Gerald Groden

Cardiovascular Arousal in Individuals With Autism

Despite the hypothesized link betWeen arousal and behavior in persons With autism, there is a lack of idiographic research that directly assesses arousal responses to novel stimuli or social situations in this population. The current study used heart rate as a measure of sympathetic activity to compare arousal responses to the presentation of potentially stressful situations in five persons With autism and five age- and sex-matched typically developing individuals. Findings revealed that the group With autism shoWed significant responses to stressors only 22% of the time compared to the typically developing group, Which shoWed significant responses 60% of the time. Interpretation of these results and methodological considerations for future research on arousal in persons With autism are discussed.

Assessing Cardiovascular Responses to Stressors in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Characteristics of persons With autism and other developmental disabilities may make this population especially vulnerable to the effects of stress. Prior research on stress and its measurement in this population is revieWed. Using a single-case multielement design, this study explores the feasibility of measuring cardiovascular responses to four stressors in 10 individuals (age 13 to 37 years) With autism and other developmental disabilities. Results suggest that assessing cardiovascular responses is a viable procedure for identifying individual differences in reactivity to specific environmental stressors. Implications of this research and future directions for assessment are discussed.

The nature and prevalence of fears in developmentally disabled children and adolescents: A preliminary investigation

While there has been substantial research on fears in normal children, little is known about fears in developmentally disabled children and adolescents. The present study examined the prevalence and nature of fear among 28 developmentally disabled children and adolescents receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment services. Self-report data, obtained through spontaneous recall of fears and administration of the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children, revealed that although fear prevalence was higher, the overall intensity of fear and the most prominent fears reported by the sample were similar to normative data derived from developmentally intact children and adolescents. Caretaker ratings of prevalence and overall intensity of fear were significantly lower than childrens self-report. Results suggest that the nature of fear in developmentally disabled children and adolescents is relatively consistent with that of developmentally intact youth.

Effects of fenfluramine on the behavior of autistic individuals

The present report, part of a national, multicenter study to investigate the effects of fenfluramine on autistic behavior, describes findings on four autistic children ranging in age from 7 to 20 years. Additional performance and parental observation measures apart from those of the multicenter study are included. Results of this study which indicated no significant side effects, a reduction in some deviant behaviors and an improvement in activity level/attention span, provide support for earlier reports. The possibility that fenfluramines apparently positive effects might be to simply reduce inappropriate behaviors via lethargy was examined and not supported.

BEHAVIORAL/EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS IN MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN AND YOUTH

A survey was made of 1,114 mentally retarded children seen at a community mental retardation evaluation clinic between January, 1970 and April, 1977 to determine the prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems. 25% of the surveyed population showed such problems. Prevalence was related to level of intelligence and age, but not to sex or economic status.

Early Intervention with Autistic Children: A Case Presentation with Pre-Program, Program and Follow-up Data

Follow-up reports of children with autism have generally showed poor outcome. Much of the data used in these reports was derived from studies in which the children were treated at some point beyond infancy or in which the treatment was not behavioral. This article, which presents a case and describes a program, documents through pre- and post-intervention, as well as follow-up data, dramatic intellectual and behavioral/social changes in a child who, at age 2 yr., entered an early intervention program for autistic infants. The article is of significance in that it shows what might be accomplished with a child with these difficulties through early intervention.

Facilitating Comprehensive Behavioral Assessments

This article notes the neglect of thorough behavioral assessments prior to conducting treatment interventions for problem behaviors and provides a sequenced, structured format for conducting a comprehensive behavioral analysis. The guide is designed to help ensure that the analysis is comprehensive, that it includes potentially important antecedent events, that critical factors become apparent, and that useful recommendations for treatment can be derived from it. In addition, the guide solicits other useful types of information, including (a) covert antecedents such as thoughts, (b) setting events that may relate to the behavior, and (c) conditions under which the behavior does not occur. The guide should be of use to both experienced supervisors and online personnel.

Day Treatment Services for Children with Severe Behavior Disorders

Effective human service programming requires the rendering of services in an environment that is personalized, not artificial, and in the mainstream of normal, everyday contingencies governing behavior. An individual in such an environment would be equipped with certain skills and resources that are needed to learn, grow, and enjoy life more beneficially, with normal cues and consequences shaping development. A day treatment and educational program supports this rationale to the extent that it equips an individual with the access to a normal environment and the skills and resources to function and grow effectively. At the Behavioral Development Center, regardless of whether a child is transitioning from an institutional setting, another day program, or receiving treatment and educational services for the first time, the goal is always the same: to have the child function as much as possible in the mainstream of human life. This requires a personalized and dynamic (i.e., changing programs to meet changing needs) program of services. It is accomplished in the context of an active partnership between a child’s home, day treatment, and educational environments. Although a day treatment facility provides the primary site for this partnership, the Behavioral Development Center also utilizes family and community resources to execute elaborate, and reinforce effective treatment and education.