The developmental literature has focused extensively on deficits in the expression and recognitio... more The developmental literature has focused extensively on deficits in the expression and recognition of emotion in people with autism, and has reported on the use of interactive tools to address the problems of affect. The behavioral literature has offered interventions to teach children with autism to engage in appropriate affective displays, and for these gains to generalize more readily to novel conditions. Nevertheless, the topic of affect intervention remains under-researched. Although a handful of affect-training behavioral studies have been published in the last two decades, more research is needed to determine precisely what would constitute science-based best-practice methods to facilitate socialization in autism. This review examines the developmental and behavioral approaches in the study of affect in autism; it reviews behavior analytic interventions that have been carried out in this context and evaluates reasons and potential solutions for the underrepresentation of this topic. Finally, this review offers recommendations for social-skills training that could be adopted by educators and practitioners.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, Jan 22, 2015
College students with autism may be negatively impacted by lack of understanding about autism on ... more College students with autism may be negatively impacted by lack of understanding about autism on college campuses. Thus, we developed an online training to improve knowledge and decrease stigma associated with autism among college students. Participants (N = 365) completed a pre-test, online training, and post-test. Women reported lower stigma towards autism than men. Participation in the training was associated with decreased stigma and increased knowledge about autism. Although participants exhibited relatively high baseline knowledge of autism, misconceptions were common, particularly in open-ended responses. Participants commonly confused autism with other disorders, such as learning disabilities. This study suggests that online training may be a cost-effective way to increase college students' understanding and acceptance of their peers with autism.
The developmental literature has focused extensively on deficits in the expression and recognitio... more The developmental literature has focused extensively on deficits in the expression and recognition of emotion in people with autism, and has reported on the use of interactive tools to address the problems of affect. The behavioral literature has offered interventions to teach children with autism to engage in appropriate affective displays, and for these gains to generalize more readily to novel conditions. Nevertheless, the topic of affect intervention remains under-researched. Although a handful of affect-training behavioral studies have been published in the last two decades, more research is needed to determine precisely what would constitute science-based best-practice methods to facilitate socialization in autism. This review examines the developmental and behavioral approaches in the study of affect in autism; it reviews behavior analytic interventions that have been carried out in this context and evaluates reasons and potential solutions for the underrepresentation of this topic. Finally, this review offers recommendations for social-skills training that could be adopted by educators and practitioners.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, Jan 22, 2015
College students with autism may be negatively impacted by lack of understanding about autism on ... more College students with autism may be negatively impacted by lack of understanding about autism on college campuses. Thus, we developed an online training to improve knowledge and decrease stigma associated with autism among college students. Participants (N = 365) completed a pre-test, online training, and post-test. Women reported lower stigma towards autism than men. Participation in the training was associated with decreased stigma and increased knowledge about autism. Although participants exhibited relatively high baseline knowledge of autism, misconceptions were common, particularly in open-ended responses. Participants commonly confused autism with other disorders, such as learning disabilities. This study suggests that online training may be a cost-effective way to increase college students' understanding and acceptance of their peers with autism.
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