Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Evaluating Preoperative Care Providers' Perceptions Of The Autism Support Checklist For Surgical Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Amanda Hancock

DNP Projects

Abstract

Background: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to report barriers to healthcare access than individuals with other disabilities and non-autistic persons. Many barriers to healthcare for those on the spectrum have been identified and include: negative interactions with healthcare staff, communication barriers with healthcare providers, lack of providers knowledgeable of ASD, sensory concerns, and difficulty navigating the healthcare system. The Autism Support Checklist (ASC) is a tool designed to outline communication methods, sensory concerns, soothing items/actions, triggers, special interests, safety concerns, and other information pertinent to an autistic patient. The tool is designed to convey the …

Learning To Be An Autistic Therapist: Personal Steps Towards An Autism-Affirming Psychotherapy, Sasha D. Strong

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

How can Autistic therapists understand and support themselves, and how can this help them support their clients? In this paper, I recount my personal journey of healing and growth as an Autistic psychotherapist, 16 months after self-identification. Here is an overview of conceptual frameworks from #actuallyautistic authors, critical theory, queer theory, and social justice that I have found helpful. I also share some of the therapeutic and wellness approaches that have been important to me, including mindfulness and bodyfulness. Organic knowing has been pivotal for me in discerning between masking and aliveness, and regaining a choice around masking behaviors. This …

Diagnostic Overshadowing: A Delayed Diagnosis Of Autism Spectrum Disorder In A Deaf Child, Quynh-Chi Dang, Michael Hoffman, Rachel St. John

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Diagnostic overshadowing occurs when a patient with a pre-existing diagnosis presents with symptoms that are attributed to the diagnosis, but actually reflect a separate issue. This diagnostic overshadowing can lead to delays in diagnosis, as well as disparities in health care and outcomes. The following case will provide an example in which diagnostic overshadowing contributed to the delay of an autism diagnosis in a child who is deaf. With at least 40 to 50% of children who are deaf or hard of hearing having at least one co-existing medical/developmental condition, and the current prevalence of autism at 1 in 36 …

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Psi-4-Sf In Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Paige Weir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The factor structure of the Parenting Stress Index - Short Form (PSI-4-SF) was evaluated among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Two hypotheses were tested: (1) the original PSI-4-SF model would yield an unsatisfactory fit, and (2) a three-factor alternative model would improve fit compared to the original and other models. A sample of 205 parent-child dyads was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with the lavaan package in R Studio. Preliminary analyses included descriptive statistics, normality checks, and assessments of skewness and kurtosis. Results supported the first hypothesis, showing poor fit indices for the original PSI-4-SF model. …

The Relationship Between Autistic Traits, Autistic Camouflaging, And Adults’ Representations Of Abstract And Social Concepts, Henry Tomiser, Katja Wiemer Dr.

Honors Capstones

Concrete concepts (e.g., BUTTON) can be experienced directly by the senses, whereas abstract concepts (e.g., FRIENDSHIP) cannot. Additionally, the mind may represent abstract concepts using more introspective, social, and emotional information than concrete concepts. Social difficulties are one defining feature of autism, and autistic individuals may use social camouflaging to hide these difficulties, but the precise nature of social processing in autism is not known. This study aims to explore possible links between autistic traits, autistic camouflaging, and mental representations of concepts. Participants gave open-ended definitions for concepts varying in concreteness and social content via an online survey. Responses were …

Missed And Prior Diagnoses In Children Later Diagnosed With Autism, Maire Diemer

Dissertations

Awareness of autism is rising, yet social determinants of health continue to impact rates, ages of diagnosis, and diagnostic load. Different psychiatric labels carry stigmas; unequal rates of diagnoses may indicate biases in the healthcare system. This study investigates six prior diagnoses (ADHD, disorders of conduct, adjustment, anxiety, mood, and intellectual disability) assigned to children who are later diagnosed with autism. The study investigates how race, sex, and geographic factors were associated with age of diagnosis and diagnostic load. This study utilized a sample of 13,850 children aged 2-10 who were diagnosed with autism on Missouri Medicaid between 2015 and …

Applications Of Unsupervised Machine Learning In Autism Spectrum Disorder Research: A Review, Chelsea Parlett-Pelleriti, Elizabeth Stevens, Dennis R. Dixon, Erik J. Linstead

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Large amounts of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) data is created through hospitals, therapy centers, and mobile applications; however, much of this rich data does not have pre-existing classes or labels. Large amounts of data—both genetic and behavioral—that are collected as part of scientific studies or a part of treatment can provide a deeper, more nuanced insight into both diagnosis and treatment of ASD. This paper reviews 43 papers using unsupervised machine learning in ASD, including k-means clustering, hierarchical clustering, model-based clustering, and self-organizing maps. The aim of this review is to provide a survey of the current uses of …

Nutrition Perception, Dietary Intake, And Anthropometric Correlations Between Autism Spectrum Disorder And Typically Developing Adolescents., Kristin M. Berg

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The adolescent’s nutrition perception is reflected in dietary intake and body composition. Obesity is prevalent among adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Dietary habits of children with ASD are affected by sensory issues, gastrointestinal factors, and parental provision of diet. This cross-sectional study identifies the relationships among variables for dietary intake, nutrition perception of intake, and anthropometric measurements for adiposity for 19 adolescents, ages 11 to 17, with ASD. Twenty-four children who are typically developing (TD) were assessed to compare all variables for significant differences. Measurements of variables of interest were obtained from the adolescent subjects: a 24-hour recall of …

Patterns Of Cilia Gene Dysregulations In Major Psychiatric Disorders, Wedad Alhassen, Siwei Chen, Marquis Vawter, Brianna Kay Robbins, Henry Nguyen, Thant Nyi Myint, Yumiko Saito, Anton Schulmann, Surya M. Nauli, Olivier Civelli, Pierre Baldi, Amal Alachkar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Primary cilia function as cells' antennas to detect and transduce external stimuli and play crucial roles in cell signaling and communication. The vast majority of cilia genes that are causally linked with ciliopathies are also associated with neurological deficits, such as cognitive impairments. Yet, the roles of cilia dysfunctions in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders have not been studied. Our aim is to identify patterns of cilia gene dysregulation in the four major psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia (SCZ), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder (BP), and major depressive disorder (MDD). For this purpose, we acquired differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from the …

Interactive Sonification To Assist Children With Autism During Motor Therapeutic Interventions, Franceli L. Cibrian, Judith Ley-Flores, Joseph W. Newbold, Aneesha Singh, Nadia Bianchi-Berthouze, Monica Tentori

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Interactive sonification is an effective tool used to guide individuals when practicing movements. Little research has shown the use of interactive sonification in supporting motor therapeutic interventions for children with autism who exhibit motor impairments. The goal of this research is to study if children with autism understand the use of interactive sonification during motor therapeutic interventions, its potential impact of interactive sonification in the development of motor skills in children with autism, and the feasibility of using it in specialized schools for children with autism. We conducted two deployment studies in Mexico using Go-with-the-Flow, a framework to sonify movements …

Circus In Motion: A Multimodal Exergame Supporting Vestibular Therapy For Children With Autism, Oscar Peña, Franceli L. Cibrian, Monica Tentori

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Exergames are serious games that involve physical exertion and are thought of as a form of exercise by using novel input models. Exergames are promising in improving the vestibular differences of children with autism but often lack of adaptation mechanisms that adjust the difficulty level of the exergame. In this paper, we present the design and development of Circus in Motion, a multimodal exergame supporting children with autism with the practice of non-locomotor movements. We describe how the data from a 3D depth camera enables the tracking of non-locomotor movements allowing children to naturally interact with the exergame . A …

Exploring The Impact Of Challenging Behaviors On Treatment Efficacy In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Juliana Hoag

Computational and Data Sciences (MS) Theses

The focus of this study was to explore the impact of challenging behaviors on Applied Behaviors Analysis treatment in Autism Spectrum Disorder. The prevalence of ASD is on the rise, so it is important that we understand how patients are responding to treatment. In this study, we cluster patients (N=854) based on their eight observed challenging behaviors using k-means, a machine learning algorithm, and then perform a multiple linear regression analysis to find significant differences between average exemplars mastered. The goal of this study was to expand the research in the area of ABA treatment for ASD and to help …

Bendablesound: An Elastic Multisensory Surface Using Touch-Based Interactions To Assist Children With Severe Autism During Music Therapy, Franceli L. Cibrian, Oscar Peña, Deysi Ortega, Monica Tentori

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Neurological Music Therapy uses live music to improve the sensorimotor regulation of children with severe autism. However, they often lack musical training and their impairments limit their interactions with musical instruments. In this paper, we present our co-design work that led to the BendableSound prototype: an elastic multisensory surface encouraging users to practice coordination movements when touching a fabric to play sounds. We present the results of a formative study conducted with 18 teachers showing BendableSound was perceived as “usable” and “attractive”. Then, we present a deployment study with 24 children with severe autism showing BendableSound is “easy to use” …

A Wilderness And Art Therapy Program For Children With Social Concerns, Ashlynn C. Wardle

Honors Projects

For my honors project, I created an alternative therapy program for children with special needs. Activities were designed to support children with varied needs such as children with autism, ADHD, or learning disabilities. The program utilizes the most successful factors from the fields of art therapy, wilderness therapy, special education, applied behavior analysis, and speech and language therapy the program to form age appropriate, educational, and fun art and wilderness opportunities.

Relationship Between Sensory Sensitivities And Cognitive And Adaptive Abilities In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Laura Pendergast

Honors Scholar Theses

Sensory sensitivities are widely reported among individuals with ASD. These sensory sensitivities can be classified as over-responsivity, under-responsivity, or seeking of sensory stimulation. Following recent changes in the diagnostic criteria, sensory sensitivities are considered a key feature of the behavioral phenotype of ASDs. Despite their significance, sensory sensitivities have been largely underestimated. Therefore, more research in this area may reveal important information about the influence of sensitivities on functioning, as well as the underlying causes of the symptoms. This study investigated a possible relationship between sensory sensitivities and cognitive and adaptive abilities in children with ASD. The sample included 29 …

Narrative Abilities Of Optimal Outcome Children And Adolescents With A Previous History Of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Joyce Suh

Master's Theses

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) have traditionally been considered a lifelong condition; however there appear to be a subset of people who make such significant improvements that they no longer meet diagnostic criteria for autism. The current study examines whether these “optimal outcome” (OO) children and adolescents continue to have subtle language and socio-cognitive deficits. Method: The narratives of 15 children and adolescents with a history of ASD who achieved optimal outcomes (OO), 15 high-functioning children and adolescents with a current ASD diagnosis (HFA), and 15 typically developing peers (TD) were evaluated. Results: OO children and adolescents have few residual …