Construct Validity in Scientific Representation: A Philosophical Tour

This article presents a philosophical tour encircling the concept construct validity. Encapsulated by two major perspectives, realism and antirealism, we visit key topics within the philosophy of educational science such as representation and reference, truth, explanation and causation. We discuss how realism and antirealism deal with unobservables through the distinction between appearance and reality. We examine the two perspectives’ stance on observational terms (O-terms) and theoretical terms (T-terms), and look at the consequences implied for researchers that reside within the two perspectives. We argue that the understanding of the concept of construct validity is essential for educational researchers and researchers from any scientific discipline. Furthermore, the discussions of construct validity raised here is important beyond the research realm, such as in educational practice and in all everyday inferences people make about theoretical entities. Any researcher and practitioner is free to choose between the -isms, but must be aware that the choice has consequences.publishedVersio

A Review of Research Studying Film and Television Representations of ASD

An increasing number of characters with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are appearing in film and television, leading to increased public perceptions of ASD. This review examined the current state of research focused on ASD representations in film and television, and the extent to which characterizations of ASD have been studied. Eighty-seven characters with ASD were discussed across the 26 articles. Characters were culturally and linguistically diverse, and portrayals of ASD appear to be moving away from typical disability-tropes. Researchers studying ASD portrayals were also culturally and academically diverse, with the majority representing fields outside of traditional ASD research disciplines. Connecting diverse methodological procedures may be a useful next-step to enhance empirical studies of ASD representations.publishedVersio

Very low association between multidimensional musical environment exposure and musical perception skills among children: Evidence from a large multilevel cross-sectional study

This study aimed to explore whether music perception is correlated with the load of exposure to musical activities in daily life, such as attending musical events, playing an instrument, attending music classes (at school or for a social project), and the time children spend listening to music using a non-experimental design. We are reusing data from the studies by Barros et al. and Cogo-Moreira & Lamont, from a random school-based sample (multilevel design) including 1,006 children from first to fifth grade in 14 schools in São Paulo, Brazil. Data were collected using the “M-factor”, a new paradigm to assess music perception, and a questionnaire to track children’s self-reported musical activities related to their individual daily lives in different environments (home and school). At the within-participants level, self-reported exposure to music activity accounted for only 5.3% of the variance in music perception after adjusting for age and sex. Hence, the magnitude of the association between music exposure and music perception skills was small when both music exposure and music perception skills were evaluated under continuous scores and using a heterogeneous population.publishedVersio

Discussions of Asperger Syndrome on Social Media: Content and Sentiment Analysis on Twitter

Background: On May 8, 2021, Elon Musk, a well-recognized entrepreneur and business magnate, revealed on a popular television show that he has Asperger syndrome. Research has shown that people’s perceptions of a condition are modified when influential individuals in society publicly disclose their diagnoses. It was anticipated that Musk's disclosure would contribute to discussions on the internet about the syndrome, and also to a potential change in the perception of this condition. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the types of information contained in popular tweets about Asperger syndrome as well as their engagement and sentiment before and after Musk’s disclosure. Methods: We extracted tweets that were published 1 week before and after Musk's disclosure that had received >30 likes and included the terms “Aspergers” or “Aspie.” The content of each post was classified by 2 independent coders as to whether the information provided was valid, contained misinformation, or was neutral. Furthermore, we analyzed the engagement on these posts and the expressed sentiment by using the AFINN sentiment analysis tool. Results: We extracted a total of 227 popular tweets (34 posted the week before Musk’s announcement and 193 posted the week after). We classified 210 (92.5%) of the tweets as neutral, 13 (5.7%) tweets as informative, and 4 (1.8%) as containing misinformation. Both informative and misinformative tweets were posted after Musk’s disclosure. Popular tweets posted before Musk’s disclosure were significantly more engaging (received more comments, retweets, and likes) than the tweets posted the week after. We did not find a significant difference in the sentiment expressed in the tweets posted before and after the announcement. Conclusions: The use of social media platforms by health authorities, autism associations, and other stakeholders has the potential to increase the awareness and acceptance of knowledge about autism and Asperger syndrome. When prominent figures disclose their diagnoses, the number of posts about their particular condition tends to increase and thus promote a potential opportunity for greater outreach to the general public about that condition.publishedVersio

Therapists’ experiences with providing guided internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with mild to moderate depression: a thematic analysis

Introduction: Guided internet-delivered therapy has shown promising results for patients with mild and moderate depressive disorder, but several challenges with the format have been reported. The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate therapists’ experiences providing guided internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with mild and moderate depression. Material and methods: Twelve therapists were interviewed, and the interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results and conclusion: Three themes were created: (1) For the right person, at the right time. This theme is about therapists’ experiences appointing patients to the program. It is challenging to predict which patients will benefit from it, and it is not the right option for all patients. (2) It is not like chatting on Facebook. The second theme was about the experiences with demands on clinics, therapists and patients that must be considered. The internet-delivered treatment should not be viewed as a simple treatment option, and the value of having contact with the patients during treatment was emphasized. (3) It is like a railroad, but without the switches. This theme was about the experiences with how the treatment content was conveyed to the patients, how the therapists expressed concerns with the usability of the program and the reported need for more possibilities in tailoring treatment for each patient.publishedVersio

Online Attitudes and Information-Seeking Behavior on Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Greta Thunberg.

The purpose of this study was to examine Internet trends data and sentiment in tweets mentioning autism, Asperger syndrome, and Greta Thunberg during 2019. We used mixed methods in analyzing sentiment and attitudes in viral tweets and collected 1074 viral tweets on autism that were published in 2019 (tweets that got more than 100 likes). The sample from Twitter was compared with search patterns on Google. In 2019, Asperger syndrome was closely connected to Greta Thunberg, as of the tweets specifically mentioning Asperger (from the total sample of viral tweets mentioning autism), 83% also mentioned Thunberg. In the sample of tweets about Thunberg, the positive sentiment expressed that Greta Thunberg was a role model, whereas the tweets that expressed the most negativity used her diagnosis against her and could be considered as cyberbullying. The Google Trends data also showed that Thunberg was closely connected to search patterns on Asperger syndrome in 2019. The study showed that being open about health information while being an active participant in controversial debates might be used against you but also help break stigmas and stereotypes.publishedVersio

The Role of Context in Language Development for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Parent and preschool teacher ratings of the 10 noun categories of MacArthur-BatesCommunication Development Inventory (CDI) were used to study expressive languagein 2–4-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (N= 58) across the homeand preschool context. There was no significant difference in the total number of wordsthe children said in the two contexts, but the children said significantly more words inthe noun categories “Furniture and rooms” and “People” at home. Only one third of thewords the children said were said both at home and in the preschool, while the other twothirds were said only at home or only in preschool. This suggests that what words thechildren use across contexts differ substantially and that their vocabulary is larger than itseems when measured only in one context. This novel study highlights the importanceof assessing the language in children with ASD in multiple contexts in order to bettermeasure their vocabulary and to design appropriate language interventions.publishedVersio

Framing Autism in Newspaper Media : An Example from Finland

Purpose Media play a significant role in the process of raising public awareness about autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite an increase in ASD media coverage, there is scarcity of research that examines how the actual frame is constructed and how the news stories are narrated. This study aims to examine the extent to which Finnish print media papers extend medical and societal narration of ASD to other issue domains and the extent to which newspaper stories use a positive, negative or neutral narrative. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyzed 210 full newspaper reports from the largest daily appearing newspaper by circulation in Finland from 1990 to 2016. The authors used the newspaper's electronic database to conduct a systematic papers search. The authors then used coding scheme about news story framing, which was followed by a detailed content analysis of the papers. Findings Approximately two-thirds of the papers consisted of a straightforward informational or clinical lens to educate the public (n= 110). This is in line with international studies. However, the authors' analysis revealed four additional themes of medical and societal ASD reporting. Social implications The study increases understanding about how the media can shape the public perception of ASD, which in turn might influence how autistic individuals are accepted in the society, as well as how they feel that they belong. Originality/value While ASD itself is at the center of neutral news reporting, this study's results imply how to construct ASD from new paradigms. Linking ASD to a culture, and thus extending it to the more commonly accepted notion of deafness as a culture, might shape the public's perceptions about ASD.Peer reviewe

Confirming the Validity of the School-Refusal Assessment Scale—Revised in a Sample of Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Children with developmental disorders, such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), are at high risk of school-refusal behavior (SRB) compared with their peers. One of the most used scales to assess SRB is the School Refusal Behavior Scale – Revised (SRAS-R). The SRAS-R has demonstrated good psychometric properties when used with the general population of children but recently its validity has been questioned when used with children with developmental disorders. We tested the psychometric properties of the SRAS-R parental reports in 96 children with ADHD (Mage = 12.4; SD = 1.7, 61.5% boys). Results showed good model fit and internal consistency for the original four-factor structure. Three of the factors were strongly correlated, suggesting that SRB among children with ADHD are caused by several factors.publishedVersio

School Refusal Behavior and Social Skills in Children with Attention-Deficit/hyperactivity Disorder

Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have higher school absenteeism and poorer social skills compared with typically developing children. The objectives of this study were to investigate (1) which forms of school refusal behaviour (SRB) are more common and (2) the relationship between SRB and social skills in children with ADHD. Parents (N = 96) of children with ADHD (M age = 12.4, range 10–15, 61.5% boys) completed the School Refusal Assessment Scale – Revised and the Social Skills Improvement System. Findings were analysed using analysis of variance, correlational analyses, and multiple regression analyses. The most common forms of SRB were avoidance of aversive situations at school and seeking attention from significant others. Significant correlations between different forms of SRB and engagement, autistic traits, cooperation skills, and self-control were found. Less engagement significantly predicted more SRB due to avoidance of aversive situations, avoidance of social situations, and seeking attention from significant others in multiple regression analyses. Targeting social engagement in social skills training for children with ADHD may decrease SRB.publishedVersio