Psychology Commons^™

How Can I Help My Anxious Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder? Understanding Parental Perspectives And Treatment Preferences, Sandra L. Cepeda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the high prevalence of co-occurring anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little is known about parental preferences for treatment in addressing these anxiety concerns. Understanding parents’ preferences for treatment is an important factor to consider for ensuring quality care, as it can guide clinical decisions with regard to implementation of care, strategies for optimizing engagement and treatment adherence, and is associated with treatment outcome. To date, limited studies have examined parental preferences in treatment for childhood anxiety or ASD; but no study has investigated preferences for treatment in children with comorbid symptoms. Thus, the present study sought …

Adolescent Females With High-Functioning Asd: Self And Mothers’ Perspectives Of Their School And Social Experiences, Lindsey Land

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is currently 1 in 68 (Centers for Disease Control, 2015) and research in this area is growing, high-functioning individuals on the spectrum are often overlooked. This is because of their relatively milder symptoms. The recent collapse of Asperger Syndrome (AS) with autism in the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5; APA, 2013) also has obscured the differences that may exist between those with higher vs. lower levels of functioning. Among youth with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD), girls are a particularly understudied and potentially vulnerable group. Previous research …

Acquisition And Generalization Of Tacts Across Stimulus Modes In Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Luz Elena Correa Gómez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the speed of acquisition and level of generalization of tacts across three different stimulus modes: picture-flashcard, video clip, and 3D object. Three young children diagnosed with autism participated in this study. The acquisition of tacts was evaluated during Discrete Trial Training sessions (DTT). Two of the three participants learned the tacts more rapidly in the video clip condition in contrast with the picture condition. All three participants generalized the three tacts learned through a specific stimulus mode to the remaining stimulus modes. One week after the generalization test, all participants generalized to all novel 3D objects.

Evaluation Of Video Modeling To Teach Children Diagnosed With Asd To Avoid Poison Hazards, Shannon Eileen King

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accidental poisonings are one of the leading safety threats for young children, so it is important to teach children to avoid ingesting poisonous substances. Research has shown that behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training (IST) are effective in teaching children safety skills to prevent gun play, abduction, and poison ingestion. However, little research on safety skills has been conducted with children with autism. Video modeling has been shown to be effective in teaching abduction prevention skills to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of video modeling to …

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 …

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 …