4 research outputs found
Mnesic imbalance: a cognitive theory about autism spectrum disorders
Autism is characterized by impairments in social interaction, communicative capacity and behavioral flexibility. Some cognitive theories can be useful for finding a relationship between these irregularities and the biological mechanisms that may give rise to this disorder. Among such theories are mentalizing deficit, weak central coherence and executive dysfunction, but none of them has been able to explain all three diagnostic symptoms of autism. These cognitive disorders may be related among themselves by faulty learning, since several research studies have shown that the brains of autistic individuals have abnormalities in the cerebellum, which plays a role in procedural learning. In keeping with this view, one may postulate the possibility that declarative memory replaces faulty procedural memory in some of its functions, which implies making conscious efforts in order to perform actions that are normally automatic. This may disturb cognitive development, resulting in autism symptoms. Furthermore, this mnesic imbalance is probably involved in all autism spectrum disorders. In the present work, this theory is expounded, including preliminary supporting evidence
MicroRNA Dysregulation in the Spinal Cord following Traumatic Injury
Spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers a multitude of pathophysiological events that are tightly regulated by the expression levels of specific genes. Recent studies suggest that changes in gene expression following neural injury can result from the dysregulation of microRNAs, short non-coding RNA molecules that repress the translation of target mRNA. To understand the mechanisms underlying gene alterations following SCI, we analyzed the microRNA expression patterns at different time points following rat spinal cord injury
Alunos com distĂșrbios do espectro autĂstico em interação com professores na educação inclusiva: descrição de habilidades pragmĂĄticas Students with autistic spectrum disorders in the interaction with teachers in inclusive education: description of pragmatic skills
OBJETIVO: Investigar as habilidades pragmĂĄticas de alunos com distĂșrbios do espectro autĂstico durante a interação com suas professoras em salas comuns de escolas pĂșblicas. MĂTODOS: Participaram 14 alunos com distĂșrbios do espectro autĂstico, de ambos os gĂȘneros, com idade entre trĂȘs e oito anos (mĂ©dia=5,9; DP=1,8). Como parte do procedimento, foram realizadas filmagens em situaçÔes de sala de aula e para anĂĄlise dos aspectos pragmĂĄticos da comunicação dos participantes, foi utilizado o Protocolo de PragmĂĄtica. Os resultados foram tratados estatisticamente (p<0,05 e em alguns casos p<0,01; foram utilizados os testes de Wilcoxon, Friedman, Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman). RESULTADOS: Em mĂ©dia, o nĂșmero de atos comunicativos expressos por minuto pelas professoras (3,4 atos/min) foi superior (p<0,05) ao apresentado pelos alunos com distĂșrbios do espectro autĂstico (2,7 atos/min). Os alunos demonstraram predomĂnio de utilização do meio gestual, com mĂ©dia de 36,2 ocorrĂȘncias, e de funçÔes comunicativas menos interativas, com mĂ©dia de 24,1 ocorrĂȘncias. AlĂ©m disso, ocorreu correlação positiva entre os atos/min de alunos e professoras (p=0,01). Observou-se, tambĂ©m, que a idade e a escolaridade dos alunos nĂŁo apresentaram correlaçÔes com o estabelecimento da comunicação nas dĂades. CONCLUSĂO: Foi possĂvel identificar os dĂ©ficits e as habilidades dos alunos com distĂșrbios do espectro autĂstico em sala de aula comum e confirmar a influĂȘncia exercida pelo professor no desempenho comunicativo de tais alunos. Estes dados podem contribuir para esclarecimentos de lacunas existentes na literatura e para subsidiar intervençÔes terapĂȘuticas e educacionais nos distĂșrbios do espectro autĂstico.<br>PURPOSE: To investigate the pragmatic skills of students with autistic spectrum disorders during interaction with their teachers, in regular classrooms of public schools. METHODS: Fourteen students with autistic spectrum disorders, both male and female, with ages between three and eight years (mean=5.9; SD=1.8), participated in the study. As part of the procedure, classroom situations were filmed for the analysis of the children's pragmatic aspects of communication, using the Pragmatic Protocol. Data were statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon, Friedman, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman tests, with a significance level of p<0.05 and, in some cases, p<0.01. RESULTS: In average, the number of communicative acts expressed per minute by the teachers (3.4 acts/minute) was superior (p<0.05) to the number presented by the students with autistic spectrum disorders (2.7 acts/minute). The students demonstrated prevalence in the use of the gestural communication mean, with an average of 36.2 occurrences, and of less interactive communicative functions, with an average of 24.1 occurrences. Moreover, there was positive correlation between students' and teachers' acts/minute (p=0.01). It was also observed that age and level of education did not present correlations with communication establishment in the dyads. CONCLUSION: It was possible to identify deficits and abilities of students with autistic spectrum disorders in regular classroom, and to confirm the teacher's influence on the communicative performance of these students. These data may contribute to further explain existing gaps in the literature, and to base therapeutic and educational interventions in the autistic spectrum disorders