scholarly journals How Technology Applied to Music-Therapy and Sound-Based Activities Addresses Motor and Social Skills in Autistic Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Grazia Ragone ◽  
Judith Good ◽  
Kate Howland
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Interaction Design ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Motor Functioning ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Spectrum Condition

Autism affects how people perceive and make sense of the world around them. Autism is a spectrum condition which impacts people in different ways. Also referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it is characterized by challenges in the domains of social, cognitive and motor functioning, which differ in severity. Previous research suggests that music can have cognitive, psychosocial, behavioural, and motor benefits in this population. We systematically review the use of technology in Music-therapy and related sound-based activities to improve the motor and social skills of children. In May 2020 we conducted a systematic search on Music-therapy and musical activities for autistic children in research databases including Science Direct, APA PsycNet, Cochrane, IEE and Web of Science, to collect relevant studies. We initially collected 5179 papers of which only 27 studies were identified as suitable for the scope of this review. In the paper, we analyse and describe key characteristics of each project. We then highlight the commonalities, strengths and limitations of existing work, and identify implications for future interaction design.

Social Skills Instruments for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca West ◽  
Michael J Silverman
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Critical Interpretive Synthesis

Abstract Identifying and critically analyzing the most frequently used social skills psychometric instruments (SSPI) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can inform future music therapy research and clinical practice. Therefore, the initial purpose of this critical interpretive synthesis was to identify the SSPI most frequently used as dependent measures in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (JADD) for children with ASD from 2012 to 2018. Results indicated that the Social Responsiveness Scale (n = 35), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (n = 19), and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (n = 15) were the most frequently used instruments. Congruent with critical interpretive synthesis methodology, we then identified the psychometric properties and advantages and disadvantages of the 9 most commonly used instruments. To compare these results with the existing music therapy literature, we also identified nonmusical SSPI used as dependent measures in music therapy research for children with ASD in studies published between 2012 and 2018. In comparing the data sets, music therapy researchers used 5 of the 9 SSPI we identified from our JADD review. Understanding frequently used SSPI has applications for consultation and communication with other professionals as well as how future music therapy research is conducted. Implications for clinical practice, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research are provided.

scholarly journals Follow the white robot: efficacy of robot-assistive training for children with autism-spectrum condition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Ghiglino ◽  
Pauline Chevalier ◽  
Federica Floris ◽  
Tiziana Priolo ◽  
Agnieszka Wykowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Standard Therapy ◽  
Treatment Plan ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Condition ◽  
Robot Assisted ◽  
Assistive Robots ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Spectrum Condition

Socially assistive robots have the potential to become a powerful therapeutic tool for individuals affected by the autism-spectrum condition (ASC). However, to date, only a few studies investigated the efficacy of robot-assisted training in structured protocols. The current study aimed at investigating the beneficial effects of a robot-assisted training embedded in the treatment plan provided by an Italian healthcare institution. In collaboration with the healthcare professionals of Piccolo Cottolengo Genovese di Don Orione, we designed a robot-mediated activity aimed at improving social skills in children with ASC Twenty-four ASC kids (Age = 5.79 ± 1.02, 5 females) completed the activities with the robot in a cross-over design, during a period of ten weeks. Their social skills were assessed before and after the robot intervention activities, using the Early Social Communication Scale (ESCS). Results showed that the combination of robot-assisted training and the standard therapy was more effective than the standard therapy alone, in terms of improvement of social skills. Specifically, after the robot-assisted training, children with ASC seem to improve their abilities to generate and respond to behavioral requests and in their tendency to initiate and maintain social interaction with the adult. Our results support the idea that robot-assisted interventions can be combined with the standard treatment plan to improve clinical outcomes.

Pedagogical principals of teaching the social skills to little school aged autistic children

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (10) ◽  
pp. 22-25
Author(s):  
Kamala Ibrahim Aliyeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
School Age ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Academic Knowledge ◽  
The Social ◽  
Education Process

The article called "Pedagogical principals of teaching the social skills to little school aged autistic children" deals with the ways of teaching social skills to the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the begining of 20 th century teaching the social skills to the children who fell behind their peers in terms of psychological development began to improve. Following this, some approaches appeared and played a significant role in the development of children in this regard. In education process, besides prossesing academic knowledge, teaching social skills is important for these children to be able to live independitly (without dependence on anyone) in the society and behave in the frame of social norms. The explanation of learning social skills is noted, based on different theoretical aspects in the article and this facilitates teaching process of social skills. Key words: social skills, social learning, direct learning, learning theories, autism, little school age period, social performance

Using Apps to Develop Social Skills in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 250-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin L. Withey
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Dramatic Play ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The Social

Social skills are critical to later success in school and adult life. Typically, children build these through interaction with caregivers and peers. However, some students, especially those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), demonstrate delays in this domain and require additional interventions. While there are a number of interventions that are effective for young children with socioemotional delays, there remains a paucity of research on the use of technology as a socioemotional intervention in early childhood. This column suggests that applications on mobile devices can allow students to learn the social and play expectations for a given dramatic play scenario, such as “Grocery Store.”

scholarly journals Apps to Teach Social Skills to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of the Embedded Behaviour Change Procedures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Hanna ◽  
Helena Lydon ◽  
Jennifer Holloway ◽  
Lorna Barry ◽  
Edith Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Behavior Analyst ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Behavior Analyst Certification Board ◽  
Task List ◽  
Use Of Technology

AbstractSocial skill interventions have become increasingly popular in recent times, as well as the use of technology to deliver and aid interventions for the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population. Little research exists on the use of apps to teach social skills to individuals with ASD, in particular the behaviour change procedures that exist within apps. The current review examines the behaviour change procedures that exist within apps according to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Task List, 5th Edition. A total of 15 apps were included within this review. Results indicate that a variety of behaviour change procedures exist within apps. However, the quality of apps and the number of behaviour change procedures vary across app developers.

Investigating intra-individual variability of face scanning in autistic children

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110643
Author(s):  
Qiandong Wang ◽  
Haoyang Lu ◽  
Shuyuan Feng ◽  
Ci Song ◽  
Yixiao Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Recognition Task ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Autism Spectrum Condition ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Pattern Similarity ◽  
Face Scanning ◽  
Spectrum Condition ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Scan Pattern

We investigated the intra-individual variability of face scanning in autistic children to represent a new avenue for understanding abnormal face scanning in autism spectrum condition. Across four studies, we used eye-tracking techniques to systematically examine the variability of face scanning patterns in autistic children when performing different tasks and scanning different types of faces. Autistic and non-autistic children were asked to complete a face judgment task (Study 1, age range: 4.9–7.2 years), a face recognition task (Study 2, age range: 4.7–7.6 years), a facial expression recognition task (Study 3, age range: 4.3–7.4 years), and a dynamic facial expression free viewing task (Study 4, age range: 2.5–5.6 years). In addition, we conducted Study 5 using houses as stimuli to test the specificity of the results to faces (age range: 4.9–7.2 years). We found that scan pattern similarity between different face presentations was lower in autistic children than non-autistic children, which was robust to variations in experimental methods. Furthermore, the decreased scan pattern similarity in autism spectrum condition was evident in both viewing faces and houses. These results suggest that the scanning patterns of autistic children are noisier and variable. It might represent a new avenue for the understanding of core symptoms in autism spectrum condition. Lay abstract Atypical face scanning is suggested to be related to social interactions and communicative deficits in autistic children. We systematically examined whether autistic and non-autistic children used consistent scanning patterns when performing different tasks and scanning different types of faces. We found that autistic children scanned faces more variably than non-autistic children: While non-autistic children used more consistent scanning patterns, autistic children’s scanning patterns changed frequently when watching different faces. Autistic children’s variable face scanning patterns might delay and impair face processing, resulting in a social interaction deficit. What’s more, variable scanning patterns may create an unstable and unpredictable perception of the environment for autistic children. Developing in such an unstable environment might motivate autistic children to retract from the environment, avoid social interaction, and focus instead on the performance of repetitive behavior. Therefore, studying face scanning variability might represent a new avenue for understanding core symptoms in autistic people.

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