The Effects of Imitative Vs. Cognitive Methods on The Speech Development of Children With Autism

How to Cite This Article: Jalili M, Jahangiri N, Yazdi Aa, Ashrafzadeh F. The Effects of Imitative Vs. Cognitive Methods on The Speech Development of Children With Autism. Iran J Child Neurol. 2014 Winter; 8(1):37-46.ObjectiveThe present study was performed to examine the effects of two speech therapy methods on six verbal behaviors of autistic children, including oral speech, listening, organizing, speaking, semantics, and syntax.Materials & MethodsIn this study, thirty 6-8 years old children with autism were assigned to one of two groups: imitative and cognitive groups. Before starting the main procedures of the study, the children of both groups were homogenized concerning their autism level. In the first phase of the study, the speech development level of the two groups was measured in a pre-test, in which both groups showed similar results. Then, both groups of children received 6 months of speech therapy instruction, during which one group was taught using an imitative method, while the other group was being worked with cognitive method.ResultsAfter 6-month treatment period, a post-test was done, and the t-tests based on the data of the two groups revealed a significant difference between the results.ConclusionThe statistics showed that after the teaching period, autistic that worked with cognitive method gained a better development in their speech abilities, comparing to those worked with the imitative method.Reference:Samadi SA, Mahmoodizadeh A, McConkey R. A national study of the prevalence of Autism among five year old children in Iran. Autism 2012;16(1):5-14.Fombonne E, Simmons H, Ford T, Meltzer H, Goodman R. Prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders in the British nationwide survey of child mental health. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2001;40(7):820-7.Fombonne, E. The changing epidemiology of Autism. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil 2005,18(4):281-94.Filipek PA, Accardo PJ, Ashwal S, Baranek GT, Cook EH Jr, Dawson G, et al. Practice parameter: screening and diagnosis of autism: report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society. Neurology 2000;55(4):468-79.Samadi, SA. Comparative policy brief: status of intellectual disabilities in the Islamic republic of Iran. J Policy Pract Intellect Disabil 2008;5:129-32.Rogers SJ, An examination of the imitation deficit in autism. In: Nadel J, Butterworth G, editors. Imitation in infancy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1999. p.254-83.Ozonoff S, Pennington BF, Rogers SJ. Executive function deficits in high-functioning autistic individuals: Relationship to theory of mind. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 1991;32(7):1081-105.Williams JH, Whiten A, Suddendorf T, Perrett DI. Imitation, mirror neurons and autism. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2001;25(4):287-95.Rogers SJ, Hepburn SL, Stackhouse T, Wehner E. Imitation performance in toddlers with autism and those with other developmental disorders. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2003;44(5):763-81.Gena A, Krantz PJ, McClannahan LE, Poulson CL. Training and generalization of affective behavior displayed by youth with autism. J Appl Behav Anal 1996;29(3):291-304.Ingenmey R, Van Houten R. Using time delay to promote spontaneous speech in an autistic child. J Appl Behav Anal 1991;24(3):591-6.Ayzenson J. Language and speech disorders in children. Tehran: Roshd publications; 2010.De Giacomo A, Fombonne E. Parental recognition of developmental abnormalities in autism. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1998;7(3):131-6.Hodgdon LA. Solving behavior problems in autism: improving communication with visual strategies. Quirkroberts publishing; 2001. P.32.Bertrand J, Mars A, Boyle C, Bove F, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Decoufle P. Prevalence of autism in a United States population: the Brick Township, New Jersey, investigation. Pediatrics 2001;108(5):1155-61.Siegel B. Helping children with autism learn: a guide to treatment approaches for parents and professionals. Oxford: Oxford Press Inc; 2002. P.3.Plimley L, Bowen M. Social skills and autism spectrum disorders, London: Paul Chapman publishing; 2007.Mohammadi M, Mesgarpour B, Sahimi Izadian E, Mohammadi M. Psychiatric tests for children and young adults: CARS test. Tehran: Teimourzadeh publications; 2006.Schopler E, Mesibov GB. Diagnosis and Assessment in Autism. New York, NY: Springer publications; 1988. P.3-4.Newcomer P, Hammill D. TOLD: test of language development. (Adaption and standardization to Persian language by Hassanzadeh S and Minaei A.). Tehran: Publications of Ministry of Education; 1977.Dequinzio JA. Generalized Imitation of Facial Models by Children with Autism. J Appl Behav Anal 2007;40(4):755-9.Hatch E. Farhady H. 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Validation of an Ultrashort Persian Version of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-5) Questionnaire

Objective: To validate the ultrashort (5-item) Persian version of OHIP by investigating its psychometric properties. Material and Methods: Construct validity was assessed by examining the correlation between OHIP-5 scores and self-reported oral health status, judgment for dental treatment needs and the number of natural teeth. Reliability was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha and corrected item-total correlation. Effect size (ES) and Standardized Response Mean (SRM) were calculated for the responsiveness of the scale and factor analysis was done by measuring Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO), Bartlett’s sphericity test and scree plot. Results: In 430 subjects (mean age 41.56+/-11.35 years, 56% female) the correlations between OHIP-5 scores and mentioned items were significant (p<0.01) indicating sufficient construct validity. The reliability coefficient (Cronbach's alpha) of the OHIP-5 was above the recommended 0.7 thresholds (0.809) and considered well. For evaluation of responsiveness, the ES was measured to be 5.604 and the SRM was 1.5. Moreover, in the confirmatory factor analysis, the unidimensional model for OHIP5 approved by indices (KMO=0.81, p<0.001 for Bartlett sphericity). Conclusion: The Persian version of OHIP-5 is a precise, valid, reliable and unidimensional instrument for assessing oral health-related quality of life among the general adult population

Aharonov-Bohm detection of two-dimensional magnetostatic cloaks

Two-dimensionalmagnetostatic cloaks, evenwhen perfectly designed tomitigate the magnetic field disturbance of a scatterer, may be still detectable with Aharonov-Bohm (AB) measurements, and therefore may affect quantum interactions and experiments with elongated objects. We explore a multilayered cylindrical cloak whose permeability profile is tailored to nullify the magnetic-flux perturbation of the system, neutralizing its effect on AB measurements, and simultaneously optimally suppress the overall scattering. In this way, our improved magnetostatic cloak combines substantial mitigation of the magnetostatic scattering response with zero detectability by AB experiment

Examining Metabolic Profiles in Opioid-Dependent Patient

Background: Drug abuse is a social burden and a public health disorder. Previous evidencesuggested numerous illicit substances (e.g., opioids, amphetamines, cocaine, & cannabis)affect immune system functions, oxidative stress mechanisms, inflammatory cytokines, andreactive oxygen species production.This study aimed to determine the extent of these metabolic parameters in opioid-dependentpatients. We also compared these patients with a healthy control group.Methods: This study was conducted in Amirie Clinic, Kashan, Iran. Plasma and serumsamples from 50 illicit opioid users (study group) and 50 non-opioid users (control group)were studied. Metabolic levels for MDA, NO, TAC, GSH, Insulin, HOMA-IR, and hs-CRPwere assessed in both research groups (N=100).Results: There was a significant difference in the status of MDA (P=0.003), NO (P=0.01), TAC(P=0.003), GSH (P=0.001), insulin (P=0.04), HOMA-IR (P=0.02), and hs-CRP (P=0.001)between the study and control groups. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation amongthe duration of illicit opioid use and MDA concentrations (r=-0.424, P=0.002), as well as TAClevels (r=0.314, P=0.02).Conclusion: The study results suggested metabolic profiles were impaired in the study group,compared to the controls

Detection of Helicobacter pylori using PCR in dental plaque of patients with and without gastritis

Objectives: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) accounts for gastritis, peptic ulcer and is a probable cause of gastric cancer. Since its detection in the oral cavity, concerns have been raised about dental plaque as a reservoir for reinfection. The aim of this study was to detect the organism in the dental plaque and to determine the association, if any, between H. pylori gastritis and dental plaque contamination causing H. pylori. Study design: A polymerase chain reaction-based method was used for detection of H. pylori in clinical specimens. Supra and subgingival samples were collected from 67 patients with chronic periodontitis, 23 of whom were also suffering from gastritis. The data were analyzed with Chi square and Fisher exact test and the statistical significance was set to 0.05. Results: H. pylori was scarce in patients with periodontitis(5.9%). There was a significant association between the presence of H. pylori in the dental plaque and gastritis (p=0.012). Conclusions: Although rarely seen, H. pylori infected dental plaque may be a source for reinfection. It is therefore suggested that professional plaque removal and oral hygiene procedures be performed, along with the antibiotic treatment of H. pylori

Analytical and Laboratory Evaluation of the Solubility of Gypsiferous Soils

Gypsum soil is one of the problematic soils because of considerable solubility for Gypsum particles in contact with water. In this research the effects of three factors including; gypsum percent, hydraulic gradient and soil texture were studied on solubility of gypsum soils. To do this, samples of gypsum soils were provided artificially by adding various rates of natural gypsum rock including 0, 5, 10, 20 and 30 percent weight of 3 kinds of soil textures including clay, silty clay and sand. Totally, 15 types of gypsum soils were prepared. Then each of gypsum soils were leached under five hydraulic gradients levels 0.5, 1, 2, 5 and 10. The results of the test indicated that the rate of Gypsum in the soil had direct effect on the rate of soluble and by increasing the percent of Gypsum, the rate of solubility was increased. In addition, by increasing hydraulic gradient, the speed of water existing soil media in a specified time was increased and also higher rate of Gypsum was derived. Also the soil texture has a considerable effect on the rate of solubility of soil. In this study, rate of solubility of gypsum soils with sandy soils was determined as 1.5 to 2 times more than the rate of clay soils. The   statistical   results show the highest impact of gypsum percentage and lowest impact of hydraulic gradient soil on solubility of particles in different types of soils and it has no significant effect on the overall equation of the soil texture

A comparative study of the long term results of root coverage with connective tissue graft or enamel matrix protein: 24-month results

Background: The objective of this study was to compare the 24 month results of coronally advanced fl ap + enamel matrix derivates (EMD+CAF) and CAF+ connective tissue graft (CTG+CAF) in the treatment of Miller Class I recession defects.Methods: Twelve patients with bilateral gingival recessions were treated with EMD+CAF or CTG+CAF. Vertical recession depth (VRD), keratinized tissue width (KTW), clinical attachment level (CAL), and clinical probing depth (CPD) were measured preoperatively, 1 and 2 years post surgery. A paired t-test and independent t-test were used to compare differences for the measured characters within and between groups, respectively.Results: After 24 months a signifi cant decrease in VRD was observed in CAF + EMD (3.33±0.30 mm) and CAF + CTG (4.5 ± 0.28 mm) treated sites. There was also a signifi cant increase in KTW (0.83±0.23 mm versus 2.08±0.14 mm in EMD+CAF and CTG+CAF sites, respectively). The gain in CAL was 3.54 ± 0.38 mm and 4.45±0.30 mm in EMD+CAF and CTG+CAF group, respectively. There were signifi cant differences between the treatments for VRD, CAL, and KTW at the end of study.Conclusions: The CTG+CAF procedure seems to provide better long-term results than the EMD+CAF in obtaining root coverage, increasing the KTW and CAL gain

Factors affecting patient safety: a qualitative content analysis

Background: Patient safety is one of the main components of good-quality health services. The main objective of this study is to explore the most effective factors relating to patient safety in Iran.Methods: This qualitative study was done using content analysis. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Through purposive sampling, 14 participants were selected by experts who were familiar with the patient safety friendly hospital program. Interviews were recorded and then analyzed by framework analysis using MAXQDA software.Results: Of 2,474 initial codes, 10 main themes and 53 sub-themes were identified, including importance of human resources; organization and management; interactions and teamwork; medication; equipment and physical environment; patient-related factors; patient safety and quality improvement; the importance of documentation; assessment and monitoring; medical errors; barriers and challenges.Conclusion: Factors affecting patient safety can be divided into two groups: facilitators and barriers. Hospitals can improve the implementation of patient safety standards, reduce the adverse events and enhance patient safety by strengthening facilitating factors, such as providing human resources, adequate medical equipment and facilities, increasing employee participation in quality improvement programs, improving staff training, communicating with patients and their families, and addressing the existing challenges and barriers.[Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2019; 33(2):73-80]Key words: Patient safety, safety, patient, patient's safety friendly hospitals, hospita