Kendra Thomson

A systematic literature review of emotion regulation measurement in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Emotion regulation (ER) difficulties are a potential common factor underlying the presentation of multiple emotional and behavioral problems in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To provide an overview of how ER has been studied in individuals with ASD, we conducted a systematic review of the past 20 years of ER research in the ASD population, using established keywords from the most comprehensive ER literature review of the typically developing population to date. Out of an initial sampling of 305 studies, 32 were eligible for review. We examined the types of methods (self‐report, informant report, naturalistic observation/ behavior coding, physiological, and open‐ended) and the ER constructs based on Gross and Thompsons modal model (situation selection, situation modification, attention deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation). Studies most often assessed ER using one type of method and from a unidimensional perspective. Across the 32 studies, we documented the types of measures used and found that 38% of studies used self‐report, 44% included an informant report measure, 31% included at least one naturalistic observation/behavior coding measure, 13% included at least one physiological measure, and 13% included at least one open‐ended measure. Only 25% of studies used more than one method of measurement. The findings of the current review provide the field with an in‐depth analysis of various ER measures and how each measure taps into an ER framework. Future research can use this model to examine ER in a multicomponent way and through multiple methods. Autism Res 2014, 7: 629–648.

A systematic literature review of the physical and psychosocial correlates of Special Olympics participation among individuals with intellectual disability

BACKGROUND Special Olympics (SO) is commonly cited to play an important role in the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). The purpose of the current review was to (a) synthesise key findings regarding the physical, psychological/emotional, social and/or intellectual/cognitive correlates of SO participation for individuals with ID and (b) highlight limitations in the extant research as well as directions for future research. METHOD A systematic review of electronic databases was undertaken. A total of 46 articles were confirmed to meet study criteria. Quality assessments of included studies were conducted using checklists from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network methodology checklists (SIGN 50; SIGN 2008). RESULTS There was a larger amount of support for physical, psychological/emotional and social outcomes as compared with cognitive/intellectual outcomes; however, many studies were confounded by measurement difficulties, sampling procedures and a lack of replicable methods, which hinder generalisation of results. CONCLUSIONS This review highlights the need for a continued critical focus on SO programme evaluation research with more rigorous and replicable methods.

Overview of Behavioral Sport Psychology

The term behavior analysis refers to the scientific study of laws that govern the behavior of human beings and other animals (Pear, 2001). Behavioral sport psychology involves the use of behavior analysis principles and techniques to enhance the performance and satisfaction of athletes and others associated with sports (Martin & Tkachuk, 2000). In this chapter, we trace the early development of the field, highlight five characteristics that tend to be evident in research and current practice in behavioral sport psychology, and summarize nine major areas of application in this field to date.

Teaching Adaptive and Social Skills to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The purpose of this chapter is to review intervention strategies that have been researched for teaching adaptive and social skills to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). We hope that the chapter will be useful for practitioners and that it will also stimulate further research. Before beginning our review, we briefly describe ASDs (a more thorough discussion of the characteristics of ASDs can be found in Chapter 1 of this volume).

A randomized waitlist-controlled trial of cognitive behavior therapy to improve emotion regulation in children with autism

Background Mental health problems are common among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and difficulties with emotion regulation processes may underlie these issues. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is considered an efficacious treatment for anxiety in children with ASD. Additional research is needed to examine the efficacy of a transdiagnostic treatment approach, whereby the same treatment can be applied to multiple emotional problems, beyond solely anxiety. The purpose of the present study was to examine the efficacy of a manualized and individually delivered 10‐session, transdiagnostic CBT intervention, aimed at improving emotion regulation and mental health difficulties in children with ASD. Methods Sixty‐eight children (M age = 9.75, SD = 1.27) and their parents participated in the study, randomly allocated to either a treatment immediate (n = 35) or waitlist control condition (n = 33) (ISRCTN #67079741). Parent‐, child‐, and clinician‐reported measures of emotion regulation and mental health were administered at baseline, postintervention/postwaitlist, and at 10‐week follow‐up. Results Children in the treatment immediate condition demonstrated significant improvements on measures of emotion regulation (i.e., emotionality, emotion regulation abilities with social skills) and aspects of psychopathology (i.e., a composite measure of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, adaptive behaviors) compared to those in the waitlist control condition. Treatment gains were maintained at follow‐up. Conclusions This study is the first transdiagnostic CBT efficacy trial for children with ASD. Additional investigations are needed to further establish its relative efficacy compared to more traditional models of CBT for children with ASD and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

An Evaluation of Behavioral Skills Training for Teaching Caregivers How to Support Social Skill Development in Their Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Limited research has explored how to best train caregivers to support their child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) despite caregivers being well suited to promote generalization and maintenance of their child’s skills in the natural environment. Children with ASD have been shown to benefit from social skill training, which is not always conducted in the natural context. This research examined the efficacy of behavioral skills training (BST) with, and without in situ training (IST), for teaching caregivers how to also use BST to support their child’s context-specific social skills. Although caregivers met mastery criterion within BST sessions, their skills did not generalize to the natural environment until IST was introduced. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Behavioral skills training for graduate students providing cognitive behavior therapy to children with autism spectrum disorder.

Despite growing literature in evidence-based practice (EBP) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is limited research on best practices for training the practitioners that provide EBP. In traditional clinical psychology, training often includes self-study of intervention materials followed by ongoing supervision. Although behavioral skills training (BST) has been shown to be efficacious for training skills across many environments, it has yet to be evaluated in training clinical psychology graduate students to implement an intervention for youth with ASD. In a concurrent modified multiple baseline (multiple probe) design, we evaluated the impact of a brief (3-hr) BST session on graduate student therapists’ implementation of a cognitive–behavioral therapy intervention meant to improve emotion regulation in children with ASD. Therapists showed modest additional improvements from baseline (self-study of the intervention manuals alone) in terms of the accuracy and quality of intervention delivery after receiving BST. Additionally, all therapists preferred the BST training session to self-study and said they would recommend BST to other practitioners. Future research should evaluate what specific training components result in the most improvement in therapist behavior and what, if any, added clinical significance therapist improvement serves for clients.

The History of Behavior Analysis in Manitoba: A Sparsely Populated Canadian Province with an International Influence on Behavior Analysis

This article examines the convergence of factors that led to behavior analysis taking root, flourishing, and bearing fruit in a prairie province of Canada. In the latter half of the 1960s, Garry Martin and Joseph Pear began teaching behavior-analytic courses at the University of Manitoba. They and their students then initiated behavioral treatment and research programs at the Manitoba Developmental Center and St.Amant, the two main residential facilities for persons with intellectual disabilities and autism. Since that time, behavior analysis in Manitoba has flourished, and the knowledge and skills gained have been shared with other behavior analysts throughout the world through conferences, articles, and books. Behavior-analytic books by authors who live and work in Manitoba have been translated into eight languages. Moreover, University of Manitoba graduates in behavior analysis have helped to spread knowledge of behavior analysis throughout the world, and a number have achieved highly influential positions and widespread recognition within the discipline.