Attention to facial emotion expressions in children with autism

High-functioning children in the autism spectrum are frequently noted for their impaired attention to facial expressions of emotions. In this study, we examined whether attention to emotion cues in others could be enhanced in children with autism, by varying the relevance of children's attention to emotion expressions. Twenty-eight high-functioning boys with autism and 31 boys from a control group were asked to sort photos depicting smiling or frowning faces of adults. As found in earlier studies, in neutral conditions children with autism were less attentive to emotion expressions than children from a control group. This difference disappeared when children were explicitly asked to make a socially relevant decision. These findings suggest that the attention of children with autism to emotion expressions in others is influenced by situational factors. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. © 2006 SAGE Publications and The National Autistic Society

Evaluating the latent structure of the non-social domain of autism in autistic adults

BackgroundThe social domain of autism has been studied in depth, but the relationship between the non-social traits of autism has received less attention. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) outlines four criteria that make up the non-social domain including repetitive motor movements, insistence on sameness, restricted interests and sensory sensitivity. There is a lack of research into the relationship between these four criteria. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the non-social traits of autism in a large sample of autistic adults. It explored whether these traits are best conceptualised as four distinct factors, or exist along a single dimension.MethodsParticipants included autistic adults from the Netherlands Autism Register. The four components identified within the DSM-5 non-social domain were measured by items from the Adult Routines Inventory, the Autism Spectrum Quotient short and the Sensory Perception Quotient short. Confirmatory factor analysis, as well as exploratory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modelling, was implemented to examine the relationship between these four criteria.ResultsResults indicated that a four-factor model provided the best fit, mapping onto the DSM-5 criteria. These four factors were moderately correlated, suggesting that four distinct, yet related factors best describe the non-social domain of autism. The one-factor model did not provide a good fit, highlighting that the non-social domain of autism is not a unitary construct.LimitationsThe study included autistic adults who were cognitively able to complete the self-report measures. This may limit the generalisability of the findings to those who are less able to do so.ConclusionsThis study provided evidence for the multidimensional nature of the non-social domain of autism. Given only two of the four criteria within the non-social domain need to be endorsed for a diagnosis of autism, there is room for substantial variation across individuals, who will have a unique profile within the non-social domain. The results have implications for our understanding of the heterogeneous nature of autistic traits, as well as for how we conceptualise autism as a diagnostic category. This is important for the provision of diagnosis and support within research and clinical practice

How Well Can we Diagnose Autism in Adults? Evaluating an Informant-based Interview: The Dutch Developmental, Dimensional and Diagnostic Interview – Adult Version (3Di-Adult)

The current study evaluated a brief, informant-based autism interview: the Developmental, Dimensional and Diagnostic Interview – Adult Version (3Di-Adult). Feasibility, reliability and validity of the Dutch 3Di-Adult was tested amongst autistic participants (n = 62) and a non-autistic comparison group (n = 30) in the Netherlands. The 3Di-Adult consists of two scales based on DSM-5 criteria: A scale ‘Social communication and social interaction’ and B scale ‘Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities’. ROC curves were used to determine cut-off scores for the A and the B scale, using an ASD diagnosis made by an independent clinician as the criterion. Mean administration time was 42 min. Internal consistency of the A scale (α = 0.92) and the B scale (α = 0.85) were good. Inter-rater reliability (ICCs = 0.99) and inter-rater agreement (ICCs ≥ 0.90) were promising. The 3Di-Adult showed good sensitivity (80.6%) and specificity (93.3%). Positive and negative predictive value were 96.2% and 70.0% respectively. Comparisons with the Autism-Spectrum Quotient-Short to investigate the convergent validity showed moderate, significant correlations with the 3Di-Adult in the total sample. Males, as compared to females, displayed significantly more autistic features on the 3Di-Adult. No relationship was found of the 3Di-Adult with education level, intelligence and age of the participants or informants. The feasibility and psychometric properties of the Dutch 3Di-Adult are promising, indicating that it can be a time-efficient, valid and reliable tool to use in diagnosing autism in adults according to DSM-5 criteria

Language Policy, Politics and Ideology in Mewat: Comparative Case Studies of Mewati in Two School Types

Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in multilingualism, language maintenance and managing language diversity both inside and outside the educational context. However, much of this work, especially in the educational context, has focused on (minority) languages and relatively little attention has been paid to ‘dialects’. This study explores the status and role of Mewati, a dialect generally subsumed under Hindi (Government of India, 2001) in schools. While Mewati is spoken by most Meos as their first language (Srivastava, 2011, p. 250), there are currently no studies that examine the use and role of Mewati in education in Mewat. This thesis addresses an important gap in understanding what roles are assigned (or not) to local dialects in education. This project was guided by two research questions: What language-in-education policies (LiEPs) were in place in the two types of schools (rural and urban) chosen for this study; and what role did Mewati play in the overall language policy framework in these schools. The goal of this project was to develop an understanding about how teachers comprehended, negotiated and implemented LiEPs within classrooms. It also aimed at uncovering and critically analysing the underlying ideologies, policies and political processes that informed and influenced these LiEPs in the two schools studied and how these policies, affected the position of Mewati in these schools. The schools studied differed across multiple dimensions including medium of instruction, board of affiliation, textbooks and curricula, location, infrastructure and the socio-economic background of the students. However, they were similar in that most students in both schools spoke Mewati as their home language. The case study was based on data collected in interviews, informal conversations, artifacts, documents and field notes. The data was gathered from both Meo and non-Meo teachers, who differed across linguistic, ethnic and religious lines, in order to obtain a richer and holistic perspective on teachers’ views and practices. This project took an interdisciplinary approach and drew insights from sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, education and sociology. The study draws significantly on Spolsky’s (2004) model of language policy which was used both as an analytical framework as well as a tool for organizing data. The study revealed that the LiEP of the rural schools was largely Hindi monolingual and the urban school mostly Hindi-English bilingual. Both types of schools failed to make space for Mewati, the mother tongue of the majority of students. In both school types, Hindi was taught as the first language. The majority of teachers also held negative attitudes towards Mewati. The teachers perceived Mewati as a hindrance for the learning and overall development of students. There was a significant communication gap between teachers and students particularly in the early years of education. There was also a severe shortage of local Meo teachers. Most teachers in both schools were non-Meos who could not speak Mewati. A complex mix of inter-ethnic relations between these groups and the socio-historical and political structures greatly influenced language choice patterns and policy decisions. This study has important implications for the role of mother tongue in education for policymakers, government officials, educationists, and teachers as the findings indicate a need for change in language policy and procedures

The moderating effect of cognitive abilities on the association between sensory processing and emotional and behavioural problems and social participation in autistic individuals

Education and Child Studie

Emotion Control Predicts Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems in Boys With and Without an Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often show comorbid emotional and behavior problems. The aim of this longitudinal study is to examine the relation between emotion control (i.e., negative emotionality, emotion awareness, and worry/rumination) and the development of internalizing and externalizing problems. Boys with and without ASD (N = 157; age 9–15) were followed over a period of 1.5 years (3 waves). We found that baseline levels of worry/rumination was a specific predictor of later externalizing problems for boys with ASD. Furthermore, the developmental trajectory of worry/rumination predicted the development of internalizing and externalizing problems in both groups. Our findings suggest that worry/rumination may constitute a transdiagnostic factor underlying both internalizing and externalizing problems in boys with and without ASD