Autism Spectrum Disorder Face Research Articles

Stress Monitoring System for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders

In this article, a stress monitoring system tailored for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and developed for the educational institution is presented. People with ASD face problems with effective stress management due to their high self-perceived levels of stress, poor ability to cope with it, and difficulties with the accurate detection of the source of stress. Consistently, being able to measure stress appears to be highly vital for this specific group. The design and construction of the measuring system are introduced. The stress monitoring system including autonomic wearable device (wristband), both the electronics and mechanical part, as well as the software application for data analysis are shown. The wearable device includes sensors for measuring heart rate, skin resistance, temperature and movement. A dedicated software application allows for generating reports to evaluate therapeutic effects. The complex stress monitoring system has been tested in an educational institution. It can provide significant support in the stress management of people with ASD and become a meaningful assistance in the therapy of neurodiverse individuals.

Effects of Sensorimotor Problems on the Performance of Activities of Daily Living in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Sensory-motor problems are the main clinical features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Due to sensory-motor problem, individual with autism spectrum disorder face difficulties in performing their daily living skills. The objective of this study was to determine how sensory-motor problems affect the performance of activities of daily living in children of autism spectrum disorder. The study conducted in Rehab care school for special children and Hamza Montessori School for special children. Data was collected by using purposing non-random sampling technique in the duration of 4 months. Cross sectional study design was used. 60 patients from both genders were included. Sample selection criteria included the children with autism spectrum disorder with age range of 4-15 years. Sensory profile questionnaire based on Ayers sensory integration theory and Standardized Barthel index scale were used to determine the impact of sensory-motor problems on the performance of activities of daily living The results showed that visual processing disorders were highly affecting the performance of activities of daily living. It was concluded that most of the children with autism spectrum disorder have sensory-motor problems. The performance in activities of daily living is affected by sensory-motor problems especially the visual processing problems. Visual processing shows that children have difficulty in performing activities like dressing, eating and toileting. Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, Activities of daily living, Sensory-motor problems DOI : 10.7176/JHMN/70-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2020

Visual Attention Analysis and Prediction on Human Faces for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The focus of this article is to analyze and predict the visual attention of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) when looking at human faces. Social difficulties are the hallmark features of ASD and will lead to atypical visual attention toward various stimuli more or less, especially on human faces. Learning the visual attention of children with ASD could contribute to related research in the field of medical science, psychology, and education. We first construct a Visual Attention on Faces for Autism Spectrum Disorder (VAFA) database, which consists of 300 natural scene images with human faces and corresponding eye movement data collected from 13 children with ASD. Compared with matched typically developing (TD) controls, we quantify atypical visual attention on human faces in ASD. Statistics show that some high-level factors such as face size, facial features, face pose, and facial emotions have different impacts on the visual attention of children with ASD. Combining the feature maps extracted from the state-of-the-art saliency models, we get the visual attention model on human faces for individuals with ASD. The proposed model shows the best performance among all competitors. With the help of our proposed model, researchers in related fields could design specialized education contents containing human faces for the children with ASD or produce the specific model for rapidly screening ASD using their eye movement data.

Slow segmentation of faces in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Slow segmentation of faces in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Qualitative Case Study on Challenges Recoupled Parents Encounter Raising Step Children with ASD

The purpose of this study is to address the lack of research into the challenges and issues recoupled parents face when raising their step/biological children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) together in a stepfamily environment. Data shows clinicians, community support services, and policy makers are recognising that stepfamilies are the fastest growing family form to date and hypothesising stepfamilies will become the norm as the most prominent family form in most western countries. Ongoing research recognises the importance of understanding parents’ experiences and perspectives of having a child with ASD, and resourcing and managing their child’s everyday needs, behaviour and necessary treatments. Research exploring the parents’ journey of supporting a child with ASD will benefit families and other relevant formal and informal supports involved with that child. Stepfamilies are distinctly different to the nuclear family in design, origin and function. The researcher, through a small-scale qualitative case study, interviewed two recoupled parents to gain insights from their own personal and stepfamily experiences. This study has substantiated the existing research and highlighted other specific challenges and issues recoupled parents of children with ASD face. The researcher uses the term step/biological children throughout this article in recognition that the child/children is/are connected to one parent as a blood child and the stepparent through the biological parents’ choice in re-partnering. The outcome of this research indicates the need for recoupled parents to have a forum to express their subjective experiences in raising children with ASD. The interviewees articulated the need for further understanding from professional and informal supports when working with children and parents in a stepfamily form.

The views and aspirations of young people with autism spectrum disorders and their provision in the new Education Health and Care plans in England

Background: The new special educational needs and disability legislation in England has introduced Education Health and Care plans as statutory documents for children with special educational needs, and has extended provision beyond compulsory education, placing transition in a compelling position. This policy recognises the need to include the views, wishes and aspirations of children and young people in the development of provision to cater for their needs. For young people with autism spectrum disorders and their families, transition to post-16 education and employment could be challenging. This study aimed to explore how voices of young people with autism spectrum disorders are captured in their Education Health and Care plans.Methods: These views were collected from the Education Health and Care plans of 12 young people with autism spectrum disorders. These plans were analysed inductively and deductively through content analysis, using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Children and Youth Version as a coding framework.Results: Discrepancies were found between plans concerning the ways in which the voices of young people with ASD were elicited. A total of 189 functioning codes were identified, with a prevalence of activities and participation codes to reflect their views, followed by body functions and lastly environmental factors.Conclusion: These disparities are discussed in light of the biopsychosocial model of functioning and health, and the new English policy. Implications for adopting the International Classification of Functioning framework to give voice to young people with autism spectrum disorders are also discussed.Implications for rehabilitationYoung people with autism spectrum disorders face many challenges in their transition to post-16 education and employment.Engaging young people with autism spectrum disorders in matters that affect their own lives contribute to the development of provision that is aligned with their wishes and aspirations.Practitioners collaborating in the development of Education Health and Care plans should ensure that young people are effectively involved in the development of their own plans.The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, Children and Youth Version provides a systematic framework and language for coding and recording data from different sources with which to capture young people’s views.

Autism, attributions and accommodations

PurposeIndividuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) represent a growing segment of the population but face important obstacles in the workplace. Even for ASD individuals with the mildest form/highest-functioning type, unemployment is 80 percent, and many of those who work are underemployed. This in spite of the fact that these individuals are highly intelligent and capable of excellent work. The purpose of this paper is to present a model of the unique challenges that workers with ASD face in the modern workplace based on stigmas and discrimination surrounding mental health, attribution theory and the disconnect between behaviors common to neurodiverse individuals and some of the most researched theories in the field of organizational behavior. The goal of the paper is to encourage more empirical research focused specifically on ASD workers.Design/methodology/approachA review of the literature on ASD in juxtaposed to evidence-based social psychology and management theories to demonstrate the difficulties faced by individuals with ASD.FindingsRecommendations for overcoming these barriers and using management theories to help integrate ASD workers are discussed.Originality/valueWorkers with ASD are a growing population in the workforce, but have received scant research attention. This is the first paper to link several theories to ASD and the hope is that subsequent research will illuminate these relationships empirically.

Slow segmentation of faces in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Atypical visual segmentation, affecting object perception, might contribute to face processing problems in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The current study investigated impairments in visual segmentation of faces in ASD. Thirty participants (ASD: 16; Control: 14) viewed texture-defined faces, houses, and homogeneous images, while electroencephalographic and behavioral responses were recorded. The ASD group showed slower face-segmentation related brain activity and longer segmentation reaction times than the control group, but no difference in house-segmentation related activity or behavioral performance. Furthermore, individual differences in face-segmentation but not house-segmentation correlated with score on the Autism Quotient. Segmentation is thus selectively impaired for faces in ASD, and relates to the degree of ASD traits. Face segmentation relates to recurrent connectivity from the fusiform face area (FFA) to the visual cortex. These findings thus suggest that atypical connectivity from the FFA might contribute to delayed face processing in ASD.

Intervention Program for the Development of Written Speech of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Enhancing Their Expressive and Structural Ability

The difficulties in writing often come from the difficulty of understanding it first. Children with autism spectrum disorders find it difficult to comprehend the meanings that a text can contain as there are difficulties in the social field. Difficulties are subjected to written language in categories such as vocabulary, abstract concepts, and even how the hero of a story may feel. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders face difficulties in writing the meanings a text may contain as there are difficulties in the social field. Difficulties are subjected to written language in categories such as vocabulary, abstract concepts, and even how the hero of a story may feel. In summary, this study will highlight good practices in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders.

Listening to Bedouin fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Although children across the world experience autism spectrum disorder (ASD), most research on ASD has been conducted using Western cultural perspectives and has focused primarily on mothers, leaving significant gaps in the literature. This study aimed to address these gaps by exploring the experiences of fathers raising children with ASD in a Bedouin community. To this end, a sample of 19 fathers of children (aged 6-15 years) with ASD living in recognized and unrecognized Bedouin settlements in the Negev participated in ethnographic, semi-structured interviews designed to investigate their experiences with raising a child with ASD in their community. Two major themes emerged: the challenges that Bedouin fathers of children with ASD face, and the influence of socio-demographic and cultural characteristics on their experience. Findings reflect the complex experiences of fathers raising children with ASD in the Bedouin community, stemming from their socio-cultural context and the limited knowledge and support services that are available in the community for these children. This article concludes with recommendations on how to enhance professional sensitivity and provide more culturally tailored services for parents of children with ASD.

Remediating functional activation in the face perception network in autism and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Introduction: Vis-à-Vis (VAV), an online enrichment program targeting skills that underlie social abilities (looking at the eye region of faces, emotion comprehension & recognition and visuo-spatial working memory) was administered to children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS)) and developmental delay (DD). Differential functional activation throughout the brain and in regions related to face processing were measured before and after remediation.
 Methods: Participants with ASD (N=16), 22q11DS (N=12), and DD (N=9) completed a functional localizer task consisting of pictures of faces and tools before undertaking the 12-week VAV program (PreR). The same fMRI task was administered immediately after VAV, at post-remediation (PostR), and again three months later (Break). A group of healthy controls (N=10) was scanned, but not given VAV, to provide a baseline comparison for patients’ results. Functional neuroimaging data was analysed for category-specific brain activity.
 Results: The ASD and the 22q11DS groups both showed atypical activation to faces at PreR compared to controls. Whereas activation in 22q11DS at PostR and Break resembled that of controls in bilateral superior temporal gyrus, insula, bilateral precentral gyrus, right lingual gyrus and right middle frontal cortex. Unlike the 22q11DS group, the ASD group’s activation did not resemble that of controls at PostR or Break. Significant clusters in the ASD group were limited to left insula and right lingual gyrus at PostR, and right superior frontal gyrus at Break. Nevertheless, a significant relationship between increased BOLD response between PreR and PostR in the right fusiform gyrus and improvement on the VAV games teaching participants to focus on the eyes was observed in both groups. This relationship was not present in the DD group.
 Conclusions: These results support hypo-activation in response to faces in ASD and 22q11DS and differential cerebral activation in face processing networks following cognitive remediation.

2288 Neural correlates of face processing in autism spectrum disorder: A quantitative meta-analysis of current literature and future directions

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 68 people and includes restricted, repetitive behavior, and social communication deficits. Aspects of face processing (i.e., identity, emotion perception) are impaired in some with ASD. Neuroimaging studies have shown aberrant patterns of brain activation and connectivity of face processing regions. However, small sample sizes and inconsistent results have hindered clinical utility of these findings. The study aims to establish consistent patterns of brain responses to faces in ASD and provide directions for future research. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Neuroimaging studies were identified through a multi-database search according to PRISMA guidelines. In total, 23 studies were retained for a sample size of 383 healthy controls and 345 ASD. Peak coordinates were extracted for activation likelihood estimation (ALE) in GingerALE v2.3.6. Follow-up ALE analyses investigated directed Versus undirected gaze, static Versus dynamic, emotional Versus neutral, and familiar Versus unfamiliar faces. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Faces produced bilateral activation of the fusiform gyrus (FG) in healthy controls (−42 −52 −20; 22 −74 −12, p<0.05, FDR) and left FG activation in ASD (−42 −54 −16, p<0.05, FDR). Activation in both groups was lateral to the mid-fusiform sulcus. Follow-up results pending. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Reduced right FG activation to faces may inform biomarker or response to intervention studies. Mid-fusiform sulcus proved a reliable predictor of functional divides should be investigated on a subject-specific level.

Exploration of challenges faced by caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder

Caregivers of children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) go through immense stress and challenges in their day to day lives. ASD is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that causes difficulties in communication, social interaction and repetitive behavior also known as the triad of impairment. The objective of this study is to explore the challenges faced by caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in selected setting, Chennai, India. Participants were selected using Non Probability Purposive Sampling technique from the selected special schools.10 parents took part in Focus Group Discussion (FGD) lasting for 1–1.5 hours. FGD was Audio taped and transcribed into verbatim. The themes identified were;diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder, accepting the fact, expressing thoughts and feelings, support from significant others, impact of autism on family, needs of sibling's, physical strain, personal time, expenses, others reaction. Caregivers of children with ASD face challenges in various dimensions in their day to day life. But these challenges can be effectively managed with adequate support and guidance. Therefore it's important for health professionals to know the challenges faced by caregivers and provide them with the needed assistance.

Oral health difficulties in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: Parental perception

Introduction/Objective. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by features that have the potential to make oral hygiene and dental appointments challenging. The aim of this study was to investigate difficulties related to oral hygiene and dental appointments that may be encountered in children and adolescents with ASD, in comparison to their typically developing peers. Methods. A 48-item questionnaire was prepared for the purpose of the study and distributed to parents of children and adolescents with ASD in three specialized daycare centers, as well as to parents of typically developing children and adolescents at the Clinic for Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry in Belgrade, Serbia. Ninety-two questionnaires were considered and statistically analyzed in the SPSS program, using ?2 and Mann?Whitney U-test. Results. The following statistically significant differences were found between children and adolescents with ASD and their typically developing peers: general difficulties in everyday oral hygiene, need of help for basic oral hygiene tasks, tooth brushing frequency, sensory difficulties related to toothbrush and toothpaste, level of anxiety prior to dental appointment, cooperation during appointment, sensory difficulties related to touch, operatory light and sound of dental unit, number of treatments under general anesthesia, and the number of refused dental treatments. Conclusion. Children and adolescents with ASD face significantly more difficulties concerning everyday oral hygiene and dental appointments in comparison to their typically developing peers. Dentists? awareness of issues that are specific to this population of patients is important in order to enable quality dental care.

Aberrant Neural Activation Underlying Idiom Comprehension in Korean Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PurposeAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social communication impairments and repetitive behaviors or restricted interests. Impaired pragmatic language comprehension is a universal feature in individuals with ASD. However, the underlying neural basis of pragmatic language is poorly understood. In the present study, we examined neural activation patterns associated with impaired pragmatic language comprehension in ASD, compared to typically developing children (TDC).Materials and MethodsFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was applied to 15 children with ASD and 18 TDC using the Korean pragmatic language task.ResultsChildren with ASD were less accurate than TDC at comprehending idioms, particularly when they were required to interpret idioms with mismatched images (mismatched condition). Children with ASD also showed different patterns of neural activity than TDC in all three conditions (neutral, matched, and mismatched). Specifically, children with ASD showed decreased activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) (Brodmann area 47) in the mismatched condition, compared with TDC (IFG; t(31)=3.17, p<0.001).ConclusionThese results suggest that children with ASD face difficulties in comprehending pragmatic expressions and apply different pragmatic language processes at the neural level.

Predictors of Satisfaction with Life in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This study examined the relationships between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms, care-related activities, and satisfaction with life (SWL) in 184 parents caring for a child with ASD in New Zealand. The relationships between coping styles and SWL were also examined. The parents' SWL scores indicated they were slightly dissatisfied with their lives. A stepwise linear regression showed three predictors (care-related health problems, carer esteem and financial difficulties) explained 47% of the variance in SWL scores. Several coping styles were associated with lowered SWL, and only emotional support was related to increased SWL. The regression model provides a focus for monitoring parental wellbeing, and stresses the importance of recognition and support for the substantial responsibilities parents of children with ASD face.

Impaired Value Learning for Faces in Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder

One of the common findings in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited selective attention toward social objects, such as faces. Evidence from both human and nonhuman primate studies suggests that selection of objects for processing is guided by the appraisal of object values. We hypothesized that impairments in selective attention in ASD may reflect a disruption of a system supporting learning about object values in the social domain. We examined value learning in social (faces) and nonsocial (fractals) domains in preschoolers with ASD (n= 25) and typically developing (TD) controls (n= 28), using a novel value learning task implemented on a gaze-contingent eye-tracking platform consisting of value learning and a selective attention choice test. Children with ASD performed more poorly than TD controls on the social value learning task, but both groups performed similarly on the nonsocial task. Within-group comparisons indicated that value learning in TD children was enhanced on the social compared to the nonsocial task, but no such enhancement was seen in children with ASD. Performance in the social and nonsocial conditions was correlated in the ASD but not in the TD group. The study provides support for a domain-specific impairment in value learning for faces in ASD, and suggests that, in ASD, value learning in social and nonsocial domains may rely on a shared mechanism. These findings have implications both for models of selective social attention deficits in autism and for identification of novel treatment targets.

Transition to school for children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review.

AIMTo identify factors that promote a positive start to school for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).METHODSWeb of Science, MEDLINE, Scopus, and PsychINFO searches were conducted to identify literature published after 1991 and relevant to school transition processes in children with ASD. Twenty studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. These studies evaluated a range of factors including school readiness, parent and teacher perspectives on transition practices, characteristics of children with ASD that are associated with successful transition to school and the impact of school based intervention programs.RESULTSA review of these studies showed that children with ASD are less school ready emotionally than their peers and those children with ASD appear to have more externalising behaviours and self-regulation difficulties that affect their school engagement and their relationships with their teachers. There was a paucity of research looking at interventions targeting school readiness. However, school-based behavioural interventions appear to improve cognitive, language and daily living skills, but have less impact on socialisation and peer inclusion.CONCLUSIONChildren with ASD face more challenges transitioning to school, particularly with social interaction. Further development and implementation of specific school-based interventions is needed in order to assist children with autism to maximise their success in starting school.

Typical integration of emotion cues from bodies and faces in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Contextual cues derived from body postures bias how typical observers categorize facial emotion; the same facial expression may be perceived as anger or disgust when aligned with angry and disgusted body postures. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are thought to have difficulties integrating information from disparate visual regions to form unitary percepts, and may be less susceptible to visual illusions induced by context. The current study investigated whether individuals with ASD exhibit diminished integration of emotion cues extracted from faces and bodies. Individuals with and without ASD completed a binary expression classification task, categorizing facial emotion as ‘Disgust’ or ‘Anger’. Facial stimuli were drawn from a morph continuum blending facial disgust and anger, and presented in isolation, or accompanied by an angry or disgusted body posture. Participants were explicitly instructed to disregard the body context. Contextual modulation was inferred from a shift in the resulting psychometric functions.Contrary to prediction, observers with ASD showed typical integration of emotion cues from the face and body. Correlation analyses suggested a relationship between the ability to categorize emotion from isolated faces, and susceptibility to contextual influence within the ASD sample; individuals with imprecise facial emotion classification were influenced more by body posture cues.

Skin conductance response patterns of face processing in children with autism spectrum disorder

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the face processing responses of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using skin conductance response (SCR) patterns and to compare it with typically developed (TD) children.Design/methodology/approachTwo experiments have been designed to analyze the effect of face processing. In the first experiment, learned non-face (objects) vs unknown face stimuli have been shown and in the second experiment, familiar vs unfamiliar face stimuli have been shown to ten ASD and ten TD children and SCR patterns have been recorded, analyzed and compared for both the groups.FindingsIt has been observed that children with ASD were able to differentiate faces out of learned non-face stimuli and their SCR patterns were similar as TD children in the first experiment. In the second experiment, children with ASD were unable to recognize familiar faces from unfamiliar faces but TD children could easily discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar faces as their SCR patterns were different from children with ASD.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study advocates that impairment in face identification exists in children with ASD. Hence, it can be concluded that in children with ASD face processing is present but they do not recognize familiar faces or it can be said that face familiarization effect is absent in children with ASD.Originality/valueThere are very few findings that used SCR signal as main analysis parameter for face processing in children with ASD, in most of the studies; Electroencephalography signal has been used as analysis parameter. Moreover, familiar and unfamiliar face processing with multiple stimuli used in present work adds novelty to the literature.