Search results for "SPECTRUM DISORDER"
showing 10 items of 272 documents
Effects of Dolphin-assisted Therapy on the Social and Communication Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
2021
Although several studies have shown that dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) may be beneficial for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), most of these studies have methodological weaknesses. This study tested the effectiveness of DAT in improving the social and communicative skills of children with ASD. We used a pretest- posttest design with a control group. The 48 participants were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: age between 4 and 5 years, diagnosis of ASD, and clear impairment in communication. Participants were randomly assigned to the groups: DAT and Therapy Without Dolphins (TWD). The research lasted 10 weeks. The intervention phase lasted 6 weeks and consis…
Impact of a physical education service-learning programme on ASD children: A mixed-methods approach
2021
Abstract Background. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have few opportunities to engage in physical activity, which affects their already limited social and motor skills. Different Service-Learning (SL) proposals designed to meet this need have started to emerge, and research is required to better understand the services provided. Objective. Two objectives were established in this study: (1) to understand the impact of a physical education SL programme from the viewpoints of Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students and the families of the children with ASD involved; and (2) to analyse the programme’s effects on the motor domain of children with ASD (physical activity …
Social inclusion as a therapeutic and educational factor in a music therapy setting
2016
Inclusive approaches for children with special needs are applied in both the fields of music therapy and (music) education. In practice, inclusive music therapy groups consist only of children with special needs, whereas an inclusive kindergarten group for example may consist of typical and non-typical children, yet not in an actual therapy setting. Both practices hold explicit benefits for typical and non-typical children, however mutually exclusive of one another. The aim of the study is to explore the effects of social inclusion in a group consisting of typically and non-typically developing children within a music therapy setting. The focus lays on the therapeutic benefits for the speci…
Exploring the impact of augmented reality in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a systematic review
2020
Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent difficulties in communication and social interaction along with a restriction in interests and the presence of repetitive behaviors. The development and use of augmented reality technology for autism has increased in recent years. However, little is known about the impact of these virtual reality technologies on clinical health symptoms. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the impact of augmented reality through social, cognitive, and behavioral domains in children and adolescents with autism. This study is the first contribution that has carried out an evidence-based systematic r…
Comparison of metals and essential trace elements levels between Autistic Spectrum Disorders cases and their sibs in Sicily (southern Italy)
2016
Introduction: A role of metals exposure and essential trace element deficiency in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) etiology has been suggested by epidemiologic studies, but conclusive evidence on this topic is still lacking and controversial. We compared metals and essential trace element levels between cases both with their brothers and healthy children. Methods: The diagnosis of ASD were performed by ADOS and ADI-R according to DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) criteria. Hair samples were collected from cases and sibs by single cutting from the occipital region. The samples were cut to lengths of about 1.5–2 cm using clean stainless steel scissors. Approximat…
Interventions aimed at reducing obsessive-compulsive symptoms in people with autism spectrum disorder: A review
2021
espanolEl trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) es un trastorno del neurodesarrollo caracterizado por deficits en la comunicacion e interaccion social y por comportamientos restrictivos y repetitivos. Presenta una elevada comorbilidad con otros trastornos, de hasta un 37% con el trastorno obsesivo compulsivo (TOC) en pacientes jovenes. El TOC se caracteriza por pensamientos e ideas recurrentes que llevan a la persona a realizar acciones compulsivas para disminuir el nivel de ansiedad que estos pensamientos le generan. Este trabajo presenta una revision de los metodos psicologicos de intervencion utilizados, asi como de la efectividad de los mismos, en la reduccion de los sintomas del TOC com…
Organizational and activational effects of testosterone in two populations with high androgenization susceptibility = Efectos organizadores y activad…
2013
Los esteroides sexuales como la testosterona (T) producen una organización y/o modificaciones relativamente permanentes de la estructura y función del sistema nervioso central. Una alta exposición prenatal a la T podría estar relacionada con una mayor sensibilidad a los efectos activadores de dicha hormona durante la edad adulta. Por otra parte, las fluctuaciones en los niveles endógenos de T pueden modificar transitoriamente las capacidades socio-cognitivas. Así, la conducta y los procesos cognitivos podrían ser el resultado de la interacción entre los efectos hormonales organizadores y activadores. La T podría ser considerada como un predictor de rasgos masculinizados tales como los rasgo…
Teachers’ Knowledge Regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Systematic Review
2021
The increasing number of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainstream education environments require teachers to know how to identify their needs, being capable to adapt their education processes and make their inclusion easier. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review about teachers’ knowledge of ASD, including teachers from any stage and specialization. The research has been conducted from four databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo and Google Scholar) during the period of 2015–2020. In total, 25 articles were analyzed. The results show that, in general, teachers’ knowledge of ASD is poor. It depends on the education stage (being higher in early child…
Zinc Finger Proteins in Neuro-Related Diseases Progression
2021
Zinc finger proteins (ZNF) are among the most abundant proteins in eukaryotic genomes. It contains several zinc finger domains that can selectively bind to certain DNA or RNA and associate with proteins, therefore, zinc finger proteins can regulate gene expression at the transcriptional and translational levels. In terms of neurological diseases, numerous studies have shown that many zinc finger proteins are associated with neurological diseases. The purpose of this review is to summarize the types and roles of zinc finger proteins in neuropsychiatric disorders. We will describe the structure and classification of zinc finger proteins, then focus on the pathophysiological role of zinc finge…
Heat shock factor 2 is a stress-responsive mediator of neuronal migration defects in models of fetal alcohol syndrome
2014
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a frequent cause of mental retardation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying brain development defects induced by maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy are unclear. We used normal and Hsf2-deficient mice and cell systems to uncover a pivotal role for heat shock factor 2 (HSF2) in radial neuronal migration defects in the cortex, a hallmark of fetal alcohol exposure. Upon fetal alcohol exposure, HSF2 is essential for the triggering of HSF1 activation, which is accompanied by distinctive post-translational modifications, and HSF2 steers the formation of atypical alcohol-specific HSF1–HSF2 heterocomplexes. This perturbs the in vivo bindi…