Biomedical subjects

Connie Kasari

Publications and source records attributed to Connie Kasari.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Involvement or isolation? The social networks of children with autism in regular classrooms.

Including children with autism in regular classrooms has become prevalent; yet some evidence suggests such placements could increase the risk of isolation and rejection. In this study, we used social network methods to explore the involvement of children with autism in typical classrooms. Participants were 398 children (196 boys) in regular 2nd through 5th grade classes, including 17 children (14 boys) with high functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome. Children reported on friendship qualities, peer acceptance, loneliness, and classroom social networks. Despite involvement in networks, children with autism experienced lower centrality, acceptance, companionship, and reciprocity; yet they did not report greater loneliness. Future research is needed to help children with autism move from the periphery to more effective engagement with peers.

Autistic Disorder↗

PubMed2006

Joint attention and symbolic play in young children with autism: a randomized controlled intervention study.

BACKGROUND: Delays and deficits in joint attention and symbolic play constitute two important developmental problems in young children with autism. These areas of deficit have been well studied in autism but have rarely been the focus of treatment efforts (see Kasari, Freeman, & Paparella, 2001). In this study, we examine the efficacy of targeted interventions of joint attention and symbolic play. METHODS: Participants were 58 children with autism aged 3 and 4 years (46 boys). Children were randomized to a joint attention intervention, a symbolic play intervention, or control group. Interventions were conducted 30 minutes daily for 5-6 weeks. Both structured assessments of joint attention and play skills and mother-child interactions were collected pre and post intervention by independent assessors. RESULTS: Results indicate that both intervention groups improved significantly over the control group on certain behaviors. Children in the joint attention intervention initiated significantly more showing and responsiveness to joint attention on the structured joint attention assessment and more child-initiated joint attention in the mother-child interaction. The children in the play group showed more diverse types of symbolic play in interaction with their mothers and higher play levels on both the play assessment and in interaction with their mothers. CONCLUSIONS: This randomized controlled trial provides promising data on the specificity and generalizability of joint attention and play interventions for young children with autism. Future studies need to examine the long-term effects of these early interventions on children's development.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Challenges in evaluating psychosocial interventions for Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

In 2002, the National Institutes of Health sponsored a meeting concerning methodological challenges of research in psychosocial interventions in Autism Spectrum Disorders. This paper provides a summary of the presentations and the discussions that occurred during this meeting. Recommendations to federal and private agencies included the need for randomized clinical trials of comprehensive interventions for autism as the highest, but not the sole priority. Ongoing working groups were proposed to address psychosocial interventions with a focus on relevant statistics, standardized documentation and methods of diagnosis, development of outcome measures, establishment of standards in research; and the need for innovative treatment designs, including application of designs from other research areas to the study of interventions in ASD.

Autistic Disorder↗

PubMed2005

Current trends in psychological research on children with high-functioning autism and Asperger disorder.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review explores current trends in the literature during 2004 on psychological studies of children with high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome. Studies are reviewed that examine diagnostic dilemmas and methodological concerns, cognitive and social deficits, and interventions. RECENT FINDINGS: There is considerable debate over the distinction between high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome, but few studies find support for separate disorders. Most studies reviewed combine high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome into an autism spectrum disorder group or study only one diagnostic group, either high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome. Research into cognitive processes (specifically mentalizing) and social understanding (nonliteral language) continue to dominate research efforts. Current studies suggest specific weaknesses in many areas of nonliteral language, such as humor, irony, and teasing. Studies rely heavily on current theoretical explanations for deficits, namely the central coherence, social inference, and executive function theories, and varying levels of support were found for all three theories. Intervention and outcome studies lag behind experimental and theoretical studies, but two studies employed scientifically rigorous intervention designs with promising results. SUMMARY: Children with high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome have a great deal of potential with respect to long-term developmental outcomes, and yet they continue to be understudied and under-served in current intervention programs. Future studies are needed in developmental processes and outcomes in this population, and in the development of effective treatment strategies that have undergone scientifically rigorous testing.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

General education teachers' relationships with included students with autism.

In this study, we examine the relationship between general education teachers and second- and third-grade included students with autism. We also examine the effect of childrens' behavior problems on these relationships, as well as inclusion within the social environment of the classroom. Included students with autism form multidimensional relationships with their general education teachers. These relationships are associated with student's display of behavior problems and level of inclusion in the class. Specifically, when teachers perceived their relationships with included students with autism to be more positive, children's levels of behavioral problems were lower and they were more socially included in the class.

Autistic Disorder↗

PubMed2003

Empathy and response to distress in children with Down syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Most studies of empathy have focused on young children, and those who are typically developing. Thus, we know little about the emergence and manifestation of empathy in non-normally developing children. METHOD: Empathy and response to distress in others were examined in 30 children with Down syndrome, 22 children with nonspecific etiologies of mental retardation, and 22 typically developing children. RESULTS: Results indicated that compared to the other children, children with Down syndrome responded to distress in others by looking to them more, and offering more comfort in the form of prosocial responses. However, in a hypothetical empathy situation, children with Down syndrome were less likely to feel the same emotion as the protagonist than were the typical children. Children with Down syndrome differed from the children with nonspecific mental retardation only in their response to distress in others. The children with nonspecific mental retardation were more similar to than different from the MA-matched typical children. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest some etiology-associated differences in empathy and response to distress in children with mental retardation.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2002

Assessing change in early intervention programs for children with autism.

Assessing the efficacy of any intervention can be a difficult task. In the case of children with autism who require comprehensive and long-lasting interventions, the task becomes even more difficult. In this paper, intervention studies based on comprehensive interventions for young children with autism are reviewed and examined in reference to elements that are essential to a well-designed treatment study, e.g., randomization/matching procedures, and outcome measures. Given the complexity of these comprehensive intervention programs, and the few data available on interventions with clear empirical validation, a plea is made for studies to consider the active ingredients or component parts of an intervention, e.g., number of hours, type of setting, and teaching approach. Suggestions are further made for improving future studies, including more rigorous designs, and measuring change.

Autistic Disorder↗

PubMed2002

Characteristics and qualities of the play dates of children with Down syndrome: emerging or true friendships?

Although research on typical development suggests that friendship is a social relationship based on interactions with certain criteria, the qualities, definitions, and characteristics of friendship are not well-understood among children with atypical development. In this study, the interactions of 27 dyads of children in a play-date situation were examined; one dyad member had Down syndrome. The peers brought were more often the same gender, age, and ethnicity. Dyads who were similar in gender, CA, and classroom experiences had better quality interactions. Twenty dyads met strict friendship criteria and, thus, could be classified as friends. These friend dyads were more positive in affect, more often involved in turn-taking, and played at higher levels than did children categorized as simply playmates.

Child↗