Being a Girl in a Boys’ World: Investigating the Experiences of Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorders During AdolescenceCridland, Elizabeth; Jones, Sandra; Caputi, Peter; Magee, Christopher
doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1985-6pmid: 24221816
This study investigates the experiences of adolescent girls with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) during adolescence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three mother–daughter dyads and two additional mothers. A range of issues were highlighted covering physical, emotional, social and sexual domains. Some of these issues were similar to those experienced by boys with ASD during adolescence, such as negative implications of late diagnosis, challenges of transitioning to and coping with high school, ‘hands-on’ role of parents into adolescence, difficulties adjusting to the increased demands of adolescent hygiene routines, and the importance of learning personal boundaries in interactions with others. Other issues discussed were of particular relevance to adolescent girls with ASD, such as difficulties socialising with neurotypically developing girls, sex-specific puberty issues, and sexual vulnerabilities. This study highlights an important research area and is a preliminary step towards understanding the experiences of adolescent girls with ASD and their families.
Evaluating Autism Diagnostic and Screening Tools for Cultural and Linguistic ResponsivenessHarris, Bryn; Barton, Erin; Albert, Chantel
doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1991-8pmid: 24186120
While clear guidelines and best practices exist for the assessment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), little information is available about assessing for ASD in culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations. CLD populations might be misidentified and under-identified with ASD due to the assessment practices that we employ. Four autism diagnostic tools and six autism screeners were selected and evaluated for their cultural and linguistic responsiveness. Although the evaluation of ASD within CLD populations is highly complex, this study identified the need for improved autism assessment tools and practices. Without the appropriate assessment of these populations, CLD children will likely continue to be misidentified (or not identified at all) and will miss crucial intervention opportunities.
Effect of Augmented Sensorimotor Input on Learning Verbal and Nonverbal Tasks Among Children with Autism Spectrum DisordersLatham, Susan; Stockman, Ida
doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1990-9pmid: 24234676
Thirty-four children, with autism spectrum disorders, ages 4–14 years, were matched and randomly assigned to one of two conditions for learning a novel juice-making task and producing two novel words about the event. Seventeen sighted children were manually guided to perform the task and tactually prompted during imitated productions of novel words for the event. Their matched controls heard the novel words and watched the juice-making task being performed. Performances on four verbal and two nonverbal measures right after instruction and at 24–48 h post-instruction, revealed higher scores for the “hands-on”, participation than observation group on both verbal and nonverbal tasks. This study offers a paradigm for exploring the instructional advantage of enhanced participatory experience.
Reading Comprehension Interventions for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Synthesis of ResearchEl Zein, Farah; Solis, Michael; Vaughn, Sharon; McCulley, Lisa
doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1989-2pmid: 24218240
The authors synthesized reading intervention studies conducted between 1980 and 2012 with K-12 students identified with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Nine single-subject design studies, one quasi-experimental study, and two single-group design studies met the criteria for inclusion. Findings from the studies indicate that modifying instructional interventions associated with improved comprehension for students with reading difficulties may improve reading comprehension in students with ASD. Four studies implemented strategy instruction that included (a) question generation; (b) graphic organizers; and (c) making predictions. Two studies utilized anaphoric cueing instruction, three implemented explicit instruction, and three examined student grouping practices. Among the reviewed studies, the majority (n = 9) measured reading comprehension through researcher-developed probes, and two studies reported results from standardized measures.
Socioeconomic Status and the Risk of Suspected Autism Spectrum Disorders Among 18-Month-Old Toddlers in Japan: A Population-Based StudyFujiwara, Takeo
doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1988-3pmid: 24202730
The association between family socioeconomic status (SES) and the suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD) status of 18-month-old toddlers was investigated using a population-based sample in Japan, which has a universal healthcare system and a mandatory health checkup system for toddlers. Questionnaires including SES measurements and modified checklist for autism in toddlers were mailed to all families with 18-month-old toddlers in Chiba, a city near Tokyo (N = 6,061; response rate: 64 %). The results of logistic regression analysis (which were adjusted for potential confounders) indicated that low maternal education, but not paternal education or family income, were associated with having suspected ASD offspring. Lower maternal education was associated with an increased risk of autistic traits in Japan.
School-Aged Functioning of Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder Before Age Three: Parent-Reported Diagnostic, Adaptive, Medication, and School Placement OutcomesTowle, Patricia; Vacanti-Shova, Karyn; Shah, Shristi; Higgins-D’alessandro, Ann
doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1997-2pmid: 24346492
Eighty children with early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses (under 36 months) were identified using a chart abstraction protocol applied to early intervention charts. Parents filled out questionnaires by mail when the children were school-aged (ages 6–16 years). Similar to previous studies, approximately 20 % no longer had ASD diagnoses; the other participants were assigned to Moderate/Severe versus Mild ASD outcome groups. These three groups were compared across several variables, including diagnostic features and functional features including adaptive behavior, social experiences, medication use, and school placement. The findings expand our knowledge about outcomes in longitudinal studies of children with ASD, as well as provide support for using relatively indirect methods (chart review, parent questionnaire) to gather this type of information.
Metacognitive Processes in Emotion Recognition: Are They Different in Adults with Asperger’s Disorder?Sawyer, Alyssa; Williamson, Paul; Young, Robyn
doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1999-0pmid: 24272525
Deficits in emotion recognition and social interaction characterize individuals with Asperger’s Disorder (AS). Moreover they also appear to be less able to accurately use confidence to gauge their emotion recognition accuracy (i.e., metacognitive monitoring). The aim of this study was to extend this finding by considering both monitoring and control processes in emotion recognition among adults with AS. Those with AS were found to have difficulties acting on the basis of their metacognitive monitoring despite showing no deficits in their ability to discriminate accurate from inaccurate decisions. It is suggested that adults with AS have difficulties interacting socially because they are less able to assess when they are making accurate emotion recognition decisions despite having the capability to do so.