Archive for July 15th, 2011
Abstract
Objective To review the effectiveness of applied behavior intervention (ABI) programs for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their cognitive, adaptive behavior, and language development. Study design Systematic reviews, randomized or quasirandomized controlled trials (RCT) of ABI delivered to preschool children with ASD were reviewed. Quantitative data on cognitive, language, and behavior outcomes were extracted and pooled for meta-analysis (RevMan 4.2). Results Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Six of these were randomized comparison trials with adequate methodologic quality (PEDro ≥ 6). Meta-analysis of 4 studies concluded that, compared with standard care, ABI programs did not significantly improve the cognitive outcomes of children in the experimental group who scored a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 0.38 (95%CI −0.09 to 0.84; P = .1). There was no additional benefit over standard care for expressive language; SMD of 0.37 (95%CI −0.09 to 0.84; P = .11), for receptive language; SMD of 0.29 (95%CI −0.17 to 0.74; P = .22) or adaptive behavior; SMD of 0.30 (95%CI −0.16 to 0.77; P = .20). Conclusions Currently there is inadequate evidence that ABI has better outcomes than standard care for children with autism. Appropriately powered clinical trials with broader outcomes are required. Abbreviations: ABA, Applied behavioral analysis, ABAI, Applied behavior analysis intervention, ABI, Applied behavior intervention, ASD, Autism spectrum disorder, IBT, Intensive behavioral treatment, PDD, Pervasive developmental disorders, PEDro, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, SMD, Standardized mean difference
Source:
http://www.citeulike.org/group/12599/article/9524707
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Melbourne schoolgirl Holly Bligh, aged 9, has albinism which is a genetic condition that affects not only the pigment in her skin, hair and eyes, but also her vision. Normally for Holly to read, she would require a hefty magnifying glass, and work sheets given out by her teachers would have to be magnified when photocopied specially for her. Well now thanks to the iPad, it seems that most of her reading problems have been solved, as all she would have to do is swipe and pinch to flip through pages and to enlarge text. Her attention span reportedly has also increased and her “visual fatigue†now apparently takes twice as long before it sets in.
Just to point it out, this could have easily be achieved on an Android tablet, or any other tablet too for that matter, it just so happens that Holly and her parents decided to go for Apple’s iPad instead.
Apparently Holly’s mother was so grateful for what the iPad has done for her daughter, that she sent an email to Steve Jobs, thanking him for “completely changing†her daughter’s life. She was not expecting a reply, but he did. We guess it’s kind of Steve Jobs’ M.O. to surprise. He replied her email saying, “Thanks for sharing your experience with me. Do you mind if I read your email to a group of our top 100 leaders at Apple?†He then proceeded to sign off with “Thanks, Steve†and asked for a photo of Holly with her iPad. We guess this is probably a use of the iPad that maybe Steve Jobs did not foresee.
Research has also shown that school students with a range of physical and mental challenges, including autism and deaf-blindness, show an average of 20 percent improvement in communication abilities from using devices like the iPad.
Source:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/06/apples-ipad-helps-a-9-year-old-girl-with-eyesight-problems/
Last week we held a hugely successful conference in London on ‘Understanding and Managing Challenging Behaviour’.
The conference was attended by over 130 professionals, who heard about the latest research and good practice on topics including causes, early intervention and planning.
Speakers included leading experts John Clements, Dr Juli Crocombe, Dr Helen Pearce and Geoff Evans. Attendees also heard from Steve McGuinness and Jackie Edwards, who talked about their own experiences of anxiety and how it can lead to behaviours that some people may find challenging to deal with. (Download presentations from the conference here.)
We were also fortunate to have keynote speaker John Clements (pictured above right) do a book signing during the event. He is the author of Assessing behaviors regarded as problematic for people with developmental disabilities and People with autism behaving badly: helping people with ASD move on from behavioral and emotional challenges.
Responding effectively to challenging behaviour is a huge concern for people working in the care and education sectors. The topic was particularly relevant given the recent scandal over mistreatment of vulnerable adults living at Winterbourne View, a private hospital in Bristol.
Our high-quality conferences focus on important issues in the field of autism and bring together leading figures to discuss the latest research and practice. To find out more about our upcoming events, please visit www.autism.org.uk/conferences
Source:
The Government’s reforms will shape the future of a generation of children with autism in England.
Children expect an education that sets them up for life.
Parents expect a system that works with, not against, them.
We expect the Government to listen, and to act.
Let’s work together. Let’s get it right. Take action now.
Research has found that siblings of people with autism show a similar pattern of brain activity to that seen in people with autism when looking at emotional facial expressions (Spencer et al, 2011).
Richard Mills, Director of Research at The National Autistic Society (NAS), said:
Autism is highly heterogenous. This study does not answer all the questions on its causes; but it does give the scientific community the opportunity to further investigate what genes the ‘biomarker’ (in this case, reduced brain activity) affects, and possibly expand on our theories on the causes of autism. As such, we welcome its findings.
Dr Spencer’s study confirms the importance of genetic factors in some forms of autism. The findings appear to be consistent with other MRI and genetic studies in identifying brain regions and structures implicated in autism.
Importantly, this study finds a biomarker only in the response to emotions of one part of the brain – related to empathy. It does not suggest that siblings of people with autism will develop the condition or are at increased risk, though we already know there is a higher incidence of some forms of autism in subsequent children if one child in the family has autism.
The causes of autism are not yet understood but a combination of genetic and environmental factors are known to be very important. The NAS Centre for Autism will continue to work with the scientific community and professionals to share new information and research on important new autism topics, in order to promote understanding and expertise.
Anyone who has questions about autism, how to seek a diagnosis, or who simply needs some advice can contact our Autism Helpline on 0808 800 4104 (open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm).
You can read the full research report on the Autism Research Centre’s website.
Source:
http://www.autism.org.uk/news-and-events/news-from-the-nas/biomarker-for-autism-discovered.aspx