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Hitt, Sara Beth, and false. "Autism Spectrum Disorder." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2016. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/4068.
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Yarar, Esra. "Ageing in autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2017. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/ageing-in-autism-spectrum-disorder(ace70969-0174-4d34-a5f7-5f46633eb32c).html.
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This thesis aimed to investigate symptomatology, psychopathology, and neurocognitive characteristics of older adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Given the limited research on ageing in ASD, the three studies presented in this thesis were primarily exploratory. First, data on mental health and normative life outcome are reported from adults attending a tertiary referral clinic for a possible first diagnosis of ASD. Young (aged 18-38) and old (aged 50-70) adults were compared across two groups; those who did (N=58) versus did not (N=46) receive a final ASD diagnosis. Analyses revealed better life outcome in the old versus young group, although additional psychiatric diagnoses were common across ages in ASD. In the second study, groups of older (N=29, aged 50-71 years) and younger adults (N=29, aged 19-48) with ASD, and comparison groups of neurotypical (NT) young (N=20, aged 20-44) and old (N=19, aged 52-71) adults, were recruited and tested in person by the author. The most striking finding was an age by group interaction in Theory of Mind (ToM) performance; ASD adults did not show the decrease in ToM performance with age, seen in the NT group. The third and last study took a dimensional approach to ASD, examining social cognition, mental health and wellbeing in grandparents (N=43, aged 53-85) of individuals with ASD; a group expected to be enriched for the ‘broad autism phenotype’. To tap ToM in this postal study, a novel task was designed. Again, few age effects were found within this sample, but mental health was a significant cause for concern and predictor of quality of life. Overall, these findings, in an under-researched area, suggest that many aspects of mental health and wellbeing do not change greatly in older adulthood in ASD, perhaps remaining more stable than in NT adults. Limitations and directions for future research in this important area, are discussed.
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Philip, Ruth Clare Margaret. "Emotion processing in autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/4216.
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With an estimated prevalence of ~1%, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is relatively common. Whilst accepted as a neurodevelopmental disorder, currently the diagnosis of autism is based on the observation of characteristic behaviour: deficits in language, communication and social skills in addition to unusual or restricted interests. Research in the condition has been approached with psychological and physiological methodology however a full understanding of the underlying neuropathology of autism is still unclear. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has been employed to study face processing in ASD with varied results. The processing of other types of social cues has been far less extensively explored and similarly, whilst there have been some reports of aberrant neural responsiveness to emotion in ASD, this component of social cognition requires further study. In particular, it is unclear whether there is a specific deficit in processing faces in ASD or rather a global deficit in emotion processing which is present across stimulus types, sensory domains and emotions. In this study basic emotion labelling using a range of stimulus types has been investigated within the same ASD cohort. In comparison to a control group, deficits were apparent in the ASD group when processing emotion in face, whole body and voice stimuli. This indicates a global emotion processing deficit in ASD that cannot be fully accounted for by deficits in basic face processing alone. Processing neutral and emotional faces and static whole body images was subsequently investigated using fMRI. When neutral faces, neutral bodies, fearful faces and fearful bodies were contrasted with fixation baseline, both groups broadly recruited the expected network of brain regions. When the emotional condition was contrasted with the neutral condition for each stimulus type significant between groups differences were apparent. The bilateral inferior parietal lobe responded significantly differently in response to facial emotion and the right supplementary motor area and superior temporal sulcus region was differentially activated in response to emotion in body stimuli. Findings reported here suggest that there are wide ranging social deficits in ASD which relate to the processing of a variety of social cues. fMRI evidence suggests that these deficits have a neural basis, in which elements of the social brain, including regions associated with mirror neuron function, activate in an atypical manner in ASD.
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Benallie, Kandice J. "Parent Knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorder." DigitalCommons@USU, 2019. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7693.
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Parent knowledge of ASD may be relevant to early identification and intervention services for children with ASD. By understanding how knowledgeable parents of young children are about ASD, researchers and practitioners can intervene and educate this population. This study sought to determine the knowledge base of ASD among parents with children five years and younger and if developmental, behavioral, and autism-related concerns predict knowledge of ASD. The sample of parents consisted of 167 mothers and fathers. All participants completed a knowledge questionnaire (i.e., ASKSG) and reported their level of developmental, behavioral, and autism-related concerns of their oldest child between the ages of 2 and five years. Results revealed that the sample of parents had a relatively low knowledge base of ASD, as determined by a percentage correct on the ASKSG of 43.9% (SD=20.1). Additionally, developmental, behavioral, and autism-related concerns did not collectively predict the sample’s knowledge of ASD; however, autism-related concerns independently predicted knowledge. The results of this study provide information to researchers and practitioners that can be used to educate parents of young children regarding ASD. By doing so, early and appropriate identification of ASD may be improved. In turn, children and families may have increased access to early intervention services and thus may result in better developmental outcomes.
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Shahidiani, Asal. "Brain development in autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2015. http://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/brain-development-in-autism-spectrum-disorder(ccbdfbdf-e739-4495-9c00-6b9301bb0d7c).html.
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Autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition accompanied by differences in brain anatomy and connectivity. Whilst the ASD brain has been widely studied under the lens of neuroimaging, results are both spatially and temporally heterogeneous. The most ubiquitous findings relate to global differences in the trajectory of early brain growth. Thus, there is a compelling need to characterize the neurodevelopmental trajectory of brain maturation in ASD beyond these early years and beneath the global level. Therefore, the present work conducts an investigation into brain development in ASD, utilizing a variety of magnetic resonance metrics in a broad sample of children and adolescents with ASD and typically developing controls. We examine age-related differences in structural connectivity - measured by diffusion tensor imaging and myelin mapping techniques - alongside vertex-based measures of cortical anatomy, including cortical thickness, surface area and gyrification. In addition, we dissect these differences within a developmental framework by investigating linear, quadratic, and cubic age effects on each neuroanatomical component in order to identify the most appropriate model for examining between-group differences in the presence of significant age effects and age ‘by’ group interactions. Finally, we extend our cross-sectional investigations by carrying out a longitudinal study of myelination in ASD, showing for the first time that the ASD is accompanied by altered myelin development. Our overarching finding is that ASD is characterised by age-related, region-specific brain differences. Importantly, these differences encompass the trajectories of both grey- and white-matter development, which we have dissected further into contributions from cortical-thickness, surface-area and gyrification, as well as white matter microstructure and myelination, respectively. Therefore, measures of grey- and white-matter morphology and connectivity should not be interpreted independently, but jointly as they jointly elicit the atypical patterns of brain development and connectivity typically observed in ASD.
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Taylor, Natalie. "Audiovisual integration in autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.489093.
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Audiovisual integration is the ability to combine auditory and visual information in the brain. Current theories of autism suggest that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) should show audiovisual integration impairments.
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Catani, Marco. "Brain connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2012. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/brain-connectivity-in-autism-spectrum-disorder(f1301db8-3f33-4720-a26c-e202aceac3d0).html.
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In recent years Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been considered as resulting from altered connectivity between regions, which may explain characteristic manifestations in socio-emotional function, communication and repetitive behaviour observed clinically. This thesis aims to provide evidence for altered anatomy of networks in ASD. The first step consisted in the creation of a diffusion tensor tractography atlas of the normal human brain derived from 40 healthy adults. The atlas was then used to localise the findings from a metaanalysis of published voxel-based morphometry studies investigating white matter abnormalities in ASD. This analysis showed that patients with ASD display abnormalities in long white matter association tracts, such as the arcuate and uncinate fasciculus, known to be important for language and social cognition. A second step consisted in the tractography analysis of limbic and cerebellar tracts in a small pilot study. Our findings confirmed differences in the the uncinate tract in ASD and in addition we found differences in the cingulum and major intracecebellar and cerebellar output tract. Finally, Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) and tractography analysis of a multi-centre, case-control study was performed on 61 individuals with ASD and 61 controls. Differences in the frontal connections of the arcuate fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, cingulum and corpus callosum were found. Tract specific measurements in the arcuate and uncinate were associated with a history of delayed echolalia and impaired used of face expression in childhood, respectively. In conclusion these series of studies show that ASD are associated with specific structural abnormalities of the limbic, language and interhemispheric white matter fibres. Differences in white matter anatomy were localised in major connections to the frontal lobe and associated with specific autistic features and traits in chilldhood. These results are compatible with the concept of ASD as a developmental frontal connectivity syndrome.
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Wojcik, Dominika Zofia. "Metamemory in children with autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.574625.
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ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder which primarily affects social interaction and communication. However, a growing literature has also identified some episodic memory difficulties in this group (e.g.: free recall, autobiographical memory, recollection). A plausible reason ·for this is that people with ASD lack the metacognitive mechanisms necessary for efficient memory. Hitherto, few studies have assessed metamemory (awareness of one's own memory) in ASD. The novelty of the current thesis was thus to compare performance of children with ASD to typically developing children on metacognitive monitoring (estimation of future memory performance) and control (manipulation of memory strategies) as well as metamemory knowledge about the variables affecting memory in online memory tasks. To investigate monitoring; global (judgment-of-Iearning & judgments-of-confidence) and item-by- item (judgments-of-Iearning & feeling-of-knowing) metacognitive judgments were used. Control was explored using recall readiness paradigm. The usage offeedback from monitoring to apply memory strategies (study time allocation & item selection) was further investigated. No group differences were found neither on global (Experiment 3.1, 3.2 & 4.2) nor item-by- item (Experiment 4.1 & 4.3) metacognitive monitoring at encoding (Judgment-of-Iearning). '. ' .. ~ However, the ASD group showed deficits in monitoring at retrieval (Feeling-of-knowing) in an episodic (but not a semantic) task. Children with ASD were also unimpaired on measure of control (Experiment 4.2) and on responding to feedback from monitoring (Experiment 4.3). Finally, the results showed spared knowledge in this clinical group regarding the effects of different learning conditions, such as self-enactment (Chapter 3), varying study time and item difficulty (Chapter 4). Overall the current thesis showed very specific metacognitve difficulties in ASD. These deficits are discussed in terms of mnemonic cues that these children can and cannot use to form their judgments. The involvement of retrieval of partial information (potentially reliant on recollection) and cues regarding the self are proposed as potential causes of these monitoring difficulties .
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Richards, Caroline Ruth. "Self-injurious behaviour in autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2012. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/3515/.
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Background: Self-injury is reported to be common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there are limited robust data detailing the prevalence, persistence, associated person characteristics and operant function of self-injury in ASD. Method: Three large scale survey studies were employed to establish the prevalence, persistence and risk markers for self-injury in ASD compared to contrast groups. Experimental functional analyses were conducted, including a fine grained temporal analysis of behaviours associated with self-injury. Results: Self-injury was displayed by 50% of the ASD sample and was persistent over three years in 77.8% of the group. Self-injury was associated with higher levels of autistic behaviour in individuals without idiopathic autism. Self-injury was associated with higher levels of impulsivity, hyperactivity, painful health conditions, repetitive behaviours and lower levels of adaptive behaviour. ‘ASD weighted’ operant functions for self-injury were identified for the majority of children with ASD. Conclusions: Self-injury is prevalent and persistent in ASD. The presence of ASD phenomenology is a risk marker for self-injury. There is a role for repetitive behaviours, pain and impaired behavioural inhibition in the development and persistence of self-injury. Self-injury is likely to be maintained by operant reinforcement in many individuals with ASD, through ‘ASD weighted’ reinforcement contingencies.
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Martin, Jonathan Steven. "Time and memory in autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2010. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/3559/.
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Vol. 1: This thesis explores the relationship between time perception and memory in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The thesis contains two separate papers; a literature review examining working memory in ASD, and a research article investigating temporal reproduction performance in adults with ASD. Memory ability in ASD has been a focus of study for several decades. However, so far, research investigating working memory in ASD has produced inconsistent results. The literature review critically examines the research in this area, drawing together the main findings and considering possible directions for future research. Recent evidence has suggested that atypical memory processes may impact upon time perception in ASD. Until recently, very little research had focused upon time perception ability in people with ASD, despite the fact the clinical accounts of ASD have often reported difficulties relating to the perception and understanding of time. The study reported in the research paper examines the performance of adults with ASD on a time reproduction task. The ASD group were found to make time reproductions that were both less accurate and more variable than a matched comparison group. The possible role of atypical memory processes in their performance is discussed. Vol. 2: Volume II contains five clinical practice reports. The first is the case study of a man with a learning disability, suffering from anxiety and depression, and is formulated from two perspectives. The second report is a service evaluation investigating whether a community psychology team is meeting the needs of people with severe forms of learning disability. The third report is in the form of a single case experimental design, evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention to treat a simple phobia. The fourth report is a case study describing the assessment of a man presenting with memory difficulties. The fifth report is represented by an abstract from an orally presented case study of a boy with a chronic physical condition.
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Petalas, Michael Anthony. "Siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, Bangor University, 2009. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/siblings-of-children-with-autism-spectrum-disorder(433e6208-c6e9-4767-b48e-7d083c69f5af).html.
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Van, der Merwe Adriana. "Sepedi cultural views on Autism Spectrum Disorder." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/79201.
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Cultural views are known to play a critical role in the identification, diagnosis and intervention of developmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Indigenous views regarding the nature and causes of ASD have often been overlooked. Based on the paucity of research on indigenous perspectives on ASD in South Africa, as well as the alarming rise in the incidence of ASD, the purpose of the study is to investigate the views held by members of the Sepedi group in South Africa regarding ASD. Research relating to ASD has mostly been conducted in other countries or according to Western or conventional scientifically proven positions. The study attempts to answer the following primary research question: “What are Sepedi cultural views regarding the nature, cause/s as well as intervention of Autism Spectrum Disorder?”
The theoretical framework that was utilised during the study was that of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). Furthermore, the study was approached from a phenomenological paradigm. A qualitative approach as well as case study design were followed, and purposive sampling was used. The first method of data collection was a focus group and subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis to pinpoint recurring themes. These five themes are (1) Indigenous African Views, (2) Participants’ views of causes, (3) Circumstances surrounding diagnosis, (4) Personally coping with ASD, and (5) Intervention with a child with ASD. Results obtained from the study could be utilised within a diagnostic, intervention and educational approach that is uniquely South African.Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2020.
Educational Psychology
MEd
Unrestricted
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Del, Villar Angelica. "EFFECTS OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER ON MOTHERS." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/674.
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As time keeps on passing, diagnosing a child with Autism keeps on expanding. The research study focuses on gathering data on the impact of mothers that have a child diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The members chose were from an online all mothers support group. The study was gathered utilizing the post positive approach. After fulfillment of the research the members will be able to view the results of this study by going to the California State University San Bernardino scholar works website. This research was conducted to share information to clinicians and any reader on the day by day battles and difficulties mothers face by caring for a child diagnosed with Autism.
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Taase, Alicia. "A Global Perspective on Autism Spectrum Disorder." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/626896.
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Stiff, Amy Fogle. "Autism Spectrum Disorder: Sensory Needs in the Workplace." TopSCHOLAR®, 2012. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1179.
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There is little to no empirical research for sensory sensitivities of individual with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and coping strategies used in the workplace. Seven students with ASD were interviewed about sensory sensitivities experienced and accommodations used at the workplace. This study found that participants self-regulated sensory sensitivities, and not asking for or using accommodations. Future research is needed to focus on the sensory sensitivities of individuals with ASD who have been in the work force for several years.
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Wilson, Beverly Jean. "Sensory Gardens for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/193299.
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One of every 166 children born today could be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (CDC 2006). Growing bodies of evidence show sensory integration issues may be at the root of many of the symptoms children with ASD exhibit. Sensory integration is defined as the ability to feel, understand, and organize sensory information from the body and environment. The issues surrounding sensory integration are reflected in both hypersensitive and hyposensitive reactions by children with ASD to the vestibular, proprioception, visual, audio, tactile, and olfactory senses.The goal of this paper is to address the sensory integration issues of children with ASD by creating a sensory garden which would allow them to focus on therapeutic and diagnostic interventions. By using the principles and elements of design, guidelines for this garden focused on producing calming effects for hyper reactive children with ASD and stimulating effects for hypo reactions.
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Maras, Katie. "Eyewitness testimony by adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Thesis, City University London, 2011. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/1145/.
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Eyewitness testimony is central to the criminal justice system, and may include that given by individuals with ASD. Despite the memory difficulties that are experienced by people with ASD, sparse research to date has examined the reliability of their testimony. This thesis presents a series of experiments that are aimed at exploring factors affecting eyewitness testimony in adults with ASD. Findings across five experiments suggest that individuals with ASD can recall as much and as accurately as their typical counterparts if they are interviewed appropriately. It seems that high-functioning ASD individuals at least are no more or less suggestible than their typical counterparts, and that both ASD and typical individuals modulate memory with arousal typically as demonstrated by their attenuated forgetting rates over time for arousing events compared to neutral events. However, a particularly pertinent finding from the present work was that the widely used police Cognitive Interview (CI) not only fails to increase the reporting of details by individuals with ASD, but it also significantly reduces their accuracy of recall. It seems that the main component of the CI - „context reinstatement‟ - is problematic for individuals with ASD, not because they fail to encode an event with its contextual details to start with, but because they have difficulty in following the CI‟s series of verbal instructions in order to retrieve this context to trigger their memory of the event. Findings indicate that recall by individuals with ASD can in fact be aided by more supportive context cues: when they physically return to the same environmental context in which they encoded the event their recall is enhanced to that of their typical counterparts. These findings have important implications for ascertaining the reliability of reports given by witnesses with ASD and highlight that, whilst the CI should not be used to interview them, there may be appropriate context-supportive interviewing techniques that can help to enhance their recall. A number of future research directions are highlighted by the present findings. These are discussed along with the implications and limitations of this work in the final chapter.
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Crane, Laura May. "Autobiographical memory in adults with autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, University of London, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.514203.
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Kerns, Connor Morrow. "Typical and Atypical Anxiety in Autism Spectrum Disorder." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2013. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/214770.
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PsychologyPh.D.
Objective. There is confusion regarding the presentation and correct classification of anxiety symptoms in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as comorbid anxiety disorders, core ASD symptoms or a separate syndrome. The present study examined the degree to which Diagnostic Statistical Manual-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) anxiety disorders ("typical anxiety") can be reliably distinguished from atypical presentations in ASD ("atypical anxiety"). To inform their classification, the study also assessed how these typical and atypical presentations were differentially related to child characteristics (i.e. IQ, language ability) and features of anxiety disorders (i.e., anxious self-talk) and ASDs (i.e., ASD symptomology, sensory abnormalities). Method. Youth (N = 59; 7 - 17 years; IQ > 60) diagnosed with ASD and their parents completed a semi-structured diagnostic interview (ADIS-C/P) adapted to measure both typical and atypical presentations of anxiety as well as self- and parent-report measures. Results. Seventeen percent of the sample met criteria for a typical anxiety disorder, 15% for an atypical anxiety disorder and 31% for both typical and atypical disorder variants. Whereas IQ, language ability, anxious self-talk and sensory sensitivity significantly predicted typical anxiety, atypical anxiety was significantly associated with anxious self-talk and ASD symptomology. Conclusions. Results suggest that ASD youth display two, phenomenological distinct classes of anxiety. These typical and atypical presentations likely reflect comorbid anxiety and a novel variant of anxiety, which may be missed by current, unmodified anxiety measures. How these presentations differentially respond to interventions and contribute to the range of results regarding the prevalence and presentation of anxiety in ASD warrants investigation.
Temple University--Theses
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Richards, Caroline Ruth. "Autism spectrum disorder phenomenology in Phelan-Mcdermid syndrome." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2015. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/5765/.
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Literature Review: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) phenomenology is reported to be more common in some syndromes, compared to other syndromes. However, no statistical meta-analysis has yet been conducted, synthesising the prevalence data within and between syndromes. A literature search identified research reporting the prevalence of ASD phenomenology in 16 syndromes. Robust pooled prevalence estimates were generated for 12 syndromes. ASD phenomenology was evident in all syndromes and significantly more likely in all syndromes compared to the general population. Empirical Paper: The behavioural phenotype of Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS) is relatively unknown, but research has indicated atypically high levels of activity, impulsivity and ASD behaviours. The profile of ASD is also reported to be atypical. Carers of individuals with PMS (N=30; mean age=10.55, SD=7.08) completed questionnaires and these data were compared to data from matched samples with Fragile X and Down syndromes, and idiopathic ASD. The results revealed lower mood in individuals with PMS, but no difference in impulsivity and overactivity compared to the comparison groups. A total of 87% of individuals with PMS met criteria for ASD and 57% met criteria for autism. The profile of those who met clinical threshold for autism was homogenous, and analogous to those with idiopathic ASD.
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Bargiela, S. N. "Young women's experiences of having Autism Spectrum Disorder." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2015. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1471339/.
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This thesis reports on a qualitative study applying Framework Analysis to narratives elicited from fourteen young women with high-functioning ASD. Semi-structured interviews highlighted experiences specific to being a young female with ASD, including delays in getting a diagnosis, vulnerability to abuse in relationships and compensatory strategies used in social situations. Challenges specific to females with ASD were singled out for discussion, as were clinical implications such as the need to increase medical and educational professionals’ knowledge of female ASD and suggestions for future quantitative research.
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Durieux, Alice Marie Sybille. "Neurochemistry in autism spectrum disorder : a translational approach." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2017. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.718590.
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The pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may include dysfunction of brain Redox homeostasis and abnormalities in the balance between neuronal excitation (E) and inhibition (I). Both systems have therefore been put forward as potential treatment targets for the development of new pharmacotherapies for the condition. However, ASD is a highly heterogeneous disorder, and it is unclear whether altered oxidative metabolism and/or E/I imbalance occur in all individuals with ASD. Therefore in the first part of this thesis (Study 1), I examined markers of Redox metabolism in a cohort of adult males with ASD already known to have E/I anomalies. Next, I undertook a series of preclinical studies (Studies 2- 4) to investigate whether pharmacological modulation of Redox and/or E/I alters neurochemistry and behaviour in mouse models of ASD. I used in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ([1H]MRS) to quantify glutathione (GSH - the major endogenous antioxidant), as a marker of Redox metabolism; and glutamate and GABA (respectively the major excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters), as markers of E/I balance. In Study 1, I found GSH was unaltered in adult males with ASD already known to have glutamatergic anomalies. Therefore, my preclinical work focussed upon the regulation of E/I balance. Because the role of glia in E/I and ASD is under-explored, I examined modulation of glutamate by glial mechanisms. In Study 2, I provided proof-of-concept evidence that N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), a compound that activates the cystine-glutamate antiporter of glial cells, reduces glutamate in wild-type C57BL/6J mice. I then sought to translate this finding to a mouse model of ASD with baseline E/I imbalance. After finding that mice lacking synaptic protein Neurexin 1α, a genetic model of ASD, have normal levels of striatal glutamate (Study 3), I excluded this model and instead administered NAC to BTBR mice, an inbred strain with a behavioural phenotype reminiscent of ASD (Study 4). I found that BTBR mice have a baseline E/I imbalance in the striatum and the prefrontal cortex, two brain regions involved in the core symptoms of ASD. These anomalies were partially normalised by NAC treatment, which also improved social interactions and repetitive digging, two behaviours relevant to the core symptoms of ASD. My results suggest that the glial regulatory mechanisms of E/I balance can be modulated pharmacologically, and have consequences for behaviours relevant to ASD. While my preclinical results suggest that the clinical utility of NAC in ASD deserves further exploration, the broader implications of my work are that glial cells are a potential target for the development of new treatments for ASD.
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Alder, Megan Lynn. "Sleep in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1619540173790598.
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Wallace, Brett. "Sentence recall in children with autism spectrum disorder." UNF Digital Commons, 2017. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/769.
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There is an age-shift in neurotypical children: younger children tend to remember information in a verbatim manner so they store item-specific surface characteristics; between nine and ten children engage in gist recall where they store meanings of presented information. The aim of the present study was to explore false memory in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as some research suggests that they develop gist recall at a later age than neurotypical children. We are also interested in the role of working memory.
One approach to understanding false memory creation is activation-monitoring (AM) theory. Working memory can play a role during both the activation (encoding) phase, as well as during the monitoring retrieval phase. When working memory is overloaded or suboptimal, source monitoring is compromised at the encoding phase.
In this study, we tested high-functioning children with ASD on working memory capacity. In addition, simple sentences were presented to be recalled, each one followed by a short word list that contained a thematically related distractor item. If a child used gist memory to recall the sentence, they would likely substitute the target (e.g., rabbit) word with the distractor (e.g., bunny). However, if they depended on verbatim recall, the distractor would not affect sentence recall performance. Children with lower working memory scores were more likely to incorrect answers to gist questions than those with high working memory. These findings have important implications for everyday social functioning. Though debatable, working memory impairments may encourage false memories in children with ASD.
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Tezcan, Ayse Zubeyde. "Association Between Hand Preference and Autism Spectrum Disorder." Thesis, University of California, Davis, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10252664.
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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, is of unknown etiology, and has a prevalence of 1.5% in the U.S. Atypical language patterns and anatomical findings of brain asymmetry differences between neurotypical and individuals with ASD suggest involvement of brain lateralization aberrations in autism etiology. The literature suggests an increased frequency of non-right handedness (NRH) in ASD. This dissertation aimed to study the association between hand preference and ASD in a cohort of children with ASD using a large, well-designed, population-based case-control study, CHARGE (CHildhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment).
In Chapter 1, we evaluated the association between handedness and ASD in 2- to 5-year old children. Chapter 2 longitudinally evaluated handedness outcome of the children from Chapter 1 at age 7 and older. We then investigated the utility of a parent-reported handedness assessment of children at ages 2-5 years using established hand preference at age 7+ years as the gold standard. Finally, we investigated the association between the intronic variant rs7799109 on theFOXP2 gene and ASD as well as the gene’s interaction effect on the association between NRH and ASD.
Our findings indicate that children with neurodevelopmental disorders show a delayed establishment of handedness lateralization in early stages of childhood with a subset of these children still remaining NRH at age 7 years. Language deficits in children at ages 2 to 5 years are associated with NRH and ASD, and is a determinant of NRH in ASD at age 7 years and older. Our study also supports current literature that hand preference may have genomic underpinnings in ASD.
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Harrison, Lucy. "Autism: the etiology and treatments of the disorder." Thesis, Boston University, 2004. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/27668.
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Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses.PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you.
2031-01-02
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Boggs, Teresa. "Autism Strand: Promoting Communication and Interaction Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2002. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/1514.
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Miller, Louisa. "Comparison of motor deficits in autism spectrum disorder and developmental coordination disorder." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/10596.
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an umbrella term for disorders involving deficits in social interaction, stereotyped behaviours and communication dificulties. A growing area of research has recently focused on motor deficits in ASD, which have been noted in clinical observations and diagnostic criteria since autism was first described. However, motor deficits have traditionally carried little weight in the diagnostic procedure. Until recent changes to diagnostic criteria (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th edition: DSM-5), a comorbid diagnosis of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD: a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting motor development) was not possible for those with ASD and motor deficits. This exclusion criterion prompted an investigation of the nature of motor deficits in ASD, questioning whether they are characteristically different from motor deficits in DCD. Previous literature suggested a possible double dissociation in the use of vision and proprioception to guide movement and perception in ASD and DCD, with a reliance on proprioception in ASD, and an over-reliance on vision in DCD. Motor deficits were first investigated by looking at high-level motor skills, and then more basic sensory processing associated with movement to investigate this possible dissociation. There was no significant difference between ASD and DCD on a standardised motor battery (Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2nd edition: MABC-2), with 70% of children with ASD showing motor difficulties within the clinical range on tasks such as timed manual dexterity tasks and balance. Similarly, children with ASD and poor motor skills were indistinguishable from children with DCD on a number of basic motor tasks manipulating visual and proprioceptive cues. These tests included spatial location matching, reaching, goal-directed movements towards proprioceptively-defined targets, and the rubber hand illusion. Children with poor motor skills with a diagnosis of either ASD or DCD seemed to either rely more heavily on visual cues, or behaved in a similar way to typically developing (TD) children. In the spatial location matching task, children with ASD and spared motor skills showed a tendency to give more weight to proprioceptive cues, however too few children with ASD and spared motor skills took part in other tasks to fully investigate cue weighting in this subgroup. Mirroring the overlap in social and motor skills in the clinical groups, a study of the relationship between perceived social and motor ability in a large sample of TD children highlighted the related nature of these developmental domains in typical development. It is concluded that motor deficits in ASD are not ASD-specific but are instead indicative of an additional diagnosis of DCD. This is supported by the recent change to diagnostic criteria.
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Hofvander, Björn. "AD/HD and autism spectrum disorders in adults." Malmö : Forensic Psychitry, Lund University, 2009. http://www.lu.se/o.o.i.s?id=12588&postid=1487259.
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Petersen, Jill Maria. "Lexical skills in bilingual children with autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/23471.
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Bilingual families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are often advised to reduce language input or to completely drop one language when communicating with their child. While research has explored the impact of bilingualism on the language development of children with language impairments, there is very limited research available on bilingualism and the ASD population. Lexical development is a focus of early language intervention and an accurate measure of language development. Therefore, studying lexical diversity in bilingual children with ASD is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of language development in this population.
This study investigated the lexical production skills of bilingual English-Chinese and monolingual English preschool-age children with ASD, primarily using Communication Development Inventories (Fenson, Dale, Reznick, Thal, Bates, Hartung, Pethick, & Reilly, 1993; Tardif & Fletcher, 2008). Participant use of nouns, verbs, and mental state terms was also explored. In addition, vocabulary comprehension, overall language skills, and nonverbal skills were assessed. Results revealed that bilingual and monolingual participants had equivalent English production vocabularies, and that bilinguals had larger conceptual production vocabularies than monolinguals. The groups did not differ in the number of English mental state words produced. Bilingual participants had a larger number of verbs in their conceptual production vocabularies, and were found to have higher vocabulary comprehension scores and higher language scores. When comparing the two languages of the bilingual participants, there were no significant differences in the size of production vocabularies, vocabulary comprehension scores, or the number of mental-state words produced. The results from this study suggest that bilingual English-Chinese preschool-age children with ASD have the capacity to be bilingual.
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Daniel, Niki. "Face processing strategies in children with autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, City University London, 2011. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/1111/.
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The primary aim of this thesis was to investigate the face processing strategies of children with high-functioning autism. Based on the assumptions that face processing relies on holistic, configural and featural information processing of faces, and on previous findings that individuals with autism show atypicalities in configural and/or holistic face processing, experiments in the current thesis were designed in order to further investigate configural and holistic processing of faces in ASD. Experiment 1 investigated configural processing with the use of the ‘Jane Task’ (Mondloch, et al., 2002). Experiment 2 investigated holistic processing by replicating the part-whole paradigm (Joseph & Tanaka, 2003). Experiments 3 and 4 aimed to clarify the relationship between configural and holistic processing and their operationalisation, by applying the face distinctiveness effect paradigm (Johnston & Ellis, 1995). Experiment 5 aimed to further investigate the face inversion effect and its implications on configural processing. Overall, our participants with ASD showed typical holistic and configural face processing when faces were upright. However, when face stimuli were presented in inverted conditions, participants with ASD showed atypicalities and differences compared to a typically developing comparison group of children. It was concluded that children with ASD develop compensatory strategies for processing faces which are effective for upright faces, however when faces are upside down these strategies fail to support recognition and so impairments become apparent. Implications of the current findings are discussed in relation to the broader theories of autism as well as the face processing literature and the current paradigms used to investigate the different types of face processing
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Prickett, Megan M. "Success Indicators of College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder." TopSCHOLAR®, 2015. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1524.
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This study examined the executive functioning skills as students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) entered college. The participants consisted of 95 college students with ASD who attended the Kelly Autism Program (KAP) on Western Kentucky University’s campus in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The individuals in the sample were categorized three groups: individuals who graduated from college, individuals who were still attending college, and individuals who dropped out of college. The results indicated that the executive functioning skills of inhibiting and initiation were statistically significantly different between the three groups and additional skills were significantly different when comparing only the group that graduated from college with the group that dropped out of college.
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De, Gennaro Laura M. "Loneliness in Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder." Thesis, Hofstra University, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3727071.
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Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder have difficulties with interpersonal relationships at all ages and functioning levels, including difficulties in effective communication, sharing enjoyment and interests with others, and emotional reciprocity (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Many individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder struggle with social connectedness. In typically developing individuals, a lack of social connectedness may yield a perception of loneliness. In the current study, the investigator sought to determine what features influence perceptions of loneliness in adolescents with and without High-Functioning ASD. The features investigated were social skill ability, self-esteem, anxiety and social involvement inside and outside of school.
The purpose of this study was to identify if adolescents with High-Functioning Autism experience higher rates of loneliness than their typically developing peers, and if so, what most contributes to feelings of loneliness in this population. This study included adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 who had been diagnosed with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HF-ASD) as well as a neurotypical group and the groups were grade matched. It was hypothesized that: 1) Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism would report higher rates of loneliness than their typically developing peers, 2) Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism will report lower rates of social skill ability and higher rates of problem behaviors than their typically developing peers, 3) Adolescents with high functioning autism would report higher rates of anxiety, and 4) Adolescents with high functioning autism would report lower rates of self-esteem than their typically developing peers. Additional analyses on gender were examined.
Univariate ANOVAs were used to determine the differences between ratings from adolescents with High-Functioning Autism when compared to their typically developing peers. An ANOVA conducted on loneliness indicated no statistical difference between groups as identified by diagnosis F (1, 38) = 3.17, p = .083, or between groups as identified by gender F (1, 38) = 1.65, p = .213. An ANOVA conducted on social skills, indicated a significant difference between groups as identified by diagnosis, F (1, 38) = 11.65, p =.002 and as identified by gender, F (1, 38) = 5.55, p =.024. An ANOVA conducted on problem behaviors indicated no statistical difference between groups as identified by diagnosis F (1, 38) = .119, p = .732, or between groups as identified by gender F (1, 38) = .253, p = .618. An ANOVA conducted on anxiety indicated no statistical difference between groups as identified by diagnosis F (1, 38) = .002, p = .969, or between groups as identified by gender F (1, 38) = .317, p = .577. An ANOVA conducted on self-esteem indicated a significant difference between groups as identified by diagnosis, F (1, 38) = 9.35, p =.004 and as identified by gender F (1, 38) = 11.10, p = .002.
Results suggest that adolescents with HF-ASD do not perceive loneliness at the same rate as their typically developing peers, and a significant difference in reports of social skill ability and self-esteem in females with HF-ASD than their typically developing peers. Implications of these findings and future research ideas are discussed.
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Pentz, Christelle Marie. "Alternative stories about a girl with autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/4311.
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Thesis (MEdPsych (Educational Psychology)--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this research voyage of discovery, we story the voices of me (the research inquirer), my family and a teacher about our experience with a young woman with Autism Spectrum Disorder – my youngest sister Leyna.1 This is our attempt to give Leyna and (dis)ability a voice. Their voices have been silenced from research for too long. I try to explain a narrative research lens as a foundation for this document – one that views autism not as a disorder, but as a difference that needs to be embraced. People often live their lives according to the problem stories they tell themselves, and do not see the alternative stories that surround them every day. On this voyage I therefore tell our story to document the inspirational experiences that people with autism bring about in the lives of those supporting them. Little research that focuses on alternative stories about autism has been done on a global scale. Moreover, little research has been done on autism specifically in the South African context. This thesis relates the stories of the people involved in caring for my sister with autism. It brings a message of hope and suggests possibilities for future research voyages about autism. 1 Pseudonym
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie navorsingsontdekkingsreis vertel ons 'n storie deur verskeie stemme te laat hoor: ek, die navorsingsondersoeker, my gesin en 'n onderwyseres vertel 'n storie oor ons ervaringe met 'n jong vrou met Outisme Spektrum Versteuring – my jongste suster Leyna.2 Hierdie is ons onderneming om vir Leyna en gestremdheid 'n stem te gee. Te veel stemme is al te lank deur navorsing stilgemaak. Ek probeer die narratiewe navorsingslens te verduidelik as 'n grondslag vir hierdie dokument – een wat outisme nie as 'n versteuring sien nie, maar eerder as 'n verskil wat aangegryp en gerespekteer moet word. Mense leef dikwels hul lewens uit op grond van die probleemgesentreerde stories wat hulle aan hulself vertel, en sien nie die alternatiewe stories raak wat hulle daagliks omsluit nie. In hierdie reis vertel ek dus ons storie om die inspirerende ervarings wat mense met outisme in die mense wat hulle ondersteun teweeg bring, te dokumenteer. Min navorsing wat op die alternatiewe stories oor outisme fokus is tot op hede op 'n globale skaal gedoen. Verder is daar nog min navorsing oor outisme spesifiek in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks gedoen. Hierdie studie vertel die stories van die mense wat betrokke is in die versorging van my suster met outisme. Hiermee word 'n boodskap van hoop gebring en moontlikhede voorgestel vir toekomstige navorsingsreise oor outisme. 2 Skuilnaam is gebruik
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Wu, Penny. "A Peer-Supported iSocial Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2015. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/551.
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Past studies have found substantial benefits associated with integrating neurotypically developing students as peer supporters for children with autism (McCurdy & Cole, 2013). The current study asks the question as to whether or not the support of typically developing students benefits the social skills development of twice-exceptional students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The “twice-exceptionality” in this study is specifically related to a heightened interest and proficiency in technology compared to children in their same age group, along with a coexisting diagnosis of autism. iSocial, a virtual learning intervention for children with ASD, is a recently developed program targeted to help children with ASD. To date, no research has examined iSocial’s use with peer supporters. As such, a new intervention that combines the use of iSocial with a peer support component is proposed. Typically developing peer supporters and children with ASD will collaboratively complete an 8-10 week intervention. It is predicted that children with autism in the experimental group will score significantly higher on post-intervention tasks than their baseline tasks. It is also predicted that children who collaborated with peer supporters will achieve greater symptom improvements on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and higher scores on the Reading the Mind in Eyes test than the control group. While children in both groups are anticipated to benefit from the iSocial intervention, it is likely that the highest gains will be observed in the peer-supported group. The outcomes of this study may serve as essential and practical ways for developing new methods to test and design interventions for children with ASD.
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Clawson, Ann. "Electrophysiological Endophenotypes in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Family Study." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2015. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5462.
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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder associated with altered neural connectivity and deficits in self-monitoring, response inhibition, and planning. One promising avenue of research to improve understanding of the symptoms and heritable nature of ASD may be the identification of neural endophenotypes of ASD. The error-related negativity (ERN) and post-error positivity (Pe), scalp-recorded event-related potentials (ERPs), reflect performance monitoring processes and may qualify as candidate endophenotypes of ASD. We collected ERP and behavioral data (error rates, response times) from 18 ASD probands and their families (mother, father, sibling) and 38 control youth and their parents to examine the utility of the ERN and Pe as endophenotypes of ASD. In order to examine differences based on group (ASD vs. control) and kinship (proband, sibling, mother, father), we conducted separate multiple regression analyses on behavioral and ERP data with group and kinship as predictors and families as clusters. We hypothesized that ASD probands would display reduced-amplitude ERN and impaired behavioral performance relative to control youth but no differences in Pe amplitude and that families of ASD probands would display reduced error minus correct (ΔERN) amplitudes and impaired behavioral performance relative to control families but no differences in ΔPe amplitude. We did not observe significant ERN amplitude group differences among ASD probands relative to control youth. Likewise, control youth did not differ from ASD probands on behavioral measures or Pe amplitudes. Analyses by family revealed that group and kinship did not significantly predict ΔERN amplitudes. However, fathers of ASD probands displayed significantly reduced ΔPe amplitudes relative to control fathers and parents displayed significantly larger ΔPe amplitudes and better performance than youth. Together, results do not provide sufficient evidence to support the ERN or Pe as an endophenotype or biomarker of ASD. These findings add to an overall heterogeneous literature on performance monitoring in ASD and point to the need for additional research to understand the state-related or trait-related factors that may contribute to ERN amplitudes in ASD.
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Boggs, Teresa. "Communication and Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2003. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/1526.
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Schelinski, Stefanie. "Mechanisms of Voice Processing: Evidence from Autism Spectrum Disorder." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/19091.
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Die korrekte Wahrnehmung stimmlicher Information ist eine Grundvoraussetzung erfolgreicher zwischenmenschlicher Kommunikation. Die Stimme einer anderen Person liefert Information darüber wer spricht (Sprechererkennung), was gesagt wird (stimmliche Spracherkennung) und über den emotionalen Zustand einer Person (stimmliche Emotionserkennung). Autismus Spektrum Störungen (ASS) sind mit Einschränkungen in der Sprechererkennung und der stimmlichen Emotionserkennung assoziiert, während die Wahrnehmung stimmlicher Sprache relativ intakt ist. Die zugrunde liegenden Mechanismen dieser Einschränkungen sind bisher jedoch unklar. Es ist beispielsweise unklar, auf welcher Verarbeitungsstufe diese Einschränkungen in der Stimmenwahrnehmung entstehen oder ob sie mit einer Dysfunktion stimmensensitiver Hirnregionen in Verbindung stehen. Im Rahmen meiner Dissertation haben wir systematisch Stimmenverarbeitung und dessen Einschränkungen bei Erwachsenen mit hochfunktionalem ASS und typisch entwickelten Kontrollprobanden (vergleichbar in Alter, Geschlecht und intellektuellen Fähigkeiten) untersucht. In den ersten beiden Studien charakterisierten wir Sprechererkennung bei ASS mittels einer umfassenden verhaltensbezogenen Testbatterie und zweier funktionaler Magnet Resonanz Tomographie (fMRT) Experimente. In der dritten Studie untersuchten wir Mechanismen eingeschränkter stimmlicher Emotionserkennung bei ASS. Unsere Ergebnisse bringen neue Kenntnisse für Modelle zwischenmenschlicher Kommunikation und erhöhen unser Verständnis elementarer Mechanismen, die den Kernsymptomen in ASS wie Schwierigkeiten in der Kommunikation, zugrunde liegen könnten. Beispielsweise unterstützen unsere Ergebnisse die Annahme, dass Einschränkungen in der Wahrnehmung und Integration basaler sensorischer Merkmale (i.S. akustischer Merkmale der Stimme) entscheidend zu Einschränkungen in sozialer Kognition (i.S. Sprechererkennung und stimmliche Emotionserkennung) beitragen.The correct perception of information carried by the voice is a key requirement for successful human communication. Hearing another person’s voice provides information about who is speaking (voice identity), what is said (vocal speech) and the emotional state of a person (vocal emotion). Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with impaired voice identity and vocal emotion perception while the perception of vocal speech is relatively intact. However, the underlying mechanisms of these voice perception impairments are unclear. For example, it is unclear at which processing stage voice perception difficulties occur, i.e. whether they are rather of apperceptive or associative nature or whether impairments in voice identity processing in ASD are associated with dysfunction of voice-sensitive brain regions. Within the scope of my dissertation we systematically investigated voice perception and its impairments in adults with high-functioning ASD and typically developing matched controls (matched pairwise on age, gender, and intellectual abilities). In the first two studies we characterised the behavioural and neuronal profile of voice identity recognition in ASD using two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments and a comprehensive behavioural test battery. In the third study we investigated the underlying behavioural mechanisms of impaired vocal emotion recognition in ASD. Our results inform models on human communication and advance our understanding for basic mechanisms which might contribute to core symptoms in ASD, such as difficulties in communication. For example, our results converge to support the view that in ASD difficulties in perceiving and integrating lower-level sensory features, i.e. acoustic characteristics of the voice might critically contribute to difficulties in higher-level social cognition, i.e. voice identity and vocal emotion recognition.
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Gibbard, C. R. "Structural connectivity of the brain in autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2016. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1474440/.
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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by social communication deficits and restricted and repetitive interests. It mostly affects males, and has a range of severities and presentations. The causes of ASD are, as yet, unknown, though research indicates that a combination of genetic and environmental factors contribute to aberrant brain structure and function. The structure of the brain can be non-invasively assessed in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The MRI method diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can be used to reconstruct the brain’s white matter tracts and quantify their microstructural health. The aim of this thesis is to investigate white matter microstructure in ASD, and comprises of four studies: an investigation of the association between white matter microstructure and the spectrum of ASD traits; a study of amygdala connections and their association with ASD symptomatology; a graph theory approach to investigate the structural networks of the brain; a study of sex-based differences in brain structure in ASD, and unaffected siblings of probands. White matter microstructure was associated with ASD traits across a spectrum that incorporated healthy controls through to those with clinically-diagnosed autism. Associations between the microstructure of amygdala–cortical connections and ASD symptoms were dependent upon the brain region and ASD trait of interest. The ASD structural network was similar to that of controls, which indicates that the macromolecular arrangement of the ASD brain is relatively conserved. There were some sex-based differences in white matter microstructure in ASD, though fewer than anticipated. In conclusion, DTI techniques provide evidence that brain microstructure is compromised in ASD, and that the severity of the structural deficits is correlated with symptom severity in a specific fashion. Brain topology is relatively conserved, indicating that ASD arises from deficits in the quality of brain connections, rather than their overall arrangement.
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Hopkins, Zoë Louise. "Language alignment in children with an autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2016. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/60608/.
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This thesis examines language alignment in children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by impaired social understanding and poor communication skills. Alignment, the tendency for speakers to repeat one another's linguistic choices in conversation, promotes better communication and more satisfying interactions (cf. e.g., Fusaroli et al., 2012). By corollary, deficits in alignment may adversely affect both communicative and affective aspects of conversation. Across three studies, I consider whether ASD children's conversational deficits relate to disrupted patterns of alignment, and explore the mechanisms underlying this. In the first study, I adopt a corpus-based approach to show that syntactic alignment effects are observable in ASD children's ‘real-life' conversations, not just in an experimental context. The second study draws on research into the role of inhibitory control in communicative perspective-taking (Nilsen & Graham, 2009) to show that lexical alignment is not socially mediated in ASD. I develop this work in the third study, which highlights how, for ASD children, conversation can be compromised when lexical alignment is driven exclusively by priming mechanisms. Taken together, these studies advance our understanding of conversational deficits in ASD, and particularly how impaired social understanding affects ASD children's language processing in dialogue. I conclude that, while ASD children have intact alignment, reduced social understanding may prevent them from ‘diverging', which can be necessary to move a conversation forward (Healey, Purver, & Howes, 2014). More broadly, the thesis addresses questions of theoretical relevance to the study of alignment, by clarifying the contributions of unmediated (i.e., priming) and socially mediated (i.e., audience design) mechanisms to children's alignment behaviour, both in ASD and typical development.
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Remington, A. M. "Selective attention and perceptual load in autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2010. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/19503/.
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This thesis examines selective attention in young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Existing literature regarding this issue is mixed; some research suggesting an overly-focused attentional style (Rincover & Ducharme, 1987) while others highlight an abnormally broad attentional lens (Burack, 1994). The research presented here has, for the first time, examined selective attention in individuals with ASD using a theoretically-led approach based on Lavie’s Load Theory of attention and cognitive control (Lavie et al., 2004). Load theory states that the perceptual load (amount of potentially task relevant information) of a task affects selective attention. This theory may explain the equivocal findings in the current data on selective attention and ASD. Using behavioural measures, the pattern of selective attention under various levels of load was explored in individuals with ASD and matched controls. The results provide evidence of increased perceptual capacity in ASD. This means that, at any one time, individuals with ASD may be able to process more information from the visual environment. This increase in capacity was evident on tasks of both unconscious and conscious perception. In light of the social deficits observed in the condition, the work in this thesis also explored selective attention in the presence of social distractor stimuli. Results indicated that faces are less salient for individuals with ASD and, unlike for typical adults, are not processed in an automatic and mandatory fashion. These results bring together findings on selective attention with work on social processing in an attempt to find basic abnormalities which might be fundamental in explaining the disorder.
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Ring, Melanie. "Relational memory processes in adults with autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, City, University of London, 2017. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/17002/.
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Research on memory in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) points to difficulties in memory for personal experiences (episodic memory - EM). In particular, difficulties were found for the processing of relations between units of material leaving memory for single items mostly intact. The aim of this thesis was to examine EM in ASD further by investigating the influence of meaning, type of material, and relations, and by assessing the influence of complexity, executive functions, and attention on memory, learning, and spatial navigation in ASD. In addition to memory behaviour, eye movements were measured. It was found that the EM impairment in ASD adults with average intellectual abilities persisted across a range of materials and types of relations, and that item memory was also affected when using tests of similar complexity to relational memory tests. Eye movements indicated attentional differences in ASD that may have had an impact on the observed difficulties, and they indicated that memory difficulties went beyond explicit deliberate retrieval of information also affecting implicit memory and, therefore, suggesting that also encoding and postencoding processes may work differently in ASD. Spatial navigation was particularly affected by executive function and item memory difficulties in ASD, and structural learning may be the fundamental mechanism that underlies the cognitive difficulties observed in ASD. Future research should concern the development and application of measures for less verbal and/or intellectually able ASD individuals and the investigation of how the studied processes are affected by ageing in the ASD population. In addition, training and support strategies should be developed to investigate whether memory difficulties in ASD are caused by a processing bias or a deficit and to attempt to alleviate them. Finally, the investigation of memory encoding and consolidation is needed to test whether these processes operate differently in ASD and, if so, how they could be improved.
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Glod, Magdalena. "Sensory profiles in autism spectrum disorder and Williams syndrome." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/3897.
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This thesis explored sensory profiles in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Williams syndrome (WS). The thesis begins with two review papers: the psychological correlates of sensory processing patterns in individuals with ASD were evaluated in a systematic review, followed by a mixed-methods review of sensory processing in Williams syndrome. Next, an investigation of changes in sensory symptoms across different age groups in children with ASD and WS was undertaken and revealed that level of sensory atypicalities in both disorders across age groups were very similar. This was followed with an examination of the sensory profiles of children with ASD without learning disability, ASD with learning disability and WS indicating that the distinction between the diagnostic group based on sensory behaviours and socio-communicative characteristics could hardly be made. A factorial validity of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale-Parent version was then examined. The conventional SCAS-P structure in the ASD sample was not confirmed, raising concerns regarding the validity of the tool. Further exploration of sensory profiles in ASD and WS was then undertaken, where sensory processing clusters of children with both disorders were examined. The relationships between sensory processing and other clinical features were described and the mediating role of anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty between sensory processing abnormalities and repetitive behaviours was demonstrated. Next, the first comparison of sensory profiles in child-parent dyads in ASD and typical development (TD) was reported indicating some divergent patterns. Finally, a novel direct assessment of auditory and tactile sensory processing was developed and found to show promise as a measure for use with young children with ASD and WS. The synthesis of the evidence across chapters was then discussed and strengths and weaknesses of the current work presented. Suggestions for future research and the implications for clinical and research endeavours were considered.
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Parkinson, Sarah M., Brooke Beasley, and Michelle Chandley. "The Gut Microbiome and Inflammation in Autism Spectrum Disorder." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2019. https://dc.etsu.edu/asrf/2019/schedule/17.
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Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder marked by social deficits, obsessive behavior, and repetitive actions. It has been shown that there is a communication pathway between the brain and gut called the gut-brain axis. Communication is thought to occur between the bacterial collections known as the microbiota in the gut and the resident immune cells in the brain, microglia. It has been postulated that bacteria in the gut are capable of secreting signaling molecules that can induce increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines. Specific cytokines such as IL-1B and IL-17 will elicit microglia activation and will likely result in alterations in neurotransmission in the brain. The activation or prohibition of maturation of microglia can lead to severe developmental delays. Four animal models will be used for this experiment. C57 will be the control or wildtype model; valproic acid is an anti-seizure medication that will be given to pregnant mice to see effects on offspring. BTBR is the third model, which has been genetically bred to have a thinned corpus callosum. The last model is poly IC, which is a virus that will be injected into mothers. Brain tissue, blood, and fecal samples were collected from animals for each model 21 days after birth. An intense brain developmental procedure known as pruning is occurring at postnatal day 21 that would correlate with the pruning age of a young human child. Pruning is thought to be greatly influenced by immune activation. Immunohistochemistry for the microglial marker IBA-1 (N=4) and peripheral blood analysis for six cytokines (N=5) has been performed in male animals from the four groups. It is hypothesized that there will be an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood and microglial activation in the brain. These studies are instrumental in the creation of future mechanistic strategies that may illuminate treatable signaling pathways for ASD.
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Carpenter, Allen LaRoy. "Assessment of Early Language Lateralization in Autism Spectrum Disorder." The Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1285003957.
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Grisdale, Emma Elizabeth. "Dimensions of the self-concept in autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, Durham University, 2014. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10750/.
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The self-concept can be separated into the physical self-concept (concerned with the self as a physical being) and the psychological self-concept (involving mental states, attitudes and beliefs). People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are thought to have an intact physical self-concept and an impaired psychological self-concept. Very little experimental work has previously been conducted directly comparing the physical and psychological self-concepts in ASD. This comparison is the primary aim of this thesis. Chapters 1-3 utilise a self-referencing paradigm to investigate the strength of the self-referencing effect in relation to the physical and psychological self-concepts. Chapter 1 demonstrates the presence of the self-reference effect in typically developing adults in both physical and psychological domains. Chapter 2 shows that adults with ASD display self-referencing effect in both domains, while chapter 3 demonstrates that children with ASD (aged 8 – 10) show the self-referencing effect in the physical domain only. Chapter 4 sought to verify the existence of an unimpaired physical self-concept in ASD using the rubber hand illusion. Children with ASD performed at the same level as a comparison group. Chapters 5 and 6 used an autobiographical memory interview and a self-description task respectively to compare and contrast the physical and psychological self-concepts in ASD. On both these tasks, participants with ASD displayed impairments in the psychological domain only. Chapter 7 concentrates on the psychological self-concept alone and investigates the ownership effect in ASD. It was found that participants with ASD were impaired on this task. Overall, the results presented here seem to support the idea that the psychological self-concept is impaired in ASD, while the physical self-concept remains intact. These are some of the first studies to directly compare the strength of the physical and psychological self-concept in ASD.
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DeBoth, Kelle K. "SENSORY-BASED SUBTYPING IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER." VCU Scholars Compass, 2016. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4150.
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Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with a myriad of diagnostic characteristics and associated behaviors. Secondarily, this population is extremely heterogeneous. Efforts have been made by many disciplines to identify more homogenous subgroups in order to improve both research and clinical outcomes. In occupational therapy, the focus has been on establishing sensory-based subtypes. This dissertation is a compilation of three separate research papers related to sensory-based subtypes in children with ASD.
The first paper is a systematic review on sensory subtyping systems published in the last 12 years. Findings indicate that the majority of subtyping schemes characterize group differences by patterns of sensory responsivity (i.e., hyperresponsivity, hyporesponsivity and sensory seeking). One subtyping scheme has emerged as the most well researched of these, and includes responses to specific sensory domains for four different subtypes. The subsequent two papers presents additional research examining this subtyping system.
The second paper examined neurophysiological response to sensory stimuli between the four subtypes. Salivary cortisol, skin conductance level (SCL) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were used examine neuroendocrine function, parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system responses. Results indicate that parasympathetic response (as indexed by RSA) may best distinguish subtypes with typical sensory processing versus those with atypical sensory processing. More discrete differences between each of the subtypes hallmarked by different sensory processing differences were less substantial.
The third paper examined functional and adaptive behaviors, in addition to clinical behaviors (psychopathology) in relationship to subtype membership. Subtypes with greater sensory processing dysfunction were found to have poorer communication, socialization and performance of daily living skills. In addition, subtypes with atypical sensory processing characteristics had higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Again, certain subtypes were not found to differ significantly from each other on these measures.
Overall findings suggest that current sensory-based subtyping schemes may not fully explain sensory processing differences or the variety of behavioral traits observed in this population. In addition, neurological reactivity patterns may not completely align with these subtype divisions. Stronger statistical differences found between certain subtypes indicates particular sensory processing characteristics may be more impairing and have more clinical relevance than others.
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Wild, Kelly. "Goals, imitation, and visuomotor integration in autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2010. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/goals-imitation-and-visuomotor-integration-in-autism-spectrum-disorder(ccb90e73-886e-4430-b4ab-1825996c4e3e).html.
Full textAbstract:
Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) is a wide ranging developmental condition commonly recognised by impairments in social interaction, communication, repetitive behaviour and restricted interests. Deficits in imitation, sensory processing and motor control are also extensive, but conflicting findings mean a clear picture regarding the true nature of these is yet to be established. The aim of this thesis was to further investigate imitation with a specific focus on the effect of goals. It has been suggested that imitation occurs along two routes; a direct route for the imitation of meaningless actions i.e. goal-less, and a semantic route for meaningful or goal-directed actions. There is evidence to suggest that while individuals with ASD may have an impairment in goal-less imitation, goal-directed imitation is unaffected (Hamilton, Brindley & Frith, 2007). The experiments in the present work were based on the hypothesis that impaired goal-less imitation in ASD may be due to a problem with sensory motor integration in the direct visuomotor pathway for imitation (Tessari and Rumiati, 2004).The first experiment was conducted to ascertain whether movement kinematics differed between imitation during goal-directed and goal-less hand movements in a neurotypical control group. Participants observed and imitated hand movements of different speeds, while their movement was recorded with a motion sensor. Movement was modulated between the different speeds in the goal-less, but not goal-directed trials. These findings support the dual route model where visuomotor mapping occurs via the direct pathway during goal-less imitation but during goal-directed imitation there is greater reliance on representations of actions from long term memory.In experiment two, the same paradigm was employed, including additional movement types, and a group of adult individuals diagnosed with an ASD was compared to a control group. It was predicted that, unlike the control group, the ASD group would fail to modulate their movement in the goal-less condition, due to a disruption in the direct pathway. Eye movements were also recorded in this experiment, to ascertain if differences in gaze position or eye movements might influence the ability of the ASD group to imitate goal-less actions. The ASD group did not modulate their movement for goal-less imitation. In addition, the ASD group exhibited more goal-directed gaze, and less gaze toward the hand, than the control group. The ASD group also failed to maintain pursuit of the hand, which may have influenced the amount of information collected regarding the movement.The third study extended the investigation by introducing a training phase halfway through the experiment. Based on eye movement findings, it was hypothesised that drawing attention to the hand might increase the importance of the hand in goal-less trials, subsequently leading to increased tracking, and improved imitation. Perspective was also investigated to determine whether observing the action from an egocentric perspective would improve imitation. Movement modulation was not improved for either the post training or the egocentric condition. However, both training and egocentric viewing resulted in faster performance of movements while training also reduced the amount of movement variability; suggesting that these conditions made imitation easier. Findings strongly support the hypothesis that people with ASD are impaired in goal-less but not goal-directed imitation. These results are discussed in terms of bottom-up and top-down influences on imitation. The observed eye movement differences between the ASD and control group suggest eye movement abnormalities, and the finding that egocentric observation facilitates imitation indicates problems with visuospatial transformation during allocentric imitation. Finally, failure to pursue may be due to lack of attention to the hand movement, evidenced by no increase in pursuit after training. This thesis concludes with the suggestion that impaired goal-less imitation in ASD may result primarily from bottom-up low level visual processing and oculomotor control problems, combined with a high level attentional mechanism. Future studies need to address whether these are the primary causes of imitation difficulties, or whether there is a fundamental sensory motor integration deficit in ASD.
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Ornelas, Barajas Alejandra. "A Serious Game for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/36273.
Full textAbstract:
In this thesis, we propose a Serious Game (SG) for children with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that builds on the concept of LEGO®-Based Therapy that is aimed at improving social and cognitive skills. The proposed SG is composed of building blocks augmented with electronic modules that connect to a computing device that provides visual feedback. We investigate the effects of using the proposed computer SG by comparing it to a non-computer block-game during two empirical studies, one following an unstructured play approach and a second one with structured play by assigning roles to the players.
For the first study, the proposed system showed an improvement in social interaction, collaborative play and exercise performance, as well as a decrease in solitary play. For the second study, the proposed system showed an improvement in social interaction, positive vocalizations and exploratory behavior. There was also a marked preference towards the proposed game. Furthermore, we perceived a decrease on the assistance needed when using the proposed system during both studies. Our results suggest that the proposed system can be a useful play therapy tool aimed for young children with ASD.
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Casas, Robert David. "Autism Spectrum Disorder Parent-Family Retreat| A Grant Proposal." Thesis, California State University, Long Beach, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10749977.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this thesis project was to locate funding and write a grant proposal to provide a weekend-long social support/parent education retreat to parents and families of children with co-occurring conditions associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The goal of this parent-family retreat is to reduce perceived parental stress levels, which will benefit the well-being of all members within a family unit and improve parent self-efficacy. An extensive literature review was performed to investigate the best way to provide parents with a deeper understanding of co-occurring disorders and the importance of taking a holistic approach to supporting their child and/or children. Additionally, foundations were researched for possible funding opportunities and the W.M. Keck Foundation was selected as the best potential funding source. A grant proposal narrative was then written for REACH, a non-profit in Santa Fe Springs, California. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant were not a requirement for the completion of this project.