Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Behavior Analytic Goal Setting And Tracking At A Therapeutic Summer Camp: An Approach For Children With Autism Spectrum And Other Disorders, Whitney Victoria Boeder

Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by abnormal or impaired development with deficits in social interaction, communication, and a restricted repertoire of interests and activities. There are a number of treatment options available, such as individual or group therapies. Therapeutic summer camps provide a unique service to individuals with ASDs, as well as an opportunity to create, set, and track behavior analytic goals over the summer. Research has demonstrated that summer camps are a promising therapy environment. Research on goal setting and tracking has shown promising results for progress toward behavioral goals. There is limited research on …

The Effects Of Response Interruption And Redirection On Language Skills In Children With Vocal Stereotypy, Tamara Leigh Perry

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Vocal stereotypy is a common, skill-disruptive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Response interruption and redirection (RIRD), the delivery of demands contingent on the occurrence of vocal stereotypy, is an intervention that is gaining empirical support for reducing vocal stereotypy and increasing appropriate language. However, little is known about the efficacy of RIRD when combined with early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI), the recommended treatment approach for children with ASD, and its effects on the acquisition of language skills. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of RIRD when delivered during EIBI programming. Participants were …

Dance/Movement Therapy And Autism: A Case Study, Katherine Ann Porter

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This thesis explores the development of the therapeutic relationship with a child with autism through dance/movement therapy. The characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder effect social interactions, communication, behavior and interests. This means there is difficulty engaging and maintaining reciprocal social interactions, and trouble with receptive and expressive language. The purpose of this study is to describe how movement mirroring in dance/movement therapy affects the development of the therapeutic relationship with a child with autism, through the analysis of the Ways of Seeing approach.

The data collected in this clinical case study consisted of video tapped sessions and Laban Movement Analysis …

The Impact Of A Group-Based Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Intervention On Parents Of Children Diagnosed With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jennifer D. Kowalkowski

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Parents of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder face significant stressors and challenges; however, little research has investigated ways to effectively address their psychological distress and adjustment issues. This study used a between-subject and withinsubject repeated measures design to test the effects of an 8-week Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) or treatment as usual (TAU) group. Treatment completers included 13 mothers in the ACT condition and 4 mothers in TAU. They were assessed three weeks before the intervention, one week after, and three months post-intervention. Limited data for between-group comparison demonstrated only a significant difference on the frequency scale …

Training And Assessment Of Toothbrushing Skills Among Children With Special Needs, Rachel A. Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The success of applied behavior analysis (ABA) interventions relies heavily on adherence to measures of social importance. One area identified by caregivers, educators, and researchers as having social importance is the area of daily living skills; particularly in populations of children with special needs. A number of studies employed the use of a task analysis to objectively measure toothbrushing, with various training procedures utilized. Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is an effective procedure used to train a variety of skills. Further, research indicates the addition of an in situ assessment promotes generalization of trained skills. The current study examined the use …

Supporting A Parent Driven Video Self Modeling Intervention For A Student With Autism, Lindsey Visbaras

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a parent implemented video self modeling intervention for a middle school student with autism. The targeted behaviors included slowing the rate of the student’s eating and reducing the number of times the student touched her food with her hands during a meal. A series of parent interviews and home visits were conducted in order to collect data about the parents’ experience of involvement in the intervention and to help ensure intervention integrity. A parent training manual was provided as a resource. Qualitative data collected through parent interviews …

Differential Reinforcement Of Alternative Behavior In A Child With Autism, Mackenzie M. Sullivan

Honors Theses

Some children diagnosed with autism engage in aggressive behavior with different functions. There is a great need to find ways to reduce these behaviors to protect these children and make them more suitable to interact with other child in classroom settings. A Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior intervention was designed in an effort to decrease aggressive behavior in child with autism. The goal of the intervention was to train Brian, the single participant, to engage in more appropriate behaviors instead of aggressing toward other children. The participant was placed in a room with another child and instances were created where …

Parent And Professional Perspectives About Autism Spectrum Disorders In South India: Beliefs, Practices, And Parent-Professional Relationships., Neeraja Ravindran

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experience of parents and professionals living in a large metropolitan city in South India who were raising and/or working with a child with an autism spectrum disorder. The study explored the unique perspectives of parents and professionals regarding their beliefs and practices about autism, as well as the nature of the parent-professional relationship. Nineteen parents (all mothers) and 21 professionals were interviewed in person at four schools, an early intervention program, a hospital clinic, and a physician’s office. Themes were developed using qualitative software, and reliability was established through multiple …

Gamma Oscillatory Activity In Autism Spectrum Disorder During A Face Cueing Task, Annette E. Richard

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Joint attention is a social interaction skill that normally develops in infancy and involves following another’s gaze to a stimulus. This skill is absent or developmentally delayed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), causing cascading effects on development. Neural synchrony in the gamma frequency band is thought to be involved in cognitive functions such as joint attention. The current study investigated differences in gamma power between neurotypicals and ASD as measured by magnetoencephalography (MEG) while performing a gaze cueing task simulating joint attention. Results support lower frontal gamma power in ASD, suggesting that impaired generation of gamma activity in the prefrontal …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between An Autism Label And Teachers' Attitudes, Expectations, And Behavioral Intentions, Corinn Nicole Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of children with autism receiving instruction in the regular education (inclusion) setting has been increasing. Instructional time in inclusion classrooms may offer benefits to children with disabilities; this appears to especially be the case when teachers utilize effective strategies. Prior studies indicate that teachers' attitudes towards children with disabilities are important in their willingness to use such strategies. Unfortunately, a number of findings indicate certain kinds of disabilities, as well as the use of diagnostic labels, may negatively influence teachers' attitudes and behavior toward inclusion. The current study examined the impact of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) label …

The Applicability Of Video Self-Modeling For Adults With Developmental And Intellectual Disabilities, Lauren Elizabeth Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Video Self-Modeling (VSM) has shown to be an effective intervention in modifying maladaptive behaviors in children, particularly those with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD). Although the effectiveness of VSM with children with ID/DD has been well established in the extant literature, considerably fewer studies have addressed the applicability of VSM with adults of the same population. Thus, the goal of the current study was to examine the utility of VSM with three adults with ID/DD, specifically targeting table manners as the behavior of interest for the intervention. Two aspects of table manners were measured utilizing a multiple baseline design: food …

Executive Dysfunction In Autism And Asperger's Disorder: A Meta-Analytic Review Of Cognitive Planning, Ashley Jones Reno

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

One of the most prominent theories of autism and Asperger's Disorder suggests that their symptoms arise from a primary deficit in executive functions (EF). While many researchers have argued that the executive dysfunction profile may be used as diagnostic support, there have been studies to suggest that autism and Asperger's Disorder may not be clearly differentiated from other clinical disorders on the basis of their executive functioning profiles (e.g., Booth, et al., 2003). Therefore, it is important to examine specific aspects of executive functioning (e.g., cognitive planning, etc.) among children diagnosed with autism and Asperger's Disorder in order to determine …

Comparing Prompt Delay And Total Communication For Training Vocal Intraverbals In Children With Autism, Rosana Pesantez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Verbal behavior encompasses a wide range of aspects in our everyday lives and in the activities of a society. Many verbal behavior interventions often include programs to teach answering questions, these responses are referred to as intraverbals. Previous research has demonstrated a higher rate of acquisition of verbal targets such as mands and tacts for children with a limited verbal repertoire when a presentation of both sign and vocal prompts occur simultaneously (Total Communication), in comparison to sign-alone or vocal-alone trainings. However, an important variable not often examined in the literature is the comparison of Total Communication (TC) and …

How Core Symptoms Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Predict Engagement In Specific Topographies Of Challenging Behavior, Sara Mahan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Challenging behavior, such as aggression, destructive behavior, and self-injurious behavior (SIB), are common among people of all ages with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Numerous researchers have found that greater severity of ASD or a diagnosis of ASD is significantly correlated with greater levels of challenging behavior. However, there is dearth of information on how core symptoms of ASD (i.e., socialization deficits, communication deficits, stereotypies) predict the engagement of specific topographies of challenging behavior above and beyond other variables, such as developmental functioning. The purpose of this study is to extend the current literature base through examining how core symptoms of …