether robots have differential effects for specific subgroups of children with ASD and (2) contribute to a deeper understanding of robots' potential use in educational settings.

scholarly journals Risk Factors for Unhealthy Weight Gain and Obesity among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 3285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khushmol K. Dhaliwal ◽  
Camila E. Orsso ◽  
Caroline Richard ◽  
Andrea M. Haqq ◽  
Lonnie Zwaigenbaum
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Repetitive Behaviors ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Unhealthy Weight

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by social and communication deficits and repetitive behaviors. Children with ASD are also at a higher risk for developing overweight or obesity than children with typical development (TD). Childhood obesity has been associated with adverse health outcomes, including insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. Importantly some key factors that play a mediating role in these higher rates of obesity include lifestyle factors and biological influences, as well as secondary comorbidities and medications. This review summarizes current knowledge about behavioral and lifestyle factors that could contribute to unhealthy weight gain in children with ASD, as well as the current state of knowledge of emerging risk factors such as the possible influence of sleep problems, the gut microbiome, endocrine influences and maternal metabolic disorders. We also discuss some of the clinical implications of these risk factors and areas for future research.

Stability of Variables Derived From Measures of Multisensory Function in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kacie Dunham ◽  
Jacob I. Feldman ◽  
Yupeng Liu ◽  
Margaret Cassidy ◽  
Julie G. Conrad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Multisensory Processing ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Mcgurk Effect ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Listening In Noise ◽  
The Stability

Abstract Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display differences in multisensory function as quantified by several different measures. This study estimated the stability of variables derived from commonly used measures of multisensory function in school-aged children with ASD. Participants completed: a simultaneity judgment task for audiovisual speech, tasks designed to elicit the McGurk effect, listening-in-noise tasks, electroencephalographic recordings, and eye-tracking tasks. Results indicate the stability of indices derived from tasks tapping multisensory processing is variable. These findings have important implications for measurement in future research. Averaging scores across repeated observations will often be required to obtain acceptably stable estimates and, thus, to increase the likelihood of detecting effects of interest, as it relates to multisensory processing in children with ASD.

Parent-Implemented Trial-Based Functional Analysis for Young Children With ASD

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Gerow ◽  
Mandy Rispoli ◽  
Emily Gregori ◽  
Lisa Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Analysis ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Challenging Behavior ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Function Based Intervention ◽  
Multiple Probe

There is growing support for the use of trial-based functional analysis (TBFA) in applied settings. The purpose of the present study was to assess the accuracy and social validity of parent-implemented TBFAs. The participants were three young children (ages 3–7 years old) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their mothers. Each mother implemented the TBFA with coaching from a behavior consultant. Following the TBFA, parent-implemented function-based interventions were evaluated using a multiple-probe across parent–child dyads design. Child challenging behavior decreased and communication increased following the implementation of the function-based intervention. TBFAs required approximately 5 to 7 hr of consultant time, and each mother rated the TBFA as socially valid. The results of this study indicate parent-implemented TBFAs may be an accurate and socially valid method to evaluate the function of challenging behavior in homes. The discussion includes implications for practice and directions for future research.

scholarly journals What are the Informational Preferences about Genetic Testing of Parents with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder?

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. e37-e37
Author(s):  
Fanny Lacelle-Webster ◽  
Rinita Mazumder ◽  
Sandy Hodgetts ◽  
Lonnie Zwaigenbaum
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Insurance Coverage ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Almost All

Abstract BACKGROUND Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects more than 1% of the population. In 2009, the Canadian College of Medical geneticists recommended genome-wide microarray analysis as a first-line investigation for children with a diagnosis of ASD. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to explore experiences and preferences of parents with children with ASD regarding information about genetic testing. DESIGN/METHODS In this mixed method study, parents of children with a diagnosis of ASD (age 2 to 17 years) were recruited through advertisements on websites and Facebook pages of community partners. The first step was an on-line survey housed on a secure web-based platform. In addition to demographic data, the survey collected information about the experiences and informational preferences of the parents about genetic testing. A subset of participants, based on expressed interest, participated in an in-person semi-structured interview. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded for major themes and sub-themes. RESULTS A total of 31 participants responded to the survey and 5 interviews were completed. Their children had received their diagnosis between 2004 and 2017. The online survey revealed that 69% of participants were aware of genetic testing and 38% had genetic testing completed. Overall, 94% wanted to have more information about genetic testing; notably, only 25% had heard about microarray. Receiving information about genetic testing was preferred in a follow up appointment by 56% of participants, but 28% preferred to receive information on the date of ASD diagnosis. Most participants (81%) identified their community paediatrician as the preferred physician to discuss genetic testing with them. Almost all interview participants were concerned that the information from genetic testing could be detrimental to their child, noting, for example, potential difficulties obtaining insurance coverage. Some shared their concerns regarding their paediatrician’s knowledge about genetic testing and ASD; in fact, two families decided to change to a new paediatrician to fulfill their needs of information about ASD and genetic testing. CONCLUSION This study showed that parents of children with ASD are globally interested to learn more about genetic testing, with their paediatrician being their preferred resource. For that reason, it appears important that paediatricians be aware of the recommended investigations for children with ASD and have a good understanding of the implications of genetic testing.

Robots and Autism Spectrum Disorder

2014 ◽  
pp. 178-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amie Senland
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Technological Intervention ◽  
Educational Applications ◽  
Potential Use

Technology featuring robots is a promising innovative technological intervention for treating and educating children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This chapter reviews, critiques, and presents future directions for research on clinical and educational applications of robots for these children. Specifically, this chapter reviews current research on: (1) robots that act as social mediators for children with ASD and (2) robots that assist them in developing social skills such as joint attention and imitation. A critical review of the research suggests that robots may have the capacity to assist some of these children, but additional rigorous studies are necessary to demonstrate their efficacy and effectiveness. Future research must (1) examine whether robots have differential effects for specific subgroups of children with ASD and (2) contribute to a deeper understanding of robots’ potential use in educational settings.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of Polyvictimization among Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity or Autism Spectrum Disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (13) ◽  
pp. 2280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hellström
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Methodological Considerations

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have shown an increased risk for violence and victimization. However, research on exposure to multiple forms of victimization in different contexts are scarce. Hence, the current aim is to review the evidence about polyvictimization among children with ASD or ADHD. PsycInfo, ERIC, ERC, Scopus, and PubMed databases were systematically searched until 12 March 2019 to identify empirical studies with reported prevalence rates of at least four forms of victimization among children with ASD or ADHD. A total of 6/1300 articles were included in the review, ranging in sample sizes from 92 to 4114. The reported prevalence rates for polyvictimization were 1.8% and 23.1% for children with ASD and 7.3% for children with ADHD. The results emphasize the high prevalence of violence and victimization, including polyvictimization, among children with ASD or ADHD. Polyvictimization among children with ASD or ADHD is a highly under researched area. Significant knowledge gaps and important methodological considerations that provide important implications for future research include lack of information on cyber bullying, frequency or intensity of victimization, and the failure to include children as informants and to report health outcomes associated with polyvictimization.

scholarly journals Auditory Processing Differences in Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1608-1617
Author(s):  
Maranda K. Jones ◽  
Nina Kraus ◽  
Silvia Bonacina ◽  
Trent Nicol ◽  
Sebastian Otto-Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Auditory Brainstem Responses ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Children With Asd

Purpose Auditory processing measures have been used in an attempt to understand the relationship between neurological mechanisms and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptomatology in school-age children. The focus of the current study was to understand neural auditory processing in 2- to 3-year-olds with ASD. Method Auditory processing measures (click auditory brainstem responses and speech-evoked frequency-following responses) were hypothesized to differ between typically developing children ( n = 18) and children with ASD ( n = 18). Auditory processing measures were hypothesized to relate to language development in children with ASD. Results The current study found limited differences in auditory processing measures between the two groups. No relationships were found between auditory processing measures and language development measures. Conclusions Future research is necessary to characterize auditory processing in toddlers with ASD. Longitudinal approaches should be considered when studying auditory processing in children with ASD in order to explore its developmental relationship with ASD symptomatology.

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