Speech and Hearing Science Commons^™

Pre-Pulse Inhibition In Mutated Mice: Studying Compromised Microglial Cells To Discover New Genetic Connections To Autism, Bailey R. Kramarik

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Microglial cells “play a pivotal role in refining neural networks during early critical periods” (Gabriele & Gray, 2020, p. 1). A disturbance in the functioning of these microglial cells contribute to specific characteristics of some neurodevelopmental disorders- including autism spectrum disorder. In this study, we used a mouse model to study disruptions in cell activity, as understanding the biological and genetic background of autism spectrum disorder could help us provide better treatment and therapy options to those diagnosed.

The mutated mice in this experiment have microglial cells with “compromised fractalkine signaling” (Gabriele & Gray, 2020, p. 4-5). We studied multimodal …

Using Parent-Identified Strengths Of Autistic Children To Advance Strength-Based Intervention, Angelique Francesca Trigueros

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Questions remain about the range of abilities autistic children possess and what constitutes effective treatment. Strength-based intervention contrasts with traditional autistic intervention approaches that focus on children's deficits. Studies on strength-based intervention approaches have not revealed how children's strengths are identified and have not used the insights of parents for this purpose. Neurodiversity serves as the conceptual framework because the tenets of neurodiversity align with those of strength-based approaches and hold that autism is a variation of the human condition rather than a disability. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive phenomenological study was to explore how the parent-identified strengths of …

Characterizing Food Selectivity In Children With Autism, Samantha H. Wohlmacher

Honors Theses and Capstones

Food selectivity or “picky eating” affects a large percentage of children on the autism spectrum and as a result can have negative impacts on a child’s health and nutritional status (Cermak, Curtin, & Bandini, 2010). Few studies compare food selectivity in children on the autism spectrum to children with other developmental issues. Such a comparison may reveal how food selectivity presents itself uniquely in children on the autism spectrum. This study examined data from past health records collected from the Seacoast Childhood Development Center (SCDC). Thirty-eight children whose parents were concerned about their diets were taken from a larger sample …