Transcendence through Play: Child-Centered Play Therapy and Young Children with Autism

This qualitative study was designed to explore the impact of child-centered play therapy on young children identified as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with autism often experience difficulties in social, communication, behavioral, and relational domains. Often the treatment protocol for these children is an intense schedule of behavioral interventions designed to decrease problematic and increase desired behaviors. However, little emphasis has been placed on the child’s core deficits in relational skills and even less importance has been placed on his/her adequate emotional development. The current study sought to understand the impact of participation in play therapy on emotional and relational skills in young children with ASD. Using qualitative methods including parent interviews, participant observation, weekly parent probes, and expert check-in/supervision, the progress of three children ages six- to seven-years-old was monitored as they participated in 16 bi-weekly (twice per week) child-centered play therapy (CPPT) sessions. The play of all three participants was coded and analyzed. A mobile play therapy room stocked with toys appropriate for children with ASD was utilized for each session. Transcripts of video-recorded sessions, field notes, parent interviews, and responses to weekly parent probes that occurred throughout the duration of the CCPT intervention were analyzed for themes. A subsequent within and cross case analysis was completed. Expert check-in and supervision occurred on a weekly basis to ensure adherence to CCPT intervention. Member checks, multiple reviews of videos, and transcribed interviews were completed by the researcher. To enhance trustworthiness, trained reviewers coded a sample of videos and transcriptions. Results from this study suggested young children with ASD experienced positive growth in a range of areas throughout their participation in CCPT. While the progress and growth noted was varied in the degree of improvement between individuals, results indicated participants displayed improvement in the areas of social engagement, autonomy, academic participation, emotional state, and sensory/repetitive behaviors. Study results also indicated varying degrees of change with regard to play skills in all three participants; two participants advanced through the play stages while one participant displayed fewer play skill changes. For all three participants, emergence of improved skills within CCPT sessions included more natural play, increased communicative behaviors, and enhanced social engagement. These skills occurred in tandem with the reduction of self-soothing behaviors within the play room, providing support to the theory that when provided a safe, accepting environment, children with ASD can display increased motivation and ability to interact more naturally, intimately, and freely with their external world and experience a forward moving state of self-healing power

Affect Recognition in Autism: a single case study on integrating a humanoid robot in a standard therapy.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a multifaceted developmental disorder that comprises a mixture of social impairments, with deficits in many areas including the theory of mind, imitation, and communication. Moreover, people with autism have difficulty in recognising and understanding emotional expressions. We are currently working on integrating a humanoid robot within the standard clinical treatment offered to children with ASD to support the therapists. In this article, using the A-B-A' single case design, we propose a robot-assisted affect recognition training and to present the results on the child’s progress during the five months of clinical experimentation. In the investigation, we tested the generalization of learning and the long-term maintenance of new skills via the NEPSY-II affection recognition sub-test. The results of this single case study suggest the feasibility and effectiveness of using a humanoid robot to assist with emotion recognition training in children with ASD

Music Therapy: Effects on Children Diagnosed with ASD

This study was conducted to focus on the use of music therapy as a treatment to serve people of special needs, including individuals with ASD. The research seeks to inform parents/students of children with ASD that music therapy could be the avenue in which their children/students are treated in certain areas. The information in this research can assist parents with the knowledge and understanding they need relating to music therapy in order for their child to overcome weaknesses associated with ASD. Similarly, music teachers can gain further insight into the world of music therapy to encourage students who struggle in music class to become involved in music therapy sessions. During this study, scholarly sources were used to show general information about music therapy and autism. In addition, findings from peer reviewed studies were used to exhibit the power of music therapy in a child with ASD’s life. The overarching aim of this study is to define, describe and demonstrate the significance music therapy can bring to a child with ASD

Bridging the gap between emotion and joint action

Our daily human life is filled with a myriad of joint action moments, be it children playing, adults working together (i.e., team sports), or strangers navigating through a crowd. Joint action brings individuals (and embodiment of their emotions) together, in space and in time. Yet little is known about how individual emotions propagate through embodied presence in a group, and how joint action changes individual emotion. In fact, the multi-agent component is largely missing from neuroscience-based approaches to emotion, and reversely joint action research has not found a way yet to include emotion as one of the key parameters to model socio-motor interaction. In this review, we first identify the gap and then stockpile evidence showing strong entanglement between emotion and acting together from various branches of sciences. We propose an integrative approach to bridge the gap, highlight five research avenues to do so in behavioral neuroscience and digital sciences, and address some of the key challenges in the area faced by modern societies

Structural Family Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Single Case Experiment

This research study is an exploratory single case experiment which was conceptualized through the concept of change as outlined in structural family therapy (SFT). This family reported increases in their levels of cohesion, flexibility, and satisfaction with their relationships. The family reported decreases in the levels of disengagement, rigidity, chaos, and communication. Lastly, levels of anxiety increased over time and were generally rated divergently by parents and the child with autism spectrum disorder. Given the outcome of the study, SFT shows promise in being an appropriate clinical model in providing family-based therapy for families who have a child(ren) with autism spectrum disorder

Lived Experiences of Counselors Providing Counseling to Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of counselors providing counseling to adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Eleven professional counselors participated in the study from various regions of the United States. Four themes and 10 subthemes were found. The resulting themes discuss the counselor reactions, previous experiences with ASD, approaches used in counseling, and counselor self-care. The findings exhibit new evidence in the literature such as counselors’ emotional reactions to working with adults with ASD, challenges in balancing adult clients with ASD and their family members, and professional emotional boundaries used as a self-care tool. Implications are provided specific to counselor educators, counselor supervisors, and practicing counselors in the field. Recommendations include incorporating more education and exposure to individuals with ASD into counseling programs and increasing trainings and research on counseling adults with ASD

Leveling the Playing Field: Supporting Neurodiversity via Virtual Realities

Neurodiversity is a term that encapsulates the diverse expression of human neurology. By thinking in broad terms about neurological development, we can become focused on delivering a diverse set of design features to meet the needs of the human condition. In this work, we move toward developing virtual environments that support variations in sensory processing. If we understand that people have differences in sensory perception that result in their own unique sensory traits, many of which are clustered by diagnostic labels such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Sensory Processing Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Rett syndrome, dyslexia, and so on, then we can leverage that knowledge to create new input modalities for accessible and assistive technologies. In an effort to translate differences in sensory perception into new variations of input modalities, we focus this work on ASD. ASD has been characterized by a complex sensory signature that can impact social, cognitive, and communication skills. By providing assistance for these diverse sensory perceptual abilities, we create an opportunity to improve the interactions people have with technology and the world. In this paper, we describe, through a variety of examples, the ways to address sensory differences to support neurologically diverse individuals by leveraging advances in virtual reality