Behavioral Sciences Journal

Introduction to the Special Section: Autism Spectrum Disorder

Ivelisse Torres-Fernández — 2023-04-01

The focus of this special issue on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is to highlight the scientific production of eight students, mostly graduates of the Master's program in Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Albizu University, San Juan Campus. In addition, it includes an article by another autism expert, who is a doctoral student at the University of Utah. Among the topics presented in this issue we can highlight discrepancies by gender in the diagnosis of ASD, sensory and language interventions, cultural and linguistic adaptations of interventions for caregivers of people with autism, experiences and work programs for adults with ASD, the psychological impact of COVID-19 in people with autism, and dance therapy as an alternative intervention.

Gender discrepancies in the diagnostic processes of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A systematic literature review of the silenced girls

María García González — 2023-04-01

The article is a systematic literature review (SLR) that investigates the characteristics of the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the female gender and whether diagnostic evaluation processes should be different for each gender. The research questions are: What characteristics are identified in girls with ASD, which could be considered to establish new guidelines in diagnostic processes? and, what diagnostic instruments are used to identify and confirm a diagnosis of ASD, which considers gender differences in its process? A boolean search method was implemented for the SLR by the Ebscohost metasearch engine. Eight articles (n=8) from five countries were used. The investigations demonstrated patterns of behavior presented by the female gender as compensatory behaviors and masking. The results detailed differences in the proportion of girls who met particular screening criteria, but did not meet all the criteria necessary to receive an autism diagnosis. It was determined that more research is required on how to implement diversity in evaluation methods considering the particularities of the genders.

Effectiveness of Sensory Integration in Speech and Language interventions for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

Paola M. Muñoz Phi — 2023-04-01

People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have communication difficulties due to sensory problems, which causes their sensory integration (SI) to be affected. SI is a neurological process that is responsible for organizing sensations in the body itself and its effect on the environment in which the person is. So that the senses can be used effectively. A disorder in sensory integration can cause a delay in communication and social skills. That is why the questions arise: what is the effectiveness of integrating sensory activities in speech and language interventions for the progress/communicology development of people from zero to 21 years of age with ASD? How do sensory activities in speech and language therapy Can they help develop communication skills? And what sensory integration models exist, and which ones are reliable? To answer these questions, we carried out a systematic literature review with the purpose of knowing and exposing the effectiveness of activities or methods that use sensory integration to reinforce areas of speech and language and provide communication development more effectively. 15 investigations and academic articles related to intervention models where sensory integration strategies are used were found. We conclude that there is evidence of a limited number of therapeutic models and activities that support sensory integration. In speech and language therapies, it has been seen that, by using sensory integration activities, people with ASD manage to benefit beyond only in areas of communication but also in social aspects and behaviors secondary to the diagnosis.

Cultural and Linguistic Adaptations: Equitable Accessibility to an Evidence-Based Intervention for Diverse Caregivers

Anniette Maldonado — 2023-04-01

Families from minoritized backgrounds experience healthcare disparities, including a lack of evidence-based interventions and services that are culturally relevant. The study at hand provides documentation of the adaptation processes conducted to provide equitable accessibility to a packaged intervention for Spanish-speaking Latino parents, Parents Effectively Addressing Challenging Behavior en Español (Project PEACE). The adaptation process follows the Cultural Adaptations Process Model (Domenech et al., 2011) and the Ecological Validity Model (Bernal et al., 1995), and details the initial phase in the process for developing a parent training intervention with cultural sensitivity. The present study also provides further evidence about how cultural adaptations can be implemented within an evidence-based intervention model for parent training. The study documents the processes and phases of the cultural adaptations for the purpose of future replication.

The benefits of work experiences in young adults with autism for their social inclusion: Systematic literature review

Raysa Ocasio Vera — 2023-04-01

This work aims to identify the benefits of work experience in young adults diagnosed with ASD and to learn how working with the social and vocational skills of these young adults can help them achieve social inclusion. Therefore, a systematic literature review was carried out, which culminated in a total of 11 articles, which were sifted by allowing themselves to be carried away by the following inclusion characteristics: that the subject of the study was consistent with the research, that it included young adults (18 - 26 years old) with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), that were not literary reviews, that were published between 2015 and 2020, from peer-reviewed academic journals, from any country and that were written in English or Spanish. After conducting a systematic literature review, it was found that work experiences can have therapeutic benefits, improving adaptive behavior in employment, increasing social self-efficacy, social cognition and social skills in young adults with ASD. Also, we found that work experiences can help the independence of young adults with ASD. In addition, we identify strategies that can help work on the social and vocational skills of this population, such as, for example, the video modeling and the ACCESS program (Adolescent curriculum for communication and effective social skills). In conclusion, providing work experiences to young people with ASD not only offers them therapeutic benefits, but also helps them gain independence.

Employment Programs and Interventions for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Systematic Literature Review

Ivanelysse Rosa Negron — 2023-04-01

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of employment programs and interventions available for people with autism, through a systematic literature review (SLR). The research questions that guided this work were: (a) what is the most successful intervention model in the employment placement of people with autism? and (b) what are the benefits of employment programs and interventions for people with ASD? Systematic searches were carried out during the month of April 2020, and three resources resulted from the search. The search limits were: (a) Spanish and English language, (b) years (2010-2020), (c) peer-reviewed, and (d) academic journals. The findings demonstrated that supported employment service interventions are particularly understudied. Despite this, the research carried out suggests that supported employment services are favorable for the population with autism in terms of obtaining and retaining employment. On the other hand, the models of support services that are used with the ASD population are usually: (a) competitive employment, (b) self-employment, (c) sustained employment and (e) personalized employment, the latter being the most used and successful. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a need to develop projects to serve the adult population with autism and developmental deficiencies for the work.

Relationship between Aging and Executive Functions in Older Adults with Autism: A Systematic Literature Review

Karla M. Páez Torres — 2023-04-01

A systematic literature review (SLR) was realized to analyze the existing lack information about the relation between ageing and the Executive Functions (EF) in elderly people with a diagnosis of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For this reason, the following questions were formulated: 1) How are the Executive Functions affected in people with autism during their elderly years? 2) What abilities of the Executive Functions are more frequently affected in elderly people with autism? We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for the searching process and there were two rounds of quality evaluation based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The five articles selected presented different findings. Some suggest that the age does affect some of the EF skills, such as: sustained attention, working memory, verbal fluency, planification, organization, initiation, visual working memory, and processing speed. However, other authors mention the possibility that the intelligence quotient (IQ) is related to these ageing effects. Lastly, various studies were not able to find a significant difference in the changes of the EF skills caused by ageing between the elderly with ASD and their neurotypical peers. This SLR shows the necessity to keep investigating and studying elderly people with autism. Thus, focusing on more subjective measures and studies to acquire more data about the effects of old age in the Executive Functions of people with autism.

Dance Therapy as Effective Complementary and Alternative Medicine in People with Autism: A systematic literature review

Stephannie Nigaglioni Torres — 2023-04-01

There are many types of therapies or interventions that, according to research, these early-life services can significantly improve the development of children with a diagnosis of autism. Participation in the arts; such as dance, has been observed to enhance and develop essential skills in many areas of the core deficiencies of autism. The objectives of this research are: examine the effectiveness, the intervention process and which areas stimulates the dance therapy in different aspects of development in people with autism. The research questions are: What is the effectiveness of dance therapy in people with autism? How is the intervention process of dance therapy in people with autism? And what areas stimulate dance therapy in people with autism? As a method, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used the systematic literature review (SLR). When analyzing the results of 10 selected articles, we found that dance therapy is effective in the areas of communication, social skills, body image, reduction of negative behaviors, positive posture towards social interaction, emotion inference and well-being in general. Therefore, it is important to add dance therapy as a regular intervention for people with ASD in all stages of life.

The Negative Effects of Psychological Impact from the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review

Alaira Lourido Corretjer — 2023-04-01

There has not been a systematic literature review (SLR) on the negative psychological effects of adults with ASD due to COVID-19. Genetic predisposition linked to autism vulnerability leads to adverse results during the COVID-19 pandemic, which increases the risk of anxiety symptoms, stereotyped behaviors and an increase in social camouflage, as well as possible trauma signs. The purpose of the current SLR methodological study is to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected adults with ASD globally. The findings of 9 scientific papers examined support the negative consequences of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. In the event of a change like the pandemic, similar findings support an increase in aggression, repetitive behavior, negative emotions, hopelessness, distress, and behavioral immune system activation. The prevalence of problematic behaviors in individuals with ASD, as well as a larger physical-emotional load for their caregivers in confinement, are discussed. This review presents emotional effects conditioned by the pandemic that resulted in an increase in negative emotions such as fear, worsening of anxiety disorders and depression, as well as objections about social discrimination in some cases of adults with ASD. After facing COVID-19, conducting long-term studies with the population of interest, such as examining their work environments, would enable us to evaluate and improve further findings on the consequences of the pandemic and strengthen prevention strategies as well as increase response capability in ASD communities.

Review

Angellyn Santos González — 2023-04-01

This writing has the objective of reviewing the description, achievements, and scope of the only Autism Master's Program in Puerto Rico, which is offered at Albizu University in the Campus of San Juan and the University Center of Mayagüez. We will describe it in detail, highlighting that it is the only Program offering practical experiences and direct service to the population with autism and their families. It aims to train high-caliber professionals who, from their training, are aware and sensitive to the complexities faced by families and people who are on the Spectrum of the Autism Disorder.