Clinical Psychology Commons^™

404 Error – Gender Not Found: Lived Experiences Of Genderqueer Autistics Assigned Female At Birth, Christina-Marie J. Wright

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

While autism research has historically focused on males, increasing attention is being paid to the expression of autism spectrum disorder in cisgender girls and women. However, a significant percentage of the autistic population assigned female at birth experiences gender outside the male-female binary, and the expression of autistic traits in this population remains largely unexplored. Understanding the expression of autism in diverse populations is important for diagnostic access and support. The purpose of this study was to identify which behaviors and interests commonly ascribed to autistic individuals were demonstrated by autistic genderqueer individuals assigned female at birth. The study also …

Making Deception Fun: Teaching Autistic Individuals How To Playfriendly Tricks, Adel Naj, Megan St. Clair, Kacie Massoudie, Jonathan Tarbox, Lauri Simchoni, Marianne Jackson, Angela Persicke

Psychology Division Scholarship

Perspective taking is a critical repertoire for navigating social relationships and consists of a variety of complex verbalskills, including socially adaptive forms of deception. Detecting and being able to use socially adaptive deception likelyhas many practical uses, including defending oneself against bullying, telling white lies to avoid hurting others’ feelings,keeping secrets and bluffing during games, and playing friendly tricks on others. Previous research has documented thatsome Autistic1 children have challenges identifying deception and playfully deceiving others (Reinecke et al., 1997). Thecurrent study employed a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the use of multiple exemplar training, rules,modeling, practice, and …

Determining The More Effective Behavior Analytic Intervention For Children With Autism Who Exhibit Pica Behaviors, Jennifer J. Lanham

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Determining the More Effective Behavior Analytic Intervention for Children With Autism Who Exhibit Pica Behaviors. Jennifer J. Lanham, 2024: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: autism, pica, eating disorders, intervention, applied behavior analysis

This dissertation was designed to determine which behavior analytic intervention was more effective in the treatment and reduction of mouthing non-nutritive substances in children diagnosed with autism. This study included four participants in an A-B-A reversal design with a component analysis across four intervention phases. The study participants were enrolled in a center-based treatment environment …

Early Diagnosis Methods For Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review, Megan Denise Mccarthy

Doctoral Dissertations

Objective: This systematic review aimed to comprehensively synthesize existing literature on early detection methods for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children birth to 3 years, that lead to an effective and reliable early diagnosis in children 2 to 3 years of age.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted across multiple electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO following PRISMA guidelines. Studies reporting on early detection methods for ASD in infants and toddlers within ages 0 to 3 years that lead to early diagnosis of children ages 2 to 3 years were eligible for inclusion. Data extraction and quality assessment were …

Smart Technology In Autism Care: Is Rootines Usable, Useful, And Acceptable In Clinical Practice?, Isak Beck, Lonnie Sears

The Cardinal Edge

Smart technologies are rapidly appearing in the healthcare landscape. In this study, we evaluate Rootines, a smartphone app offering remote patient monitoring for kids with developmental and behavioral health concerns. We’re asking families served by the Norton Children’s Autism Center in Louisville, Kentucky to use Rootines together with their child’s clinician for two weeks. Following this, we will use surveys and interviews to probe for the usability (how well the technology can be used), usefulness (how valuable users find the technology), and acceptability (whether the technology can meet user needs) of the Rootines app. Trials in clinical settings are crucial …

Coaching In Differential Attention And Pride Skills During Child Directed Interactions For Siblings Of Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Ava Sardoni

Dissertations, 2020-current

Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs) are an increasingly-common presentation that is often associated with significant behavioral and relational challenges. NDDs can impact multiple areas of functioning including social, academic, and adaptive functioning. As NDDs are developmental disorders in nature, they are often lifelong conditions that require intensive treatments and adaptations throughout the lifespan. One of the most important predictors of success and fulfillment for a child with an NDD is the support from the family system.

Siblings of a child with an NDD are often neglected from the conversation of supports and treatments for children with NDDs. However, challenging behaviors often associated …

Behavioral And Eye-Movement Correlates Of Item-Specific And Relational Memory In Autism, Greta Nicole Minor

Theses and Dissertations

Recent work has challenged past findings that documented relational memory impairments in autism. Previous studies have often relied solely on explicit behavioral responses to assess relational memory integrity, but successful performance on behavioral tasks may rely on other cognitive abilities (e.g., executive functioning) that are impaired in some autistic individuals. Eye-tracking tasks do not require explicit behavioral responses, and, further, eye movements provide an indirect measure of memory. The current study examined whether memory-specific viewing patterns toward scenes differ between autistic and non-autistic individuals. Using a long-term memory paradigm that equated for complexity between item and relational memory tasks, participants …

Autism, Comorbidities, And Adaptive Functioning: A Potential Moderator, Joshua J. Montrenes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Deficits in adaptive functioning and the presence of comorbid symptomatology are both commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous research has identified relationships between functional level (e.g., intellectual quotient [IQ], adaptive functioning [AF]) and comorbid symptomatology in ASD. However, further insight into the relationship between AF, comorbid psychopathology, and ASD is unclear. Specifically, how AF affects the relationship between ASD and comorbid conditions is not well understood. Whether AF moderates the relationship between autism symptom severity and comorbid symptom severity in toddlers with ASD was examined. ASD symptom severity positively correlated with comorbid symptom severity across domains and negatively …

Focusing On Friendship: Online Supported Activities For Adolescents On The Autism Spectrum, Molly King

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

A core feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is social skills differences. Social skills groups have received support as an intervention that fosters social skills of those with ASD. However, there is limited information about the use of telehealth-based social skills groups. The proposed ASD adolescent social group design is formatted for telehealth services, and has been conducted virtually since 2020. This ASD social group program features unique virtual teaching and recreational activity curriculum as well as some program evaluation data methods and responses from participants.

Self-Diagnosis & Pathologizing Normality During The Information Age, Chelsey Eaton

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Self-diagnosis has become a concern for medical and mental health diagnoses. More people are engaging in self-diagnosis based on information that was obtained from the internet, including websites, social media platforms, and online forums. There are several reasons one may choose to self-diagnose. Some common reasons outlined in research are the desire to fit in with others who share similar characteristics and having a label to explain one’s experiences. Past research has shown that people frequently search for mental health information online, but they may not understand or may misinterpret the information that is found. This study aimed to address …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Treatment Providers’ Understanding And Assessment Of Trauma And Autism, Leah Hanson

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are particularly vulnerable to traumatic experiences and further development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Underlying traumatic stress is commonly missed and remained untreated in the autism population. In a previous pilot study, Hanson and Richards (2021) gathered providers’ understandings on trauma and autism The current study is a further, systemic content analysis on archival data from Hanson and Richard’s pilot study. Results from the current content analysis of the responses to Question 1 (How do you assess for trauma in your patients?) revealed that providers assess patients’ trauma primarily by interviewing caregiver and patients, …

Autism Paradigms And Mental Well-Being Among Autistic Adults: A Quantitative Exploration, Libbey Walker

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Autistic populations experience significant mental health challenges. A growing body of research supports addressing autistic mental health problems using the framework of minority stress theory, the social model of disability, and the neurodiversity paradigm (e.g., Botha & Frost, 2018; Cage et al., 2018). This quantitative study explored how identification with the neurodiversity paradigm versus the pathology paradigm related to mental well-being in autistic adults. Participants (N = 135) completed an online survey in which they rated their identification with autism descriptions representing both paradigms. Participants also completed measures of psychological distress, self-esteem, personal autism acceptance, and internalized autism stigma. Most …

Autistic Authors' Narratives Of Trauma And Resilience: A Qualitative Analysis, Tessa Smith

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative dissertation investigates current research gaps regarding autistic individuals’ experience of trauma and resilience in the face of adversity. Specifically, it conceptualizes trauma and resilience through a neurodiverse lens, through identifying themes in memoirs written by five autistic authors related to trauma, potentially traumatic events, resiliency, and posttraumatic growth. Through Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, I identified individual, interpersonal, and societal factors impacting the memoirists experiences of trauma, through the identification of 11 superordinate themes. Prominent themes at the individual level included self-acceptance and emotion regulation promoting resilience. At the contextual level, sensory processing and uncertainty coincided with experiences of trauma. …

The Acceptability And Feasibility Of Virtual Parent Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Groups: A Feasibility Study, Abigail Elizabeth Moretti

Theses and Dissertations

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience higher rates of anxiety, depression, and poor overall well-being, particularly when their child also engages in challenging behavior (e.g., self-injury, aggression, property destruction). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which encourages psychological flexibility and attending to the present moment, is particularly suited for this population because parents of children with ASD experience high stress levels and difficulty with adaptive coping. The aim of the current study is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of implementing virtual ACT groups with parents of children with ASD and co-occurring challenging behavior. Participants attended an in-person …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Telehealth Mindful Parenting Training On Executive Function In Autistic Children And Their Parents, Vanessa Zhou

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

This randomized controlled trial study explored the effect of telehealth mindful parenting group intervention on executive function in autistic children and their parents. Participants included 83 caregivers (29-54 years) of autistic children (5-18 years) in the United States who were randomized into either the immediate (n = 40) or waitlist-control group (n = 43). Of the participants randomized, 55 caregivers (immediate = 33; waitlist = 22) followed the protocol and were included in the primary analysis. Caregivers in the sample (mean age of 42.97 years) were mostly white (73%), married (76%), female (80%), biological mothers (67%), from Washington …

Predictors Of Emotional Health Across Autistic And Non-Autistic Students' First Semester Of College, Erin E. Mckenney

Theses and Dissertations

The prevention and treatment of mental health concerns, including depression, are significant priorities for autistic adults. While several theories have been proposed to explain the high prevalence of depression in autistic populations, little longitudinal research has been done on potential causal mechanisms. Additional research is needed to explore how proposed contributors to depression from general population research -- namely, negative repetitive thinking, lack of social opportunity, and attributional style -- predict and/or moderate the development of depressive symptoms in autistic individuals. The current study investigates these potential predictors' relationship to internalizing symptoms over the course of college students' first semester. …

Exposure Response Prevention For Adolescents With High-Functioning Autism And Social Anxiety, Elisha Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Anxiety disorders are the most common comorbid mental health condition seen in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. This study was an exploration of the benefits of exposure and response prevention (ERP) for high-functioning adolescents with autism and comorbid social anxiety. The research problem was the lack of qualitative description of trained clinicians’ experiences of ERP delivery to high-functioning adolescents with autism and social anxiety. Data for this study were collected through semi structured interviews with six ERP clinicians who had experience in practicing ERP with this population. Analysis of the data revealed the following four core themes: (a) professional recommendations for …

Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And The Impact Of Environment On Treatment Outcomes, James Adkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) effects growing numbers of children and effective treatment is essential for families to overcome the challenges associated with ASD. Applied behavior analysis treatment has been tailored to address the unique learning needs of children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which treatment environment impacted language milestones and barriers among children with ASD. Behaviorism and applied behavior analysis served as the framework for the study. A nonexperimental quantitative mixed design with two independent variables was used. The between-subjects independent variable was type of treatment environment (home vs. clinic). The within-subjects …

A Literature Resource For Those Supporting Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Cancer, Kaylee James

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts both social interaction and patterns of behavior. ASD is rooted in genetic, biological, and environmental causes. Cancer begins when cells grow out of control and there is also a genetic and biological cause of cancer. There is an overlap between the genetic and biological causes of ASD and cancer. As a result, evidence supports an increased risk of developing some types of cancer as well as protective factors for some times of cancer for individuals with ASD. Therefore, individuals with ASD may be at a heightened risk to develop cancer, …

Effects Of Superflex Curriculum On Social Skills Of Children With Autism, Charli Elaine Doyle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is considered an applied science under the umbrella of behavior analysis and was accepted into the mainstream science in the mid-1900s. An increase in the prevalence of autism gave rise to the need for evidence-based social skills curricula. Previous research indicated many children respond well to video modeling and positive reinforcement. However, literature on social curricula for children aged 7 to 10 years in a clinical setting versus a school setting was limited. The purpose of this quantitative study with a single-subject design was to examine the effectiveness of Superflex, a superhero social thinking curriculum, on …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Accurately Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder Among A Comorbid Population, Michelle Okolita

Dissertations

Two of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), are diagnosed in early childhood. The two disorders share similar impairments across domains, are highly comorbid, and have many overlapping symptoms. Studies have shown that among this comorbid population, children receive an ASD diagnosis a few years after their initial ADHD diagnosis, which leads to many negative consequences, including a delay in treatment. The focus in this study was on the early indicators of ASD that are present prior to the age of 3 years in order to educate others on these symptoms. In an …

Autism And Externalizing Behaviors: Attachment As A Protective Factor, Rebecca Kramer

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit externalizing behaviors at a higher rate when compared to their typically developing (TD) counterparts (Bauminger, Solomon, & Rogers, 2010; Gray, Keating, Taffe, & Brereton, 2012). Numerous longitudinal and cross-sectional studies assert that attachment is one of the most salient predictors of childhood externalizing behaviors (e.g., Green and Goldwyn, 2002). Despite this, little research has examined the relation between attachment and externalizing behaviors in children with ASD. This study investigated the extent to which high levels of attachment buffer the symptoms of externalizing behaviors in children with ASD, potentially informing future interventions. In addition, …

Impacts Of Motor And Sensory Impairment On Language In Young Children With Autism, Elizabeth A. Bisi

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with varying degrees of deficit in the broader areas of social communication and stereotyped behaviors, but emerging research proposes delayed motor skill and atypical sensory processing as additional factors worth closer examination. In the current study, I sought to investigate the impacts of visual motor skills and sensory differences on language ability in young children with autism. I hypothesized that young children with autism, atypical sensory processing (Short Sensory Profile, 2^nd Edition), and impaired visual motor integration (Beery VMI, 6^th Edition) would have the most impacted language ability scores (Differential Ability …

Please, Hold Your Toothpicks: An Analysis Of Autism On Contemporary Television, Kellie N. Veltri

Haslam Scholars Projects

In the past decade, there has been a boom in representations of varied identities on entertainment television, including characters with mental illness and disabilities. There has particularly been an increase in television representations of autism spectrum disorders, which has coincided with the reframing of autism in the DSM-5. Exposure to these characters has increased public awareness of what autism actually looks like, but their characteristics are still very narrow and do not represent the full range of people with autism and what their experiences with the condition are actually like. In this thesis, I will explore historic representations of autism …

How Does Autism Affect The Processing Of Child Sexual Abuse Trauma?, Jose Carbajal, Regina T. Praetorius

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Children in general are a vulnerable population, but children with neurodevelopmental disorders are even more vulnerable. This case study, which uses secondary qualitative data to focus on a survivor of sexual abuse who has autism, explores how a child with autism interprets and processes being sexually abused. We contrast how a child with autism experiences child sexual abuse with the experiences of children without autism; major differences emerged in terms of how a child with autism normalizes and interprets sexual abuse. The findings of this study indicate mental health professionals need more training regarding the complications autism adds to the …