In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of diagnosed cases of autism. In the case of a correctly made diagnosis, a positive effect of this phenomenon is the possibility ...of obtaining therapeutic intervention that is adequate for the patient. On the other hand, some researchers note the risk associated with overdiagnosis of these conditions. It is postulated that the diagnosis process should not focus only on the presence of individual symptoms, but also on understanding their meaning and the history of their occurrence. In addition, many mental, neurological and genetic disorders may have symptoms that are common to or mimic those of autism. A diagnosis of autism has specific psychological (immediate), social and financial effects, and incorrect diagnosis can delay the best intervention for the patient.
As the population of children who are diagnosed as being on autism spectrum grows in number, so does the interest of scientists in this subject. Specialists in various fields increasingly not only ...focus on the children themselves but also examine their families’ situation and functioning. By doing so, they aim to understand the family as a system. Numerous empirical studies have demonstrated that when a baby with a disability is born or when it develops in an abnormal way, this becomes a source of suffering, anxiety, grief, or hostility towards the outside world. Such a situation is viewed as a crisis, a loss, and a process of mourning; working through these experiences is difficult, requires tremendous work, and requires external support in many cases. For these reasons, this paper provides a brief overview of parents’ experiences in the process of diagnosing a child; it cites the literature on the topic and shows the different paths of these experiences.
Le projet Act Early Autism a créé et évalué une trajectoire de soins qui visait la prise en charge précoce des enfants dont les parents s'inquiétaient de leur développement. Cette trajectoire ...comprenait trois étapes : (1) une distribution d'informations fiables à la population de la grande région d'Ottawa sur la façon de reconnaître les signes précoces du trouble du spectre de l'autisme, (2) une invitation à effectuer un test de dépistage du trouble du spectre de l'autisme réalisé en deux étapes et (3) la mise en place d'une intervention réalisée à la maison par les parents des enfants identifiés comme étant à risque d'avoir un trouble du spectre de l'autisme. Cet article décrit la faisabilité de cette trajectoire en examinant le cheminement de 15 enfants lors de leur prise charge précoce qui s'est échelonnée sur un an. Les parents ont d'abord rempli un questionnaire de dépistage visant à transmettre leurs inquiétudes concernant le développement de leur enfant à un professionnel expérimenté et à identifier si leur enfant était à risque d'avoir un trouble du spectre de l'autisme. Les professionnels ont ensuite effectué un dépistage en observant les habiletés et comportements des enfants identifiés comme étant à risque d'avoir un trouble du spectre de l'autisme dans la première étape du dépistage afin d'obtenir des informations détaillées sur ces aspects. Ce second dépistage a été suivi d'une intervention de 12 semaines menée par les parents. Les résultats obtenus pré- et post-intervention à des questionnaires parentaux normalisés ont révélé des changements dans les comportements des enfants pendant et immédiatement après l'intervention. Les résultats obtenus avec l'outil Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule à la fin de l'étude corroborent l'efficacité de la trajectoire de soins du projet Act Early Autism puisque tous les enfants ayant participé à toutes les étapes de la trajectoire ont vu leur diagnostic confirmé. Enfin, les points de vue des parents sur la trajectoire ont été recueillis et discutés. The Act Early Autism Project created and assessed an early pathway to care for toddlers whose parents had Informed concerns about their development. The three-step pathway Included (1) reliable education provided to the broad Ottawa community about recognizing early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder, (2) an invitation to a responsive two-level screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder, and (3) the provision of an in-home parent-mediated intervention for those positively identified at risk. This paper describes our evaluation of the pathway feasibility as 15 toddlers progressed to early intervention within 1 year. Parents used a first level paper screening tool to report their concerns to knowledgeable professionals about their toddlers' development and to identify risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Professionals then provided second level observational screening to obtain more detailed information about the skills and behaviours of those toddlers identified as high risk at first level screening. A 12-week parent-mediated intervention followed positive second level screening. Pre- and post-standardized parent report measures revealed changes in child behaviours during and immediately following the intervention. Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule results following the study supported the Act Early Autism Project pathway to care as they provided a confirming diagnosis for all children who completed the pathway. Finally, parent perspectives of the pathway were elicited and are discussed. KEYWORDS AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS PATHWAY TO CARE EARLY INTERVENTION
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in social and communication skills as well as restrictive and repetitive behavioral patterns. A variety of challenging behaviors in ...children with ASD and persistent non-compliance with daily requirements may be associated with delay in the development of social skills and impairing social relations, with an adverse effect on the educational process and on the self-esteem of individuals. To this aim, there is a need for appropriate interventions, targeted at reducing these behaviors. Robot-mediated interventions (ROMI) can be advantageous for children with ASD, who often show an increased interest in technology enhanced interventions. Research focusing on the effect of ROMI on challenging behaviors in children with ASD has been limited. For this purpose, it was conducted a review of studies that empirically tested the usefulness of ROMI in managing challenging behaviors in children with ASD. A literature search was made in five databases using keywords pertaining to robots, ASD, challenging behaviors, and interventions. Nine studies were reviewed which met the inclusion criteria. The findings of these studies indicate that ROMI show promise in reducing challenging behaviors such as tantrums, repetitive and stereotyped behaviors, inappropriate behaviors in transitions. In terms of noncompliance, mixed results were presented. Further research is needed to explore the usefulness of robots both in reducing challenging behaviors of children with ASD and in preventive exercises in early intervention programs for this population.
Background: Disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED) is a psychosocial disorder, associated with child neglect, characterised by indiscriminate friendliness towards strangers. Some behavioural ...overlap between DSED and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – a neurodevelopmental condition whose core symptoms include impaired communication – has been observed. Since DSED is associated with a maltreatment history and ASD is not, differential diagnosis is important. We aimed to establish norms and reference ranges for a clinic waiting room checklist (WRO) for the observation of DSED symptoms, and to examine its discrimination between DSED and ASD. Methods: Norms are provided for the WRO based on 56 children aged 5–12 with DSED and 151 typically developing controls, for whom a reference range is also provided. We modified the WRO based on both quantitative examination of discrimination between DSED and ASD (n = 16) and qualitative observations of typically developing children (n = 7), children with DSED (n = 5) and ASD (n = 6). Results: A WRO score >6 may indicate the need for a multi-informant assessment for DSED. In a waiting room, children from both atypical groups (ASD and DSED) were more likely to approach strangers than controls; however, while children with DSED symptoms appeared to take control of the social aspects of the situation, children with ASD followed a non-social agenda, with the stranger appearing irrelevant. Conclusion: The WRO is an efficient tool that, along with information from parents and teacher, can contribute to clinical decision-making regarding children who have difficulties with social relationships.
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