Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous condition associated with differences in functional neural connectivity relative to neurotypical (NT) peers. Language-based functional connectivity represents an ideal context in which to characterize connectivity because language is heterogeneous and linked to core features in ASD, and NT language…

Social communication is a core deficit of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) play a key role in evaluating social skills of individuals with autism. Use of person-centered assessment tools in individuals with autism to explore social communication may facilitate improved consideration of perspectives of individuals…

The descriptive survey employed in this study explored current assessment practices of learning outcomes, including the resources used and the learning outcomes assessed for student programming board leaders. The researcher collected data through document review and phone interviews. She interviewed 21 student activities and union advisors who are…

Quantitative variations in score profiles from the parent version of the PDD Behavior Inventory (PDDBI) were examined in young Autism and PDD-NOS groups defined by ADOS-G and ADI-R criteria, relative to a not spectrum (NS) group of similar age. Both the Autism and the PDD-NOS group profiles markedly differed from the NS group. The most sensitive…

This meta-analysis demonstrates that the video feedback method has a statistically significant effect on the interaction skills of professionals in a range of contact professions. The aggregate effect, calculated on the basis of 217 experimental comparisons from 33 experimental studies involving a total of 1,058 people, was 0.40 standard deviation…

Objective: Basal ganglia abnormalities have been suggested as contributing to motor, social, and communicative impairments in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Volumetric analyses offer limited ability to detect localized differences in basal ganglia structure. Our objective was to investigate basal ganglia shape abnormalities and their association…

Children with autism spectrum disorder show deficits in social skills such as initiating conversation, responding in social situations, social problem-solving, and others. These deficits are targeted through the use of social skills interventions, some of which use a technology-based approach as a resource-efficient alternative to common forms of…

Background: Development of children with congenital visual impairment (VI) has been associated with vulnerable socio-communicative outcomes often bearing striking similarities to those of sighted children with autism. To date, very little is known about language and social communication in children with VI of normal intelligence. Methods: We…

We studied the association between an adult's behavior and episodes of social engagement (ESEs) in young children with autism during play-based assessment. ESEs were defined as events in which a child looked toward the adult's face and simultaneously showed an additional form of communicative behavior. The adult's behavior before each ESE, and…

A study observed the interactive communication between three toddlers with blindness and their mothers in response to spontaneous events and to a series of novel events introduced systematically. Findings support the use of quasi-experimental observation of responses to ambiguous stimuli as a tool for assessing interactional strengths and…

A multimethod assessment (i.e., direct observation, observer impressions, teacher rating, peer ratings) of children's social competence was conducted with 222 preschool children with and without disabilities. Principal component analysis yielded four factors, the first of which accounted for the largest percentage of variance. (Author/CR)

This article provides a review of the literature regarding changing communication profiles of individuals with autism as they reach adolescence and young adulthood. The impact of these language patterns on social and vocational functioning is addressed. Guidelines for assessment, goal development, and intervention are presented through a…

A study used the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) to assess social skills in 200 Indian children with visual impairments. The factor structure for the resulting 50-item Hindi MESSY was highly comparable to four of the five original factors of the English version of the MESSY. (Contains references.) (CR)

A study examined the concept of interpersonal communication competence in order to construct a more refined instrument than those currently used to measure competence. Using 70 items drawn from several existing measures of competence, 660 volunteer subjects from undergraduate communication courses at a large midwestern university provided their…

A study administered the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for Individuals with Severe Retardation (MESSIER) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) to 892 individuals with severe mental retardation residing in a residential state facility. Significant positive correlations were found between corresponding MESSIER subscales and VABS…