Predictors of Aggressive Behaviour in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Introduction: Aggressive behaviour is not the main symptom of autism spectrum disorders, and if it occurs in this population, it is a consequence of some other factors. Objectives: With regard to that, the aim of this paper is to determine to what extent certain aspects of executive functions, severity of autism, sleep habits, and parenting actions contribute to the manifestation of different forms of aggressive behaviour in children with an autism spectrum disorder. Methods: The sample included 40 children with autism spectrum disorders, 5-7 years of age (M=6.18, SD= .55). The following instruments were used in the assessment: The Children’s Scale of Hostility and Aggression – Reactive/Proactive, Gilliam Autism Rating Scale – Third Edition, The Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. Results: The obtained results showed that sleep problems were the most significant predictor of verbal, physical and covert aggression. From the domain of behavioural aspects of executive functions, only task monitor was a significant predictor of bullying, and inhibit and shift were significant predictors of hostility. From the field of autistic disorders, significant predictors of aggressive behaviour were emotional responses (as predictors of bullying, covert aggression and hostility), and maladaptive speech (as a predictor of verbal aggression, covert aggression and hostility). Punitive discipline was a significant factor only in explaining verbal aggression. Conclusion: Practical implications of this research indicate that, in treating aggressive behaviour in children with ASD, more attention should be paid to sleep habits, practising task monitor, inhibit and shift skills, and avoiding rigorous punitive measures

The role of university teachers in providing support to their students with disabilities

University academic teachers have the responsibility to ensure the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities in their classrooms. To this end, as has been confirmed in several studies, it is necessary to incorporate competences in the teaching CVs; specific training on disability, social, communicative and pedagogical skills among others... Also, university teaching staff must be supported by their institutions and be predisposed to be trained in such competences. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is responsible for facilitating flexible and inclusive educational practice; it aims to respond to the training needs of both students and teaching staff in all their diversity.This paper is result of the Erasmus + project “Training university teachers for the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities” 2019-1-ES01-KA203-065823. The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Preparation of people with autism for thyroid scintigraphy

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is often accompanied by various co-morbid conditions, among other things, thyroid diseases. One of the frequently used diagnostic methods to determine the appearance and function of the thyroid gland is scintigraphy. Although thyroid scintigraphy is routinely performed at Clinics for Nuclear Medicine, preparation for nuclear imaging can be very complex from the perspective of people with autism and the experts who support them. Many people with autism have trypanophobia (fear of needles), which is why they have to be specially prepared for venipuncture, during which radiopharmaceutical is injected into the organism. In addition, nuclear imaging with a gamma camera, though completely painless, can be very demanding for a patient with autism who must remain still, without speaking and vocalising during the entire imaging. Clinical staff may also face difficulties in implementing all other stages of this diagnostic procedure. Therefore, this paper proposes a set of evidence-based interventions that can be used to prepare people with autism for thyroid scintigraphy. Techniques of gradual exposure, extinction, reinforcement, modelling, and writing social stories, belonging to the category of focused interventions for people with autism, are proposed

The attitudes of teachers towards inclusive education in Vojvodina

The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of preschool, primary, secondary and high school teachers towards inclusive education of children with special educational needs. In addition, the study established the correlation between these attitudes and gender, education level, teaching experience, formal training in the special education field, and the duration and quality of work experience with children with special education needs. The sample comprised 322 teachers from the Serbian province of Vojvodina. The My Thinking about Inclusion Scale (Stoiber, K. C., M. Gettinger, and D. Goetz. 1998. "Exploring Factors Influencing Parents' and Early Childhood Practitioners Beliefs about Inclusion." Early Childhood Research Quarterly 13 (1): 107-131) was used. The results show that, in general, the participants held neutral attitudes towards inclusive education and more positive expectations regarding the outcomes of inclusion. This study also emphasised teaching performance in an inclusive class as a subject of great concern. The high school and preschool teachers as well as the teachers with previous positive experience with working in an inclusive environment reported more positive attitudes towards inclusive education than those from primary and secondary schools and those with negative experiences with the implementation of inclusive practices