Autism Spectrum Disorder Benefit Research Articles

Therapeutic strategy in the form of communication in the children with the autism spectrum disorders - narrative review

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder influenced by a number of genetic and environmental factors. It is characterized by a broad range of symptoms, particularly in the areas of communication and language, which pose a therapeutic challenge for both parents and therapists. This article, based on a review of available studies on PubMed, presents therapeutic methods based on functional communication strategies and ways to implement them as a form of treatment for children with the autism spectrum disorders. The major goals of ASD treatment are socialization and communication skills improvement and current treatments are not based on pharmacological therapies, but on behavioral therapies. Through appropriate speech development and practical communication strategies that are based on techniques like motivating the child to create eye contact with an adult, it is possible to realize the development of proper communication. These strategies are a form of therapy and allow for the improvement of the child's communication on multiple levels and shaping the social attitudes. Incorporating suitable therapeutic communication techniques enables the development and enhancement of social skills in children with autism spectrum disorders. Children with ASD benefit from appropriate communication because it helps them communicate their needs, understand the social norms, and improve their quality of life.

Cognitive Behavioral and Cognitive Remediation Strategies for Managing Co-Occurring Anorexia Nervosa and Elevated Autism Spectrum Traits.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a potentially severe eating disorder whose core characteristics include energy intake restriction leading to low body weight. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication as well as repetitive, stereotyped behavior and interests. Both high ASD traits and diagnosed ASD are overrepresented among individuals with AN, and AN and ASD appear to share certain neurocognitive features. These features are associated with the severity of eating disorder symptoms and prolongation of AN. Thus, individuals with AN and high ASD traits or ASD may benefit less from traditional treatment when compared to those with low ASD traits. No previous reviews have summarized what is known about treatment adaptations for individuals with AN and high ASD traits or ASD. The purpose of this narrative review was to investigate the feasibility of cognitive remediation therapy (CRT), cognitive remediation and emotional skill training (CREST), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and give an overview of treatment modifications for individuals with AN and co-occurring ASD or high ASD traits. We found nine studies that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. The combined results suggest that individuals with AN and high ASD traits or ASD benefit less from CRT, CREST, and CBT than those with AN and low ASD traits. However, CRT and CREST administered in individual format may be associated with improved cognitive flexibility, motivation for change, and decreased alexithymia among adults with AN and high ASD traits or ASD. Individuals with comorbid AN and ASD themselves highlight the importance of treatment adaptations that take the characteristics of ASD into account. In the future, controlled studies of the treatment strategies for individuals with AN and ASD/high ASD traits are needed in order to improve the outcome of individuals with this challenging comorbidity.

THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF JUDO FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AND ADHD

Judo has emerged as a transformative sport for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), offering a range of physical, emotional, social, and cognitive benefits. Its structured environment, characterized by clear rules and defined movements, provides a safe space conducive to the development of these children. Physically, judo enhances motor coordination, muscle strength, and balance, which are often challenging for children with ASD and ADHD. The sport's techniques require concentration and motor control, skills that can be applied in academic and everyday contexts. Additionally, judo serves as a controlled outlet for the hyperactivity often associated with ADHD, fostering a productive energy release. Emotionally, judo builds self-esteem and confidence. For children with ASD, who may struggle with communication and social interactions, judo offers a nurturing environment that allows them to progress at their own pace. The sense of achievement from belt promotions reinforces their competence. Furthermore, judo instills essential values such as mutual respect and cooperation, crucial for developing social skills. Children with ASD benefit from structured interactions, enhancing their ability to interpret social cues and build trust, while children with ADHD learn impulse control and emotional regulation through adherence to the sport's rules and rituals. Research supports these findings, with studies indicating improved physical fitness, attention, and social skills among children with ASD participating in adapted judo programs. Overall, judo serves as a powerful tool for the holistic development of children with ASD and ADHD, promoting mental and physical well-being while encouraging social inclusion.

Measuring parent strategy use in early intervention: Reliability and validity of the Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention Fidelity Rating Scale across strategy types.

Children with autism spectrum disorder benefit from early intervention to improve social communication, and parent-implemented interventions are a feasible and family-centered way to increase the amount of treatment they receive. For these treatments to be effective, it is important for the parent to implement the strategies as intended. However, measurement of parent strategy use is inconsistent across studies of parent-implemented interventions. This study evaluates the quality of the NDBI-Fi, an efficient measure, compared to a more time-consuming measure that is known to be precise. Videos of parents playing with their children were used to compare these two measurement methods. Results demonstrated that the NDBI-Fi was of good quality: scorers had high levels of agreement, the NDBI-Fi was similar to the more precise measure in rating parents after intervention, it detected changes from before to after intervention, and it detected differences when parents learned different types of intervention strategies. The NDBI-Fi was not as precise as the other measure across all strategies before parents learned intervention. Taken together, the findings of this study support the use of the NDBI-Fi as a high-quality outcome measure.

Robot-Based Intervention for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have deficits in the socio-communicative domain and frequently face severe difficulties in the recognition and expression of emotions. Existing literature suggested that children with ASD benefit from robot-based interventions. However, studies varied considerably in participant characteristics, applied robots, and trained skills. Here, we reviewed robot-based interventions targeting emotion-related skills for children with ASD following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. We systematically searched for all relevant articles published in English language until April 2021, using the databases Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. From a total of 609 identified papers, 60 publications including 50 original articles and 10 non-empirical articles including review articles and theoretical articles were eligible for the synthesis. A total of 892 participants were included in the robot-based intervention studies; 570 of them were children with ASD. Nao and Zeca were the most frequently used robots; Recognition of basic emotions and getting into interaction were the most frequently trained skills; while happiness, sadness, fear, and anger were the most frequently trained emotions. The studies reported a wide range of challenges with respect to robot-based intervention, ranging from limitations for certain ASD subgroups and security aspects of the robots to efforts regarding the automatic recognition of the children’s emotional state by the robotic systems. Finally, we summarised and discussed recommendations regarding the application of robot-based interventions for children with ASD.

Are Children With Autism More Likely to Retain Object Names When Learning From Colour Photographs or Black-and-White Cartoons?

For the first time, this study investigated whether children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children matched on language comprehension (M age equivalent = ~ 44 months) are more likely to retain words when learning from colour photographs than black-and-white cartoons. Participants used mutual exclusivity to fast map novel word-picture relationships and retention was assessed following a 5-min delay. Children with ASD achieved significantly greater retention accuracy when learning from photographs rather than cartoons and, surprisingly, responded more accurately than TD children when learning from photographs. Our results demonstrate that children with ASD benefit from greater iconicity when learning words from pictures, providing a data-grounded rationale for using colour photographs when administering picture-based interventions.

A Telehealth Intervention to Increase Toilet Training in Autism

Abstract Date Presented 03/29/20 We present on a research project that used telehealth to support parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to toilet train their children. Among n=15 children with ASD, results of the 12-week intervention showed significant gains in goal attainment scaling, the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, and the Toileting Behavior Questionnaire. Children with ASD benefit from an OT telehealth intervention to increase this essential adaptive behavior. Primary Author and Speaker: Lauren Little Additional Authors and Speakers: Anna Wallisch, Winnie Dunn, Scott Tomchek

Multiple language exposure for children with autism spectrum disorder from culturally and linguistically diverse communities

ABSTRACT We review studies that examined whether children who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and who are from culturally and linguistically diverse communities benefit more from being exposed to one versus two or more languages. Fourteen articles fit our criteria. The findings suggest that children with ASD benefit from richer interactions with parents and teachers in their native language. These findings are inconsistent with current practitioner recommendations that advise parents of children with ASD to speak only the majority language to reduce the deficit in language development associated with ASD. In fact, the results from the review suggest that there appears to be no advantages to limiting a child with ASD to one language. Some studies indicate that promoting the use of the child’s native language along with the predominant language used at school may actually promote social language and academic growth.

Psychometric properties of the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist in Saudi Arabia

Currently, there is a need in Saudi Arabia to grope the general development of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, no measures are currently available in Saudi Arabia to assess the general development in children with ASD. The present study thus aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), in order to adapt it for use in Saudi Arabia. A cohort of 363 children with ASD from four age groups from Riyadh participated in the study. Teachers completed the ATEC to rate children’s behavior. The psychometric properties measured included normality of data, content validity, internal consistency, and construct validity. Content validity was established by presenting the checklist to high-qualified referees with 90 % as the minimum agreement level. Internal consistency was established by computing correlations among items and their subscales and among subscales and the total score. Construct validity was established using exploratory factorial analysis for the ATEC subscales and exploring the correlations between the ATEC and the educational stage of the participants. The reliability of the ATEC was established by Cronbach’s Alpha and split-half methods. Data revealed that the ATEC is quite valid and reliable and thus may be used in a Saudi cultural context. Our findings indicate that the Saudi version of the ATEC tested in this study may be used to identify the extent to which children with ASD benefit from the interventions offered to them in their special education programs.

Influences of parentification and benefit finding on prosocial behavior among typically developing siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundPrior research examining typically developing siblings (TDS) of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) reports both higher and lower levels of prosocial behavior among TDS. TDS’ experiences (parent-focused parentification, sibling-focused parentification) and perceptions of experiences (ASD benefit finding, role benefit finding) may interact to influence TDS prosocial behavior. Aims1) Examine influences of TDS’ experiences and perceptions of TDS experiences on prosocial behavior and 2) examine interactions between TDS’ experiences of parentification and perceptions of experiences influencing prosocial behavior while controlling for the Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP). Methods and proceduresTDS [N = 108; M(SD) age = 20.37(1.55)] were college students who reported having a sibling with ASD, defined as “Autism Spectrum Disorder”, “Autism”, “Asperger’s”, and “Pervasive Developmental Disability”. TDS completed an online survey about their experiences and perceptions of experiences. Outcomes and resultsControlling for gender and BAP, there was a significant interaction between ASD benefit finding and sibling-focused parentification such that at low levels of ASD benefit finding, sibling-focused parentification negatively predicted prosocial behavior. Lower BAP scores and female gender were associated with greater levels of prosocial behavior. Conclusions and implicationsTDS experiences and perceptions of experiences are important for understanding TDS prosocial behavior.

Pesquisas em recursos de alta tecnologia para comunicação e transtorno do espectro autista

Cerca de um terço dos indivíduos diagnosticados com Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA) não conseguem desenvolver a oralidade. Os benefícios da Comunicação Alternativa (CA) para pessoas com TEA são bem reconhecidos e podem ser usados ​​para ampliar a fala limitada ou atuar como o método de comunicação principal (ou seja, alternativo). Os dispositivos de geração de fala referem-se a uma variedade de soluções de alta tecnologia, incluindo dispositivos de comunicação eletrônica dedicados (comunicadores/vocalizadores), processadores de texto com voz sintetizada e dispositivos móveis multifuncionais (ex. iPad, iPod e tablets com sistema Android) carregados com aplicativos de CA, e que são um opções viáveis para indivíduos com autismo. O objetivo deste artigo é verificar os estudos que investigam a alta tecnologia para comunicação e TEA, publicados no Augmentative and Alternative Communication Journal, que é o periodico oficial da Sociedade Internacional de Comunicação Aumentativa e Alternativa (ISAAC), no período de 2011 a 2018. Esta é uma área nova de conhecimento que está em rápido crescimento e com poucos estudos no Brasil. Os resultados dos 15 artigos analisados indicam que pessoas com TEA se beneficiam com o uso da alta tecnologia. Pesquisas futuras em criação de recursos de comunicação, intervenção com usuários e descrição dos repertórios verbais são recomendadas.

Pivotal response treatment: A study into the relationship between therapist characteristics and fidelity of implementation.

In this study, we investigated the relationship between fidelity of pivotal response treatment implementation and therapist characteristics, such as therapist personality, therapist–child relationship, therapist attitude toward evidence-based practices, and therapist experience. We also explored whether child age and autism symptom severity were related to pivotal response treatment fidelity. Participants were 41 level III certified pivotal response treatment therapists who recorded three 10-min pivotal response treatment sessions and completed four questionnaires to measure therapist characteristics. Results indicated that therapists’ attitude toward evidence-based practices, specifically openness to innovation, and therapists’ experience with pivotal response treatment significantly predicted fidelity of pivotal response treatment implementation. Cross-validation methods largely confirmed these findings. Therapist personality, therapist–child relationship, and child characteristics were not significantly related to pivotal response treatment fidelity. Implications for clinical practice and directions for future research are discussed.Lay abstractPivotal response treatment is a naturalistic behavioral intervention that teaches pivotal skills to children with autism spectrum disorder to produce widespread gains in other skills. Although most children with autism spectrum disorder benefit from pivotal response treatment, intervention outcomes vary considerably among children. Fidelity of intervention implementation (i.e. the extent to which an intervention is implemented as intended) may affect intervention outcomes. In this study, we studied the relationship between fidelity of pivotal response treatment implementation and therapist characteristics, such as therapist personality, therapist–child relationship, therapist attitude toward evidence-based practices, and therapist experience. We also explored whether a child’s age and autism symptom severity were related to pivotal response treatment fidelity. Participants were 41 pivotal response treatment therapists who videotaped three pivotal response treatment sessions and completed four questionnaires to measure therapist characteristics. This study found that therapists’ openness to innovation and their experience with pivotal response treatment predicted fidelity of implementation. Therapist personality, therapist–child relationship, and child characteristics were not related to pivotal response treatment fidelity. The results of this study emphasize that it is important (1) to target therapists’ attitudes toward innovation prior to or during training in pivotal response treatment and (2) to provide therapists with ongoing supervision and feedback after training to increase fidelity of implementation and thus to improve intervention outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Peer-Mediated Joint Attention Intervention in the Preschool Classroom

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities are at risk of isolation from same-aged peers. Furthermore, research indicates that even in inclusive settings, children with ASD benefit from targeted interventions and support. Among the social communication skills that are frequently absent in children with ASD is joint attention. Joint attention can be defined as shared engagement between two individuals on a third object or event and has been identified as potential pivotal skill for later development of age-appropriate social skills and communication. A growing body of literature documents effective intervention on joint attention skill for young children with ASD; however, few studies document the effects of an intervention mediated by a natural change agent. In the present study, independent concurrent multiple-baseline designs were used to evaluate the impact of a joint attention intervention combined with peer training on the response to joint attention (RJA) behaviors exhibited by seven preschoolers with ASD. Results indicated that RJA behaviors increased overall, the seven peers were able to carry out a simple intervention with fidelity, and that both bids from peers and responses to those bids increased following intervention. Limitations and opportunities for future research are discussed.

Long-term outcome of CBT in adults with OCD and comorbid ASD: A naturalistic follow-up study

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are highly comorbid. In adults with OCD, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been extensively demonstrated to be an effective treatment. However, to date, no follow-up studies exist regarding the long-term outcome of CBT in adults with OCD with comorbid ASD in a regular and naturalistic clinical setting. In the current study, we aimed to study the long-term outcome of CBT among OCD patients with and without ASD. In total, 30 patients diagnosed with OCD who received CBT at a naturalistic psychiatric clinic in Japan were included in the follow-up study. The patients were divided into two groups: OCD with ASD and OCD without ASD. The results revealed no group differences regarding age, gender and OCD symptom severity at baseline. The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale total score (primary outcome) at follow-up showed decreased severity of symptoms in both groups, thus indicating both groups responded to CBT. However, no significant differences were evident between the groups. Overall, the results suggest that even adults with OCD with comorbid ASD benefit from CBT. A survey on patients’ impressions of treatment effect at follow-up showed high rates of satisfaction with CBT and most participants attributed their improvement to CBT as opposed to pharmacological treatment. This study showed the outcome differences of OCD symptom dimensions in OCD with ASD patients compared with the OCD without ASD patients. These differences suggest the need for developing adapted CBT for adults with OCD with ASD and for optimizing the treatment and their lives.

Employees with Autism Spectrum Disorder Achieving Long-Term Employment Success: A Retrospective Review of Employment Retention and Intervention

Policymakers, researchers, and state vocational rehabilitation administrators share an interest in the long-term outcomes of individuals participating in the public state vocational rehabilitation program. Yet, there is limited research in the area of job retention or the service delivery practices used to support individuals with disabilities to achieve long-term success in competitive integrated employment (CIE). This article begins to address this research gap by conducting a retrospective review of 139 records of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that were referred to an employment support organization for CIE between October 1, 2009 and December 31, 2017. In comparison to the high national unemployment rate experienced by individuals with ASD, 104 individuals that were referred for CIE secured employment in 126 different jobs. Findings indicate that most study participants were able to move from moderate and intensive levels of support to minimal levels of support by 18 months of employment. It appears that employees with ASD benefit from the continual assessment and subsequent support that occurs during the extended service component of ongoing support services for supported and customized employment. Services that were offered during this phase included ongoing customization of the initial job, lateral job moves, and career advancement.

Do Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Benefit from Structural Alignment When Constructing Categories?

Individuals with ASD seem to construct categories via processes different to typically developing individuals. We examined whether individuals with ASD engage in structural alignment of exemplars when constructing categories. We taught children with ASD and typically developing children novel nouns for either single or multiple exemplars, and then examined their extensions of the learned nouns to objects that were either a perceptual or conceptual match to the original exemplar(s). Results indicated that, unlike typically developing participants, those with ASD gained no benefit from seeing multiple exemplars of the category and, thus, did not appear to engage in structural alignment in their formation of categories. However, they demonstrated superior performance compared to typically developing children when presented with a single exemplar.

Semantic richness and word learning in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Semantically rich learning contexts facilitate semantic, phonological, and articulatory aspects of word learning in children with typical development (TD). However, because children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show differences at each of these processing levels, it is unclear whether they will benefit from semantic cues in the same manner as their typical peers. The goal of this study was to track how the inclusion of rich, sparse, or no semantic cues influences semantic, phonological, and articulatory aspects of word learning in children with ASD and TD over time. Twenty-four school-aged children (12 in each group), matched on expressive vocabulary, participated in an extended word learning paradigm. Performance on five measures of learning (referent identification, confrontation naming, defining, phonetic accuracy, and speech motor stability) were tracked across three sessions approximately one week apart to assess the influence of semantic richness on extended learning. Results indicate that children with ASD benefit from semantically rich learning contexts similarly to their peers with TD; however, one key difference between the two groups emerged - the children with ASD showed heightened shifts in speech motor stability. These findings offer insights into common learning mechanisms in children with ASD and TD, as well as pointing to a potentially distinct speech motor learning trajectory in children with ASD, providing a window into the emergence of stereotypic vocalizations in these children.

Do children with specific language impairment and autism spectrum disorders benefit from the presence of orthography when learning new spoken words?

This experiment investigated whether children with specific language impairment (SLI), children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and typically developing children benefit from the incidental presence of orthography when learning new oral vocabulary items. Children with SLI, children with ASD, and typically developing children (n=27 per group) between 8 and 13years of age were matched in triplets for age and nonverbal reasoning. Participants were taught 12 mappings between novel phonological strings and referents; half of these mappings were trained with orthography present and half were trained with orthography absent. Groups did not differ on the ability to learn new oral vocabulary, although there was some indication that children with ASD were slower than controls to identify newly learned items. During training, the ASD, SLI, and typically developing groups benefited from orthography to the same extent. In supplementary analyses, children with SLI were matched in pairs to an additional control group of younger typically developing children for nonword reading. Compared with younger controls, children with SLI showed equivalent oral vocabulary acquisition and benefit from orthography during training. Our findings are consistent with current theoretical accounts of how lexical entries are acquired and replicate previous studies that have shown orthographic facilitation for vocabulary acquisition in typically developing children and children with ASD. We demonstrate this effect in SLI for the first time. The study provides evidence that the presence of orthographic cues can support oral vocabulary acquisition, motivating intervention approaches (as well as standard classroom teaching) that emphasize the orthographic form.

Writing Instruction for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Historically, learners with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have not had access to the general education curriculum. Current legislation mandates that all children, including children with ASD, have access to and make progress in the general education curriculum. This article contains a review of the literature on writing instruction for children with ASD. Investigation yielded 15 studies with 29 participants with ASD ages 4 to 21 years. Based on the studies reviewed, we concluded that students with ASD benefit from explicit writing instruction, but more research is needed to establish an evidence-based set of practices to guide educators in the development of effective writing programs for this population of students. Strategies that are particularly promising and suggestions for future research are given.

Employing persons with autism spectrum disorders: A collaborative effort

The number of persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is on the rise. With more individuals being diagnosed, it is imperative that these persons get the skills and services necessary to obtain and retain employment. Given the fact that individuals with ASD benefit from services through the vocational rehabilitation system, it is essential that schools and vocational rehabilitation work together to ensure that students with ASD access the services they need to be successful employees. School systems and their vocational rehabilitation partners need to make a commitment to cooperatively work together to provide a comprehensive transition plan for students with ASD. Once these steps for becoming successful partners are in place there are a variety of strategies that, if implemented, will likely improve the outcomes for students with ASD.