Adults with High-functioning Autism Process Web Pages With Similar Accuracy but Higher Cognitive Effort Compared to Controls

To accommodate the needs of web users with high-functioning autism, a designer's only option at present is to rely on guidelines that: i) have not been empirically evaluated and ii) do not account for the di erent levels of autism severity. Before designing effective interventions, we need to obtain an empirical understanding of the aspects that speci c user groups need support with. This has not yet been done for web users at the high ends of the autism spectrum, as often they appear to execute tasks effortlessly, without facing barriers related to their neurodiverse processing style. This paper investigates the accuracy and efficiency with which high-functioning web users with autism and a control group of neurotypical participants obtain information from web pages. Measures include answer correctness and a number of eye-tracking features. The results indicate similar levels of accuracy for the two groups at the expense of efficiency for the autism group, showing that the autism group invests more cognitive effort in order to achieve the same results as their neurotypical counterparts

Detecting high-functioning autism in adults using eye tracking and machine learning

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by IEEE in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering on 30/04/2020, available online: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9082703 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.The purpose of this study is to test whether visual processing differences between adults with and without highfunctioning autism captured through eye tracking can be used to detect autism. We record the eye movements of adult participants with and without autism while they look for information within web pages. We then use the recorded eye-tracking data to train machine learning classifiers to detect the condition. The data was collected as part of two separate studies involving a total of 71 unique participants (31 with autism and 40 control), which enabled the evaluation of the approach on two separate groups of participants, using different stimuli and tasks. We explore the effects of a number of gaze-based and other variables, showing that autism can be detected automatically with around 74% accuracy. These results confirm that eye-tracking data can be used for the automatic detection of high-functioning autism in adults and that visual processing differences between the two groups exist when processing web pages.Published versio

Usability and Reliability of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) Module 4 Remote Administration

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social interaction, impairments in communication, and restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) Module 4 is a semi-structured diagnostic assessment tool designed for verbally fluent adolescents and adults with possible ASD. Due to a lack of available clinical expertise, it can be difficult for adults to receive an accurate ASD diagnostic assessment, especially those residing in rural areas. An ADOS teleassessment system was developed using the Versatile and Integrated System for Telerehabilitation (VISYTER). VISYTER consists of computer stations at the client site and clinician site, and a web portal server for managing and coordinating all elements of the assessment process. Clinician usability and fidelity to standard, face-to-face administration, was assessed. After improvements to the system were made, a study was conducted to determine the reliability of the ADOS module 4 administrations delivered remotely. Twenty-three adults with an ASD diagnosis participated in a within-subject crossover design study in which both a remote and face-to-face ADOS were administered. Weighted kappa was calculated for all 31 ADOS items. There was substantial agreement on 11 items and almost perfect or perfect agreement on 10 items. Intraclass correlations (ICCs) were calculated for algorithm subtotals. ICCs were greater than .75 for three out of four subtotals. There was substantial agreement on ADOS classification (i.e., diagnosis) between assessments delivered face-to-face versus assessments delivered remotely, Po=83%; ĸ =.772, ICC=.92. Non-agreement may have been due to outside factors or practice effect despite a washout period. Finally, usability and satisfaction of the remote assessment system was evaluated from the participants’ perspectives. Participant satisfaction with the remote ADOS delivery system was high. The results of these studies demonstrate that an ASD assessment designed to be delivered face-to-face can be reliably administered remotely using an integrated web-based system

Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Pilot of a Training Resource for Teachers Educating Autistic Inclusion Students in a General Education Setting

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental differences in the United States, with estimates of prevalence as high as 1 in 68 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016). Over recent decades, two trends have converged to bring autism to the fore as a challenge facing public education. First, changes in the conceptualization of autism have led to greater diagnostic capture of autistic individuals, and second, changes in special education practice regarding inclusion (emphasizing placement in Least Restrictive Environment) have increased the number of autistic students in mainstream classrooms. Meanwhile, autism research has largely been driven by a DSM definition based the behavioral and social deficits rather than the cognitive and sensory traits of autism. The legacy of this social functioning deficit lens is a lopsided emphasis in available educational interventions. A review of available educator resources online indicates that the majority of educational support has been developed to meet the behavioral challenges of autistic inclusion students, while differences in autistic ways of perceiving, thinking, and learning have gone largely unacknowledged and unsupported by standard available educational approaches. This Action Research project gathered input from a group of educators via a mixed methods approach (Likert-type survey and focus group) on their experiences and needs regarding effective support of autistic inclusion students. Drawing on educator input, author experience in the schools, and current psychological literature on autistic learning differences, a teacher training resource that emphasized greater support for autistic learning differences with awareness of sensory experiences and autistic cognition was developed. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.ed

Life Satisfaction of Neurotypical Women in Intimate Relationship With a Partner Who Has Asperger’s Syndrome: An Exploratory Study

Asperger’s syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by an average or above average IQ, impairments in social interactions, communication and empathy, restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and sensory sensitivities. Numerous published empirical studies focus on individuals with AS within a number of contexts (e.g., education, health, workplace) and the impact the core characteristics of AS have upon the individual with AS within these contexts. Although there is general consensus among researchers, clinicians and other persons with interest in this field of study that adults with AS do enter into successful careers, marry and have children, there is a paucity of empirical data on the impact that AS characteristics may have upon a non-Asperger’s or neurotypical (NT) spouse or intimate partner. Stage 1 of this study conducted a systematic review of the published peer-reviewed literature and found that there were no empirical data focused on the impact of AS characteristics upon an NT partner within the context of an intimate relationship. Stage 2 of this project was an exploratory study focused on the subjective wellbeing (SWB/life satisfaction) of NT women within this context, with a secondary focus on empathy characteristics. An online survey collected quantitative data on SWB and empathy using the Personal Wellbeing Index – Adult (PWI-A) and the Cambridge Behaviour Scale (EQ). An open-ended question was used to collect qualitative data. Relevant demographic data was also sourced. Survey data from 500 NT women and 53 controls comprised the final data set. The study found that NT women experienced a statistically significant lower SWB than controls and the PWI-A normative sample for Australian women; and NT women had a statistically significantly higher EQ than the controls and the normative sample. Implications of these findings, limitations of the study and recommendations for further research are discussed

The Effects of Social Context and Perspective on Language Processing: Evidence from Autism Spectrum Disorder

This thesis aimed to provide new insights into the role of perspective and non-linguistic context in language processing among autistic and typically developing (TD) adults. The mental simulation account and the one-step model state that language is mentally simulated and interpreted in context, suggesting that these processes are activated online while linguistic input is processed. Little is known of whether the same processes are activated in autism. In seven experiments (four were fully pre-registered), I used offline and online measures (e.g. EEG, eye-tracking) to investigate how social factors, such as the perspective, speaker's voice, emotional states of the characters, and topic of conversation influence language comprehension in both lab and real-life settings, in autism and TD adults. Based on the weak central coherence (WCC), and the complex information processing disorder (CIPD) theories, it was expected that autistic adults would struggle to integrate the social context with language, or at least show some subtle delays in the time-course of these anticipation/integration processes. First, I failed to find the same effect as previous findings, showing enhanced processing for personalized language, suggesting that this process is dependent on individual preferences in perspective-taking and task demands. Furthermore, I found that contrary to the WCC, autistic individuals had an intact ability to integrate social context online, while extracting the meaning from language. There were subtle differences in the time-course and strength of these processes between autistic and TD adults under high cognitive load. Findings are in line with CIPD hypothesis, showing that online language processes are disrupted as task demands increase, which consequently affect the quality of their social interactions. Future research should further investigate how these subtle differences impact social communication abilities in everyday life in autism