Improved Social Communication Abilities and Reduced Autism Severity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Highly Sensitive Mothers

SYNOPSIS

Objective . To explore whether maternal sensitivity is associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) severity in children with and without ASD. Design . The samples consisted of 25 Mexican dyads of children with ASD (aged 3.1-6.9 years) and their mothers (aged 20-47 years) and 24 Mexican dyads of children without ASD (aged 3.4-6.7 years) and their mothers (aged 24-45 years). Maternal sensitivity and ASD severity symptoms were scored from 2-h videos of mother-child daily interactions. Results . A between-group comparison showed a trend toward less severe ASD in children with highly sensitive mothers, specifically in the Nonverbal Communication subdomain. Conclusions . Greater maternal sensitivity is associated with improved social ability in children with ASD.     

Feedback in Distance Learning Programmes in Languages: Attitudes to linguistic faults and implications for the learning process

In distance learning provision in languages, fault correction and feedback can facilitate teacher–student dialogue. This article examines teachers’ beliefs and assumptions about faults and the attitudes of both teachers and learners towards the correction process, all of which can play a key role in fostering this dialogue. Our findings are based on two surveys, one of 215 students enrolled on an intermediate Open University Spanish course and one of a sample of 18 tutors who teach on this course. The results of the two questionnaires suggest that the strategies currently in use for identifying and correcting faults may not be explicit enough. We conclude that this problem may be addressed if both tutors and students are given the tools to make the process more transparent and are encouraged to see dialogue as an essential component in the feedback mechanism.     

Contrasting Two Approaches to Distance Language Learning

In this article we contrast two distance foreign language programs developed at two European institutions of higher education (the Modern Languages Program at the Open University, UK; and the English Program at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain) as instances of two pedagogical models used to address the many challenges posed by teaching languages at a distance. A detailed analysis of both approaches reveals that the pedagogical choices made by both universities are in great measure determined by the historical and cultural contexts in which both institutions are embedded. In addition, we discuss the similarities and differences between the two and draw several conclusions regarding the appropriateness of the two distance universities' general educational, administrative, and technological models for distance language learning.     

Las posibilidades de un modelo teórico para la enseñanza de la comprensión lectora

Resumen

La autora aborda la problemática de la enseñanza de la comprensión lectora desde la perspectiva del modelo interactivo. Tras explicitar las características de este módelo y los avances que supone respecto de formalizaciones anteriores—bottom up y top down—, el artículo se centra en las indicaciones que de él se desprenden para la planificación de actividades de enseñanza/aprendizaje cuyo objeto es la comprensión de textos. Se insiste particularmente en la imposibilidad de aplicar mecánicamente dichos principios, y en la función primordial del maestro para promover en los alumnos estrategias adecuadas de comprensión lectora.