Mélina Rivard

Determinants of Stress in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder are known to experience more stress than parents of children with any other conditions. The current study describes the parental stress of 118 fathers and 118 mothers at the onset of their children’s Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention program. The objectives of the study were to compare and analyze each parent’s stress and to identify factors that might predict their stress. Results indicated that fathers reported higher levels of stress than mothers. Correlations indicated that the stress levels of both parents were associated with their child’s age, intellectual quotient, severity of autistic symptoms, and adaptive behaviors. Paternal stress, but not maternal stress, was predicted by severity of autistic symptoms and child’s gender. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for services and early interventions.

Public attitudes towards intellectual disability: a multidimensional perspective

BACKGROUND Public attitudes towards persons with intellectual disabilities (IDs) have a significant effect on potential community integration. A better understanding of these can help target service provision and public awareness programmes. OBJECTIVE The objective of the present study is threefold: (1) describe public attitudes towards persons with ID along affective, cognitive and behavioural dimensions; (2) compare and contrast attitudes according to sex, age, education and income, as well as frequency and quality of contacts with persons with ID; and (3) ascertain whether the level of functioning has an effect on attitudes. METHODS The Attitudes Toward Intellectual Disability Questionnaire (ATTID) was administered by phone to 1605 randomly selected adult men and women, stratified by region in the province of Québec, Canada. The ATTID uses a multidimensional perspective of attitudes that reflect affective, cognitive and behavioural dimensions. RESULTS The results showed that public attitudes were generally positive regarding all three attitudinal dimensions. Public attitudes towards persons with ID are presented in terms of the five factors measured through the ATTID: (1) discomfort; (2) sensibility or tenderness; (3) knowledge of causes; (4) knowledge of capacity and rights; and (5) interaction. Attitude factor scores vary as a function of participant characteristics (sex, age, education and income) and the degree of knowledge about ID, the number of persons with ID known to the participants, as well as the frequency and quality of their contacts with these persons. Men had greater negative attitudes than women as regards the discomfort factor, while women had more negative attitudes regarding the knowledge of capacity and rights factor. More positive attitudes were revealed among younger and more educated participants. Attitudes were generally not associated with income. Public attitudes tended to be more negative towards people with lower functioning ID. CONCLUSION These results yield useful information to target public awareness and education.

Verbal Behavior in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders at the Onset of an Early Behavioral Intervention Program.

The scope of this study was direct observation of verbal behaviors of 14 children with autism spectrum disorders at the onset of an early behavioral intervention (EBI) program delivered in a public services agency. Objectives were to (1) describe frequencies of vocal, verbal, and listener behaviors; (2) evaluate the relationship between the behaviors and the children’s level of functioning (IQ and severity of autistic symptoms); and (3) describe the types of consequences provided by EBI therapists following the children’s behaviors. The descriptive and statistical analysis of the data showed that 3 profiles of children were distinctively different in vocal, verbal, and listener behaviors. The results concerning the consequences contingently delivered by therapists to those behaviors show that 65% were followed by positive attention, 5% by negative attention, and 30% by no attention. Results led to recommendations for planning EBI programs, where therapists are not formally trained in verbal behavior analysis.

Norms of the Attitudes Toward Intellectual Disability Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND The Attitudes Toward Intellectual Disability Questionnaire (ATTID) has demonstrated good psychometric qualities for measuring the attitudes of different groups of adults in the general population toward intellectual disability (ID). A significant advantage of the ATTID is that it addresses the concept of attitudes using a three-dimensional model (affective, cognitive and behavioural). To our knowledge, there are no normative data published regarding attitudes toward ID on general population-based samples. METHODS The sample of 1605 men and women was stratified to be representative of the general adult population of Quebec. The ATTID was administered by phone interview through an independent survey firm. RESULTS Normative data are presented as percentile scores associated with the raw score of the ATTID by gender and age categories. Analysis of the variance yielded significant differences in attitude by gender and age. The directions and the strength of these associations vary according to each of the five factors used to define attitudes. CONCLUSION These norms will provide an essential tool to compare different groups and assess the effectiveness of various public campaigns to encourage more positive attitudes towards persons with ID. These norms would also allow international comparisons.

The allocation of playing behavior of children in mainstream day care according to social reinforcer ratios

ABSTRACT Previous works on the generalized matching law in natural settings studied behavioral patterns of participants having developmental disabilities. From a translational view (applying findings from basic science to applied research and reciprocally), it is of interest to evaluate the sensitivity of typical behavior to reinforcement among typical children. In the current study, we examined the relationship between children’s naturally occurring rate of play behaviors and rate of social reinforcers awarded by their educator and peers. Three typical children’s behaviors were observed via descriptive analyses in their usual day care room during periods of free play. Results show that the generalized matching law explained 94%, 73%, and 90% of the variance of the relation between behavior and reinforcer rate ratios and that children’s behaviors were sensitive to social attention (sensitivity of .88, .67, and .87). Allocation of playing behaviors of typical preschool children followed the matching law predictions. The natural variability of response and reinforcer rates (their unpredictability) within natural settings is discussed. We suggest that there may be no need in natural settings to wait for the operant to reach a steady state as long as participants have been consistently behaving in the contingencies of reinforcement.

Follow-Up of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder 1 Year After Early Behavioral Intervention:

The effectiveness of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been demonstrated by many studies and meta-analyses. Although it is considered an exemplary practice in several countries, few studies have investigated the maintenance of gains made in EIBI over time. Thirty-two children were assessed at posttreatment and 1-year follow-up after they attended a low-to-moderate-intensity (10 to 20 hr per week) EIBI program delivered by a public rehabilitation center. Between baseline and posttreatment, children showed significant gains in most areas of intellectual functioning and a significant decrease of autism symptom severity, but no change in adaptive behavior. Gains in intellectual functioning were maintained over a 1-year period after treatment termination, but autism symptom severity had increased to approximately pretreatment levels during that interval. Considerable individual variability was noted in the evolution of outcomes.

Psychometric Properties of the Beach Center Family Quality of Life in French-Speaking Families With a Preschool-Aged Child Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale (Beach Center FQOL) is used to evaluate and develop family-centered intervention services. However, its use with families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and in non-English speaking populations requires further investigation. The present study sought to assess the psychometric properties of a French translation of this scale on 452 parents of children aged 5 and under who were recently diagnosed with ASD. The resulting Satisfaction and Importance scales presented excellent internal consistency at the scale level and acceptable internal consistency at the subscale level. Theoretical model positing 5 dimensions of FQOL generally fit the data acceptably. Satisfaction ratings were found to be sensitive to changes and were negatively correlated with parenting stress.