Neurocognitive function and joint attention ability in young children with autism spectrum disorder versus developmental delay

Studies have shown that young children with autism are not impaired on prefrontal tasks relative to what would be expected for their mental age, raising questions about the executive dysfunction hypothesis of autism. These studies did not include ventromedial prefrontal tasks, however. The present study examined whether young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are impaired on ventromedial prefrontal tasks, and whether performance on such tasks is correlated with a core autism symptom, joint attention ability. Seventy-two 3- to 4-year-old children with ASD, 34 3- to 4-year-old developmentally delayed children, and 39 12- to 46-month-old typically developing children, matched on mental age, were administered ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal tasks and joint attention tasks. Children with ASD performed similarly to comparison groups on all executive function tasks, indicating that at this early age, there is no autism-specific pattern of executive dysfunction. Ventromedial, but not dorsolateral, prefrontal task performance was strongly correlated with joint attention ability, however. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is hypothesized to play a role in the development of joint attention and possibly some aspects of the autistic syndrome.     

Parental sensitivity and attachment in children with autism spectrum disorder: comparison with children with mental retardation, with language delays, and with typical development

This study on sensitivity and attachment included 55 toddlers and their parents. Samples included children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mental retardation, language delay, and typical development. Children were diagnosed at 4 years of age. Two years before diagnosis, attachment was assessed with the Strange Situation procedure, and parental sensitivity and child involvement during free play were assessed with the Emotional Availability Scale. Parents of children with ASD were equally sensitive as parents of children without ASD, but their children showed more attachment disorganization and less child involvement. More sensitive parents had more secure children, but only in the group without ASD. Less severe autistic symptoms in the social domain predicted more attachment security. Autism challenges the validity of attachment theory.     

Motor milestone development in young children with autism spectrum disorders: an exploratory study

This study aimed to determine if a sample of children currently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) would have shown motor milestone delays before age three as compared to typically developing children. Given delays in motor skills, the study also strived to determine which specific skills might be delayed. Parents of 44 children who had been diagnosed with ASDs answered survey questions related to their child’s early motor milestone development. Survey responses were compared to Bayley’s motor milestone data for typically developing children. Results suggested that all 44 children (age range 82–90 months) with ASDs were delayed on all 26 motor milestones. Specifically, children with autistic disorder (n = 26) were significantly delayed on 11 motor milestones; nine of them delayed before age two. Children with Asperger Syndrome (n = 18) showed significant delay on four milestones; three of them delayed before the age of two.     

Early social communication development in infants with autism spectrum disorder

Social-communication differences are a robust and defining feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but identifying early points of divergence in infancy has been a challenge. The current study examines social communication in 9- to 12-month-old infants who develop ASD (N = 30; 23% female; 70% white) compared to typically developing (TD) infants (N = 94, 38% female; 88% white). Results demonstrate that infants later diagnosed with ASD were already exhibiting fewer social-communication skills using eye gaze, facial expression, gestures, and sounds at 9 months (effect size: 0.42–0.89). Moreover, three unique patterns of change across distinct social-communication skills were observed within the ASD group. This study documents that observable social-communication differences for infants with ASD are unfolding by 9 months, pointing to a critical window for targeted intervention.     

Cognitive and language correlates of hyperlexia: evidence from children with autism spectrum disorders

Two studies were conducted to investigate the correlates of hyperlexia in Brazilian Portuguese-speaking children with the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Study 1 involved 3 groups of school age children individually matched for word reading ability: 6 ASD hyperlexic children, 6 ASD non-hyperlexic children, and 6 typically developing children. Study 2 involved 2 ASD preschool hyperlexic boys, and a group of 21 typical children of similar word reading ability. In both studies, participants were administered several reading measures as well as measures of cognitive and linguistic abilities that have been associated with variations in typical and dyslexic reading, namely, vocabulary, phonological processes, and rapid naming. Results suggest that ASD hyperlexic reading differs from both typical and ASD non-hyperlexic reading. In particular, they suggest that hyperlexics learn to compute letter-sound relations implicitly, on the basis of statistical learning. Although the hyperlexic children could read nonwords as well as the typical and the ASD non-hyperlexic children, they performed significantly worse than these groups of children on a letter-sound knowledge task. They also performed relatively poorly on a phonological awareness task. It is suggested that hyperlexics’ indifference to language as a meaningful, communicative device may be the key to their exceptionally good and precocious development of word reading ability.     

Stability, change, and correlates of the peer relationships of young children with mild developmental delays

The peer relationships of young children with mild developmental (cognitive) delays recruited at 4-6 years of age were examined in a longitudinal study across a 2-year period. Results revealed only modest increases in children's peer interactions, a high degree of intraindividual stability, and the existence of a poorly organized and conflict-prone pattern of peer interactions. Child cognitive and language levels as well as family stress and support were associated with children's peer interactions. A subgroup was identified of initially low interactors who were at especially high risk for future peer interaction problems. These findings further underscore the importance of designing and implementing early intervention programs in the area of peer relationships for children with mild developmental delays.     

Assessing anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorder

Anxiety is now recognized as one of the most common co-occurring conditions in youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite the prevalence of this comorbid condition, accurate assessment and diagnosis of anxiety in ASD has proven difficult. This paper will address the considerable research literature on assessing anxiety in youth with ASD, including difficulties related to assessment and differential diagnosis. In addition, this paper will describe relevant tools and methods for assessing anxiety in this complex population.     

A comparison of parent and professional perceptions of children with autism spectrum disorder in Portugal

Improving early intervention in Portugal for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires parents and professionals to collaborate in assessing and planning intervention programmes. This article analyses parental and professional assessments of children with ASD, in the dimensions of social communication, repetitive behaviours and restricted interests, and sensory processing. The study presents contrasting perspectives from professionals and parents from a range of socio‐academic backgrounds. The sample consists of 136 Portuguese children (aged three to six years old) with ASD and involves children, parents and professionals from across the country. All children, at the time, were in preschool and receiving early special education intervention. Parents and professionals used the Assessment Scale for Children with ASD to complete the assessments. The results show that parents rate children's development and learning more positively compared to professionals; and that this difference is more significant in the field of social communication. Further, parents with higher academic qualifications showed statistically significant differences in comparison with professionals in the social communication dimension. These findings are discussed in relation to the literature and some suggestions are made regarding certain practices related to intervention in early childhood.     

The effects of developmental delay on sustained attention in young children

The development of developmentally delayed young children is similar to that of normal children in sequence and organization. The hypothesis of this research was that delayed children do differ from the norm when tasks involve discerning nuances, balancing competing stimuli, or acquiring and retaining selected information. Using a videotaped free-play situation, we examined attention deployment behaviors of 3 groups: normally developing (ND), Down syndrome (DS), and developmentally delayed with uncertain etiology (UE). Gesell DQ scores ranged from 50 to 75 in the latter 2 samples. In Study 1, infants had developmental ages of 12-24 months. The UE subjects spent less time engaged with toys than ND or DS subjects, and both delayed groups had less simultaneous appraisal of the environment, more time unoccupied in any way, and more throwing behavior than the ND group. In Study 2, at the 22-30-month developmental age range, DS and UE subjects had patterns of play that included many primitive activities such as banging and mouthing. Taken together, the results show reductions in ongoing acquisition and elaboration of information during play; these in turn may have significant developmental ramifications.     

Relationships between reading profiles and narrative writing abilities in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder

Reading and Writing - Reading and writing are distinct skill areas that influence each other across development. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are noted to exhibit challenges in both...     

The self-efficacy of primary teachers in supporting the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder

In the context of a trend towards inclusive practice in Irish primary schools, many teachers feel ill-equipped to cope with this new challenge. Scope exists within the Irish education system to transform mainstream schools into autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) friendly environments. Research into teacher perceptions of inclusion has found that teachers’ views impact on how inclusionary practices are implemented. This study utilised semi-structured interviews with six primary school teachers. The data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Findings from this study suggest that the majority of teachers were apprehensive and lacked confidence at the initial prospect of teaching a child with ASD. The majority of the teachers interviewed also described feelings of uncertainty in managing the behaviour of a child with ASD. These findings were analysed in the context of teachers’ perceptions of systemic issues such as lack of access to resources, support and training in ASD-specific approaches.     

Integration of physical health and sensory processing assessment for children with autism spectrum disorder in schools

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often undergo various assessments and evaluations as part of the diagnostic process, identification and classification for special education eligibility, and continued progress monitoring for skill growth. Such evaluations may include cognitive, social and emotional, behavioral, and speech evaluations, among other skill and ability assessments. One other area for assessment that clinicians may consider examining when working on evaluations for individuals with ASD includes the integration of assessments capturing physical and sensory needs. Physical health identifiers that may be included in such evaluations cover physical exercise, sleep, diet and food sensitivities, and elimination. Additionally, sensory evaluations may consider auditory, olfactory, taste, tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory abilities and needs. This practitioner-focused chapter includes a brief review of each of the aforementioned physical and sensory abilities and their connection to ASD. Further, implications for practitioners in their assessment of ASD are explored with practical tips and recommendations for providers to use for their future assessments for ASD.     

Exploring the impact of the design of the physical classroom environment on young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported a 1600% increase in the number of individuals between the ages of 6 and 22 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Knowledge about educational interventions for children with ASD is substantial; however, less is known about the design of supportive classroom environments where they learn. ASD experts believe that the early years in school, namely preschool through 6th grade, are critical in reaching children and establishing a foundation for their life‐long learning and general well‐being. In context of the human ecosystem theory that models the interaction between people and the natural, social and designed environments, this literature review of refereed sources (2000–2012) documented findings about interventions, that is, design criteria (DC) for incorporation into the physical classroom environment used by children with ASD. The majority of the studies was exploratory and presented DC that subsequently were not tested. Due to research method and/or sampling design, efficacy, reliability and validity of findings varied. Limited research (19 articles, 1 conference proceeding) addressing classroom DC leaves designers, teachers and school administrators substantially reliant on anecdotal information in terms of creating optimal learning environments to support inclusion of children with ASD. Additional research is needed to examine this critical design/human behaviour relationship via identification of evidence‐based DC to guide classroom design solutions that support learning by children with ASD.     

Inclusive education and best practice for children with autism spectrum disorder: an integrated approach

Many parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reported general discontent with the services offered by the education system and have advocated for increased ASD‐specific services to better meet their children’s educational needs. The elements of best practice offer an ideal model for educational support. There are, however, limitations to advocating ASD‐specific services. This paper describes how best practice for ASD as an educational model fits within what is described as authentic inclusion. Further, it is suggested that the ASD community align with the greater inclusive education reform movement. With the use of this unified model of education, all children will receive the educational support they require.     

Developmental change in the ERP responses to familiar faces in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders versus typical development

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show differences in face processing abilities from early in development. To examine whether these differences reflect an atypical versus delayed developmental trajectory, neural responses to familiar and unfamiliar faces in twenty-four 18- to 47-month-old children with ASD were compared with responses of thirty-two 12- to 30-month-old typically developing children. Results of 2 experiments revealed that neural responses to faces in children with ASD resembled those observed in younger typically developing children, suggesting delayed development. Electrophysiological responses to faces were also related to parent report of adaptive social behaviors for both children with ASD and typical development. Slower development of the face processing system in ASD may be related to reduced self-directed "expected" experience with faces in early development.     

The effects of antecedent physical activity on the academic engagement of children with autism spectrum disorder

A multiple baseline design was used to examine the effects of participation in antecedent physical activity on the academic engagement of four elementary‐school children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The results indicated large effect sizes for academic engaged time for all four students. It was suggested that physical activity in the form of something as simple to implement as jogging may be efficacious in promoting academic achievement for students diagnosed with ASD. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The assessment of creativity for people with autism spectrum disorder

The term “creativity” can conjure various ideas and meanings. It's no surprise that methods for measuring such a concept vary widely and are not without controversy. This is particularly true among people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who are a unique yet incredibly diverse group of individuals. This article provides an overview of the assessment of creativity among individuals with ASD. Findings among studies that have sought to determine whether individuals with ASD are more or less creative than their neurotypical peers are mixed, yet the authors propose that intentional development of creativity in all youth, including those with ASD, can be beneficial.     

Experiences of parents whose children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are starting primary school

Starting school is a critical event in a child’s life and successful transitions to school have been posited as key indicators for future academic achievement. For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the process is complicated by difficulties in social communication and social interaction. Parents of children with ASD can experience their child’s transition to school as a stressful and challenging time. In this study a qualitative methodology, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), was used to elicit the experiences and perceptions of six parents whose children with ASD were starting school in Ireland. Semi-structured interviews were carried out and a cross-case analysis was conducted. Three common overarching themes were identified which reflected participants’ experiences of the transition process; these were (a) “I think they need to believe, believe what we’re telling them”, (b) “Experience of ASD/it’s a very labelling thing”, and (c) “Preparing for school and feelings about the future”. Implications from the research are discussed with reference to the role of the educational psychologist (EP) in supporting parents of children with ASD in the transition process.