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How Music Is Used To Facilitate Communication In Speech-Language And Music Therapy For Children With A Diagnosis Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anna Mcgreevy

Honors College Theses

The goal of this research was to determine how music is being used in speech and music therapy sessions for children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, to discover the most common targets of these therapy sessions, and to examine the anatomical and physiological constructs that support the inclusion of music. This study was a review of literature, and included research from a variety of articles, several written in the past 25 years. Overall, results showed that music-based speech interventions such as Melodic Based Communication Therapy and Developmental Speech and Language Training, as well as music therapy interventions, are …

Perceptions Of Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy On Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Via Social Media, Kaitlyn Drilling

Honors Thesis

The use of Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy (ABA) on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a controversial topic. Stakeholders have strong opinions, and the use of social media allows them to reach a bigger audience to share their perceptions. Stakeholders such as parents of children with ASD, adults with ASD who have been treated using ABA therapy, and ABA clinicians themselves may post on long-form social media such as Reddit or Facebook to ASD specific forums. These forums provide stakeholders with information, community, and support that they might not have otherwise. The perceptions of ABA on children with ASD …

Dynamic Assessment Of Aac Verb Symbols For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Valerie Prieto, Cindy Gevarter, Cathy Binger, Mary Hartley

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

This study used dynamic assessment (DA) with graduated prompting to evaluate whether preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrated learning potential with verb-based augmentative alternative communication (AAC) symbols. Four participants completed DA sessions across three instructional conditions: (a) requesting actions embedded in play, (b) labeling actions embedded in play, and (c) labeling actions presented via video. Performance across these conditions along with a control condition was compared using an adapted multielement single-case design. Three participants demonstrated learning in at least two instructional conditions, and only one showed progress in the control condition. Overall, participants initially required less cueing to …

Coaching Student Clinicians And Parents To Use Naturalistic Communication Techniques For Children With Signs Of Autism, Erin M. Gallegos

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

In this study, researchers implemented a short-term cascading coaching program focusing on naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs) with three participant triads consisting of a graduate student clinician, a minimally verbal child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or signs of ASD, and the child’s parent. The efficacy of several short-term instruction sessions, in-session coaching, and student clinician parent coaching was evaluated using a multiple baseline across interventionists design. The primary dependent variables were clinician and parent use of elicitation techniques, including creating communication temptations and prompting, and response techniques, including reinforcing child communication and using vocal models. Following targeting coaching, all …

The Effects Of Exercise On Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Julia Hofacker

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This Honors Research Project will look at the impact of various types of exercise on the speech, language, and behavior of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. The goal of this research project is to determine how exercise can be implemented into speech and therapy programs in order to better improve the communication skills of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. To accomplish this, recent studies and publications will be analyzed to compare traditional therapy methods and therapy methods that include exercise. These studies will provide data on how various types of exercise impacted adolescents with autism spectrum disorder speech, language, behavior, …

The Effect Of Word-Learning Biases On Early Vocabulary Acquisition In Young Children On The Autism Spectrum, Claire C. Bourgeois

LSU Master's Theses

Background: Vocabulary composition and word-learning biases are closely interrelated in typical development. Such word-learning biases are influenced by perceptually and conceptually salient word features, including imageability, concreteness, iconicity, and attention to shape. Autistic children often have delayed language acquisition, but there is currently little research examining the underlying mechanisms autistic children use to acquire words. The current study aimed to examine the noun composition of autistic children across a range of vocabulary sizes by examining associations between expressive noun vocabulary size and imageability, iconicity, concreteness and evidence for the shape bias, and to examine whether these patterns differ from their …

Dynamic Measures Of Referential Communication Reveal Hidden Pragmatic Strengths For Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mariana Schreuders

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The ability to communicate effectively and efficiently while maintaining mutual understanding is a fundamental aspect of human-to-human interaction. Studies have shown that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face challenges in areas of social communication skills, such as aspects of referential communication; or the ability to refer to things in such a way that a listener will know what the speaker is describing. The current study used data from a preexisting Barrier study to compare the referential communication abilities of school-aged children with ASD to those of neurotypical children (NT). Referential communication was observed during a barrier task, where participants …

New Mexican Parents’ Perspectives Regarding Public Schools’ Communication And Language Services For Their Elementary-Aged Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder During Covid-19, Susanna E. Cole

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

This study explored five New Mexican parents’ perceptions of changes to the public school-based communication and language services for their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent advantages and disadvantages of these changes. The parents participated in semi-structured interviews between October 2020 and February 2021. All of the parents reported their children’s services had eventually gone completely remote, but one had secured some in-person instruction time for her child by the time of her interview. Three parents reported reduction in school-based communication and language services for which they sought to compensate through other means. …

The Functional Connectivity Of The Auditory Cortex In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Katherine Wilson

Honors Theses

Disturbance of the auditory cortex in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is well known as well as its influence on hearing. Functional connectivity within the brain is also known to be affected by ASD. However, functional connectivity of the auditory cortex in ASD has yet to be studied. In this study, using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE), functional connectivity of the auditory cortex was examined by comparing 68 individuals with ASD and 75 individuals with ASD. Four brain regions showed smaller functional connectivity to and from the auditory cortex; the occipital cortex, …

Content Validity Of Aba Language Assessments In The Totality Of Skinner's Verbal Operant Theory, Taylor Marie Lauer

MSU Graduate Theses

Content validity describes the degree of which a measure represents all the components of the overall construct being measured. Behavior analytic language assessments are largely based on Skinner’s verbal operant theory (1957). Three behavior analytic language assessments were utilized to measure the coverage of Skinner’s verbal behavior theory: the VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, and PEAK. The purpose of the current study was to examine the content validity of each of these assessments coverage on the totality of Skinner’s verbal operant theory. Expressive items on each of the three assessments were compared to definitions of Skinner’s verbal operants and were coded as the …

Perspectives On Bilingualism In Persons With Autism Spectrum Disorder In The Rio Grande Valley, Rosa N. Benavidez Saldivar

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the perspectives of both professionals and parents regarding bilingualism in persons with autism spectrum disorder. The participants included 40 professionals and 5 parents from the Rio Grande Valley. Data was collected via an online survey. These findings will not only provide fundamental knowledge but will allow for breaking the silence on the topic of bilingualism in the field of ASD. Therefore, the outcome of this research is to expand the literature for both parents and professionals, in order for them to make informed decisions about this population, and to encourage the development of bilingual services and …

A Study Of Factors That Influence Symbol Selection On Augmentative And Alternative Communication Devices For Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, William Todd Dauterman

CCE Theses and Dissertations

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 1 in 59 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) each year. Given the complexity of ASD and how it is manifested in individuals, the execution of proper interventions is difficult. One major area of concern is how individuals with ASD who have limited communication skills are taught to communicate using Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices (AAC). AACs are portable electronic devices that facilitate communication by using audibles, signs, gestures, and picture symbols. Traditionally, Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are the primary facilitators of AAC devices and help establish the language individuals with …

The Social Validity Of A Novel Caregiver Intervention To Support Episodic Memory In Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Single Case Study, Sophie Knox

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Episodic Memory (EM) is foundational to social cognition and social communication. Empirical evidence demonstrates impairments in EM in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Meanwhile, it is well documented that a caregiver conversational style known as elaborative reminiscing facilitates neurotypical (NT) children’s EM development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the social validity of a novel elaborative reminiscing caregiver-mediated intervention to support EM for a single dyad (a mother and her daughter with ASD). The following research questions were addressed: 1) does this caregiver’s subjective impressions of the quality of her child’s EM change over ABA (baseline, intervention, …

Behavioral Outcomes In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Cochlear Implants, Patricia K. Herz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this literature review was to establish what is currently known about behavioral outcomes of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and cochlear implants (CIs). Sixteen articles were included in this review. The areas investigated were behavioral changes postimplantation, as determined by subjective and objective measures, mode of communication used by children with ASD and CIs, and effects of additional comorbidities on these outcomes. Considerations for CI use for children with ASD include potential hypersensitivity to auditory stimuli, inability to complete performance measures, and markedly slower progress than their typically developing peers. Many of the studies included in …

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Investigating Predictive Adaptive Behavior Skill Deficits In Young Children., Emma L. Feige

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that consists of difficulties with social communication and language, as well as the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors. These deficits tend to present in early childhood and usually lead to impairments in functioning across various settings. Moreover, these deficits have been shown to negatively impact adaptive behavior and functioning. Thus, early diagnosis and intervention is vital for future success within this population. The purpose of this study was to further examine the subscales that comprise the adaptive behavior section of the Bayley-III to determine which of the ten subscales are …

An Experimental Analysis Of Voice Volume For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Arturo Garcia

Thesis Projects

Inappropriate prosodic production is an often observed, but rarely treated, communication skill deficit for individuals with autism. Expanding on previous literature, we conducted a functional analysis on the voice volume responses (VVR) of two children with ASD utilizing similar procedures to those from Edgerton and Wine (2017). Further, we evaluated the efficacy of using visual feedback from an app and a function-based treatment to decrease inappropriate VVR and increase appropriate VVR. Results of the functional analysis indicated loud VVR was maintained by social negative reinforcement (escape from demands) for one participant and by both social negative and automatic reinforcement for …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Motor Planning With Core Vocabulary: A Behavior Analytic Account, Alison Judith Karnes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) increases, it is important for practitioners to continue to improve evidence-based practices (EBP) for the treatment of ASD symptoms (i.e., impairments in social communication and repetitive behaviors and restricted interests; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). It is estimated that 30-50% of individuals with autism do not acquire functional speech (Wodka, Mathy, & Kalb, 2013). These individuals would make appropriate candidates for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC; Mirenda, 2003). One form of AAC is the speech-generating device (SGD). Over the last ten years, tablet-based technologies including iPad minisⓇ have been emphasized in the …

Comparison Of Knowledge And Diagnostic Practices Relating To Autism Spectrum Disorder Between The United States And Mexico, Maria F. Valdez

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined and compared the knowledge, screening, and diagnostic practices of health care practitioners from Mexico and the United States of America (U.S.) as they relate to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The participants included 56 healthcare professionals from U.S. and 16 healthcare professionals from Mexico. Data was collected via an online survey. Overall, participants achieved a mean knowledge accuracy of 0.58 (SD = 0.13). The mean accuracy of knowledge in Mexico was 0.52 (SD = 0.13) and the mean accuracy of knowledge in the U.S. was 0.60 (SD = 0.13). Location, years of experience, patient contact, and comfort …

Language Of Disability, Language Of Disorder: An Investigation Of Lived Experiences And Perspectives Of Individuals On The Autism Spectrum With Respect To Communicative Interventions, Rebekah Burkhart

Senior Independent Study Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experiences and first-person perspectives of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with respect to interventions for communicative differences and/or deficits characteristic of autism. This study extends limited research into autistic experiences of interventions in the domain of communication. Furthermore, by extending prior research into neurodiverse values among speech-language pathologists (SLPs), this research contributes to the body of professional literature through exploration of autistic voices as in-group sources of expertise on ASD. The researcher recruited participants online, utilizing mixed methods in the form of quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to …

The Effect Of The Movie Time Social Learning Method On The Emotional Inferencing Skills In An Adult With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jenna Reade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty finding employment and maintaining social relationships. Professional and personal interactions require individuals to make inferences, or read between the lines. Inferencing is a challenge for individuals with ASD because it requires complex information processing. More specifically, it involves the integration of cognitive and linguistic information. There is a lack of research using complex stimuli to treat inferencing. An A-B-A-B design with one adult with ASD was used to examine the effectiveness of a movie-based method, Movie Time Social Learning(Vagin, 2012), on improving the emotional inferencing skills of one young adult with …

Autism Spectrum Disorder : Investigating Predictive Diagnostic Relationships In Children Three Years-Of-Age And Younger., Kaitlin Juergensen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder whose symptoms may involve deficits across three domains: communication, socialization, and atypical behaviors or interests. With a high prevalence across populations and a tendency to impact males more so than females, early and accurate diagnosis appears critical. The most current literature on ASD provides a myriad of difficulties associated with diagnosis under the age of three years. The purpose of this study was to determine if a predictive relationship exists between a child’s individual developmental domain standard deviation (SD) subscale scores (motor, language, cognitive, social-emotional, and adaptive skills) on the Bayley …

Academic Achievement Of Children And Adolescents With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder With In-Depth Focus On Written Expression, Heather M. Brown

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The goal of this research was to identify areas of strength and need in the academic abilities of students with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD).

Three studies were undertaken: 1) six meta-analyses investigated whether nonverbal IQ was in accordance with academic achievement scores in the areas of reading, writing, and math for students with HFASD; 2) the narrative writing skills of students with HFASD were examined in order to describe the ways their writing may differ from their typically developing (TD) peers; and 3) the persuasive writing of students with HFASD was examined to determine whether their texts resembled …

A Comparison Of Group Versus Individual Therapy On The Output Of Appropriate Utterances In A Six-Year-Old Girl With Autism: A Case Study, Mckinzie Craig Sheridan

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Children with autism spectrum disorders typically experience language deficits in multiple areas, including form, content, and use. These children often receive speech therapy with individual sessions (one child and clinician), group sessions (several children), or a combination of both. Although research has deemed individual therapy successful, there is still debate regarding the success of group therapy, and there is virtually no literature examining a comparison between individual and group therapy. The current case-study investigated the relative effectiveness of individual versus group therapy for one six-year-old female with moderate autism spectrum disorder. The child underwent ten alternating therapy sessions of similar …