Background and aims: Research on the psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has highlighted its negative and positive effects on children with autism spectrum disorder and their families. However, little is known about the neutral effects that remain the same, even in particular circumstances, and how children with autism spectrum disorder and their parents perceive each other. We explored how children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers perceived and experienced the pandemic in Japan.
Methods: A mixed-methods design was employed. Thirteen children with autism spectrum disorder and 12 mothers participated. Data were collected through online semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Similarities and differences in perceptions were compared.
Results: The results revealed six broad themes and 27 categories. Regarding neutral effects, some mothers reported no substantial impact because there were no changes in their jobs or other dramatic life changes. In addition, some children were not affected because they had had no social contact before the pandemic or because their lives had not changed dramatically. Regarding the perceptions of children/mothers, most expressed that they/their children enjoyed spending time with their families. At home, mothers made various efforts to interact with their children. However, mothers and children differed in their perceptions, such as regarding the emergence of anxiety about conducting school events and the resolution of study-related concerns.
Conclusions: There were negative, neutral, and positive effects on both children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers; specifically, they were striving to move forward to overcome the problems posed by the pandemic. Both parties tapped into their resilience by enhancing family interactions, such as cooking together or discussing children's interests.
Implications: These findings have important implications for developing more creative solutions to the challenges of coping and resilience in future crises.
{"title":"Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers in Japan.","authors":"Hiroshi Asaoka, Shoji Okamura, Chitose Baba, Natsumi Fujimoto, Yuka Ishizuka, Tomoya Takahashi","doi":"10.1177/23969415231212347","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415231212347","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Research on the psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has highlighted its negative and positive effects on children with autism spectrum disorder and their families. However, little is known about the neutral effects that remain the same, even in particular circumstances, and how children with autism spectrum disorder and their parents perceive each other. We explored how children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers perceived and experienced the pandemic in Japan.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A mixed-methods design was employed. Thirteen children with autism spectrum disorder and 12 mothers participated. Data were collected through online semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Similarities and differences in perceptions were compared.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results revealed six broad themes and 27 categories. Regarding neutral effects, some mothers reported no substantial impact because there were no changes in their jobs or other dramatic life changes. In addition, some children were not affected because they had had no social contact before the pandemic or because their lives had not changed dramatically. Regarding the perceptions of children/mothers, most expressed that they/their children enjoyed spending time with their families. At home, mothers made various efforts to interact with their children. However, mothers and children differed in their perceptions, such as regarding the emergence of anxiety about conducting school events and the resolution of study-related concerns.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>There were negative, neutral, and positive effects on both children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers; specifically, they were striving to move forward to overcome the problems posed by the pandemic. Both parties tapped into their resilience by enhancing family interactions, such as cooking together or discussing children's interests.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>These findings have important implications for developing more creative solutions to the challenges of coping and resilience in future crises.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"8 ","pages":"23969415231212347"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10637136/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89719873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-19eCollection Date: 2023-01-01DOI: 10.1177/23969415231204837
Gaëtan Briet, Gaïd Le Maner-Idrissi, Tanguy Seveno, Olivier Le Marec, Sandrine Le Sourn-Bissaoui
Background and aims: Peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) are effective strategies to foster socialization of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in natural settings. However, research examining the efficacy of peer mediation for students with ASD who have the greatest cognitive and language impairments remains limited. Additionally, previous studies essentially targeted communicative abilities of participants. To address this gap, the present study evaluated the effects of a play-based PMI on three socio-communicative skills (play, social engagement and imitation) of minimally verbal students with ASD who also have a comorbidity of intellectual disability (ID).
Methods: Seven children with ASD attending ordinary school settings and 14 typically developing (TD) preschoolers participated. Seven single-sex groups were formed, and children played together during two 30 min weekly sessions. TD children were trained according to the principles of the integrated play group model. We used a multiple-baseline design across participants to measure the effects of the intervention on play skills, social engagement and motor imitation of students with ASD.
Results: Outcomes revealed an intervention effect for most of the participants, despite some variations across children. After the peer training, four children increased their duration of functional/symbolic play, six children improved their duration of interactive play and five children increased their rates of motor imitation. Concerning maintenance gains, inter-individual differences are also important.
Conclusions and implications: These findings suggest that a play-based PMI may be a feasible option for targeting inclusive education and improving socio-communicative skills of some minimally verbal students with ASD who also have an ID. However, variations across children invite further research to clarify how individual factors can moderate the effects of PMIs in children with ASD who are the most impaired.
{"title":"Peer mediation in play settings for minimally verbal students with autism Spectrum disorder.","authors":"Gaëtan Briet, Gaïd Le Maner-Idrissi, Tanguy Seveno, Olivier Le Marec, Sandrine Le Sourn-Bissaoui","doi":"10.1177/23969415231204837","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415231204837","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) are effective strategies to foster socialization of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in natural settings. However, research examining the efficacy of peer mediation for students with ASD who have the greatest cognitive and language impairments remains limited. Additionally, previous studies essentially targeted communicative abilities of participants. To address this gap, the present study evaluated the effects of a play-based PMI on three socio-communicative skills (play, social engagement and imitation) of minimally verbal students with ASD who also have a comorbidity of intellectual disability (ID).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seven children with ASD attending ordinary school settings and 14 typically developing (TD) preschoolers participated. Seven single-sex groups were formed, and children played together during two 30 min weekly sessions. TD children were trained according to the principles of the integrated play group model. We used a multiple-baseline design across participants to measure the effects of the intervention on play skills, social engagement and motor imitation of students with ASD.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Outcomes revealed an intervention effect for most of the participants, despite some variations across children. After the peer training, four children increased their duration of functional/symbolic play, six children improved their duration of interactive play and five children increased their rates of motor imitation. Concerning maintenance gains, inter-individual differences are also important.</p><p><strong>Conclusions and implications: </strong>These findings suggest that a play-based PMI may be a feasible option for targeting inclusive education and improving socio-communicative skills of some minimally verbal students with ASD who also have an ID. However, variations across children invite further research to clarify how individual factors can moderate the effects of PMIs in children with ASD who are the most impaired.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"8 ","pages":"23969415231204837"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/ca/29/10.1177_23969415231204837.PMC10588431.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49692728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-18eCollection Date: 2023-01-01DOI: 10.1177/23969415231207816
Laura Gray, Vivian Hill, Elizabeth Pellicano
Background and aims: Children and young people on the autism spectrum frequently report a range of negative educational experiences and face disproportionally high rates of school non-attendance, including school avoidance and permanent exclusion, which can have a significant impact on their well-being as well as educational and broader life outcomes. To date, few studies have examined the full range of proximal (child, parent/family, school levels) and distal (community and society levels) barriers to ensuring the school attendance and the inclusion of autistic pupils. The current study sought to do just that by examining autistic young peoples' school non-attendance and exclusion experiences from the perspectives of multiple informants.
Methods: We recruited 12 autistic pupils, who had previously experienced school avoidance and/or exclusion, from one local authority in England, United Kingdom. We conducted semi-structured interviews with the young people themselves, ten of their parents, eight of their current teachers and nine local authority professionals, including six educational psychologists and three specialist autism teachers. We analyzed interviewees' responses using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results: Interviewees gave overwhelmingly negative accounts of autistic pupils' school non-attendance and exclusion experiences. Our analysis identified a range of school-related factors they felt led to, or exacerbated, negative experiences in their former mainstream schools, and which ultimately led to their or their children's school non-attendance. It also went further to identify distal factors, including fragmented educational experiences, parents "fighting" against a complex bureaucratic system to secure appropriate education for their children, and limited professional involvement.
Conclusions: Our findings emphasize the importance of examining the broader context in which autistic pupils are embedded and demonstrate that such pupils are able to successfully attend-and even enjoy-school when they receive the appropriate care and support.
Implications: Schools and local authority professionals should seek to work in partnership with parents and autistic pupils to secure the necessary support for their inclusion in mainstream education. Government policy should support the provision of sufficient local authority professionals to adopt a more proactive approach to mitigate autistic pupils' avoidance of and exclusion from school.
{"title":"\"He's shouting so loud but nobody's hearing him\": A multi-informant study of autistic pupils' experiences of school non-attendance and exclusion.","authors":"Laura Gray, Vivian Hill, Elizabeth Pellicano","doi":"10.1177/23969415231207816","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415231207816","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Children and young people on the autism spectrum frequently report a range of negative educational experiences and face disproportionally high rates of school non-attendance, including school avoidance and permanent exclusion, which can have a significant impact on their well-being as well as educational and broader life outcomes. To date, few studies have examined the full range of proximal (child, parent/family, school levels) and distal (community and society levels) barriers to ensuring the school attendance and the inclusion of autistic pupils. The current study sought to do just that by examining autistic young peoples' school non-attendance and exclusion experiences from the perspectives of multiple informants.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We recruited 12 autistic pupils, who had previously experienced school avoidance and/or exclusion, from one local authority in England, United Kingdom. We conducted semi-structured interviews with the young people themselves, ten of their parents, eight of their current teachers and nine local authority professionals, including six educational psychologists and three specialist autism teachers. We analyzed interviewees' responses using reflexive thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Interviewees gave overwhelmingly negative accounts of autistic pupils' school non-attendance and exclusion experiences. Our analysis identified a range of school-related factors they felt led to, or exacerbated, negative experiences in their former mainstream schools, and which ultimately led to their or their children's school non-attendance. It also went further to identify distal factors, including fragmented educational experiences, parents \"fighting\" against a complex bureaucratic system to secure appropriate education for their children, and limited professional involvement.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings emphasize the importance of examining the broader context in which autistic pupils are embedded and demonstrate that such pupils are able to successfully attend-and even enjoy-school when they receive the appropriate care and support.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>Schools and local authority professionals should seek to work in partnership with parents and autistic pupils to secure the necessary support for their inclusion in mainstream education. Government policy should support the provision of sufficient local authority professionals to adopt a more proactive approach to mitigate autistic pupils' avoidance of and exclusion from school.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"8 ","pages":"23969415231207816"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10583514/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49683158","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-01DOI: 10.1177/23969415231210482
Jodie Smith, Aspasia Stacey Rabba, Poulomee Datta, Emma Dresens, Rena Wang, Lin Cong, Ngoc Dang, Gabrielle Hall, Melanie Heyworth, Wenn Lawson, Patricia Lee, Rozanna Lilley, Emily Ma, Hau T T Nguyen, Kim-Van Nguyen, Phuc Nguyen, Chong Tze Yeow, Elizabeth Pellicano
Background and aims Participatory research involves academic partners working together with the community that is affected by research to make decisions about that research. Such approaches often result in research that is more respectful of, and responsive to, community preferences – and is vital in the context of autism research with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. Whilst participatory approaches are becoming more commonplace within CALD autism research, no studies have explored the experiences of being involved in autism research from the perspectives of CALD community partners over the course of a study. This paper intended to address this gap by reporting on the experiences of CALD parents of autistic children who were community partners in a 1-year Australian research project exploring home–school partnerships for CALD parents of autistic children. We aimed to: (1) report on how parents’ involvement in the research process shaped the home–school partnerships study over time and (2) understand their experiences of being community partners on the home–school partnerships project. Methods Using key principles of participatory approaches, we established Chinese and Vietnamese parent advisory groups to contribute to a project exploring home–school partnerships for parents of autistic children from CALD backgrounds in Australia. Advisory groups included parents of autistic children from Chinese/Vietnamese backgrounds, as well as interpreters, professionals and researchers. We documented how parents’ participation as community partners shaped the home–school partnerships study over the course of the project. We also elicited parents’ own views and experiences of being community partners through informal, open-ended questions at the beginning and end of the study. Results We found that parents’ input fundamentally shaped the broader home–school partnership study, from meaningful, accurate translation of interview schedules through to making decisions regarding community-specific recommendations and dissemination plans. Parents themselves reported being keen to collaborate and to hear and share opinions for the purpose of the home–school partnership study – although they noted how emotionally difficult sharing their stories could be. While they initially had some concerns about combining being involved as a community partner with their existing responsibilities, ultimately, parents were surprised by the scope of the home–school partnership study and their level of involvement as community partners. Through hearing others’ stories and sharing their own in advisory group meetings, parents reported ancillary benefits of their involvement, including increased self-advocacy and well-being. Conclusions These findings show how research that is conducted in partnership with diverse members of the autism community has the capacity to improve the quality of the research and benefit community partners. Implications This study clearly
{"title":"‘It's really important to be collaborating’: Experiences of participatory research for Chinese and Vietnamese parents of autistic children","authors":"Jodie Smith, Aspasia Stacey Rabba, Poulomee Datta, Emma Dresens, Rena Wang, Lin Cong, Ngoc Dang, Gabrielle Hall, Melanie Heyworth, Wenn Lawson, Patricia Lee, Rozanna Lilley, Emily Ma, Hau T T Nguyen, Kim-Van Nguyen, Phuc Nguyen, Chong Tze Yeow, Elizabeth Pellicano","doi":"10.1177/23969415231210482","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415231210482","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims Participatory research involves academic partners working together with the community that is affected by research to make decisions about that research. Such approaches often result in research that is more respectful of, and responsive to, community preferences – and is vital in the context of autism research with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. Whilst participatory approaches are becoming more commonplace within CALD autism research, no studies have explored the experiences of being involved in autism research from the perspectives of CALD community partners over the course of a study. This paper intended to address this gap by reporting on the experiences of CALD parents of autistic children who were community partners in a 1-year Australian research project exploring home–school partnerships for CALD parents of autistic children. We aimed to: (1) report on how parents’ involvement in the research process shaped the home–school partnerships study over time and (2) understand their experiences of being community partners on the home–school partnerships project. Methods Using key principles of participatory approaches, we established Chinese and Vietnamese parent advisory groups to contribute to a project exploring home–school partnerships for parents of autistic children from CALD backgrounds in Australia. Advisory groups included parents of autistic children from Chinese/Vietnamese backgrounds, as well as interpreters, professionals and researchers. We documented how parents’ participation as community partners shaped the home–school partnerships study over the course of the project. We also elicited parents’ own views and experiences of being community partners through informal, open-ended questions at the beginning and end of the study. Results We found that parents’ input fundamentally shaped the broader home–school partnership study, from meaningful, accurate translation of interview schedules through to making decisions regarding community-specific recommendations and dissemination plans. Parents themselves reported being keen to collaborate and to hear and share opinions for the purpose of the home–school partnership study – although they noted how emotionally difficult sharing their stories could be. While they initially had some concerns about combining being involved as a community partner with their existing responsibilities, ultimately, parents were surprised by the scope of the home–school partnership study and their level of involvement as community partners. Through hearing others’ stories and sharing their own in advisory group meetings, parents reported ancillary benefits of their involvement, including increased self-advocacy and well-being. Conclusions These findings show how research that is conducted in partnership with diverse members of the autism community has the capacity to improve the quality of the research and benefit community partners. Implications This study clearly ","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"36 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135662278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-01DOI: 10.1177/23969415231159552
Lorna G. Hamilton, L. Kelly, S. Mesa
Survey research indicates that autistic children and young people experienced high levels of anxiety and isolation during lockdowns in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Meanwhile, qualitative studies suggest that there may have been some benefits in the switch to home learning for this population. However, the majority of evidence to date comes from parent reports; the current study aimed to triangulate the perspectives of autistic youth and their parents in order to more fully understand the impact of periods of lockdown on education, relationships, and wellbeing. Thirteen semistructured interviews were conducted (six with adolescents, seven with parents) to explore the experiences of a group of autistic youth aged 13–14 years (Year 9 of mainstream education in England) during a period of intermittent lockdown. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Two broad themes capturing commonality and diversity in the adolescents’ experiences of lockdown were developed. (1) “Different stress, not less stress” encapsulates the finding that, despite the enforced removal from the school environment providing short-term relief, new stressors contributed to consistently high levels of anxiety for the young people throughout lockdown periods. Stressors included managing home-school within the family unit, navigating time without boundaries, and anxiety about the virus. (2) “A shrunken world” reflects the heightened impact of losing access to meaningful social relationships, extracurricular pursuits, and health-promoting activities for autistic youth. The early stages of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic caused serious disruption to education for many children and young people globally,;our findings provide further evidence that the impact was particularly salient for autistic youth in terms of social isolation, lost learning, and heightened anxiety. These findings underscore the necessity of long-term support for the education, social needs, and mental health of autistic young people in the aftermath of lockdowns in response to COVID-19.
{"title":"“I’m able to function better when I know there's a beginning and an end time”: Autistic adolescents’ experiences of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Lorna G. Hamilton, L. Kelly, S. Mesa","doi":"10.1177/23969415231159552","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415231159552","url":null,"abstract":"Survey research indicates that autistic children and young people experienced high levels of anxiety and isolation during lockdowns in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Meanwhile, qualitative studies suggest that there may have been some benefits in the switch to home learning for this population. However, the majority of evidence to date comes from parent reports; the current study aimed to triangulate the perspectives of autistic youth and their parents in order to more fully understand the impact of periods of lockdown on education, relationships, and wellbeing. Thirteen semistructured interviews were conducted (six with adolescents, seven with parents) to explore the experiences of a group of autistic youth aged 13–14 years (Year 9 of mainstream education in England) during a period of intermittent lockdown. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Two broad themes capturing commonality and diversity in the adolescents’ experiences of lockdown were developed. (1) “Different stress, not less stress” encapsulates the finding that, despite the enforced removal from the school environment providing short-term relief, new stressors contributed to consistently high levels of anxiety for the young people throughout lockdown periods. Stressors included managing home-school within the family unit, navigating time without boundaries, and anxiety about the virus. (2) “A shrunken world” reflects the heightened impact of losing access to meaningful social relationships, extracurricular pursuits, and health-promoting activities for autistic youth. The early stages of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic caused serious disruption to education for many children and young people globally,;our findings provide further evidence that the impact was particularly salient for autistic youth in terms of social isolation, lost learning, and heightened anxiety. These findings underscore the necessity of long-term support for the education, social needs, and mental health of autistic young people in the aftermath of lockdowns in response to COVID-19.","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83883847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-12-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519896736
Rebecca D. Armstrong, Jessica Paynter, Marleen F. Westerveld
Background and aims Children’s early interactions with books are important for fostering development of oral language and emergent literacy skills. It is not known whether children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder show different preferences for text types in the home environment prior to school entry. The current study aimed to: (i) investigate parent-reports of the favourite books of their children with autism spectrum disorder compared to typically developing children and (ii) identify whether there are differences in the reasons why books were preferred across the two groups. Methods Participants included children (aged 26–70 months) with autism spectrum disorder (n = 41) and typically developing peers (n = 164). Parent-reports of their child’s current favourite book/s were coded as fiction versus non-fiction and also category type. Parents also reported why the book was considered a favourite and this was coded. Results There were no differences between groups for fiction versus non-fiction, with both groups preferring fiction (>95% of responses). A strong category preference for animal topics across both groups was present. Significant group differences were found when asked to select specific reasons for favourite book preferences. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence of similarities between preschool children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing peers’ preferences for fiction books during the early years. Implications It should not be assumed that children with autism spectrum disorder have different preferences for book types compared to typically developing children in the early years of development. Providing preschoolers with a range of book types during the preschool years will help to facilitate early language and emergent literacy skills.
{"title":"Fiction or non-fiction: Parent-reported book preferences of their preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder","authors":"Rebecca D. Armstrong, Jessica Paynter, Marleen F. Westerveld","doi":"10.1177/2396941519896736","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519896736","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims Children’s early interactions with books are important for fostering development of oral language and emergent literacy skills. It is not known whether children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder show different preferences for text types in the home environment prior to school entry. The current study aimed to: (i) investigate parent-reports of the favourite books of their children with autism spectrum disorder compared to typically developing children and (ii) identify whether there are differences in the reasons why books were preferred across the two groups. Methods Participants included children (aged 26–70 months) with autism spectrum disorder (n = 41) and typically developing peers (n = 164). Parent-reports of their child’s current favourite book/s were coded as fiction versus non-fiction and also category type. Parents also reported why the book was considered a favourite and this was coded. Results There were no differences between groups for fiction versus non-fiction, with both groups preferring fiction (>95% of responses). A strong category preference for animal topics across both groups was present. Significant group differences were found when asked to select specific reasons for favourite book preferences. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence of similarities between preschool children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing peers’ preferences for fiction books during the early years. Implications It should not be assumed that children with autism spectrum disorder have different preferences for book types compared to typically developing children in the early years of development. Providing preschoolers with a range of book types during the preschool years will help to facilitate early language and emergent literacy skills.","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519896736","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44286485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-11-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519886475
A. Croydon, A. Remington, Lorcan Kenny, E. Pellicano
Background & aims According to parents, teachers and policymakers alike, including autistic children and young people in mainstream schools is notoriously difficult – especially so for the significant minority of young people on the autism spectrum with additional intellectual, communication and behavioural needs. The current study sought to understand the perceived impact of one particular, emerging model of education, in which selected students from special schools are transferred to dedicated ‘satellite’ classes in local, mainstream partner schools, while continuing to receive the tailored curriculum and specialist teaching of the originating school. Methods We conducted interviews with London-based young autistic people (n = 19), their parents/carers and teachers to understand their experiences of transitioning from specialist to satellite mainstream provision. Results Participants overwhelmingly welcomed the prospect of transition and its perceived benefits in the short and longer term. Young people and families celebrated achieving access to ‘more normal places and things’, ‘seeing what others are doing’, and greater autonomy, without losing the trusted expert support of their former special school. Young people also felt a deep sense of belonging to their new mainstream school, despite only being minimally included in regular mainstream classes and activities. Teachers were equally positive and felt that their students had responded to higher expectations in their new mainstream schools, reportedly resulting in better behavioural regulation and more sustained attention in the classroom. Conclusions The strikingly positive evaluations provided by all participants suggest that this satellite model of education might have advantages for young autistic people with additional intellectual disability, when appropriate support extends across transition and beyond. Implications These findings shed light on the experiences of an under-researched group of autistic students and a specific model of education – following a needs-based perspective on inclusion – that seeks to extend their participation in local schools. Future research should examine the potential effects of satellite classrooms on the knowledge of, and attitudes toward, autism in non-autistic mainstream peers.
{"title":"‘This is what we’ve always wanted’: Perspectives on young autistic people’s transition from special school to mainstream satellite classes","authors":"A. Croydon, A. Remington, Lorcan Kenny, E. Pellicano","doi":"10.1177/2396941519886475","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519886475","url":null,"abstract":"Background & aims According to parents, teachers and policymakers alike, including autistic children and young people in mainstream schools is notoriously difficult – especially so for the significant minority of young people on the autism spectrum with additional intellectual, communication and behavioural needs. The current study sought to understand the perceived impact of one particular, emerging model of education, in which selected students from special schools are transferred to dedicated ‘satellite’ classes in local, mainstream partner schools, while continuing to receive the tailored curriculum and specialist teaching of the originating school. Methods We conducted interviews with London-based young autistic people (n = 19), their parents/carers and teachers to understand their experiences of transitioning from specialist to satellite mainstream provision. Results Participants overwhelmingly welcomed the prospect of transition and its perceived benefits in the short and longer term. Young people and families celebrated achieving access to ‘more normal places and things’, ‘seeing what others are doing’, and greater autonomy, without losing the trusted expert support of their former special school. Young people also felt a deep sense of belonging to their new mainstream school, despite only being minimally included in regular mainstream classes and activities. Teachers were equally positive and felt that their students had responded to higher expectations in their new mainstream schools, reportedly resulting in better behavioural regulation and more sustained attention in the classroom. Conclusions The strikingly positive evaluations provided by all participants suggest that this satellite model of education might have advantages for young autistic people with additional intellectual disability, when appropriate support extends across transition and beyond. Implications These findings shed light on the experiences of an under-researched group of autistic students and a specific model of education – following a needs-based perspective on inclusion – that seeks to extend their participation in local schools. Future research should examine the potential effects of satellite classrooms on the knowledge of, and attitudes toward, autism in non-autistic mainstream peers.","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"36 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519886475","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41302614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-06-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519855390
Erinn H. Finke, Jillian H. McCarthy, Natalie A Sarver
Background It has been reported that people on the autism spectrum have difficulty making and maintaining friendships. Congruence of perspective on friendships and friendship practices may affect the frequency and intensity of friendships, but this is not well understood. Aims The aims of the current project were to identify the similarities and differences in the broad perspectives and friendship practices of young adults with and without autism. Method and procedures Young adults with and without autism between the ages of 18 and 24 years completed an online survey to determine the friendship preferences that most define the perspectives of young adults with autism. Outcomes and results The results identified primarily differences in the broad perspectives and friendship practices of young adults with and without autism spectrum disorder, which may provide a context for understanding the values and priorities that need to be considered as two people (whether they have an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis or not) embark on a new potential friendship, and may help people with autism (as well as clinicians, educators, and caregivers) understand why some friendships flounder and others are established and maintained with relative ease.
{"title":"Self-perception of friendship style: Young adults with and without autism spectrum disorder","authors":"Erinn H. Finke, Jillian H. McCarthy, Natalie A Sarver","doi":"10.1177/2396941519855390","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519855390","url":null,"abstract":"Background It has been reported that people on the autism spectrum have difficulty making and maintaining friendships. Congruence of perspective on friendships and friendship practices may affect the frequency and intensity of friendships, but this is not well understood. Aims The aims of the current project were to identify the similarities and differences in the broad perspectives and friendship practices of young adults with and without autism. Method and procedures Young adults with and without autism between the ages of 18 and 24 years completed an online survey to determine the friendship preferences that most define the perspectives of young adults with autism. Outcomes and results The results identified primarily differences in the broad perspectives and friendship practices of young adults with and without autism spectrum disorder, which may provide a context for understanding the values and priorities that need to be considered as two people (whether they have an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis or not) embark on a new potential friendship, and may help people with autism (as well as clinicians, educators, and caregivers) understand why some friendships flounder and others are established and maintained with relative ease.","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519855390","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43891044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-05-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519845545
S. S. Manwaring, Lauren B Swineford, Danielle L. Mead, Chih-Ching Yeh, Yue Zhang, A. Thurm
Background and aims Young children with language delays or other factors that heighten risk for autism spectrum disorder often show reduced gesture use. In particular, deictic gestures such as pointing and showing are reported to be deficient in young children with autism spectrum disorder, and their use has been found to predict expressive vocabulary development. The first aim of this study was to examine the production of two types of gestures (deictic and conventional) for two communicative functions (behavior regulation and joint attention) across two observational contexts in a sample of 18-month-old toddlers with significant language delays compared to typical controls. The second aim was to examine if and how gesture use (type and communicative function) at 18 months is associated with later receptive and expressive language. Methods Toddlers with significant language delays (n = 30) or typical development (n = 62) were drawn from longitudinal studies of early language delay as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder. Toddlers identified with early language delay were classified based on a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (n = 12) or non-autism spectrum disorder (n = 18) after an evaluation at 36 months. Gestures were coded from video recordings of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile–Behavior Sample and a naturalistic parent–child interaction obtained at 18 months. Language outcomes included receptive and expressive age equivalents from the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the number of words produced on the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories. Results At 18 months, toddlers with language delay showed reduced deictic and conventional gesture use in both the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile–Behavior Sample and parent–child interaction compared to toddlers with typical development. Within the language delay group, toddlers with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis at outcome also produced significantly fewer deictic gestures than those without an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis across both communicative functions and observational contexts. While all groups of toddlers gestured more in the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile–Behavior Sample, the mean difference in gesture use between the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile–Behavior Sample and parent–child interaction was significantly larger in toddlers with typical development than language delay for deictic gestures, as compared to the difference between the two contexts for conventional gestures. In the combined sample, a significant association was found between deictic gestures used in the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile–Behavior Sample and change in the number of words produced from 18 to 36 months, accounting for significant demographic and developmental confounders. Conclusions Findings show that e
{"title":"The gesture–language association over time in toddlers with and without language delays","authors":"S. S. Manwaring, Lauren B Swineford, Danielle L. Mead, Chih-Ching Yeh, Yue Zhang, A. Thurm","doi":"10.1177/2396941519845545","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519845545","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims Young children with language delays or other factors that heighten risk for autism spectrum disorder often show reduced gesture use. In particular, deictic gestures such as pointing and showing are reported to be deficient in young children with autism spectrum disorder, and their use has been found to predict expressive vocabulary development. The first aim of this study was to examine the production of two types of gestures (deictic and conventional) for two communicative functions (behavior regulation and joint attention) across two observational contexts in a sample of 18-month-old toddlers with significant language delays compared to typical controls. The second aim was to examine if and how gesture use (type and communicative function) at 18 months is associated with later receptive and expressive language. Methods Toddlers with significant language delays (n = 30) or typical development (n = 62) were drawn from longitudinal studies of early language delay as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder. Toddlers identified with early language delay were classified based on a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (n = 12) or non-autism spectrum disorder (n = 18) after an evaluation at 36 months. Gestures were coded from video recordings of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile–Behavior Sample and a naturalistic parent–child interaction obtained at 18 months. Language outcomes included receptive and expressive age equivalents from the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the number of words produced on the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories. Results At 18 months, toddlers with language delay showed reduced deictic and conventional gesture use in both the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile–Behavior Sample and parent–child interaction compared to toddlers with typical development. Within the language delay group, toddlers with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis at outcome also produced significantly fewer deictic gestures than those without an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis across both communicative functions and observational contexts. While all groups of toddlers gestured more in the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile–Behavior Sample, the mean difference in gesture use between the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile–Behavior Sample and parent–child interaction was significantly larger in toddlers with typical development than language delay for deictic gestures, as compared to the difference between the two contexts for conventional gestures. In the combined sample, a significant association was found between deictic gestures used in the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile–Behavior Sample and change in the number of words produced from 18 to 36 months, accounting for significant demographic and developmental confounders. Conclusions Findings show that e","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519845545","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42324049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-04-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519845201
Mitsuaki Iwasa, Y. Shimizu, Ikuko Hara, M. Imai, Hideo Honda
Background and aims In many countries, early detection and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is largely dependent on parents’ initial concern with early symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Previous research on parental perceptions of the autism spectrum disorder diagnostic process indicates that parental satisfaction may be due to either the timing of the diagnostic notification or the provision of post-diagnostic support. The objective of this research is to study the diagnostic notification process and its impact on parents who are informed of their young child’s diagnosis before they notice a problem and whose child undergoes early intervention therapy. Methods Eighty parents of preschool children diagnosed and undergoing early intervention for autism were surveyed to examine their experience of the diagnostic disclosure process. Results Of 68 respondents, 39 (58.2%) approved of the timing of diagnostic notification, while 10 of 13 dissatisfied respondents indicated that the diagnosis was communicated too late. However, there was no correlation between a higher degree of parental satisfaction with the diagnostic notification process and earlier timing of notification. Conclusions Although it is preferable to communicate a diagnosis of childhood autism as soon as possible, findings suggest that a highly individualized approach, allowing a degree of latitude in the timing of notification, may be permissible, depending on the individual case and parental readiness to receive the diagnosis. Implications Findings have clinical implications related to the concept of optimality of diagnostic disclosure as related to the diagnostic notification process, though later notification tends to lead to more dissatisfaction.
{"title":"The earlier, the better? Diagnostic experiences of parents in a community-based early intervention system for preschool children with autism","authors":"Mitsuaki Iwasa, Y. Shimizu, Ikuko Hara, M. Imai, Hideo Honda","doi":"10.1177/2396941519845201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519845201","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims In many countries, early detection and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is largely dependent on parents’ initial concern with early symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Previous research on parental perceptions of the autism spectrum disorder diagnostic process indicates that parental satisfaction may be due to either the timing of the diagnostic notification or the provision of post-diagnostic support. The objective of this research is to study the diagnostic notification process and its impact on parents who are informed of their young child’s diagnosis before they notice a problem and whose child undergoes early intervention therapy. Methods Eighty parents of preschool children diagnosed and undergoing early intervention for autism were surveyed to examine their experience of the diagnostic disclosure process. Results Of 68 respondents, 39 (58.2%) approved of the timing of diagnostic notification, while 10 of 13 dissatisfied respondents indicated that the diagnosis was communicated too late. However, there was no correlation between a higher degree of parental satisfaction with the diagnostic notification process and earlier timing of notification. Conclusions Although it is preferable to communicate a diagnosis of childhood autism as soon as possible, findings suggest that a highly individualized approach, allowing a degree of latitude in the timing of notification, may be permissible, depending on the individual case and parental readiness to receive the diagnosis. Implications Findings have clinical implications related to the concept of optimality of diagnostic disclosure as related to the diagnostic notification process, though later notification tends to lead to more dissatisfaction.","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519845201","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42382629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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