The current research aims at constructing a developmentally sensitive mindreading scale (i.e., a battery of tasks measuring different aspects of mindreading ability in children from 1 to 3.5 years of age). Over 300 Polish children were tested at six-month intervals with 48 different tasks designed to measure mindreading ability (for a total of six…

Difficulty with many aspects of social interactions is a defining characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Video modeling (VM) has successfully improved a range of social skills for individuals with ASD in previous studies, but most often with simple social skills with young children. The current study used VMs scripted and recorded by…

Background & Aims: We evaluated a structured intervention programme aimed at preparing adolescents with developmental language disorders for job interviews. Our primary outcome measures included change in ratings of verbal and non-verbal social communication behaviours evident during mock interviews. Methods & Procedures: In study 1, 12…

This study examines interaction patterns in a series of game activities for learning social skills by autistic youth in a 3D game-based collaborative virtual learning environment (CVLE). Researchers studying collaborative learning have indicated the importance of social interactions and social presence. However, few studies have examined the…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that impairs the development of social and communication skills. There is evidence that children with ASD prefer images of self over others. These studies may explain the effectiveness of video self-modeling (VSM), an evidence-based ASD intervention in which one learns by watching oneself…

Previous electromyographic studies have reported that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibited atypical patterns of facial muscle activity in response to facial expression stimuli. However, whether such activity is expressed in visible facial mimicry remains unknown. To investigate this issue, we videotaped facial responses in…

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of video modeling presented via smartboard for teaching children with autism about social response in the form of gestures, and verbal and facial expressions indicative of happiness and anger, and evaluate the method in terms of maintenance and generalization. The study used a multiple probe design…

A multiple baseline design across participants was used to examine the effects of a portable video modeling intervention delivered in the natural environment on the verbal compliments and compliment gestures demonstrated by five children with autism. Participants were observed playing kickball with peers and adults. In baseline, participants…

We investigate the development of expert identities through the use of the sociocultural perspective of learning as participating in a community of practice. An ethnographic case study of biophysics graduate students focuses on the experiences the students have in their research group meetings. The analysis illustrates how the communities of…

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder experience difficulty initiating (IJA) and responding to joint attention (RJA), which is critical to engagement in social interactions. The adult role in developing joint attention is widely accepted, but measurement of outcomes from adult training is rarely reported. Method: Using a single case…

Research on facial expressions in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) has been conducted using photographs. Our goal was to examine the effect of motion on perception of emotional expressions. Adults with DS, adults with typical development matched for chronological age (CA), and children with typical development matched for developmental age (DA)…

This article focuses on how children aged 17-24 months initiate play and interact with their peers during self-initiated play in preschools. Play is looked upon as a rich arena for observing toddler interaction. The ethnographic study was carried out in a toddler unit with 15 children. Six one-year-old girls and boys were observed during five…

Children with autism often lack complex socially expressive skills that would allow them to engage others more successfully. In the present study, video modeling was used to promote appropriate verbal comments, intonation, gestures, and facial expressions during social interactions of three children with autism. In baseline, the children rarely…

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in adults with intellectual disability (ID), yet little is known about depressive behaviors in an ID population. This study examined the nonverbal social skills of 18 adults with mild ID diagnosed with depression and a matched sample of adults with mild ID without depression. Nonverbal…