Do autistic girls have better communication and interaction skills than autistic boys?

There is ongoing debate as to whether autism spectrum disorder (ASD) differentially affects males and females. Several meta-analyses have found little difference between males and females with ASD in terms of social communication and interaction skills. However, such analyses have often relied on diagnostic instruments such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition 2 that may not be sensitive to how autism presents in females. What’s more, many have been based on global scores, that reflect overall social communication and interaction skills, which could miss subtler differences in specific domains.

Studying the formation of social interaction skills among cadets of a military university

Актуальность статьи обусловлена изменением современной системы российского образования, как гражданских, так и военных вузов, в связи с чем, появляются не только новые возможности, но и некоторые затруднения, с которыми сталкиваются все участники образовательных отношений. К основным возможностям можно отнести решение проблем доступности образования, расширение возможности выбора формы обучения, разнообразие инструментов передачи учебного знания. Но, в тоже время, одними из существующих сложностей системы образования, на наш взгляд, являются проблемы социализации обучающихся и формирование у них навыков социального взаимодействия. Целью публикации стало изучение навыков социального взаимодействия у курсантов. В статье раскрывается значение понятия «социальное взаимодействие», анализируются навыки социального взаимодействия у курсантов 1 курса. Результаты исследования подтвердили необходимость обеспечения специальной работы и внедрение в практику специально разработанной программы по формированию навыков социального взаимодействия курсантов. The relevance of the article is due to the change in the modern system of Russian education, both civil and military universities, in which new opportunities and some difficulties arise that all participants in educational relations face. The main possibilities of modern education are solving the problems of education accessibility, expanding the choice of the form of education. The existing difficulties of the education system, in our opinion, are the problems of socialization of students and the formation of their skills of social interaction. The purpose of the publication was to study the skills of social interaction of cadets. The article reveals the meaning of the concept of "social interaction", analyzes the skills of social interaction of 1st year cadets. The results of the study confirmed the need for special work and the introduction into practice of a specially developed program for the formation of social interaction skills among cadets.

TED talks as resources for the development of listening, speaking and interaction skills in teaching EFL to university students

The article presents a study conducted on 27 university students and 5 of their teachers in the Winter semester 2020/21. The study was conducted because of recommended online teaching at Polish universities and almost four decades after the first TED event, when the TED community has become worldwide and the recordings of the events can be accessed online cost-free by anybody. The popularity of TEDs and the need to teach online prompted the author to incorporate it in teaching practice and review research literature from the areas of SLA (Second Language Acquisition), EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching and learning, socio-constructivism and adult learning. Based on this review, a hypothesis was formulated: TED talks support the development of listening, speaking, and interaction skills when used as a supplementary resource in teaching English as a foreign language to university students. Three supplementary questions were formed to test the hypothesis. Data was obtained in an online questionnaire and analysed using the qualitative data analysis framework of Miles and Huberman (1994). The study confirmed the hypothesis. Lessons with TEDs are valued as varied, interesting, inspiring and supporting oral communication skills’ development. Results are discussed, conclusions drawn and further research explored.

Technical Challenges for Smooth Interaction With Seniors With Dementia: Lessons From Humanitude™

Due to cognitive and socio-emotional decline and mental diseases, senior citizens, especially people with dementia (PwD), struggle to interact smoothly with their caregivers. Therefore, various care techniques have been proposed to develop good relationships with seniors. Among them, Humanitude is one promising technique that provides caregivers with useful interaction skills to improve their relationships with PwD, from four perspectives: face-to-face interaction, verbal communication, touch interaction, and helping care receivers stand up (physical interaction). Regardless of advances in elderly care techniques, since current social robots interact with seniors in the same manner as they do with younger adults, they lack several important functions. For example, Humanitude emphasizes the importance of interaction at a relatively intimate distance to facilitate communication with seniors. Unfortunately, few studies have developed an interaction model for clinical care communication. In this paper, we discuss the current challenges to develop a social robot that can smoothly interact with PwDs and overview the interaction skills used in Humanitude as well as the existing technologies.

Developing Oral Interaction Skills in Foreign Language Learners through Media Literacy

Few studies in Colombia have incorporated media literacy in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) environments. This paper presents the results of a research conducted in an upper-intermediate course in the Language Institute of the District University (ILUD) in Bogotá. A media literacy model was adapted to create weekly radio workshops in an eight-week pedagogical intervention. During the research study, data were collected from the participants' weekly interactions, discussions, reflections, as well as from semi-structured interviews and field notes taken from my observations as a participant-observer. It was found that EFL learners from a mixed-ability group were engaged in media literacy practices, mainly when they reflected upon news through their realities, beliefs, and attitudes. The results of this study demonstrated that students developed oral interaction skills and acquired diverse strategies that helped them discuss messages from different media outlets, express their personal opinions, and gather additional information to support their findings.

If you could read my mind–an experimental beauty-contest game with children

We develop a new design for the experimental beauty-contest game (BCG) that is suitable for children in school age and test it with 114 schoolchildren aged 9–11 years as well as with adults. In addition, we collect a measure for cognitive skills to link these abilities with successful performance in the game. Results demonstrate that children can successfully understand and play a BCG. Choices start at a slightly higher level than those of adults but learning over time and depth of reasoning are largely comparable with the results of studies run with adults. Cognitive skills, measured as fluid IQ, are predictive only of whether children choose weakly dominated strategies but are neither associated with lower choices in the first round nor with successful performance in the BCG. In the implementation of our new design of the BCG with adults we find results largely in line with behavior in the classical BCG. Our new design for the experimental BCG allows to study the development of strategic interaction skills starting already in school age.

The effect of different sharing patterns through multiple electronic approaches on developing information awareness and social interaction skills among students of the University of Hail

The current research aims at identifying the effect of different patterns of sharing in the electronic learning environment on developing information awareness and social interaction skills among students of the University of Hail. The research sample consisted of 18 students from the Department of Computer Science at the Community College-University of Hail, who was chosen and distributed randomly on three groups, the researchers designed the participatory e-learning environment model, and in light of the activity theory. The research experiment lasted three weeks. The students of the three groups studied the proposed scientific content through the “Black Board” learning management system, then the students performed an activity participatory implementation of the activities and tasks of the scientific content through the use of a cooperative learning strategy, with a different style of participation, as the first group students participated in the synergistic sharing pattern through the Web 2.0 tool (Twitter), and the second experimental group students with the parallel sharing style through the Web 2.0 tool (Video Sharing), and the students of the third experimental group in the style of sequential sharing through the Web 2.0 tool (Wiki). The results showed the effectiveness of the three types of participation (synergistic-parallel-serial) in developing information awareness and social interaction skills in favor of post-performance. On the other hand, the two modes of participation (synergistic and sequential) were superior to that of (parallel) in the development of cognitive achievement of information awareness. More Attention should be considered in designing and producing digital courses based on participatory learning systems.

Virtual Voice Assistant Applications Improved Expressive Verbal Abilities and Social Interactions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Single-Subject Experimental Study

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to have communication and social interaction deficits. Their impaired communication is derived from difficulties in acquiring language. The use of interactive technologies has been demonstrated to enhance verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as the social interaction tendencies of children with ASD. Artificial intelligence has played a growing role in the habilitation of children with ASD. However, little research exists on the possible roles and effectiveness of virtual voice assistants in developing language and social skills in children with ASD. This study examined the effects of using a voice assistant in children with ASD on two outcomes: speech skills (expressive verbal vocabulary and production of short phrases) and social interaction skills (playing/sharing). Methods: An interventional single-case design study was used to explore this concept using three children with ASD between the ages of 4 and 11 years. The participants used an accessible virtual voice assistant, Apple’s Siri, for three months. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with mothers were administered to measure the communication and social interaction skills of the participating children. Results: Participant One, Two and Three showed a notable improvement in the total number of correct words produced with fewer attempts during the VVA intervention compared with the baseline phase. Further, all participants showed increases in the social interactions in the intervention phase, compared with the baseline phase. Finally, all the mothers noted improvement in their children’s speech intelligibility and social interactions. Conclusions: Results showed that the virtual voice assistant had positive effects on the speech and social interaction skills of children with ASD. The findings of this study implied that children with ASD can use readily available voice assistant software to improve their speech and social interaction skills. Furthermore, this study’s findings could be used to develop strategies to increase the availability of artificial intelligence infrastructure in schools and homes to help children with ASD.

Operationalizing Culturally Responsive Research Practices: Documenting the Communication Skills of Children With Confirmed or Possible Exposure to the Zika Virus in Saint Lucia, West Indies

Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe a culturally responsive research investigation of communication and interaction skills in Saint Lucian children impacted by the Zika virus (ZIKV). Method Both quantitative and qualitative data collection strategies that align with positivist and interpretivist strategies were used to gain knowledge about communication and interaction development in a cohort of children impacted by ZIKV in Saint Lucia. Thirty participants received a neurodevelopmental assessment, which included a medical assessment, caregiver interview, participant observation, and data collection using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development–Third Edition. Twenty-six participants in the cohort received a communication and interaction assessment, which included a caregiver interview, participant observation, and data collection using the Rossetti Infant–Toddler Language Scale. Results Approximately half of our cohort demonstrated typical neurodevelopment, including typical communication and interaction skills, and half demonstrated delays in neurodevelopmental domains, including communication and interaction. Qualitatively, parents expressed a need for resources about mental health, emotional well-being, financial assistance, and peer support. Conclusions There is a continued need to create knowledge about the impact of ZIKV on communication and interaction development in children worldwide. Moreover, culturally responsive research components should be included in research training programs in communication sciences and disorders.