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                Encouraging Social Development in Children w/ Autism 06/19/2007
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                Demonstration and Evaluation of Avatar Assistant:
                Encouraging Social Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

                Maria Hopkins, PhD
                Fred Biasini, PhD
                The University of Alabama at Birmingham


                The overall purpose of our third study was to determine if a computer-based social skills intervention for children with autism or Asperger Syndrome is effective in improving specific social skills.

                View the PowerPoint presentation given at UA Tuscaloosa

                Specific Aims:
                - The study investigated the effects of an avatar assistant on children with ASD’s emotional cognition.
                - The study examined the social skills effects of the intervention.

                Measures:

                - Social Skills Rating System
                - Social Skills Observation
                - Emotional Cognition
                - Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (KBIT)
                - Childhood Autism Rating Scale
                - Benton Test of Facial Recognition

                Participants:
                - Children with autism (n=25) or Asperger Syndrome (n=24)
                - Diagnosis based on DSM-IV criteria
                - Age range 6-15 (M = 10.17)
                - 44 boys; 5 girls
                - Mitchell’s Place, Glenwood, Shelby County schools

                Intervention and Control:
                - FaceSay and Tux Paint
                - 12 sessions (2 per week for 30 minutes)
                - One child per computer
                - 1-2 research assistants
                - Touch screens
                - Attendance rates >83% (10 sessions)
                - Rewards

                Participant Demographics:
                Group:             Autism                       Aspergers
                Variable:   Training   Control      Training   Control
                Age            10.31      10.57           10.05        9.85
                                 (3.31)      (3.20)          (2.30)      (2.87)
                IQ              55.09       54.79           91.88      93.04
                                (20.91)    (16.41)         (19.54)    (25.47)
                CARS          36.64       36.92           34.01      35.03
                                 (3.93)       (5.79)          (5.26)     (5.22)

                Results 1:  Emotion Recognition

                Group:             Autism                       Aspergers
                Measure     Control   Training      Control   Training
                Adjusted       5.23       6.53             6.79        8.7
                Means of       (p < 0.05)                    (p < 0.05)
                Emotion

                Recognition
                Autism:    Total emotional skills, F(1, 21) = 6.40,  p < 0.05
                Asperger: Total emotional skills,
                F(1, 20) = 23.04,  p < 0.001

                Post hoc analysis: 

                R2 = 0.873, F(3, 21) = 55.96, p < 0.001
                Higher KBIT scores and pre-test Emotion Composite scores were related to higher post-test Emotion Composite scores.

                Results 2:  Facial Recognition
                Group:             Autism                       Aspergers
                Measure     Control   Training      Control   Training
                Adjusted    12.84        14.48         15.42      18.41
                Means of       (p > 0.05)                    (p < 0.05)
                Facial
                Recognition

                Autism:     Benton-Short form F(1, 21) = 0.69, p > 0.05
                Asperger:  Benton-Short form F(1, 20) = 8.29, p
                < 0.01

                Results 3:  Parent Reported Social Skills
                Group:             Autism                       Aspergers
                Measure     Control   Training      Control   Training
                Adjusted    58.51        64.99         62.27       67.77
                Means of       (p < 0.05)                    (p = 0.05)
                Social
                Skills
                Rating
                Autism:     SSRS, F(1, 21) = 10.36,  p < 0.05
                Asperger:  SSRS, F(1, 20) = 4.36,  p
                = 0.05

                Results 4:  Observed Social Skills

                Group:             Autism                       Aspergers
                Measure     Control   Training      Control   Training
                Adjusted      11.04        9.6           10.46      7.54
                Means of      (p < 0.05)                    (p < 0.05)

                Social
                Skills
                Observation

                Autism:    F(1, 21) = 5.05,  p < 0.05
                Asperger: F(1, 20) = 13.61, p < 0.001

                Post hoc analysis: 
                R2 = 0.209, F(3, 21) = 3.12, p < 0.05
                Higher CARS scores (e.g. more autism symptoms) were related to higher post-test Social Skills Observation scores (e.g. more inappropriate social interactions)

                Acknolwedgements
                Autism Lab
                Symbionica
                Dr. Franklin R. Amthor
                Civitan International
                Mitchells' Place
                Glenwood

                 


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