-
Cureus Mar 2024Introduction Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a fundamental practice-based intervention for treating autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Few studies have directly...
The Effects of Applied Behavior Analysis on Verbal Behavior With Autistic Individuals Using the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VBMAPP) and the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS).
Introduction Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a fundamental practice-based intervention for treating autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Few studies have directly measured and evaluated the effects of ABA on verbal behaviors, mainly using the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VBMAPP) and the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) as outcome measures. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the relationship between ABA interventions and the enhancement of verbal skills, as measured by the VBMAPP and the ABLLS, in a convenience sample of individuals with ASD. Materials and methods At The Oxford Centers (TOCs) in Brighton and Troy, Michigan, USA, 33 individuals with autism received treatment from January 2018 to July 2021, spanning 43 months. A pretest-posttest design was employed to retrospectively examine any impacts between ABA interventions and alterations in verbal scores among individuals with ASD. Depending on developmental age, all subjects underwent two verbal assessments with a six-month interval in-between. Twelve children were administered the VBMAPP, while 21 were given the ABLLS. Results Paired t-tests for pretest and posttest VBMAPP subscales resulted in statistically significant effects (p<0.05) for (VBMAPP - Mand), (VBMAPP - Tact), (VBMAPP - Listener Responding), (VBMAPP - Visual Perceptual Skills and Matching-to-Sample), (VBMAPP -Independent Play), (VBMAPP - Social Play), (VBMAPP - Motor Imitation), (VBMAPP - Spontaneous Vocalization), (VBMAPP - Intraverbal), (VBMAPP - Group Behavior), and (VBMAPP - Linguistic Structure). As measured by Cohen's d, effect sizes were moderate to mostly high (-0.623 to -1.688). There were non-significant results (p>0.05) for (VBMAPP - Listener Responding by Feature, Function, and Class) and (VBMAPP - Echoic). Paired t-tests for pretest and posttest ABLLS subscales resulted in statistically significant effects (p<.05) for all ABLLS scales: (ABLLS - Receptive Language), (ABLLS - Requests), (ABLLS - Labeling), (ABLLS - Intraverbals), (ABLLS - Spontaneous Vocalizations), (ABLLS - Syntax Grammar), (ABLLS - Social Interactions), and (ABLLS - Generalized Responding). As measured by Cohen's d, effect sizes were moderate to mostly high (-0.656 to -1.372). Conclusions The administration of ABA treatments had a noteworthy influence, with statistically significant impacts on improving verbal behaviors on 11 of the 13 VBMAPP scales and all of the ABLLS scales. As measured by Cohen's d, effect sizes were moderate to high for both scales. These findings underscore the importance and effectiveness of ABA interventions in enhancing verbal skills in children with ASD. However, it's crucial to note that further confirmatory studies are required to verify the reliability of these original findings, emphasizing the ongoing need for research in this field.
PubMed: 38681411
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.57041 -
Journal of Psychiatric Research Jun 2024Hallucinations are a common feature of psychosis, yet access to effective psychological treatment is limited. The Managing Unusual Sensory Experiences for... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of a novel, brief psychological therapy (Managing Unusual Sensory Experiences) for hallucinations in first episode psychosis (MUSE FEP): Findings from an exploratory randomised controlled trial.
Hallucinations are a common feature of psychosis, yet access to effective psychological treatment is limited. The Managing Unusual Sensory Experiences for First-Episode-Psychosis (MUSE-FEP) trial aimed to establish the feasibility and acceptability of a brief, hallucination-specific, digitally provided treatment, delivered by a non-specialist workforce for people with psychosis. MUSE uses psychoeducation about the causal mechanisms of hallucinations and tailored interventions to help a person understand and manage their experiences. We undertook a two-site, single-blind (rater) Randomised Controlled Trial and recruited 82 participants who were allocated 1:1 to MUSE and treatment as usual (TAU) (n = 40) or TAU alone (n = 42). Participants completed assessments before and after treatment (2 months), and at follow up (3-4 months). Information on recruitment rates, adherence, and completion of outcome assessments was collected. Analyses focussed on feasibility outcomes and initial estimates of intervention effects to inform a future trial. The trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry 16793301. Criteria for the feasibility of trial methodology and intervention delivery were met. The trial exceeded the recruitment target, had high retention rates (87.8%) at end of treatment, and at follow up (86.6%), with good acceptability of treatment. There were 3 serious adverse events in the therapy group, and 5 in the TAU group. Improvements were evident in both groups at the end of treatment and follow up, with a particular benefit in perceived recovery in the MUSE group. We showed it was feasible to increase access to psychological intervention but a definitive trial requires further changes to the trial design or treatment.
Topics: Humans; Hallucinations; Psychotic Disorders; Female; Male; Adult; Single-Blind Method; Young Adult; Feasibility Studies; Psychotherapy, Brief; Adolescent; Middle Aged; Follow-Up Studies; Outcome Assessment, Health Care
PubMed: 38678686
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.04.031 -
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) Apr 2024: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with various non-motor symptoms, including minor hallucinations, comprising visual illusions and presence and passage...
: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with various non-motor symptoms, including minor hallucinations, comprising visual illusions and presence and passage hallucinations. Despite their occurrence, even in newly diagnosed PD patients, data regarding the prevalence and characteristics of minor hallucinations, visual illusions in particular, remain limited. The aim of this study was to address this knowledge gap by assessing the prevalence of minor hallucinations in PD patients, with a focus on visual illusions. : In this prospective pilot study, we enrolled 35 PD patients without dementia and 35 age- and gender-matched PD-unaffected individuals. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, clinical data were collected, and all subjects were assessed via questionnaires regarding 20 types of visual illusions and other minor hallucinations. : The prevalence of minor hallucinations was significantly higher among PD patients compared to controls (45.7% vs. 11.4%, = 0.003). PD patients reported visual illusions and presence hallucinations more frequently than the controls (37.1% vs. 8.6% and 22.9% vs. 2.9%, = 0.009 and = 0.028, respectively), with no significant difference in passage hallucinations (20% vs. 8.6%, = 0.306). In the PD group, the most frequently observed visual illusions were complex visual illusions, kinetopsia, and pelopsia; the latter was also the most common visual illusion in the control group. PD patients experiencing visual illusions were more likely to report presence hallucinations compared to patients without visual illusions (53.8% vs. 4.5%, = 0.002); no significant differences in other clinical characteristics were found. : Minor hallucinations are a common phenomenon among PD patients without dementia, with a higher prevalence than among healthy controls. Visual illusions are the most prevalent type of minor hallucinations, affecting more than a third of PD patients, with complex visual illusions, kinetopsia, and pelopsia being the most frequently reported types.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Hallucinations; Female; Male; Lithuania; Aged; Prospective Studies; Illusions; Middle Aged; Pilot Projects; Prevalence; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 38674252
DOI: 10.3390/medicina60040606 -
Life (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2024: Restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/WED) has occasionally but not consistently been associated with cognitive and most notably language and executive...
: Restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/WED) has occasionally but not consistently been associated with cognitive and most notably language and executive impairment. The present study was conducted to investigate the cognitive trajectories of older individuals with RLS/WED. : Participants were drawn from the randomly selected, older (>64 years), population-based HELIAD cohort. Individuals without dementia and with available neuropsychological evaluations at baseline and follow-up were considered for potential eligibility. A comprehensive assessment examining five principal components of cognition (memory, visuo-spatial ability, attention, executive function, and language) was administered to the participants. Generalized estimating equation analyses were used to examine the unadjusted and adjusted (for critical factors and covariates) effects of RLS/WED on cognition over time. : A total of 1003 predominantly female (59.5%), older (72.9 ± 4.9 years) participants with follow-up evaluations after a mean of 3.09 ± 0.85 years and without dementia at baseline and follow-up were included in the present study. Among them, 81 were diagnosed with RLS/WED at baseline. Global cognition, memory, attention, and executive and visuo-perceptual skills did not differ between those with and without RLS/WED. However, the RLS/WED group performed worse on language at baseline by a standard deviation of 0.249, while demonstrating a mitigated language decline over time, by a standard deviation of 0.063. The unadjusted models yielded similar results. : Our findings were indicative of a baseline language disadvantage among older individuals with RLS/WED, but the initial discrepancy tends to dissolve over time.
PubMed: 38672702
DOI: 10.3390/life14040430 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2024Procedural learning has been mainly tested through motor sequence learning tasks in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, especially with isolated Developmental...
Procedural learning has been mainly tested through motor sequence learning tasks in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, especially with isolated Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and Reading Disorder (RD). Studies on motor adaptation are scarcer and more controversial. This study aimed to compare the performance of children with isolated and associated DCD and RD in a graphomotor adaptation task. In total, 23 children with RD, 16 children with DCD, 19 children with DCD-RD, and 21 typically developing (TD) children wrote trigrams both in the conventional (from left to right) and opposite (from right to left) writing directions. The results show that movement speed and accuracy were more impacted by the adaptation condition (opposite writing direction) in children with neurodevelopmental disorders than TD children. Our results also reveal that children with RD have less difficulty adapting their movement than children with DCD. Children with DCD-RD had the most difficulty, and analysis of their performance suggests a cumulative effect of the two neurodevelopmental disorders in motor adaptation.
PubMed: 38671708
DOI: 10.3390/children11040491 -
Research in Developmental Disabilities Jun 2024Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disability which prevents children from acquiring adequate numerical and arithmetical competences. We investigated...
Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disability which prevents children from acquiring adequate numerical and arithmetical competences. We investigated whether difficulties in children with DD spread beyond the numerical domain and impact also their ability to perceive time. A group of 37 children/adolescent with and without DD were tested with an auditory categorization task measuring time perception thresholds in the sub-second (0.25-1 s) and supra-second (0.75-3 s) ranges. Results showed that auditory time perception was strongly impaired in children with DD at both time scales. The impairment remained even when age, non-verbal reasoning, and gender were regressed out. Overall, our results show that the difficulties of DD can affect magnitudes other than numerical and contribute to the increasing evidence that frames dyscalculia as a disorder affecting multiple neurocognitive and perceptual systems.
Topics: Humans; Dyscalculia; Female; Male; Child; Time Perception; Auditory Perception; Adolescent; Case-Control Studies
PubMed: 38663331
DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104733 -
The Journals of Gerontology. Series B,... Jul 2024Age deficits in memory are widespread, this affects individuals at a personal level, and investigating memory has been a key focus in cognitive aging research. Age...
OBJECTIVES
Age deficits in memory are widespread, this affects individuals at a personal level, and investigating memory has been a key focus in cognitive aging research. Age deficits occur in memory for an episode, where information from the environment is integrated through the senses into an episodic event via associative memory. Associating items in memory has been shown to be particularly difficult for older adults but can often be alleviated by providing support from the external environment. The current investigation explored the potential for increased sensory input (multimodal stimuli) to alleviate age deficits in associative memory. Here, we present compelling evidence, supported by Bayesian analysis, for a null age-by-modality interaction.
METHODS
Across three preregistered studies, young and older adults (n = 860) completed associative memory tasks either in single modalities or in multimodal formats. Study 1 used either visual text (unimodal) or video introductions (multimodal) to test memory for name-face associations. Studies 2 and 3 tested memory for paired associates. Study 2 used unimodal visual presentation or cross-modal visual-auditory word pairs in a cued recall paradigm. Study 3 presented word pairs as visual only, auditory only, or audiovisual and tested memory separately for items (individual words) or associations (word pairings).
RESULTS
Typical age deficits in associative memory emerged, but these were not alleviated by multimodal presentation.
DISCUSSION
The lack of multimodal support for associative memory indicates that perceptual manipulations are less effective than other forms of environmental support at alleviating age deficits in associative memory.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Female; Male; Adult; Association Learning; Bayes Theorem; Young Adult; Mental Recall; Middle Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cues; Aging; Visual Perception; Auditory Perception; Memory Disorders; Adolescent
PubMed: 38661446
DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbae063 -
Indian Journal of Ophthalmology May 2024Perceptual visual impairment leads to impaired functional vision in children with cerebral visual impairment. Yoked prisms have been used in behavioral vision therapy...
BACKGROUND
Perceptual visual impairment leads to impaired functional vision in children with cerebral visual impairment. Yoked prisms have been used in behavioral vision therapy for children with autism (dysfunctional dorsal visual processing pathway) and in neurorehabilitation to treat visual neglect, hemianopia, and abnormal egocentric localization. In particular, they are employed for treating perceptual visual problems.
PURPOSE
To share our experience in implementing yoked prisms and their impact on the rehabilitation of children with cerebral visual impairment-related perceptual vision disorders.
SYNOPSIS
The first child with periventricular leukomalacia exhibits no eagerness to explore her new environment along with poor grasp. With 4-PD base-down prisms, she explores her surroundings and appreciates her lateral supports. Her grasp improved as well. The second child with cerebral visual impairment exhibits difficulty in climbing downstairs with poor obstacle negotiation. This could be due to impaired inferior field awareness or optic ataxia. With 4-PD base-down prisms, the field shift toward the apex helps him to climb downstairs without difficulty with an improved obstacle negotiation. The third child prefers a closer look at the object of interest along with poor hand-eye coordination. We employed 4-PD base-down prisms in her rehabilitation session. She showed good improvement in her hand-eye coordination.
HIGHLIGHTS
Poor hand-eye coordination, difficulty climbing downstairs, optic ataxia, impaired field awareness, and triggering spontaneous exploration in children with perceptual visual problems can be effectively tackled by the simple incorporation of yoked prisms.
VIDEO LINK
https://youtu.be/BW3cwiGDTLY.
Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Male; Eyeglasses; Vision Disorders; Visual Acuity
PubMed: 38661274
DOI: 10.4103/IJO.IJO_3198_22 -
BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Apr 2024Cross-species studies are important for a comprehensive understanding of brain functions. However, direct quantitative comparison of behaviors across species presents a...
UNLABELLED
Cross-species studies are important for a comprehensive understanding of brain functions. However, direct quantitative comparison of behaviors across species presents a significant challenge. To enable such comparisons in perceptual decision-making, we developed a synchronized evidence accumulation task for rodents and humans, by aligning mechanics, stimuli, and training. Rats, mice and humans readily learned the task and exhibited qualitatively similar performance. Quantitative model comparison revealed that all three species employed an evidence accumulation strategy, but differed in speed, accuracy, and key decision parameters. Human performance prioritized accuracy, whereas rodent performance was limited by internal time-pressure. Rats optimized reward rate, while mice appeared to switch between evidence accumulation and other strategies trial-to-trial. Together, these results reveal striking similarities and species-specific priorities in decision-making. Furthermore, the synchronized behavioral framework we present may facilitate future studies involving cross-species comparisons, such as evaluating the face validity of animal models of neuropsychiatric disorders.
HIGHLIGHTS
Development of a free response evidence accumulation task for rats and miceSynchronized video game allows direct comparisons with humansRat, mouse and human behavior are well fit by the same decision modelsModel parameters reveal species-specific priorities in accumulation strategy.
PubMed: 38659929
DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.17.589945 -
Scientific Reports Apr 2024We capitalized on the respiratory bodily illusion that we discovered in a previous study and called 'Embreathment' where we showed that breathing modulates corporeal...
We capitalized on the respiratory bodily illusion that we discovered in a previous study and called 'Embreathment' where we showed that breathing modulates corporeal awareness in men. Despite the relevance of the issue, no such studies are available in women. To bridge this gap, we tested whether the synchronization of avatar-participant respiration patterns influenced females' bodily awareness. We collected cardiac and respiratory interoceptive measures, administered body (dis)satisfaction questionnaires, and tracked participants' menstrual cycles via a mobile app. Our approach allowed us to characterize the 'Embreathment' illusion in women, and explore the relationships between menstrual cycle, interoception and body image. We found that breathing was as crucial as visual appearance in eliciting feelings of ownership and held greater significance than any other cue with respect to body agency in both women and men. Moreover, a positive correlation between menstrual cycle days and body image concerns, and a negative correlation between interoceptive sensibility and body dissatisfaction were found, confirming that women's body dissatisfaction arises during the last days of menstrual cycle and is associated with interoception. These findings have potential implications for corporeal awareness alterations in clinical conditions like eating disorders and schizophrenia.
Topics: Humans; Female; Virtual Reality; Body Image; Adult; Illusions; Awareness; Young Adult; Interoception; Male; Menstrual Cycle; Surveys and Questionnaires; Respiration; Body Dissatisfaction
PubMed: 38654060
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59766-1