Digital Commons Network^™

Gaze Patterns Of Social And Nonsocial Stimuli: A Possible Early Marker For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Ashley Rose Doll

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The push for early identification and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has led to new developments in this area of research. Eye tracking is a promising behavioral screening measure that has been heavily investigated for over a decade. Differences in eye gaze between typically developing (TD) children and children with ASD when viewing social and nonsocial videos have been observed, but only within videos of children playing as social stimuli and with geometric shapes as nonsocial stimuli (Pierce et al., 2016; Shaffer et al., 2017). In addition to social stimuli and geometric shapes, the current study expanded on previous …

Rebound, Taylor Harris

Children's Book and Media Review

Lily is a senior in high school with ADHD. One day in class, she takes notice of Abelard, a boy in her grade who is on the autism spectrum. Later in the principal's office, she kisses him impulsively, sparking a unique and undefinable relationship between the two. Using an old medieval book, The Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise, as a template, they text every night and meet each other at school during the day. But while their relationship is sweet, constant obstacles arise to turn it sour. Through a lot of talking, a lot of texting, and several quotes …

The Love Letters Of Abelard And Lily, Meagan Andrus

Children's Book and Media Review

Lily is a senior in high school with ADHD. One day in class, she takes notice of Abelard, a boy in her grade who is on the autism spectrum. Later in the principal's office, she kisses him impulsively, sparking a unique and undefinable relationship between the two. Using an old medieval book, The Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise, as a template, they text every night and meet each other at school during the day. But while their relationship is sweet, constant obstacles arise to turn it sour. Through a lot of talking, a lot of texting, and several quotes …

Informational Handout For Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy And Down Syndrome In Tanzania (Or Other Developing Countries), Kailee Moran

Honors Projects

Informational handout about diagnosis and symptoms, behavioral strategies, materials and intervention ideas for parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, and Down Syndrome in Tanzania (and other developing countries).

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Middle School Teachers Working With Girls With High Functioning Autism, Kelly Parton Alves

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of middle school teachers who work with girls with high functioning autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in eastern North Carolina. The theory guiding this study was disability theory, also known as critical disability theory (CDT). CDT, as described by Pothier and Devlin, Garland-Thomson, Glynne-Owen, Oliver, and Siebers was appropriate for this study as it sought to embrace individuals with disabilities rather than seeing disabilities as a deficiency to be cured. Because girls with ASD represent a seldom-studied group, this study may add to the literature by examining …

Achieving Cohesiveness In Healthcare With Music, Motion, Technology, And Accountability: Novel Approaches For Music Therapy In The Digital Health Era, Imen Maaroufi

Crossroads of Music and Technology

This paper addresses the importance of music in therapy and education, focusing on the population segments of children with special needs and Parkinson’s patients. It also highlights the importance of rhythm in motion with the absence of music. It also address ways to measure and compare methods, as well as their impact and how technology can help us with that.

Auditory Brainstem Response And Language In Typically Developing Children And Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lisa Tecoulesco

Master's Theses

Syntactic, semantic, and phonological knowledge are vital aspects of macro level language ability. Prior research has focused on environmental or cortical sources of individual differences in these areas. Subcortical contributions of the auditory brainstem have also been found to contribute to language ability in both typically developing (TD) populations and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigates whether one aspect of auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), response stability, a metric of the variability of instance to instance neural encoding of sound, can predict syntactic, semantic, and phonological performance in TD and ASD school-aged children. This study further investigates the …

Multipoint Genome-Wide Linkage Scan For Nonword Repetition In A Multigenerational Family Further Supports Chromosome 13q As A Locus For Verbal Trait Disorders, D. T. Truong, L. D. Shriberg, S. D. Smith, K. L. Chapman, A. R. Scheer-Cohen, M. M.C. Demille, A. K. Adams, Alejandro Q. Nato Jr., E. M. Wijsman, J. D. Eicher, J. R. Gruen

Alejandro Nato

Verbal trait disorders encompass a wide range of conditions and are marked by deficits in five domains that impair a person’s ability to communicate: speech, language, reading, spelling, and writing. Nonword repetition is a robust endophenotype for verbal trait disorders that is sensitive to cognitive processes critical to verbal development, including auditory processing, phonological working memory, and motor planning and programming. In the present study, we present a six-generation extended pedigree with a history of verbal trait disorders. Using genome-wide multipoint variance component linkage analysis of nonword repetition, we identified a region spanning chromosome 13q14–q21 with LOD = 4.45 between …

Entropy As A Method For Identifying Treatment Resistant Autism Spectrum Disorder, Nathan Wright

Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience lifelong challenges which can impact peer relationships, adaptive functioning, and independent living. Verbal intelligence has proven to be the strongest indicator of outcomes and responsiveness to behavioral intervention, but this property only stabilizes in children between 6 and 8 years of age. Behavioral treatment is the primary intervention for individuals diagnosed with ASD, but it is most effective when delivered as an early intervention strategy for toddlers and very young children. A biomarker which could distinguish treatment resistant subgroups of ASD from would allow for the development and implementation of alternative …

Survey On Services Provided To Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In U.S. Public Schools, Kendra Mcpherson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is of utmost importance that students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the public school setting across the United States are receiving the best, most researched services and treatments. This study aimed to find out what services and treatments are most commonly being used for students with ASD in the public schools, to see whether or not those practices are supported by research, and to discover how involved parents and families are in the services being provided to their students. This study found that of the top 25 most commonly used practices, 17 of those were supported by …

Relating Sensory Sensitivity And Repetitive Behaviours In Autism Spectrum Disorders, Samantha E. Schulz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The heterogenous expression of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) complicates our etiological understanding of the disorder. By focusing on the most commonly-reported symptom of ASD, namely sensory processing dysfunction, this project attempts to determine the underlying factors of autism-related restricted interests and repetitive behaviours (RRBs). The specific aims of this project are to examine the relationship between sensory sensitivity and RRBs and to compare current questionnaire measures of sensory processing issues to more objective measures, specifically, a psychophysical behavioural task of visual sensitivity. A positive relationship was found between sensitivity and RRBs in both autistic children and their TD peers. Furthermore, …

The Early Development Of Visual Attentional Mechanisms In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hayley Smith

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Attention plays a fundamental role in shaping cognitive development. What we attend to and what we ignore alters our visual experience of the world. Atypical attention has long been implicated in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) yet our understanding of the early development of this ability has been limited by methodological factors. The aim of this thesis was to address the “toddler gap” in the literature by developing novel measures of attention that are ideal for use with toddlers, do not require verbal instructions, and can be easily scaled up or down for older or younger children. A series of three …

How Involved Should They Be? Students With Asd In Postsecondary Settings And Their Family Members, Bryan Dallas, Julie Ramisch, Alyssa Ashmore

The Qualitative Report

We investigated the need for family member involvement for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in postsecondary settings. We also looked at the perceived needed and fulfilled roles of family members and if family member involvement resulted in positive outcomes for postsecondary students with ASD. We surveyed 211 postsecondary Disability Support Professionals (DSPs) through the AHEAD organization. Using a mixed methods approach including inductive content analysis, results primarily indicated that there is a need for family members to be involved non-academically with students with ASD. We discuss roles that DSPs think family members should fulfill versus roles that DSPs think …

Motor Impairments In Children With Autism: Insight Into The Complexity Of The Disorder, Jeffrey Douglas Eggleston

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder which has seen an increasing prevalence rate in recent decades. Currently, the diagnostic criteria for the disorder evaluate a multitude of social communication and interactions, in a variety of contexts, and restricted or repetitive behavioral patterns (stereotyped movement, resistance to changes in routines, restricted interests, and hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory stimulus). Furthermore, ASD severity is based upon the marked severity of the above described impairment and they must also fall within one of three potential categories: 1) symptoms being present in early development, although potentially not manifested fully; 2) the …

Eeg Analytics For Early Detection Of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Data-Driven Approach, William Bosl, Helen Tager-Flusberg, Charles Nelson

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex and heterogeneous disorder, diagnosed on the basis of behavioral symptoms during the second year of life or later. Finding scalable biomarkers for early detection is challenging because of the variability in presentation of the disorder and the need for simple measurements that could be implemented routinely during well-baby checkups. EEG is a relatively easy-to-use, low cost brain measurement tool that is being increasingly explored as a potential clinical tool for monitoring atypical brain development. EEG measurements were collected from 99 infants with an older sibling diagnosed with ASD, and 89 low risk controls, …

Pilot Study: Assistive Technology As A Vocational Support For Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Erin Chaffee, Tina Ho, Kevin Ng

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of video-based instruction (VBI) to support completion of vocational tasks. A mixed-method approach was utilized to explore the use of VBI on a personal digital assistant with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using two assembling cooking tasks, researchers investigated the level of independence with task completion through written instruction versus VBI. The results indicated a small non-significant increase in the level of independence with task completion during the VBI task independent of intelligence quotient (IQ) levels. Participant’s feedback of VBI was also noted as positive to help learn …

The Effects Of Exercise Intervention On Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Abigail Jacaruso, Andrew O'Neill, Juliana Fetherman

Academic Festival

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), face many challenges throughout their lives. They face obstacles daily with cognitive functions, social skills, motor skills, mental health, sleep, stereotypical/repetitive behaviors and overall quality of life, to name a few. The use of exercise as an intervention program has been shown to improve and even eradicate many of these everyday issues. The research we did, shows numerous studies that were done to prove this phenomenon. These studies varied on many levels. Different subjects were used for each study. We examined an array of age groups and experimental group sizes. In some cases, the …

When Law Enforcement And Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder Meet: Asd Knowledge And Confidence In Law Enforcement Officers In The Commonwealth Of Kentucky, Nicholas P. Hoffmann

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the current training practices, as well as the knowledge and confidence that law enforcement officers possessed with regards to interacting with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as reported by the officers. It is expected that the level of training will be highly inadequate in the Commonwealth of Kentucky due to lack of available training and resources available to officers, as well as the lack of mental health training requirements. This project does not seek to criticize officers, but rather to assess the current overall status of their training as well as …

Parent Perceptions Of Family Quality Of Life Raising A Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder In The Bahamas, Sharlene Monique Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Numerous research showed having a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can affect families in many ways (Brace, 2009; DeGrace, 2004; Fantaroni, 2012). The primary types of impact include family relationship (spousal and sibling relationships), finances, and access to resources and services to assist with caring for the social, emotional and academic development of a child with autism (Grindle & Remington, 2014; Harper et al., 2013; Koydemir & Tosun, 2009; Ludlow, Skelly, & Rohleder, 2011; Montes & Cianca, 2014). While extensive studies have shown similar findings of the impact of autism on family quality of life in America and other …

Monkey See, Monkey Do! Utilization Of Yoga Intervention For A Child With Non-Verbal Autism, Elaina Prevatte, Catherine M. Andrea

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to describe the effects of yoga intervention with traditional physical therapy on motor performance and visual attention in a young girl with non-verbal ASD.

Play On Words: Assessing The Influence Of Language Context On Repetitive Speech In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cassidy L. Vanzuiden

Honors Capstones

This study explored whether language structure impacts repetitive speech use in children with ASD. Five children with ASD were analyzed for the frequency and type of repetitive speech used in two differing tasks: storytelling (more-structured) and play-based (less-structured). Participants produced less repetitive speech during the storytelling task and no notable differences in the types of repetitive speech were observed.

Is There Water On Mars? A De Bono Skills Mystery For Twice-Exceptional Gifted Students, Christopher Cox, Megan Sova-Tower, Nathan Wear

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

Is there water on Mars? Gifted adult graduate students, some of whom represented the learner exceptionalities of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Slow Information Processing Speed, were asked to explore this mystery by applying Edward de Bono’s CoRT thinking skills of “Aims, Goals, and Objectives,” “Select,” and “Planning” to photographs of Mars landforms. Once they had determined the likelihood that the pictures depicted water on Mars, students were asked to develop three-dimensional models with recycled materials. Analysis of the findings revealed that in utilizing the de Bono CoRT thinking skills, students were able to identify sixteen different categories. Student responses had …

Chromatin Organizer Ctcf In Brain Development And Behaviour, Adrienne Elbert

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Chromatin architecture is an important regulator of gene expression, which dictates development. Mutations in one copy of the CTCF chromatin organizer gene cause intellectual disability and autism. Polymorphisms in CTCF have also been associated with increased risk for schizophrenia, a condition that overlaps in biological etiology with autism and intellectual disability. In this thesis, we sought to understand the role of CTCF in neurodevelopment using brain-specific conditional knockout and heterozygote mouse models. Using the Ctcf-null animals, we identify a cell-autonomous role for CTCF in regulating cortical interneuron development in the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) through the transcriptional control of …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of An In-Home Training Program For Parents Of Children With Autism Or Related Developmental Delays: A Multiple Baseline Across Parent Skills, Robyn Williams

Public Health Theses

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by difficulty in communication and social interaction, and repetition of behaviors, requiring focused intervention efforts over time. Research has supported the role of parents as intervention agents in improving their children’s behavior, but relatively little of this research has been conducted in the home. This study examined the effectiveness of an in-home intervention of five two-hour sessions combining positive behavior supports (PBS) with the provision of visual supports (VS). The Positive Behavior Visual Support (PBVS) curriculum was developed by the Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University and was previously implemented with …

Acute And Long-Term Effects Of Aerobic Exercise On Repetitive Behaviours And Task Performance For Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder And An Intellectual Disability, Suzanne Ali, Chad Sutherland

Research Result Summaries

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Cross-Genre Writing Skills In Children With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Role Of Language, Handwriting, And Cognitive Processing, Elizabeth Hilvert

Dissertations

It has been estimated that writing is one of the most significant academic problems for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with as many as 60% of children having a learning disability in writing (Mayes & Calhoun, 2008). The majority of evidence demonstrating this achievement gap, however, comes from research finding global writing deficits, using standardized tests. As a result, a number of questions remain about how the texts constructed by children with ASD specifically align or deviate from typical development. For instance, do these texts differ in terms of vocabulary, grammar, or structure? Are children with ASD better at …

Scalable And Secure Provenance Querying For Scientific Workflows And Its Application In Autism Study, Fahima Amin Bhuyan

Wayne State University Dissertations

In the era of big data, scientific workflows have become essential to automate scientific experiments and guarantee repeatability. As both data and workflow increase in their scale, requirements for having a data lineage management system commensurate with the complexity of the workflow also become necessary, calling for new scalable storage, query, and analytics infrastructure. This system that manages and preserves the derivation history and morphosis of data, known as provenance system, is essential for maintaining quality and trustworthiness of data products and ensuring reproducibility of scientific discoveries. With a flurry of research and increased adoption of scientific workflows in processing …

Tailoring Higher Education Instruction For Students With Asd To Transition To Employment : Employer Perspectives, Hillary M. Adams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explores the need for tailored higher education curricula for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as they transition from college to employment. I t is estimated that 50,000 individuals diagnosed with ASD turn eighteen each year (Autism Speaks, 2012), and one in three of those individuals are entering higher education ( Roux , Shattuck, Rast, Rava, & Anderson, 2015) . Individuals with ASD face poor outcomes in the workforce; 75- 85% of adults with ASD do not have full -time employment (Scheiner, 2013). Lack of employment opportunities derive from impairments in social skills, be haviors, theory of mind, …

Does Animal Assisted Therapy (Aat) Positively Increase Socialization Skills In Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) Compared To No Interaction With Animals?, Tracey Smith

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective- The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) positively increases socialization skills in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to no interaction with animals?”

Study Design- Systematic review of three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English language peer reviewed journals between 2015 and 2016.

Data sources- One single blinded RCT and two double blinded RCTs were found through PubMed.

Outcome(s) Measured- All three studies measured change in social communication in children with ASD using a Social Responsiveness Scale, Pedagogical Analysis and Curriculum Test, and Vineland Adaptive Behavior …

Asperger's Syndrome In African American Children, Suzette Bailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of autism in the United States is 1 in 68 children. African American children are less likely to receive advance testing to confirm the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome (AS) compared to other ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to determine if demographic factors (parental education level, family annual income, marital status of custodial parent(s), parent ethnicity, number of children in home, other children with disability, family location, mother age at time of birth, gender of child, birth status of child, adoption status and age, child order, and other disability) have any predictive relationship to AS diagnosis …