Observation is widely regarded as a fundamental way of studying nature. However, due to its complexity, proposing a comprehensive characterization is challenging. Observation is a method of studying nature that can be divided into several dimensions. Each of these dimensions can be presented as a pair of terms, which are elaborated in this paper…

This study explores sex-differences in (a) rates and profiles of autism symptoms as well as in (b) the contribution of intellectual quotient (IQ) to autism symptom presentation in Down syndrome (DS). Participants were 40 males and 38 females with DS, aged 6 to 23 years. Autism symptoms were rated through the Autism Diagnostic Observation…

This article presents research designed along one scholar course with first-year pre-schoolers in Spain. A coherent sequence of learning activities, that combined classroom work with working outside the classroom (in the school garden), was designed in order to analyse if the first-year-preschool children were able to apply scientific tools,…

Feasible and accurate assessment tools developed for non-specialists are needed to scale community-based models of autism evaluation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate use of the Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children (STAT) when used by primary care practitioners (n = 10) across a statewide system of early diagnosis set…

Classroom observation is a common approach to teacher evaluation. Yet, concerns about differences in rater judgment are widespread. Despite this concern, few researchers have examined the practical impact of such differences in rater judgments on teachers' judged effectiveness. This study fills that gap. Using data from a large-scale teacher…

The camp community understands that participation in camp produces a variety of impacts; what is less understood are the causal mechanisms leading to outcomes. In the past, research on the camp experience treated causal mechanisms as monolithic; this commentary argues that a weakness in existing camp research is the assumption that…

Introduction: With the increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in recent years, there has been a significant interest in diagnostic accuracy and patterns of autism. Behavior checklists, such as the Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS), are widely used in psychological evaluations, and while some evidence supports their use in autism…

Identifying and describing children's play behaviours is an important component of evaluating child development. The Behaviour Mapping Schedule is a direct observational tool which aims to describe and quantify children's play behaviours but is yet to undergo reliability testing. This study aimed to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability…

This study examines the psychometric properties of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) in the context of DSM-5 in a sample of Chinese children. Using re-mapped ADI-R items and algorithms matched to DSM-5 criteria, and administering to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with and without intellectual disability,…

Emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs), such as anxiety, overactivity, and aggression, can influence the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The gold standard diagnostic tool for ASD, the "Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule--Second Edition," includes three items ("E-codes") for EBPs that are frequently associated…

Temporality-driven covariate classification had limited impact on: the specification of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) by 85 novice analysts (medical undergraduates); or the risk of bias in DAG-informed multivariable models designed to generate causal inference from observational data. Only 71 students (83.5%) managed to complete the…

Randomized controlled trials are not always feasible in educational research, so researchers must use alternative methods to study treatment effects. Propensity score matching is one such method for observational studies that has shown considerable growth in popularity since it was first introduced in the early 1980s. This paper outlines the…

Objective: States in the United States differ in how they determine special education eligibility for autism services. Few states include an autism-specific diagnostic tool in their evaluation. In research, the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS for first edition, ADOS-2 for second edition) is considered the gold-standard autism…

Students struggle with observing scientifically and connecting observations to scientific theory. This study investigates how students actually use observation in rock classification -- a classical practical task in science education. To describe the level of students' use of observation, data was collected by videotaping 19 small student groups…

The aim of the present study was to establish diagnostic validity of the new algorithm of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale, the ADOS-2, to differentiate between ASD and other clinically relevant psychiatric and developmental disorders in a large German sample. Validity of ADOS and ADOS-2 diagnostic algorithms was established in 826…