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Stack The Deck: A Self-Monitoring Intervention For Adolescents With Autism For Balancing Participation Levels In Groups, Lauren Elizabeth Lees
Stack The Deck: A Self-Monitoring Intervention For Adolescents With Autism For Balancing Participation Levels In Groups, Lauren Elizabeth Lees
Theses and Dissertations
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects the lives of 1 in 54 children in the United States. By definition, these children often have social communication deficits as well as restrictive and repetitive behaviors that are socially isolating. Inclusion of participants with disabilities such as ASD in classroom or group settings with peers is a high-priority goal for building skills that lead to independent living and higher quality of life for all. Balancing an individual’s class or group participation is not always easy with different levels of social skills, however. In a classroom, this can translate to difficulty in knowing how to …
What Are Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Rural School District Needs To Effectively Educate Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kari Lyn Pugh
What Are Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Rural School District Needs To Effectively Educate Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kari Lyn Pugh
Theses and Dissertations
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has continued to rise each year. This fact has significance in the area of education. The rise in prevalence of autism means an increase of students with autism in schools. Educators have the need to be prepared to provide an appropriate education for these students but may not have training or resources to be effective. Rural communities may have even more concerns about education for students with ASD due to geographic isolation and the lack of available educators in their area trained to support the specific needs of these students. To determine the …
Factors Associated With Parent Reactions To The Diagnosis Of An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emily Irene Anderberg
Factors Associated With Parent Reactions To The Diagnosis Of An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emily Irene Anderberg
Theses and Dissertations
Receiving a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is often a pivotal moment for parents. The diagnostic feedback session can provide helpful information for moving forward with their child’s care but can also be filled with conflicting emotions. A few studies have looked at common parent experiences and have suggested actions for providers, but there is little information about how providers can predict parent reactions to the diagnosis and adjust their feedback accordingly. This study investigated factors related to parent reactions to the diagnostic disclosure session using a) interviews with providers that commonly diagnose autism; b) a focus group with parents …
Pyramidal Parent Training For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Southeast Europe, Laura Lyn Knecht
Pyramidal Parent Training For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Southeast Europe, Laura Lyn Knecht
Theses and Dissertations
Families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in developing countries may not have as much access to needed behavioral services as families living in developed countries. Caregivers of children with ASD in developing countries would benefit from an affordable, efficient parent training to teach them behavior techniques to use with their children. Pyramidal training is a cost-efficient method of training individuals through peers and would be a supportive intervention for families in developing countries. This study used a repeated acquisition design across three variables to examine whether a caregiver could train another caregiver on three behavioral interventions. These interventions …
Reducing The Impact Of Disabilities In Developing Nations: Implications From A Parent Delivered Behavioral Intervention In Macedonia, Sophie Visick Rindlisbaker
Reducing The Impact Of Disabilities In Developing Nations: Implications From A Parent Delivered Behavioral Intervention In Macedonia, Sophie Visick Rindlisbaker
Theses and Dissertations
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is recognized the world over as a major public health issue. Autism is highly prevalent, persists across the lifespan, and is characterized by behaviors that can profoundly impair typical functioning. Interventions based on behavioral strategies have proven effective, but there are significant barriers to care, including cost, intensity of treatment, and access to qualified practitioners. The impact of ASD and obstacles to appropriate care are magnified by systemic limitations in developing countries. Parent training holds promise as a method of disseminating therapy to underserved areas. This study investigated the effectiveness of a pyramidal parent training intervention …
Managing Distressing Thoughts In Adults With And Without Autism: The Role Of Cognitive Fusion And The Effectiveness Of A Brief Defusion Intervention, Max Emanuel Maisel
Managing Distressing Thoughts In Adults With And Without Autism: The Role Of Cognitive Fusion And The Effectiveness Of A Brief Defusion Intervention, Max Emanuel Maisel
Theses and Dissertations
In the tradition of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive fusion is a transdiagnostic risk factor and occurs when one becomes overly attached to or "caught up" in their thoughts, leading to a more narrowed behavioral repertoire and difficulty taking effective action in response to life's demands. Cognitive defusion is ACT's curative answer to fusion, and denotes the process of taking a step back, seeing thoughts as "simply thoughts," thereby reducing the negative impact of distressing or anxiety-provoking thoughts. While these components have been widely studied in neurotypical (NT) samples, the purpose of this study was to extend findings to …
Developmental Changes In Response To Music-Evoked Emotion Among Children And Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Kevin G. Stephenson
Developmental Changes In Response To Music-Evoked Emotion Among Children And Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Kevin G. Stephenson
Theses and Dissertations
Significant symptoms of anxiety in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may arise due to impaired emotion recognition. In light of reports showing ASD-specific developmental changes in amygdala volumes, we expanded a previous study of recognition of music-evoked emotions in ASD versus typical controls (CON). We explicitly compared both behavioral and psychophysiological response to music-evoked emotions of children (ages 8-11) and older adolescents (ages 16-18). A total of 91 participants (42 ASD) listened to segments of instrumental music that had been previously validated to evoke happy, sad, or scary emotional valence. We measured accuracy and reaction time while also …
Exploring Language Services Provided To Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders In The State Of Utah, Jeannie Irene Zwahlen
Exploring Language Services Provided To Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders In The State Of Utah, Jeannie Irene Zwahlen
Theses and Dissertations
Because several challenges exist when providing English as a Second Language (ESL) services to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such services may be overlooked in deference to other educational needs. Therefore, this study used a survey to obtain information from 121 special education teachers in the state of Utah to explore the types of ESL services offered to CLD students with ASD. Results indicated that only 30% of the special educators participating in the study provide second language services in their classrooms. Results also show that language services provided by speech language pathologists are …
Cortical Thickness And Voxel-Based Morphometry Of Classic Motor Regions Of Interest In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Tyler Cole Duffield
Cortical Thickness And Voxel-Based Morphometry Of Classic Motor Regions Of Interest In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Tyler Cole Duffield
Theses and Dissertations
Prior research has suggested that any cortical volume (CV) abnormalities in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) need to be further explored by examination of the two determinants of CV, that being cortical thickness (CT) and pial surface area (PSA; Murphy, Beecham, Craig, & Ecker, 2011). The current study suggests that the two determinants of CV should be explored even in the presence of null CV findings, if structure-function analyses are significant (i.e., bi-lateral precentral gyrus and neuropsychological motor test) as demonstrated in the current sample (see Duffield et al., 2013). The only significant anatomic finding was reduced CT in the left …
Concept Identification And Formation In Adolescents Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jonathan Sterling Beck
Concept Identification And Formation In Adolescents Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jonathan Sterling Beck
Theses and Dissertations
Abstraction is an inductive process through which specific details become united by a general concept. Abstraction incorporates two sub-skills: concept identification which involves recognizing patterns created by an external agent, and concept formation which is more difficult, requiring independent creation of a schema to organize information. Impairments in concept identification and formation are theorized to underlie a variety of practical difficulties of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; e.g., failure to generalize learning in one context to a similar, but new context). However, past research has yielded mixed results, with some finding significant impairment and others finding intact concept identification …
Electrophysiological Endophenotypes In Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Family Study, Ann Clawson
Electrophysiological Endophenotypes In Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Family Study, Ann Clawson
Theses and Dissertations
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder associated with altered neural connectivity and deficits in self-monitoring, response inhibition, and planning. One promising avenue of research to improve understanding of the symptoms and heritable nature of ASD may be the identification of neural endophenotypes of ASD. The error-related negativity (ERN) and post-error positivity (Pe), scalp-recorded event-related potentials (ERPs), reflect performance monitoring processes and may qualify as candidate endophenotypes of ASD. We collected ERP and behavioral data (error rates, response times) from 18 ASD probands and their families (mother, father, sibling) and 38 control youth and their parents to …