Using a Newly Developed Computer-Based Program to Evaluate Learning of Visuomotor Procedures in Children with Autism: A Pilot Study

Inspired by the recent literature, we designed a computer-based program that allows, with the aid of a digital tablet, to evaluate learning of visuomotor procedures, similar to the ones involved in handwriting. After extensive trials on children with typical development, we conducted a preliminary study to assess the effectiveness of this program in evaluating these abilities in children with ASD

Intention Understanding in Autism

When we observe a motor act (e.g. grasping a cup) done by another individual, we extract, according to how the motor act is performed and its context, two types of information: the goal (grasping) and the intention underlying it (e.g. grasping for drinking). Here we examined whether children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) are able to understand these two aspects of motor acts. Two experiments were carried out. In the first, one group of high-functioning children with ASD and one of typically developing (TD) children were presented with pictures showing hand-object interactions and asked what the individual was doing and why. In half of the “why” trials the observed grip was congruent with the function of the object (“why-use” trials), in the other half it corresponded to the grip typically used to move that object (“why-place” trials). The results showed that children with ASD have no difficulties in reporting the goals of individual motor acts. In contrast they made several errors in the why task with all errors occurring in the “why-place” trials. In the second experiment the same two groups of children saw pictures showing a hand-grip congruent with the object use, but within a context suggesting either the use of the object or its placement into a container. Here children with ASD performed as TD children, correctly indicating the agent's intention. In conclusion, our data show that understanding others' intentions can occur in two ways: by relying on motor information derived from the hand-object interaction, and by using functional information derived from the object's standard use. Children with ASD have no deficit in the second type of understanding, while they have difficulties in understanding others' intentions when they have to rely exclusively on motor cues

Beyond The Point: A Basic Guide To Literature On Pointing Abilities In Children With Autism

Research on core behavioral features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has always been a challenging endeavor. Amongst these features pointing abilities have often attracted attention of researchers. Traditional studies on pointing tended to rely mostly on the distinction between imperative and declarative pointing, but research has gradually recognized the importance of developmental trajectories and the relevance of other skills in the acquisition of pointing in children with ASD. The present study aims to offer a basic review of the literature on pointing in children with ASD, in order to explain these changes in research focus and to pinpoint relevant aspects of pointing that have emerged across time which may be of relevance for future studies

A Kaleidoscope of play: a new approach to play analysis in childhood

Play is a frequent and relevant activity during childhood, and developmental psychologists agree that it offers a unique window on development. Play, however, remains a fuzzy concept, and difficulties persist in its definition, often leading to obstacles in building and comparing experimental studies. This may be due to widespread tendencies to define play by referring to non-observable inner states, to consider playing something that occurs in the head rather than in-the-world and to overreliance on developmental stages. Enactive approaches to child play have instead recently stressed the importance of play contexts, considering child play an activity in-the-world rather than a mental state, thereby de-intellectualizing play and pretense. Along these lines, in this paper the authors propose a novel approach to the definition of play types by considering the roles of organism, environment, and task constraints, within the framework of Material Engagement Theory. Focusing on the material world surrounding the child and the interactions which characterize play, we critically review the strategy of resorting to non-observable categories in the study of play, and we propose a new model (the Kaleidoscope Model) for play analysis

Il problema dell’intersoggettività negli studi sull’autismo

Autismo, diagnostica, teoria della ment

Disruptions of the Meshed Architecture in Autism Spectrum Disorder

We take a wide view of social cognition to include embodied and situated processes of intersubjective interaction, which include, for example, nonverbal cues, joint attention and joint action, social affordances and direct enactive perception of intentions and affective states. In this article we propose a model that can help to capture and organize the many different factors involved in social cognition, and we evaluate how this model may inform research on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Specifically, we propose that social interaction can be viewed as a form of embodied-situated performance. In this respect the model of a meshed architecture, borrowed from performance studies, can provide some insight into social cognition, and specifically into social cognitive problems in ASD. As currently understood this model integrates cognitive and embodied motoric processes. We have developed a more enhanced model of a meshed architecture that applies more generally to situated cognition, and we apply this enhanced model to studies on social cognition and ASD

Using Screen-Based Technologies to Assess Handwriting in Children: A Preliminary Study Choosing Human–Machine Interaction

The acquisition of a fluid and legible handwriting in elementary school has a positive impact on multiple skills (e.g., reading, memory, and learning of novel information). In recent years, the growing percentages of children that encounter mild to severe difficulties in the acquisition of grapho-motor parameters (GMPs) has highlighted the importance of timely and reliable assessments. Unfortunately, currently available tests relying on pen and paper and human-based coding (HBC) require extensive coding time, and provide little or no information on motor processes enacted during handwriting. To overcome these limitations, this work presents a novel screen-based platform for Grapho-motor Handwriting Evaluation & Exercise (GHEE). It was designed to support both fully automatic machine-based coding (MBC) of quantitative GMPs and human-machine interaction coding (MBC+HBC) of GMPs accounting for qualitative aspects of a child’s personal handwriting style (i.e., qualitative GMPs). Our main goal was to test: the GHEE coding approach in a relevant environment to assess its reliability compared to HBC; the efficacy of human-machine interaction in supporting coding of qualitative GMPs; and the possibility to provide data on kinematic aspects of handwriting. The preliminary results on 10 elementary school children showed reliability of fully automatic MBC of quantitative GMPs with respect to traditional HBC, a higher resolution of mixed human-machine interaction systems in assessing qualitative GMPs, and suitability of this technology in providing new information on handwriting kinematics

Differences in action style recognition in children with autism spectrum disorders

Vitality form is a term, originally introduced by Stern (2010), to describe "how" an action is performed. The capacity to perceive the vitality form of others' actions is a fundamental element of social interactions and a basic way of relating to and understanding others' behaviors. Although vitality forms characterize all human interactions, few studies have addressed their role in social and communicative disorders such as autism. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the ability to recognize different vitality forms during the observation of different motor actions in a group of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to typically developing controls (TD). Results show a significant difference between children with ASD and TD in vitality forms recognition. This finding sheds new light on how children with ASD understand others' actions providing new ideas on overall social understanding as well as useful insights for professionals and caregivers alike