Using stimulus equivalence to teach monetary skills to school-age children with autism

The present study evaluated the use of stimulus equivalence in teaching monetary skills to school aged children with autism. An AB within-subject design with periodic probes was used. At pretest, three participants demonstrated relation DA, an auditory-visual relation (matching dictated coin values to printed coin prices). Using a three-choice match-to-sample procedure, with a multi-component intervention package, these participants were taught two trained relations, BA (matching coins to printed prices) and CA (matching coin combinations to printed prices). Two participants achieved positive tests of equivalence, and the third participant demonstrated emergent performances with a symmetric and transitive relation. In addition, two participants were able to show generalization of learned skills with a parent, in a second naturalistic setting. The present research replicates and extends the results of previous studies by demonstrating that stimulus equivalence can be used to teach an adaptive skill to children with autism.

A naturalistic observation of the play behaviour of children with autism spectrum disorders /

Cognitive and social levels of play engaged in by four-to-eight-year-old children with autism spectrum disorders were examined in naturalistic classroom settings. In addition, play at home was compared with play at school via parent and educator interviews. Seventeen school-age children, their educators and caregivers participated in the study. The most frequently observed play behaviours included parallel-functional play, adult interactions and solitary-functional play. The play of the children in the current study was consistent with that of typically-developing preschoolers. Mothers and educators did not differ significantly in their perspectives of the participants' play behaviours. In general, educators' and caregivers' reports were positively related to researcher observations of participants' play behaviours. Methodological considerations and practical implications for the findings are discussed.

Exploring an emotion intervention for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder /

The purpose of this multiple case study was 1) to explore the effectiveness of an emotions recognition program for preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and 2) to investigate one parent's perception of the emotions program. To address these objectives, the emotion unit scores of 7 preschoolers with ASD aged 3 to 5 years old (1 female, 6 males) were graphed and analyzed using visual inspection. In addition, the mother of 1 participant was interviewed to explore her perceptions of the emotions program and emotional learning. Overall, results revealed that participants' emotion recognition scores increased over the course of the emotions unit. The parent reported improvements in her son's expression and understanding of emotion, but noted that he continued to have difficulty with regulation of emotion. Implications for theory, education, and future research are discussed.

Field effectiveness of stimulus equivalence for teaching reading skills to children with autism

Stimulus equivalence involves teaching two conditional discriminations that share one stimulus in common and testing all possible conditional discriminations not taught (Saunders & Green, 1999). Despite considerable research in the laboratory, applied studies of stimulus equivalence have been limited (Vause, Martin, Marion, & Sakko, 2005). This study investigated the field-effectiveness of stimulus equivalence in teaching reading skills to children with Autism. Participants were four children with Autism receiving centre-based intensive behavioural intervention (lBI) treatment. Three of the participants, who already matched pictures to their dictated names, demonstrated six to eight more emergent performances after being taught only to match written words to the same names. One participant struggled with the demands of the study and his participation was discontinued. Results suggest that stimulus equivalence provided an effective and efficient teaching strategy for three of the four participants in this study.

A comparison of functional behaviour assessment rating scales in a sample of children and youth with autism spectrum disorders

This study sought to compare the results of the Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS; Durand & Crimmins, 1988), Questions About Behavior Function Scale (QABF; Matson & Vollmer, 1996) and Functional Analysis Screening Tool (FAST; Iwata & Deleon, 1996), when completed by parent informants in a sample of children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who display challenging behaviour. Results indicated that there was low agreement between the functional hypotheses derived from each of three measures. In addition, correlations between functionally analogous scales were substantially lower than expected, while correlations between non-analogous subscales were stronger than anticipated. As indicated by this study, clinicians choosing to use FBA questionnaires to assess behavioural function, may not obtain accurate functional hypotheses, potentially resulting in ineffective intervention plans. The current study underscores the caution that must be taken when asking parents to complete these questionnaires to determine the function(s) of challenging behaviour for children/youth with ASD.

Detectives and Superheroes: A Pilot Study Teaching Flexible Thinking in Social Situations to a Child with High Functioning Autism

Complex social-cognitive deficits are common in individuals diagnosed with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome. Research on effective and evidence-based social interventions is needed for this population. This study focused specifically on the challenges these individuals face with respect to flexible thinking and related flexible behaviour in social situations. Madrigal and Winner's (2008) Superflex curriculum - targets social flexibility, however at the time of this study no published research had been conducted to determine the effectiveness of this approach. This study was a pilot study, which sought to examine the impact of the Superflex curriculum within a 10-week training program in teaching one individual with high functioning autism how to think and behave flexibly in social situations. Multiple measurement tools were utilized, and analyses within and across the measures revealed inconsistencies, especially with respect to generalization. Although preliminary, this study provided valuable information for subsequent research.

Temple Grandin fonds, 1974-2006 (non-inclusive)

Temple Grandin was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 29,1947 to Richard Grandin and Eustacia Cutler. She was diagnosed with autism at age 2. She suffered from delayed speech development and did not begin to speak until the age of 4. Temple’s mother defied the doctors and kept her out of institutions. Temple was given speech therapy as well as an intensive education. Her high school science teacher and her aunt on a ranch in Arizona inspired Temple to continue her studies and pursue a career as a scientist and livestock equipment designer.She graduated from Hampshire Country School (a boarding school for gifted children) in Ridge, New Hampshire in 1966, and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Franklin Pierce College in 1970. In 1975, she received a master’s degree in animal science from Arizona State University and then a doctoral degree in animal science from the University of Illinois in 1989. She is currently a professor at Colorado State University. Dr. Grandin is one of the world’s leaders in the design of livestock handling facilities. She has done extensive work in design of handling facilities for animals and has developed animal welfare guidelines for the meat industries. Dr. Grandin is a past member of the board of directors of the Autism Society of America. She lectures to parents and teachers throughout the U.S. on her experiences with autism. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers and verbal thinkers. Some of Temple Grandin’s books include: Animals Make Us Human, Animals in Translation, The Way I See It, The Autistic Brain, and Different…Not Less. In 2010, a movie entitled “Temple Grandin” starring Clare Danes was released. The movie was based on Grandin’s own writings. Temple Grandin is an expert on animal behavior, a bestselling author, and an autism activist. In 2010, she was listed in the “Heroes” category in the “Time” list of the world’s 100 most influential people. She has received numerous awards including an honorary doctorate from McGill, the University of Illinois and Duke University. Temple Granin is a philosophical leader of both the animal welfare and autism advocacy movements. sources: http://www.templegrandin.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin

Mandy Klein fonds

Mandy Klein was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome as an adult. Her husband also has Asperger’s syndrome, and together they have a daughter with autism. She lives in Ontario and writes about her family’s experiences with autism on her blog, Tales from an Autism Family, http://talesfromanaustismfamily.blogspot.ca.

Andrew Bloomfield collection, 2006-2012

Andrew Bloomfield, and his twin sister Victoria, were born on May 6, 1968 in Auckland, New Zealand. The following year, the family moved to Guelph, Ontario. It became apparent from the time Andrew was 14 months old that he differed considerably from his twin sister, and he was subsequently diagnosed with autism when he was four years old. As a result, he lived away from his family for much of his early life in order to participate in programs for autistic people. Andrew found this very difficult, but also made some significant progress. He became able to relate to and care for his dog, and was able to express his thoughts with Augmentative and Alternative Communication, especially using Supported Typing. His twin sister Victoria was an important person in his life, and her untimely death in a car accident in 1996 devastated him. However, his network of friends and family have provided immense support and helped him build a fulfilling and meaningful life. In 2004 Andrew founded a group of other adult communicators who "type to talk" which he named "Bridges-Over-Barriers". They meet monthly in Guelph and contributed to the 2010 volume with accompanying documentary film on DVD. He lives in his own home in Guelph, guaranteed by a housing trust, and has written several books, including an autobiography, Bridges over Barriers in My Life with Autism.

Estee Klar fonds, 2005-2014

Estee Klar is the founder and executive director of The Autism Acceptance Project, an organization that strives to support people with autism by promoting acceptance and inclusion of these individuals. She is the mother of a son, Adam, who has autism, and writes about her experiences with him on her blog, found at http://www.esteeklar.com. She also writes about issues concerning autism in the area of human rights, law, and social justice, and has contributed to several books, including The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism, Between Interruptions: Thirty Women Tell the Truth about Motherhood, and Concepts of Normality: The Autistic and Typical Spectrum. Currently, she is a Ph.D. candidate at York University, Critical Disability Studies, as well as a writer and freelance curator of art.

Bettelheim, Tinbergen and Hall fonds, 1972-1981

Elizabeth Hall was a managing editor of Psychology Today, who on separate occasions interviewed Oxford ethologist Nikolaas Tinbergen (1907-1988) and psychologist Bruno Bettelheim (1903-1990). Her 1973 interview with Tinbergen, conducted at his vacation home in the Cumberland region of northern England, was published later that year in Psychology Today. She left the magazine in 1976 to run the journal Human Nature, but left this position in 1979. She continued to contribute articles to various magazines, but most notably to Psychology Today. Her interview with Bruno Bettelheim appeared in that magazine in 1981.

Cynthia Kim fonds, 2012-2015

Cynthia Kim was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome when she was 42 years old. She has contributed articles to Autism Parenting magazine, Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, and Autism West Midlands’ magazine. She has also written two books on autism, I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults, and Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate: A User Guide to an Asperger Life.

The Autism Acceptance Project fonds, 2006-2008

The Autism Acceptance Project was established in 2006 by Estee Klar, an art curator, writer and mother to a child labeled autistic. The Project “is dedicated to promoting acceptance of and accommodations for autistic people in society.” TAAP has an autistic advisory board, and is funded by private donations. In 2006, TAAP organized an exhibition, The Joy of Autism: Redefining Ability and Quality of Life. The event displayed the work of a dozen autistic artists, as well as video and other installations which illustrated the burgeoning autistic rights movement and forwarded the concept of Neurodiversity.

Développement et fonctionnement des mécanismes de résonance motrice chez l'humain

La découverte dans le cerveau du singe macaque de cellules visuo-motrices qui répondent de façon identique à la production et la perception d’actes moteurs soutient l’idée que ces cellules, connues sous le nom de neurones-miroirs, encoderaient la représentation d’actes moteurs. Ces neurones, et le système qu’ils forment, constitueraient un système de compréhension moteur; par delà la simple représentation motrice, il est également possible que ce système participe à des processus de haut niveau en lien avec la cognition sociale. Chez l’humain adulte, des études d’imagerie récentes montrent d’importants chevauchements entre les patrons d’activité liés à l’exécution d’actes moteurs et ceux associés à la perception d’actions. Cependant, malgré le nombre important d’études sur ce système de résonance motrice, étonnamment peu se sont penchées sur les aspects développementaux de ce mécanisme, de même que sa relation avec certaines habiletés sociales dans la population neurotypique. De plus, malgré l’utilisation répandue de certaines techniques neurophysiologiques pour quantifier l’activité de ce système, notamment l’électroencéphalographie et la stimulation magnétique transcrânienne, on ignore en grande partie la spécificité et la convergence de ces mesures dans l’étude des processus de résonance motrice. Les études rassemblées ici visent à combler ces lacunes, c'est-à-dire (1) définir l’existence et les propriétés fonctionnelles du système de résonance motrice chez l’enfant humain, (2) établir le lien entre ce système et certaines habiletés sociales spécifiques et (3) déterminer la validité des outils d’investigation couramment utilisés pour mesurer son activité. Dans l’article 1, l’électroencéphalographie quantitative est utilisée afin de mesurer l’activité des régions sensorimotrices chez un groupe d’enfants d’âge scolaire durant la perception d’actions de la main. On y démontre une modulation de l’activité du rythme mu aux sites centraux non seulement lors de l’exécution de tâches motrices, mais également lors de l’observation passive d’actions. Ces résultats soutiennent l’hypothèse de l’existence d’un système de résonance motrice sensible aux représentations visuelles d’actes moteurs dans le cerveau immature. L’article 2 constitue une étude de cas réalisée chez une jeune fille de 12 ans opérée pour épilepsie réfractaire aux médicaments. L’électroencéphalographie intracrânienne est utilisée afin d’évaluer le recrutement du cortex moteur lors de la perception de sons d’actions. On y montre une modulation de l’activité du cortex moteur, visible dans deux périodes distinctes, qui se reflètent par une diminution de la puissance spectrale des fréquences beta et alpha. Ces résultats soutiennent l’hypothèse de l’existence d’un système de résonance motrice sensible aux représentations auditives d’actions chez l’enfant. L’article 3 constitue une recension des écrits portant sur les données comportementales et neurophysiologiques qui suggèrent la présence d’un système de compréhension d’action fonctionnel dès la naissance. On y propose un modèle théorique où les comportements d’imitation néonataux sont vus comme la résultante de mécanismes d’appariement moteurs non inhibés. Afin de mesurer adéquatement la présence de traits empathiques et autistique dans le but de les mettre en relation avec l’activité du système de résonance motrice, l’article 4 consiste en une validation de versions françaises des échelles Empathy Quotient (Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright, 2004) et Autism Spectrum Quotient (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001) qui seront utilisées dans l’article 5. Les versions traduites de ces échelles ont été administrées à 100 individus sains et 23 personnes avec un trouble du spectre autistique. Les résultats répliquent fidèlement ceux obtenus avec les questionnaires en version anglaise, ce qui suggère la validité des versions françaises. Dans l’article 5, on utilise la stimulation magnétique transcrânienne afin d’investiguer le décours temporel de l’activité du cortex moteur durant la perception d’action et le lien de cette activité avec la présence de traits autistiques et empathiques chez des individus normaux. On y montre que le cortex moteur est rapidement activé suivant la perception d’un mouvement moteur, et que cette activité est corrélée avec les mesures sociocognitives utilisées. Ces résultats suggèrent l’existence d’un système d’appariement moteur rapide dans le cerveau humain dont l’activité est associée aux aptitudes sociales. L’article 6 porte sur la spécificité des outils d’investigation neurophysiologique utilisés dans les études précédentes : la stimulation magnétique transcrânienne et l’électroencéphalographie quantitative. En utilisant ces deux techniques simultanément lors d’observation, d’imagination et d’exécution d’actions, on montre qu’elles évaluent possiblement des processus distincts au sein du système de résonance motrice. En résumé, cette thèse vise à documenter l’existence d’un système de résonance motrice chez l’enfant, d’établir le lien entre son fonctionnement et certaines aptitudes sociales et d’évaluer la validité et la spécificité des outils utilisés pour mesurer l’activité au sein de ce système. Bien que des recherches subséquentes s’avèrent nécessaires afin de compléter le travail entamé ici, les études présentées constituent une avancée significative dans la compréhension du développement et du fonctionnement du système de résonance motrice, et pourraient éventuellement contribuer à l’élaboration d’outils diagnostiques et/ou de thérapeutiques chez des populations où des anomalies de ce système ont été répertoriées.

La perception des parents d’enfants atteints d’autisme ou autres Troubles Envahissants du Développement sur l’accès aux soins dentaires au Québec

Recension des écrits. L’autisme est un désordre neurodévelopemental qui peut présenter plusieurs défis pour le dentiste traitant en cabinet. Il n’existe aucune donnée publiée sur l’accessibilité et la dispensation de soins dentaires pour les enfants autistes dans le régime actuel des soins de santé au Québec. Matériels et Méthodes. Un questionnaire composé pour les besoins de l’étude et approuvé par le Comité d’éthique à la recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine a été distribué à des parents d’enfants visitant des cliniques externes du CHU Sainte-Justine. Les enfants devaient avoir entre 18 mois et 18 ans, avoir un grade ASA inférieur ou égal à II et, pour le groupe cas, avoir été diagnostiqué autiste ou TED par un professionnel compétent. Résultats. Vingt-sept parents de patients autistes et 37 parents de patients en bonne santé ont été sondé. Quarante-quatre pourcent du groupe cas rapportait qu’il était difficile de trouver un dentiste pour leur enfant contre 5% du groupe témoin. Seulement 35% des patients autistes sont suivis par un dentiste généraliste contre 79% des patients en bonne santé. Soixante-dix pourcent des parents du groupe cas doivent brosser les dents de leur enfant autiste et 83% considèrent la tâche difficile par un manque de coopération de l’enfant. Conclusion. Il est significativement plus difficile de trouver un dentiste pour un enfant autiste au Québec que pour un enfant en bonne santé. Pour cette population, il faudrait faciliter l’accès à un dentiste dans notre province. De plus, il faut épauler les parents dans la délivrance des mesures préventives.