Tag Archives: Autism Spectrum Disorders

The A-Word, Part 24: Gaining Attention

By Cheryl and Mike | Published: February 23, 2012
24

As Jack Riley’s language skills expand, so do his social skills. Jessica is teaching Jack Riley how to appropriately gain attention from others. As the skill is new to Jack Riley, Jessica prompts him the entire way using visual, physical, and vocal prompts until he learns how to gain others attention independently.

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The A-Word, Part 22: Tacting and Joint Attention

By Cheryl and Mike | Published: January 27, 2012
Jack Riley Tacting

After six months of ABA therapy, Jack Riley has become significantly more vocal. He now consistently labels items and mands. In this epidode, we observe as Jack Riley tacts with joint attention, which is a major accomplishment as lack of joint attention is a key identifying sign of autism.

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Q&A: Feeding Disorders

By Kate Gutshall | Published: January 11, 2012
Feeding Disorder

What are the typical signs and characteristics of feeding disorders in children?

Feeding disorders are classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV-TR) officially as Feeding Disorder of Infancy or Early Childhood. Official diagnosis requires:

Feeding disturbance as manifested by persistent failure to eat adequately with significant failure to gain weight or significant loss of weight over at least one month.
The disturbance is not due to an associated gastrointestinal or other general medical condition (e.g., esophageal reflux).
The disturbance is not better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g., rumination disorder) or by lack of available food.
The onset is before the age of 6 years.

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How to Manage Challenging Behaviors

By Daphne Plump | Published: December 29, 2011
Challenging Behaviors

This free presentation is designed for parents and caregivers.

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Assessing the Function of Stereotypy in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

By Marlena Smith | Published: December 28, 2011
research copy

In a recent study, CARD researcher Arthur Wilke and colleagues found stereotypy to be maintained by automatic reinforcement in the majority of children with ASD. Among the core features of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is the presence of repetitive and restricted behavior, also known as stereotypy. High rates of stereotypy can hinder social interaction and learning in children with ASD. As with any problem behavior, the function that is maintaining a stereotyped behavior must be identified before intervention can occur. Behaviors may be maintained by attention, escape, access to an object, or the behavior itself may be automatically reinforcing. For example, a child may repeatedly slap his hand against a flat surface because he likes the tingling feeling that results. While it is often assumed that the function of stereotypy in children with ASD is automatic, function should never be presumed based solely on the type of behavior. For this reason, CARD researchers investigated the function of stereotyped behavior in children with ASD.

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Are Clinical Diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorders Consistent across Assessment Centers?

By Marlena Smith | Published: November 22, 2011
Clinical

A recent study has received a lot of media attention over its finding that clinical diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may be inconsistent across assessment centers. Current diagnostic criteria for ASD is broken down into three separate diagnoses, which include autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger’s disorder. In this study, the authors set out to determine if clinical diagnoses of these disorders are consistent across different assessment centers.

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Genetics versus Environment in Autism Spectrum Disorders

By Marlena Smith | Published: July 11, 2011

Potential participants were identified through the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS). Both identical and fraternal twin pairs were eligible to participate if they were born between 1987 and 2004, and at least one twin was reported to have an ASD diagnosis. A total of 1,156 twin pairs were identified through the DDS, however, due to limited participation from families, only 202 twin pairs were included in the study. All participants received comprehensive diagnostic evaluations to confirm diagnoses of autistic disorder or broader ASD.

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Routine Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorders

By Marlena Smith | Published: June 28, 2011

Dr. Al-Qabandi and colleagues set out to review existing research in order to determine whether routine ASD screening would be appropriate for the entire population. Findings of various research studies were used to evaluate how routine ASD screening measured against a number of criteria.

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The A-Word Part 6: Adjusting

By Cheryl and Mike | Published: June 16, 2011

Part 6 in the series following Jack Riley and his family as Jack gets ABA Therapy for autism.

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CARD Offers Free Legal Seminar for Parents of Children with ASD

By Daphne Plump | Published: June 14, 2011

On Monday, June 20, 2011 Southern California parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can attend a free legal seminar. The two-hour seminar will provide valuable information for parents who have to [More...] decide what to do after an unsuccessful applied behavior analysis (ABA) services request. The seminar will be hosted by Bonnie Z. Yates, Esq., Elizabeth Eubanks, ESq. and Melissa Remer, Esq.

Yates, Eubanks and Remer will discuss all public and private funding options parents may use to obtain the services their child needs.

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