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Verbal Fluency In Women With The Fmr1 Premutation And The Broad Autism Phenotype, Emily Szabo

Theses and Dissertations

Women who carry a premutation allele on the FMR1 gene can experience limitations due to their genetic status, including executive function deficits. These subtle deficits are often shared by women who possess the broad autism phenotype (BAP). Poor understanding and limited research on the extent of these executive functioning deficits has led to limited clinical management of these two groups. The current study aimed to clarity whether there is a difference in verbal fluency abilities in mothers that possess the FMR1 premutation, mothers of children with autism who are at risk for the BAP, and mothers of typically developing children, …

Functional Connectivity Of The Inferior Frontal Gyrus In Autism Spectrum Disorders, Emma Miller

Honors Theses

ABSTRACT

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association defines Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a “neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction” which is heavily impacts language abilities. There is an abundance of research on the neurological aspects of the disorder, which appear to have major differences of activation and functionality when compared to typically developing peers. Specifically, in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), a key language region of the brain, functional connectivity levels tend to be significantly less in ASD groups. This study recognizes these trends and aims to expand the research by locating specific functional connections …

Speech-Language Pathology Interventions And Ingredients That Support Social Communication And Language Of Preschoolers With Autism, Amanda Binns

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

One of the best predictors of long-term outcomes for autistic children is development of language and social communication skills. Therefore, it’s not surprising that speech and language therapy is one of the most frequently accessed interventions for children with suspected or diagnosed autism. From a public health and family well-being perspective, identifying effective social communication interventions and better understanding the specific components that contribute to their effectiveness is critical. However, there is a lack of clarity about the most effective interventions. This dissertation addressed this important topic through three studies.

Study 1 examined the literature on interventions provided by speech-language …