scholarly journals Possibilities of Dance Therapy and its Comprehensive Benefits for Children with Autism

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Kim ◽  
Kathryn Marks ◽  
Stacy Gil
Keyword(s):  
Dance Therapy ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Therapy Program ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Positive Step

Dance Therapy (DT) is an effective treatment to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual. Its benefits are of particular interest in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), whose caretakers are burdened with the high cost and rigorous demand of treatment. This paper presents a Dance Therapy program that will attempt to encourage physical, social, and cognitive development amongst students through concepts of mirroring and Teaching Dance for Understanding. This program will require less resources than other types of therapies because children will not have to be supervised individually; routines are consistent and repetitive. Although more quantitative research needs to be conducted, it represents a positive step toward providing children with ASD with an optimal environment.

scholarly journals Savouring as an Intervention to Decrease Negative Affect in Anxious Mothers of Children with Autism and Neurotypical Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 652
Author(s):  
Ariel Pereira ◽  
Atiqah Azhari ◽  
Chloe Hong ◽  
Gerin Gaskin ◽  
Jessica Borelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Positive Experience ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Mother Child Relationships ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
The Individual

Savouring is an emotion regulation strategy and intervention that focuses on the process of attending, intensifying and prolonging positive experiences and positive affect associated with these memories. Personal savouring involves a reflection on positive memories that are specific to the individual and do not involve others. In contrast, relational savouring entails reflecting on instances when people were responsive to the needs of their significant others. Such interventions hold potential benefits in enhancing positive affect (PA) and reducing negative affect (NA) for both parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and parents of neurotypical children. Adults with greater symptoms of generalised anxiety have been found to have less PA and more NA. However, no study has investigated the effects of a mother’s anxiety symptoms on the efficacy of savouring in enhancing PA and reducing NA. Thus, this paper combined personal and relational savouring to investigate whether savouring may enhance PA and reduce NA of a pooled sample of mothers of neurotypical children and mothers of children with ASD. 52 mothers of neurotypical children and 26 mothers of children with ASD aged 3–7 years old were given a series of questionnaires and randomly assigned to either relational savouring or personal savouring conditions. In relational savouring, mothers were asked to reflect upon a shared positive experience with their child while in the personal savouring condition, a personal positive experience was recalled. Across mothers of children with ASD and neurotypical children, findings suggest that savouring leads to a decrease in NA (p < 0.01) but not increases in PA. Similarly, mothers with higher levels of anxiety experience a greater decrease in NA (p < 0.001) compared to mothers with lower levels of anxiety post-savouring. This study proposes that a brief savouring intervention may be effective among mothers of preschoolers. As lower levels of negative affect is linked to healthier psychological well-being, mothers might be able to engage in more effective and warm parenting after savouring exercises, which would cultivate positive mother-child relationships that benefit their children in the long-term.

scholarly journals Fenomenologia da Qualidade de Vida de Mães de Crianças Autistas

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-134
Author(s):  
Maria P. M CHAIM ◽  
Sebastião B. C. NETO, ◽  
Aminn y F. PEREIRA, ◽  
Virgínia E. S. M. COSTA
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Phenomenological Psychopathology

The quality of life (QOL) of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is related to the symptomatic and idiopathic characteristics of the existential condition of the child and is determined by the subjective understandings attributed according to the individual experience. The primary objective of this article is to describe and understand the subjective constructs about the self-referenced QOL of mothers of children with ASD. It is an empirical study, qualitative and based on a reading of phenomenological psychopathology. Participated 10 mothers of children with ASD, users of public health services in Goiânia. The following instruments were used: a sociodemographic and clinical data questionnaire and a semi-structured interview script about QOL. The interviews were submitted to the construction of thematic categories, according to the methodology of Giorgi (1985), and later were correlated with the existential categories of Augras (2004). It was observed that although a standard is sought to understand QOL, each mother has subjective factors that reflect in her way of experiencing the condition of being a mother of a child with special needs. It is concluded that it is the science, when seeking to understand the quality of life of people with similar characteristics, to consider the relevance of the subjective aspects and the meaning that each mother constructs of its own reality.

scholarly journals E-books for children with autism: Best read alone or with a therapist?

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-32
Author(s):  
Erin Soares ◽  
Therese Miller ◽  
Kathleen Ciffone ◽  
Kirsten Read
Keyword(s):  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Ideal Condition ◽  
Storybook Reading ◽  
Applied Behavioral Analysis ◽  
Story Reading ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Shared Storybook Reading ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Ideal

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) seemingly prefer tablets to other methods of intervention, though professionals posit that a therapist’s presence is beneficial. In this experiment, two unique e-stories were created specifically for children with ASD. Ten children with low- or nonverbal ASD heard each story presented on an iPad; one narrated through the iPad, and one read by a therapist trained in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). The within-participants design enabled researchers to measure the individual benefit of each type of story reading. After hearing each book, participants were tested on their comprehension via multiple choice, sequencing, and open-ended questions. Results indicated that the ideal condition for these young children with low- and nonverbal ASD was the therapist-read condition. These findings suggest that simple stories presented on a rewarding platform, with the minimally intrusive assistance of a therapist, provide young, verbally-challenged children with ASD with a foundation for receiving the benefits of shared storybook reading.

scholarly journals Peculiarity of Efficiency Assessment for Educational and Psychological Interventions Used with Children with ASD

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-67
Author(s):  
A.B. Sorokin ◽  
E.Yu. Davydova ◽  
A.V. Khaustov
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Psychological Interventions ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Efficiency Assessment ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Individual

Timely identification of appropriate intervention is prerequisite for amelioration of deficits in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is a complicated choice because of the high heterogeneity of ASD manifestations and insufficient state of knowledge about intervention efficiency. The article introduces an approach that will allow professionals who plan educational and psychological interventions for children with ASD and caregivers to assess the methods in terms of their congruence with the evidence-based criteria. Such assessment is conducted based on published experimental data. The article presents characteristics that are worth considering while making an informed decision about the preferred intervention. They include formal features, such as sample sizes, study length, compliance with the target group description, and validity, as well as subjective criteria that enable appropriate choice of intervention at the individual level.

scholarly journals Detecting Feeding Problems in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. W. G. van Dijk ◽  
M. E. Buruma ◽  
E. M. A. Blijd-Hoogewys
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Population Sample ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Feeding Problems ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Young Children With Autism ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Child Health

AbstractFeeding problems are prevalent in children with ASD. We investigated whether the Montreal Children’s Hospital Feeding Scale (MCH-FS, Ramsay et al. in Pediatrics and Child Health 16:147–151, 2011) can be used for young children with ASD. Participants (1–6 years) were selected from a clinical ASD sample (n = 80) and a general population sample (n = 1389). Internal consistency was good in both samples. In general, parents of children with ASD reported more feeding problems than those from the population sample. The response patterns on the individual items was highly similar. There was a slight increase in symptoms with age in the population sample, but not in the ASD sample. These results suggest that the MCH-FS can be used in populations that include children with ASD.

scholarly journals Trajectories of imitation skills in preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Pittet ◽  
Nada Kojovic ◽  
Martina Franchini ◽  
Marie Schaer
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Impact

Imitation skills play a crucial role in social cognitive development from early childhood. Many studies have shown a deficit in imitation skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Little is known about the development of imitation behaviors in children with ASD. This study aims to measure the trajectories of early imitation skills in preschoolers with ASD and how these skills impact other areas of early development. For this purpose, we assessed imitation, language and cognition skills in 177 children with ASD and 43 typically developing children (TD) aged 2 to 5 years old, 126 of which were followed longitudinally, yielding a total of 396 time-points. Our results confirmed the presence of an early imitation deficit in toddlers with ASD compared to TD children. The study of the trajectories showed that these difficulties were marked at the age of two years, and gradually decreased until the age of 5 years old. Imitation skills were strongly linked with cognitive, language skills and level of symptoms in our ASD group at baseline. Moreover, the imitation skills at baseline were predictive of the language gains a year later in our ASD group. Using a data-driven clustering method, we delineated different developmental trajectories of imitation skills within the ASD group. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed, particularly the impact of an early imitation deficit on other areas of competence of the young child.

scholarly journals Trajectories of imitation skills in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irène Pittet ◽  
Nada Kojovic ◽  
Martina Franchini ◽  
Marie Schaer
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Imitation skills play a crucial role in social cognitive development from early childhood. Many studies have shown a deficit in imitation skills in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Little is known about the development of imitation behaviors in children with ASD. This study aims to measure the trajectories of early imitation skills in preschoolers with ASD and how these skills impact other areas of early development. Methods For this purpose, we assessed imitation, language, and cognition skills in 177 children with ASD and 43 typically developing children (TD) aged 2 to 5 years old, 126 of which were followed longitudinally, yielding a total of 396 time points. Results Our results confirmed the presence of an early imitation deficit in toddlers with ASD compared to TD children. The study of the trajectories showed that these difficulties were marked at the age of 2 years and gradually decreased until the age of 5 years old. Imitation skills were strongly linked with cognitive and language skills and level of symptoms in our ASD group at baseline. Moreover, the imitation skills at baseline were predictive of the language gains a year later in our ASD group. Using a data-driven clustering method, we delineated different developmental trajectories of imitation skills within the ASD group. Conclusions The clinical implications of the findings are discussed, particularly the impact of an early imitation deficit on other areas of competence of the young child.

scholarly journals Savouring as an Intervention to Decrease Negative Affect in Anxious Mothers of Children with Autism and Neurotypical Children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel S. Pereira ◽  
Atiqah Azhari ◽  
Chloe A. Hong ◽  
Gerin E. Gaskin ◽  
Jessica Borelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Recent Decade ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Positive Experience ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Mother Child Relationships ◽  
The Individual

Savouring is an emotion regulation strategy and intervention that focuses on the process of attending, intensifying and prolonging positive experiences and positive affect associated with these memories. Personal savouring involves a reflection on positive memories that are specific to the individual and do not involve others. In contrast, relational savouring entails reflecting on instances when people were responsive to the needs of their significant others. Such interventions hold potential to benefit parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mothers of children with ASD tend to experience higher anxiety, lower positive affect (PA) and more negative affect (NA) compared to mothers of neurotypical children, leading to a diminished overall well-being. Moreover, ASD has multiplied by up to four times in the recent decade. Thus, this paper investigates whether savouring may enhance the overall well-being of mothers of young children with ASD by increasing positive affect and decreasing negative affect. 52 mothers of neurotypical children and 26 mothers of children with ASD aged 3-7 years old were given a series of questionnaires and randomly assigned to either relational savouring or personal savouring conditions. In relational savouring, mothers were asked to reflect upon a shared positive experience with their child while in the personal savouring condition, a personal positive experience was recalled. Across mothers of children with ASD and neurotypical children, findings suggest that savouring leads to a decrease in NA (p &amp;lt; .01) but not increases in PA. Similarly, mothers with higher levels of anxiety experience a greater decrease in NA (p &amp;lt; .001) compared to mothers with lower levels of anxiety post-savouring. This study proposes that a brief savouring intervention may be effective among mothers of preschoolers. As lower levels of negative affect is linked to healthier psychological well-being, mothers might be able to engage in more effective and warm parenting after savouring exercises, which would cultivate positive mother-child relationships that benefit their children in the long-term.

Disfluency Characteristics Observed in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Preliminary Report

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura W. Plexico ◽  
Julie E. Cleary ◽  
Ashlynn McAlpine ◽  
Allison M. Plumb
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Young Children With Autism ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Developmental Stuttering

This descriptive study evaluates the speech disfluencies of 8 verbal children between 3 and 5 years of age with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Speech samples were collected for each child during standardized interactions. Percentage and types of disfluencies observed during speech samples are discussed. Although they did not have a clinical diagnosis of stuttering, all of the young children with ASD in this study produced disfluencies. In addition to stuttering-like disfluencies and other typical disfluencies, the children with ASD also produced atypical disfluencies, which usually are not observed in children with typically developing speech or developmental stuttering. (Yairi & Ambrose, 2005).

The Role of the SLP in Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening and Assessment

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Philofsky
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
Notable Increase ◽  
Screening Assessment ◽  
Critical Components

AbstractRecent prevalence estimates for autism have been alarming as a function of the notable increase. Speech-language pathologists play a critical role in screening, assessment and intervention for children with autism. This article reviews signs that may be indicative of autism at different stages of language development, and discusses the importance of several psychometric properties—sensitivity and specificity—in utilizing screening measures for children with autism. Critical components of assessment for children with autism are reviewed. This article concludes with examples of intervention targets for children with ASD at various levels of language development.

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