Psychology Commons^™

The Relationship Between Type Of Parental First Concerns And Severity Of Developmental Delays In Toddlers With Autism Or Developmental Delay, Joshua J. Montrenes

LSU Master's Theses

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social communication and the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviors. The impairments which are commonly associated with ASD manifest during early development as delayed speech or impaired social skills, for example. These early indicators are often noticed by parents who convey concern to medical professionals. Research has found associations between these early parental concerns and a later diagnosis of autism, noting their predictive validity. Research has yet to address the relationship between types of parental concerns and developmental functioning. This study examined whether certain parent reported concerns are more predictive of impaired …

An Evaluation Of Wayfinding Abilities In Adolescent And Young Adult Males With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Yingying Yang, Weijia Li, Dan Huang, Wei He, Yanxi Zhang, Edward Merrill

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Background

Wayfinding refers to traveling from place to place in the environment. Despite some research headway, it remains unclear whether individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show strengths, weaknesses, or similarities in wayfinding compared with ability-matched typically developing (TD) controls.

Method

The current study tested 24 individuals with ASD, 24 mental-ability (MA) matched TD (MA-TD) controls, and 24 chronological-age (CA) matched TD (CA-TD) controls. Participants completed a route learning task and a survey learning task, both programmed in virtual environments, and a perspective taking task. Their parents completed questionnaires assessing their children’s everyday wayfinding activities and competence.

Results

Overall, CA-TD …

Treatment Efficacy Of Parent-Led Aba For Children With Autism And Their Parents, Lindsey Renee Sneed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorder is a complex and heterogenous, neurodevelopmental disorder. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a common treatment modality for children with autism with marked improvements demonstrated in communication, social, and adaptive functioning. The most common implementation of ABA is a practitioner-led model, whereby a paraprofessional directly implements treatment with the oversight of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst®. Parent mediated treatments are another model proving to be efficacious for children with autism and their parents. While this model is applied in therapeutic treatments such as speech pathology, early intervention, and other behavioral approaches (e.g., ESDM, PRT), parent mediated treatment has …

Experience Of Parents Receiving In-Home Behavioral Treatment For Their Child With Autism, Gerald Lavarias

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In-home applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment has well-documented results and is widely recommended for children with autism. Since 1987, parents have sought and implemented ABA treatment in their homes for their children with autism. However, research on parents’ lived experiences with in-home ABA treatment is limited. As such, there is a need to study the impact and influence of ABA treatment on parents’ quality of life (e.g., challenges, scheduling, parenting). This qualitative study explored parents’ lived experiences while their children with autism received in-home ABA treatment. A phenomenological approach was used to explore the experiences of 5 parent participants who …

Ability Status, Self-Advocacy, And Individuals With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Neurodiversity-Informed Training For Professionals And Caregivers, Allison N. Simpson

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Ability status in U.S. society is a critical social and cultural identity. “Disability” is often viewed through the lens of pathology as an illness. This kind of view affects not only the personal identity of individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities, but also their treatment by others in the community, employers, caregivers, and others in their system of interaction. Even individuals who are strong self-advocates can be silenced by this kind of lens. A more empowering way to view individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities is through the lens of neurodiversity in order to see their abilities, needs, wishes, and lives. The current project …