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All Subjects: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Creators: Dixon, Maria
Status: Published

Contributing to a meta-analysis on the effects of acute physical exercise on the executive functions of preadolescent children, adolescents and adults

Description

The purpose of this study, originally, was to contribute to the completion of a meta-analysis conducted by Mara Wierstra from the University of Virginia. Wierstra had requested individual participant data from two separate studies conducted in our lab: "Acute bouts of assisted cycling improves cognitive and upper extremity movement functions in adolescents with Down syndrome" and "Assisted Cycling Therapy (ACT) improves inhibition in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder." From the data requested, the participants were required to complete three separate tests (i.e., Tower of London, Trail Making Task and the Stroop Test). After compiling the data and sending it to her, we decided to conduct a small meta-analysis of our own, drawing connecting conclusions from the data from the two studies. We concluded that observationally our data suggest an advantage for ACT over voluntary cycling and no cycling across two separate populations (i.e., Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down syndrome), and across different measures of executive function (i.e., Stroop Test, Trail Making Test, and Tower of London). The data suggest that the ACT interventions may promote the upregulation of neurotropic factors leading to neurogenesis in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.

ContributorsParker, Cade Joseph (Author) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Thesis director) / Holzapfel, Simon (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2016-12

Examining the Impact of Language Acquisition on Behavior Plans of Three School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Description

The present study investigated the communicative characteristics of challenging behavior documented in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and how those behaviors changed as receptive and expressive language skills changed. Several years of the individual education plans (IEPs), behavior plans, and test scores of three male students from a small non- public school (NPS) were reviewed for this study. Challenging behaviors that served a communicative function showed some signs of diminishing as functional communication increased. While functional communication did show signs of increasing with the acquisition of expressive and receptive language the participants differed in their dependence on prompting to use functional communication in lieu of challenging behavior. Additionally, some of the challenging behaviors were rooted in a difficulty with self-regulation and stimming behavior and didn't appear to serve a communicative function. Given the significant impact challenging behaviors have on the quality life of the children with ASD and their families, more research is needed to better understand the connection between spontaneous and independent functional communication and duration to independent attention to task effects on challenging behavior.

ContributorsPringle, Deborah (Author) / Bruce, Laurel (Thesis director) / Dixon, Maria (Committee member) / Elliott, Alicia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)

Created2023-05

The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Executive Function in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Description

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are known to show impairments in various domains of executive function (EF) such as behavioral flexibility or inhibitory control. Research suggests that EF impairment in adults with ASD may relate to ASD core symptoms, restrictive behaviors and social communication deficits. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has shown promise for improving EF abilities in neurotypical adults, but research has not explored its efficacy or neural mechanisms in adults with ASD. This pilot study examines the effects of an 8-week MBSR intervention on self-report measures of EF and resting-state functional connectivity in a sample of adults with ASD. Fifty-four participants were assigned either to an MBSR group (n = 29) or a social support group (n = 25). Executive function was measured using the BRIEF-2 before and after the intervention for the twenty-seven participants in the second cohort. MBSR-specific improvements in EF were found for BRIEF measures of initiation, inhibition, and working-memory. Resting-state fMRI data was analyzed using independent component analysis (ICA), and group by time resting-state functional connectivity differences were observed between the cerebellar network and frontal regions including the right frontal pole (rFP), medial frontal cortex (MFC) and left and right superior frontal gyri (SFG). The MBSR group showed increases in functional connectivity between the cerebellum and EF regions which correlated with improvements in BRIEF-2 measures. These findings suggest that MBSR may improve EF domains in adults with ASD, and that increases in functional connectivity between the cerebellum and frontal regions while at rest may be a mechanism for such improvements.

ContributorsGuerithault, Nicolas (Author) / Braden, B. Blair (Thesis advisor) / Rogalsky, Corianne (Committee member) / Dixon, Maria (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)

Created2021