g-Yi Lin

Mothers of Adolescents and Adults With Autism: Parenting Multiple Children With Disabilities

We examined types of disabilities in siblings from a large sample of families of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and the impact of another child with a disability on maternal and family well-being. The most frequent disabilities in siblings were attention and hyperactivity (4.6%) and autism spectrum (2.4%) disorders and psychiatric (2.1%) and learning (2.0%) disabilities. Mothers parenting another child with a disability (in addition to the child with ASD) had higher levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety and lower family adaptability and cohesion compared with mothers whose only child with a disability had ASD (matched on child age and family size). Findings are discussed with respect to understanding the needs of such families, including service provision.

Augmented reality-based self-facial modeling to promote the emotional expression and social skills of adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by a reduced ability to understand the emotions of other people; this ability involves recognizing facial expressions. This study assessed the possibility of enabling three adolescents with ASD to become aware of facial expressions observed in situations in a school setting simulated using augmented reality (AR) technology. The AR system provided three-dimensional (3-D) animations of six basic facial expressions overlaid on participant faces to facilitate practicing emotional judgments and social skills. Based on the multiple baseline design across subjects, the data indicated that AR intervention can improve the appropriate recognition and response to facial emotional expressions seen in the situational task.

Augmented reality-based video-modeling storybook of nonverbal facial cues for children with autism spectrum disorder to improve their perceptions and judgments of facial expressions and emotions

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by a reduced ability to understand the emotions of other people. Increasing evidence indicates that children with ASD might not recognize or understand crucial nonverbal behaviors, which likely causes them to ignore nonverbal gestures and social cues, like facial expressions, that usually aid social interaction. We used an augmented reality (AR)-based video modeling (VM) storybook (ARVMS) to strengthen and attract the attention of children with ASD to nonverbal social cues because they have difficulty adjusting and switching their attentional focus. In this research, AR has multiple functions: it extends the social features of the story, but it also restricts attention to the most important parts of the videos.Evidence-based research shows that AR attracts the attention of children with ASD. However, few studies have combined AR with VM to train children with ASD to mimic facial expressions and emotions to improve their social skills. In addition, we used markerless natural tracking to teach the children to recognize patterns as they focused on the stable visual image printed in the storybook and then extended their attention to an animation of the story. After the three-phase (baseline, intervention, and maintenance) test data had been collected, the results showed that ARVMS intervention provided an augmented visual indicator which had effectively attracted and maintained the attention of children with ASD to nonverbal social cues and helped them better understand the facial expressions and emotions of the storybook characters. ARVMS increased focus on specific nonverbal cues to prompt social-emotional reciprocity judgments.ARVMS was entertaining and attracted the attention of children with ASD.ARVMS increased virtual visual hints overlaid on the storybook for children with ASD to learn.

Effects of television exposure on developmental skills among young children

BACKGROUND Literature addressing the effects of television exposure on developmental skills of young children less than 36 months of age is scarce. This study explored how much time young children spend viewing television and investigated its effects on cognitive, language, and motor developmental skills. METHODS Data were collected from the Pediatric Clinics at University Medical Center in Southern Taiwan. The participants comprised 75 children who were frequently exposed to television and 75 children who were not or infrequently exposed to television between 15 and 35 months old. The age and sex were matched in the two groups. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development-second edition and Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-second edition were used to identify developmental skills. Independent t-tests, χ(2) tests, and logistic regression models were conducted. RESULTS Among 75 children who were frequently exposed to television, young children watched a daily average of 67.4 min of television before age 2, which was excessive according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Viewing television increased the risk of delayed cognitive, language, and motor development in children who were frequently exposed to television. Cognitive, language, and motor delays in young children were significantly associated with how much time they spent viewing television. The type of care providers was critical in determining the television-viewing time of children. CONCLUSION We recommend that pediatric practitioners explain the impacts of television exposure to parents and caregivers to ensure cognitive, language, and motor development in young children. Advocacy efforts must address the fact that allowing young children to spend excessive time viewing television can be developmentally detrimental.

Factors associated with caregiving burden and maternal pessimism in mothers of adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder in Taiwan

Relative to the United States and other western countries, less research has focused on factors associated with caregiving burden and maternal pessimism in Taiwanese mothers of adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The characteristics of 50 adolescents with an ASD living at home in Taiwan and its association with caregiving burden and maternal pessimism were examined. The age range of adolescents with an ASD was from 10 to 18. Mothers, aged 35 to 55 years, completed self-report written questionnaires regarding their childs adaptive functioning and their own perceptions of caregiving burdens and concerns. Findings indicated that functional independence, severe maladaptive behaviours and severity of autism were predictive of maternal caregiving burden. Maternal pessimism was associated with functional independence and severity of autism. The findings of this study indicated that occupational therapy practitioners could focus on training functional independence of the individual with an ASD to meet the familys need in Taiwan. Researchers should pay significant attention to the lifespan issues of autism in Taiwanese families. The major limitations of this study were small sample size and without a comparison group. Future research using larger samples with a comparison group is needed.

Quality of life of Taiwanese adults with autism spectrum disorder

Background To date, few recent studies have investigated the quality of life of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It remains unclear how individuals with ASD view their own quality of life. Objective The primary purpose of this study was to compare the quality of life scores among adults with ASD with those of a non-ASD control group and the Taiwanese health population reference group. Methods The study comprised 41 adults with ASD (M age = 26.9, SD = 5.0), and without intellectual disabilities (IQ>70). A comparison sample of 41 adults without ASD was selected by matching the age and sex of the participants with ASD. A validated measure, the Taiwanese version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), was used. Independent t-tests were performed to examine the differences in the quality of life between groups. Results The highest quality of life was scored in the environment domain, followed by the physical health and psychological health domains. The lowest quality of life score was found in the social relationship domain. Adults with ASD scored significantly lower in all domains than did the non-ASD control group. Additionally, adults with ASD scored significantly lower in the physical health, psychological health, and social relationship domains than did the Taiwanese health population reference group. Comorbid psychiatric disorders, self-rated health status, and perceived happiness were correlated with quality of life among adults with ASD. Conclusion The preliminary findings suggest that adults with ASD need more supportive social contexts and interventions to promote their quality of life. Based on our findings, social relationship must be considered in designing and applying treatment programs for adults with ASD.

Home-based DIR/Floortime™ Intervention Program for Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Preliminary Findings

ABSTRACT Improving parent–child interaction and play are important outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Play is the primary occupation of children. In this pilot study conducted in Taiwan, we investigated the effects of the developmental, individual difference, and relationship-based (DIR)/Floortime™ home-based intervention program on social interaction and adaptive functioning of children with ASD. The participants were 11 children with ASD, ages from 45–69 months, and their mothers. Mothers were instructed the principles of the approach by an occupational therapist. All 11 children and their mothers completed the 10-week home-based intervention program, undergoing an average of 109.7 hr of intervention. Children made significant changes in mean scores for emotional functioning, communication, and daily living skills. Moreover, the mothers perceived positive changes in their parent-child interactions. The findings of this pilot study contribute to knowledge regarding the effects of home-based DIR/Floortime™ intervention program on increasing the social interaction and adaptive behaviors of children with ASD in Taiwan.

Effect of Touch Screen Tablet Use on Fine Motor Development of Young Children

ABSTRACT Aim: To investigate the effects of touch-screen tablet use on the fine motor development of preschool children without developmental delay. Methods: 40 children who used a touch-screen tablet more 60 minutes per week for at least 1 month received a 24-week home fine motor activity program using a touch-screen-tablet. 40 children matched for age (mean = 61.0 months) and sex who did not meet the criteria for previous tablet use received a 24-week program consisting of manual play activities. Motor performance was measured using the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. The two-factor mixed design ANOVA was used to compare performance of the touch-screen tablet and non-touch-screen tablet groups. Results: Pretest analysis showed no group differences in motor performance and pinch strength. At posttest, children in the nontouch-screen-tablet group made significantly greater changes in fine motor precision (p < 0.001), fine motor integration (p = 0.008), and manual dexterity (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Using a touch screen tablet extensively might be disadvantageous for the fine motor development of preschool children.

Applied Cliplets-based half-dynamic videos as intervention learning materials to attract the attention of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder to improve their perceptions and judgments of the facial expressions and emotions of others

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by a reduced ability to understand the emotional expressions on other people’s faces. Increasing evidence indicates that children with ASD might not recognize or understand crucial nonverbal behaviors, which likely causes them to ignore nonverbal gestures and social cues, like facial expressions, that usually aid social interaction.ObjectiveIn this study, we used software technology to create half-static and dynamic video materials to teach adolescents with ASD how to become aware of six basic facial expressions observed in real situations.MethodsThis intervention system provides a half-way point via a dynamic video of a specific element within a static-surrounding frame to strengthen the ability of the six adolescents with ASD to attract their attention on the relevant dynamic facial expressions and ignore irrelevant ones.ResultsUsing a multiple baseline design across participants, we found that the intervention learning system provided a simple yet effective way for adolescents with ASD to attract their attention on the nonverbal facial cues; the intervention helped them better understand and judge others’ facial emotions.ConclusionWe conclude that the limited amount of information with structured and specific close-up visual social cues helped the participants improve judgments of the emotional meaning of the facial expressions of others.

Understanding the characteristics of friendship quality, activity participation, and emotional well-being in Taiwanese adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disability characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts. Existing literature on social relationships and well-being among adolescents with ASD in Asian countries is scant. Aims: This study compared the perceptions of adolescents with ASD with those of their neurotypical peers toward their friendship quality, activity participation, and emotional well-being, and examined the relationships between friendship quality, activity participation, and emotional well-being. Methods: The study participants—101 adolescents with ASD and 101 neurotypical peers, aged 10–19 years—completed the following self-administered questionnaires: the Friendship Quality Questionnaire, the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the short-form UCLA loneliness scale. Results: Adolescents with ASD reported lower friendship quality, lower school participation, and higher levels of anxiety and loneliness compared to their neurotypical peers. Loneliness correlated negatively with friendship quality and school participation and positively with anxiety. Adolescents with ASD experienced increased levels of anxiety when low friendship quality was accompanied by greater loneliness. Conclusions and significance: These findings reveal that friendship quality, school participation, and loneliness have a considerable effect on the emotional well-being of adolescents with ASD, thus indicating the need for therapeutic interventions that address interpersonal relationships and emotional well-being.