Hello everyone!
If there is one thing I have learned through my research over this past week, it is this: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a highly variable disorder that can often be very difficult to diagnose. Nowadays, there is a general consensus that ASD is a neurodevelopmental, social disorder [1]. In other words, ASD is a developmental disorder that often affects an individual's ability to socialize, communicate, etc. However, because it is a spectrum disorder, individuals do show varying levels of ability. For instance, some may demonstrate severe language impairment, while others may be able to utilize language with ease. Similarly, some may have more significant intellectual disabilities, while others do not demonstrate such cognitive difficulties. Because of this, there is no definitive diagnosis of ASD. The DSM-5 outlines a general diagnostic, which lists the minimum level of social-communicative deficits and behavioral tendencies necessary to be diagnosed with ASD. However, in reality, people who fall under this broad spectrum show a variety of symptoms that will not always be consistent in every individual. [2]
In other news, this week at my internship was filled with planning and scheduling. On Thursday, many of the wonderful people involved in the study got together at the Tucson Medical Center (the main location of the study) for a dress rehearsal. We ran through the protocol once, and everybody got an idea of what their jobs would be during the study. To summarize the protocol, a facilitator will be assigned to engage in a variety of activities with the child. There will be two different situations: one in which the child can interact with a therapy dog, and another in which the child interacts with a proxy (a human stand-in for the dog) instead. The coder (that's me!) takes notes on the way the child behaves in both situations, while a supervisor oversees the study and assists whenever necessary.
Our first run-through of the protocol went pretty smoothly. However, we also got an idea of some of the possible shortcomings of the protocol, and brainstormed ways that could fix these issues. For instance, one unanticipated issue we faced was the unresponsive, distracted behavior of the dog that was present during the rehearsal. The dog often did not interact with the child altogether, which made us realize that the dog involved in each experimental session will be an unpredictable variable. We decided that it would be beneficial to include a short note in the observations that describes the behavior of each dog. However, the dog's behavior is one variable that we cannot entirely account for. Other issues are sure to come up throughout the course of the study, depending on each child and dog we encounter. Even so, I am sure we will be able to quickly resolve any other problems that come up during the coming weeks.
I am so excited to start the study this week! Thanks for reading!
Swati :)
[1] Klin, Ami. "Overview of Autism." Yale University. Yale University, New Haven, CT. n.d. Guest Lecture.
[2] Ganz, J.B. "Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Complex Communication Needs." Aided Augmentative Communication for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. New York: Springer, 2014. 3-12. Print.
If there is one thing I have learned through my research over this past week, it is this: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a highly variable disorder that can often be very difficult to diagnose. Nowadays, there is a general consensus that ASD is a neurodevelopmental, social disorder [1]. In other words, ASD is a developmental disorder that often affects an individual's ability to socialize, communicate, etc. However, because it is a spectrum disorder, individuals do show varying levels of ability. For instance, some may demonstrate severe language impairment, while others may be able to utilize language with ease. Similarly, some may have more significant intellectual disabilities, while others do not demonstrate such cognitive difficulties. Because of this, there is no definitive diagnosis of ASD. The DSM-5 outlines a general diagnostic, which lists the minimum level of social-communicative deficits and behavioral tendencies necessary to be diagnosed with ASD. However, in reality, people who fall under this broad spectrum show a variety of symptoms that will not always be consistent in every individual. [2]
In other news, this week at my internship was filled with planning and scheduling. On Thursday, many of the wonderful people involved in the study got together at the Tucson Medical Center (the main location of the study) for a dress rehearsal. We ran through the protocol once, and everybody got an idea of what their jobs would be during the study. To summarize the protocol, a facilitator will be assigned to engage in a variety of activities with the child. There will be two different situations: one in which the child can interact with a therapy dog, and another in which the child interacts with a proxy (a human stand-in for the dog) instead. The coder (that's me!) takes notes on the way the child behaves in both situations, while a supervisor oversees the study and assists whenever necessary.
Our first run-through of the protocol went pretty smoothly. However, we also got an idea of some of the possible shortcomings of the protocol, and brainstormed ways that could fix these issues. For instance, one unanticipated issue we faced was the unresponsive, distracted behavior of the dog that was present during the rehearsal. The dog often did not interact with the child altogether, which made us realize that the dog involved in each experimental session will be an unpredictable variable. We decided that it would be beneficial to include a short note in the observations that describes the behavior of each dog. However, the dog's behavior is one variable that we cannot entirely account for. Other issues are sure to come up throughout the course of the study, depending on each child and dog we encounter. Even so, I am sure we will be able to quickly resolve any other problems that come up during the coming weeks.
I am so excited to start the study this week! Thanks for reading!
Swati :)
[1] Klin, Ami. "Overview of Autism." Yale University. Yale University, New Haven, CT. n.d. Guest Lecture.
[2] Ganz, J.B. "Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Complex Communication Needs." Aided Augmentative Communication for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. New York: Springer, 2014. 3-12. Print.
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