Psychology Commons^™

Using Theatre To Teach Social Skills To Students On The Autism Spectrum, Meaghan Nicole Ritchie

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Theatre-based interventions are an emerging field to improve social skills in individuals with autism. This study analyzed 10 different articles using theatre-based interventions, combined with evidence-based practices, to increase social skills deficits in students, ages 8-17, diagnosed with autism. Results indicate improvement in social skills for individuals with autism after participating in theatre-based interventions.

Families First: Impact On Parent Knowledge, And Association Between Program Quality And Child Symptom Severity, Cibrian Johnson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Families First parenting workshops were developed for caregivers of children recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The primary site hosts inperson workshops, but webcasts the workshops to remote sites in different areas of the United States. The purpose of this study was to assess whether parents have an increase in knowledge after participating in Families First workshops at a remote site, and to assess whether program quality ratings and child symptom severity are associated with parent knowledge. The current study addressed the following research questions:

1. Do parents participating in the Families First workshops at a remote site …

Rapid Assessment Of Problem Solving For Kids (Raps-K), Hannah Perdew

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Rapid Assessment of Problem Solving (RAPS) is a clinical assessment of verbal problem solving skills created by Dr. Robert Marshall and colleagues (Marshall, 2003). The assessment, originally developed for adults, is based on the well-known twenty questions game. The clinician administering the assessment chooses a target picture and the participant asks yes or no questions to eliminate incorrect answers and, eventually, identify the target picture. Question asking efficiency, indicated by the number of choices eliminated, is considered to reflect levels of cognitive functioning, specifically problem solving. Recently, the RAPS has been utilized with typically developing children and children with …

Noncontingent Reinforcement And Decreasing Problem Behaviors With Students With Special Needs And Its Effect On Teacher Behavior, Leah D. Pritchett

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A pilot study of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) was conducted using NCR statements to (a) decrease target behaviors, (b) increase unprompted praise statements from the teacher and decrease reprimands, and (c) increase proximity to the participants by the teacher implementing NCR. Data were collected using a single-subject research design on two participants and one teacher. The target behaviors were physical and verbal aggression and inappropriate gestures. Teacher behaviors targeted with this study were praise statements, reprimands, and proximity to students. The participants included were one 16-year-old student with an emotional behavior disability, one 18-year-old student identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) …

Success Indicators Of College Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Megan M. Prickett

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examined the executive functioning skills as students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) entered college. The participants consisted of 95 college students with ASD who attended the Kelly Autism Program (KAP) on Western Kentucky University’s campus in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The individuals in the sample were categorized three groups: individuals who graduated from college, individuals who were still attending college, and individuals who dropped out of college. The results indicated that the executive functioning skills of inhibiting and initiation were statistically significantly different between the three groups and additional skills were significantly different when comparing only the group that …