Visual and Hearing Sensitivity Affect Robot-Based Training for Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder

In this paper, we investigate the impact of sensory sensitivity during robot-assisted training for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Indeed, user-adaptation for robot-based therapies could help users to focus on the training, and thus improve the benefits of the interactions. Children diagnosed with ASD often suffer from sensory sensitivity, and can show hyper or hypo-reactivity to sensory events, such as reacting strongly or not at all to sounds, movements, or touch. Considering it during robot therapies may improve the overall interaction. In the present study, thirty-four children diagnosed with ASD underwent a joint attention training with the robot Cozmo. The eight session training was embedded in the standard therapy. The children were screened for their sensory sensitivity with the Sensory Profile Checklist Revised. Their social skills were screened before and after the training with the Early Social Communication Scale. We recorded their performance and the amount of feedback they were receiving from the therapist through animations of happy and sad emotions played on the robot. Our results showed that visual and hearing sensitivity influenced the improvements of the skill to initiate joint attention. Also, the therapists of individuals with a high sensitivity to hearing chose to play fewer animations of the robot during the training phase of the robot activity. The animations did not include sounds, but the robot was producing motor noise. These results are supporting the idea that sensory sensitivity of children diagnosed with ASD should be screened prior to engaging the children in robot-assisted therapy.

Difficulties of the tactile sensory system sensory integration of children with autism

Sensory integration represents the organization of the senses for their use. It is a neuro-biological activity that allows the reception and processing of sensory information, which in arrive from the senses in huge quantities into the brain, at any time. The ability of the brain to successfully process tactile information allows the child to feel safe and develop a connection with those around it. An autistic child is not able to register many stimuli from their environment, so insufficient or poor sensory processing can contribute to the image of autism. Children with autism spectrum difficulties have specific difficulties in touch perception. The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of sensory integration difficulties of the tactile sensory system of children with autism spectrum disorders, and to establish the statistical significance of differences in relation to children without developmental difficulties. The total sample of subjects (N=30) consisted of two subsamples. The first subsample of subjects (N=15) consisted of children with difficulties from the autism spectrum, and the second subsample of subjects (N=15) consisted of children without developmental difficulties. The measurement instrument was the „Questionnaire for testing tactile sensory sensitivity“ with 11 variables and the offered answers of possible sensory response was applied. The Mann-Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon W test at the level of statistical significance of p<0.05 were used to examine the statistical significance of the differences between the subsamples of the subjects. The results of the study showed that 86.67 % of children with autism have difficulties in sensory integration of the tactile sensory system. The hypersensitive type of sensory response has 26.67 %, and the hyposensitive sensory response 20 % of children with autism. 40.00 % of children with autism have a mixed type of tactile sensory. There is a statistically significant difference between children with autism and children without developmental difficulties on 4 variables.

Quality of Life After Myocardial Infarction as a Function of Temperamental Traits, Stress Coping Styles, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

The presented study aims to explore the relationship between quality of life after myocardial infarction and factors such as temperamental traits, stress coping, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Ninety-six participants, including 51 females and 45 males aged 24–85 years, who have survived ST-elevation myocardial infarction were asked to complete the Formal Characteristics of Behavior—Temperament Inventory, Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, PTSD Inventory, and Quality of Life SF-36 questionnaire. According to the obtained results, a lower level of briskness and sensory sensitivity, as well as a higher level of perseverance and endurance, correlates with a higher level of emotion-oriented coping, whereas a higher level of perseverance, endurance, and activity correlates with a higher level of avoidant-distracted coping. Moreover, a higher level of briskness and activity is correlated with a higher level of avoidant-social coping. A higher level of emotion-oriented and avoidant-distracted coping is, in turn, associated with a higher intensity of PTSD symptoms, whereas a higher level of avoidant-social coping correlates with lower intensity of PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, a higher level of avoidant-distracted coping is correlated to a better physical quality of life, whereas higher levels of endurance and activity are associated with a better emotional quality of life. Also, the more severe the PTSD symptoms, the lower quality of life in general. Contrastingly, higher sensory sensitivity and briskness correlate with better quality of life. The meaning of other temperamental traits, however, is more ambiguous. Nevertheless, the findings support the model of psychological processes in which the subsequent stages are temperament, coping, PTSD, and quality of life.

Repair tables, broken vacuum cleaners and posters: Weaving new worlds together in response to breakdowns

When people decide to gather and repair broken devices together, it seems obvious that repairers and visitors gain all kinds of instrumental competences (e.g. repair knowledge, skills, and attitudes) and that they can also experience deeply a transformative learning process about, for example, the need to keep planetary boundaries within the sustainable limits of life. In this article we approach the educational dimension of repair cafés differently and sketch the outlines of a minor public pedagogy. We analyze repair cafés as situated and entangled assemblages of both human and non-human actors; assemblages that are always very local and that need to be analyzed as specific, designated places—and times—where something is at stake. The central focus of this article is on substantiating this notion of a minor public pedagogy by offering a detailed analysis of the particular pedagogic moments that emerge in these encounters between humans and things. The navigational capacity of this public pedagogy is minor in nature as it doesn’t create clear signposts of where to go as humans. Instead, it engenders many moments of and propels humans into a sensory sensitivity for inhabiting the world in the here-and-now.

Visual and hearing sensitivity affect robot-based training for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder

In this paper, we investigate the impact of sensory sensitivity during robot-assisted training for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Indeed, user-adaptation for robot-based therapies could help users to focus on the training, and thus improve the benefits of the interactions. Children diagnosed with ASD often suffer from sensory sensitivity, and can show hyper or hypo-reactivity to sensory events, such as reacting strongly or not at all to sounds, movements, or touch. Considering it during robot therapies may improve the overall interaction. In the present study, thirty-four children diagnosed with ASD underwent a joint attention training with the robot Cozmo. The eight session training was embedded in the standard therapy. The children were screened for their sensory sensitivity with the Sensory Profile Checklist Revised. Their social skills were screened before and after the training with the Early Social Communication Scale. We recorded their performance and the amount of feedback they were receiving from the therapist through animations of happy and sad emotions played on the robot. Our results showed that visual and hearing sensitivity influenced the improvements of the skill to initiate joint attention. Also, the therapists of individuals with a high sensitivity to hearing chose to play fewer animations of the robot during the training phase of the robot activity. The animations did not include sounds, but the robot was producing motor noise. These results are supporting the idea that sensory sensitivity of children diagnosed with ASD should be screened prior to engaging the children in robot-assisted therapy.

The Association between Temperament, Chronotype, Depressive Symptoms, and Disease Activity among Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease—A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

The psychological aspect may play an important role in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). The aims of this study were to explore the differences between patients with UC and CD regarding chronotype, temperament and depression, and to assess the psychological factors mentioned as predictors of disease activity. In total, n = 37 patients with UC and n = 47 patients with CD were included in the study. They underwent a clinical assessment, including the Mayo score or Crohn Disease Activity Index (CDAI), and completed questionnaires: a sociodemographic survey, Formal Characteristics of Behavior–Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI), Chronotype Questionnaire (CQ), and the Beck Depression Index II (BDI). The Sensory Sensitivity score was higher among patients with CD than UC (p = 0.04). The emotional reactivity and endurance scores were higher among women than men with CD (p = 0.028 and p = 0.012 respectively). CQ Morningness–Eveningness (ME) correlated with Endurance (p = 0.041), Emotional Reactivity (p = 0.016), and Activity (p = 0.004). ME correlated with Rhythmicity among CD patients (p = 0.002). The Mayo score was predicted by Perseverance. The CDAI score was predicted by the BDI score. The pattern of the relationship between chronotype and temperament may differentiate patients with UC and CD. Personal disposition may play a role in the clinical assessment of patients with IBD.

Sensory Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety in Autistic Adults

Several models of anxiety in autistic adults have focused on the role of intolerance of uncertainty which has biological and evolutionary bases, as a cognitive explanation for the high prevalence of anxiety in autism. This framework suggests that all people are born with a healthy level of intolerance of uncertainty, and as we develop, this intolerance is lessened as we learn when situations are safe and begin to understand and manage the uncertainty. This process of learning about managing uncertainty does not happen in the same way in those who are high in autistic traits, which could be the reason for the high levels of anxiety symptoms commonly seen in this population. We examined archival data of 199 non-autistic and 55 autistic adults from prior studies in which we collected self-report measures of autistic traits, intolerance of uncertainty, sensory processing, and anxiety. We conducted two path analyses to examine the role of intolerance of uncertainty in anxiety in autistic adults. The first model tested the idea that intolerance of uncertainty, an evolutionary phenomenon common for all people, could explain some of the cognitive aspects of anxiety in autism. The second model suggests that primary neurodevelopmental differences associated with autistic traits underlie the sensory sensitivity and sensory seeking behaviors, which in turn increase intolerance of uncertainty and subsequent anxiety. We found that the “neurodevelopmental” model had better model fit than the “evolutionary stress” model, suggesting that the neurodevelopmental impact of higher levels of autistic traits could moderate a non-autistic trajectory of learning to manage uncertainty as children develop and understand that uncertainty is common and acceptable.

Sensory Processing as a Predictor of Leisure Participation in Early Adolescents

Sensory processing may be associated with adolescents’ preferences for different leisure activities. However, knowledge about how different sensory processing patterns may relate to adolescents’ participation in leisure activities is scarce. This study sought to investigate the relationship between sensory processing and leisure participation in early adolescents. Study participants were typical early adolescents aged from 11 to 12 years (mean = 11.88 ± 0.33, n = 140). The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP) and Children’s Assessment for Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) were used to determine the participants’ sensory processing abilities. Correlational and multiple regression methods were employed to analyze the relationship between sensory processing and leisure participation. There were significant positive relationships between sensory seeking and participation (r = 0.177–0.350, p = 0.000–0.037). There were also significant negative relationships between low registration, sensory sensitivity, and overall participation (r = −0.202, p = 0.017, r = −0.212, p = 0.012). We found that formal activities, skill-based activities, and self-improvement activities were the main distinguishing factors between sensory processing types. Results suggest that sensation seeking and sensory sensitivity from the AASP were predictive of leisure participation. This study provides evidence to inform practices regarding the association of sensory processing and leisure participation and supports the need for assessing sensory processing in early adolescents.

"I'm trying to reach out, I'm trying to find my people": Loneliness and loneliness distress in autistic adults

Despite the persistent stereotype that autistic individuals are not motivated to seek meaningful social relationships, rates of loneliness among the autistic population are higher than in the non-autistic population. In this two-part, mixed methods study, we sought to 1) quantify the level of distress associated with loneliness in autistic and non-autistic adults and 2) gain qualitative insight into autistic experiences of loneliness. In Study A, 209 participants (encompassing a group of autistic individuals and a group of non-autistic comparison participants) completed questionnaire ratings of their level of loneliness, associated distress, trait anxiety, depression, and sensory sensitivity. Results indicated that the autistic group scored higher levels across all measures. Both groups manifest strong correlations between loneliness and loneliness distress. In the autistic group, but not the non-autistic group, regression analyses showed that loneliness and sensory sensitivity predicted levels of anxiety, wherein the effect of loneliness on anxiety was partially mediated by the level of sensory sensitivity. In Study B, nine autistic adults took part in ten-minute, unstructured dyadic conversations around the topic of loneliness. Inductive and deductive analyses enriched qualitative understanding of the experiences of loneliness of autistic individuals. Our results broadly oppose the social motivation deficit hypothesis and we instead frame our findings within the larger context of ‘ethical loneliness’, concluding that a concerted effort is needed to overcome the fundamental disconnect with the neurotypical world experienced by many autistic people.