Table of Contents — July 2016, 20 (5) Autistic people are more creative than you might think. Autism is commonly, if mistakenly, associated more with logical thinking than creative expression.
But new research suggests we might need to rethink our views on creativity and autism. The criteria we use to diagnose autism have long made reference to the fact that autistic imagination appears to be limited, and this trait is used it as a way of detecting the condition. Yet in reality we still see many extremely creative autistic people. Self Assessment Test Could Help Diagnose Autism in Adults. Psychologists have developed the first self-assessment test designed to help clinicians diagnose autism in adults.
Published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, the test measures the extent to which adults are affected by repetitive behaviours – one of the criteria used to diagnose autism. These behaviours include common habits and routines, such as lining up objects or arranging them in patterns, fiddling obsessively with objects, or insisting that aspects of a daily routine remain exactly the same.
Researchers say that the test is a reliable method of measuring these behaviours to indicate when they are unusually frequent or severe. Notes on a puzzle piece. Skill-building with Lego. U.
Early therapy may seed lasting gains — Nadezhda1906/Shutterstock.com Early start: Autism symptoms improve slightly in children who received two years of intensive play-based therapy.
Children with autism who receive two years of intensive therapy as toddlers appear to maintain their social and behavioral gains two years later, suggests a study in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry1. However, some researchers are skeptical that the therapy, called the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), would benefit children outside of a clinical trial setting. Others point to an unpublished study that was unable to replicate the therapy’s effects at multiple sites. The new study is the latest to find that early intervention can improve the lives of children with autism in the long term. ESDM involves a trained therapist using play routines to help toddlers learn new skills across many domains. Therapists also teach ESDM strategies to parents at semi-monthly meetings.
Mixed results: Why employing autistic people makes good business sense. Microsoft has announced its intention to hire more autistic people – not as a charitable enterprise but because, as corporate vice-president Mary Ellen Smith said: “People with autism bring strengths that we need at Microsoft.”
Employing autistic people makes good business sense. Microsoft is not the only firm to reach this conclusion. More and more companies are beginning to seek employees from the pool of autistic talent. Specialisterne is a consultancy that recruits only autistic individuals. Originally based in Denmark it now operates in 12 countries worldwide and is currently working with Microsoft. In recent years Vodafone and German software giant SAP have also launched recruitment drives to find more autistic employees, and to provide better support for them in the workplace. Which 'label' should be used? Elizabeth Pellicano, Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), UCL Institute of Education, University College London, 55–59 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0NU, UK.
Email: l.pellicano@ioe.ac.uk Abstract. Mate crime. A staggeringly high number of people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome are being subjected to mate crime, a form of disability hate crime in which a vulnerable person is manipulated or abused by someone they believed to be their friend, a survey by an autism charity has found.
The research uncovered heartbreaking stories of abuse – including one vulnerable young person who was tricked into giving his debit card and PIN number to a so-called friend who then used it run up huge bills. The parents of one 17-year-old girl told researchers how their daughter was robbed of her iPod and phone by classmates at school – and now had a boyfriend who “always turns up when it is her payday for her DLA” [disability living allowance]. Loading gallery UK News in Pictures. 'Mate' crime report-June-2015.pdf. Group social skills interventions for adults. Debbie Spain, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, de Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Email: debbie.spain@kcl.ac.uk Abstract Autism spectrum disorders are characterised by impairments in communication and social interaction. Social skills interventions have been found to ameliorate socio-communication deficits in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Parental Report of the Diagnostic Process and Outcome. Voices of students with Asperger’s disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Abstract The purpose of this study was to describe and explore the experiences of support at school among young adults with Asperger’s disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and also to examine what support they, in retrospect, described as influencing learning.
Purposive sampling was used to enroll participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 young adults aged between 20 and 29 years. A qualitative analysis, based on interpreting people’s experiences, was conducted by grouping and searching for patterns in data. The findings indicate that the participants experienced difficulties at school that included academic, social, and emotional conditions, all of which could influence learning. Article Notes. Avoiding the “brick wall of awkward”: Perspectives of youth with autism spectrum disorder on social-focused intervention practices. Overview and Evaluation of a Mentorship Program for University Students With ASD. Families Living With Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Roles and Responsibilities of Adolescent Sisters Elizabeth Kate Cridland, Centre for Health Initiatives, Building 233 (ITAMS), Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia.
Email: liz_cridland@uow.edu.au Abstract There is currently a limited understanding of adolescent sibling relationships where Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is present. This research gap remains despite preliminary findings suggesting that neurotypically developing (NTD) siblings undertake extra caregiving responsibilities and experience differential treatment from family members. Article Notes. Daily living skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder from 2 to 21 years of age. Vanessa Hus Bal, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, 1550 4th Street, Box 2822, San Francisco, CA 94158-2324, USA.
Email: Vanessa.HusBal@ucsf.edu Abstract Daily living skills (DLS), such as personal hygiene, meal preparation, and money management, are important to independent living. Research suggests that many individuals with autism spectrum disorder exhibit impairments in daily living skills relative to their cognitive skills.