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Release Number: 09-053
22-Jul-09
For Immediate Release
Contact: Matt Boxler
Contact Phone: 401-341-2156
Contact E-mail: newsrelease@salve.edu
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STUDENTS SPEND THEIR SUMMER INVESTIGATING METHODS TO HELP AUTISTIC CHILDREN BECOME BETTER LEARNERS
NEWPORT, R.I. - Dr. Sheila O'Brien Quinn, associate professor of psychology, and three Salve Regina psychology majors are spending their summer investigating how Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can help children with autism become more aware of their social environment.
As the result of a successful grant application to the IDEA Network-Biomedical Research Excellence (IN-BRE), junior Carin Heaney, and seniors Alexandra Pereira and Samantha Sandland are employing basic behavioral research techniques to compare three different approaches to fostering the development of joint attention in autistic children. Joint attention includes the ability to figure out what another person is talking about by following that person's eye gaze, i.e. by understanding what the other person is looking at.
Many developmental psychologists believe that this skill is essential in helping young children develop basic vocabulary. Because children with autism tend to be less sensitive, sometimes even averse, to using eye contact, they can miss out on that fundamental learning opportunity.
Working under the direction of Dr. Quinn and Dr. Andrea Chait, clinical director at the Pathways Strategic Teaching Center in Warwick, the Salve Regina students have each assumed primary responsibility for the joint attention research protocols for three children with autism.
The children were chosen to participate in the program after consultation with their parents and because of the relevance of the research goals to the children's clinical goals. The students are currently learning the children's overall behavioral program and beginning to collect baseline data on the children's existing skills. They will present the preliminary results of their research on Aug. 3 at the Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island.
IN-BRE, funded through the National Institute of Health, will provide continuing support for this project for up to five years. During the academic year, three Salve Regina students will be offered the opportunity of working 10 hours a week at the Strategic Teaching Center on this project.
The grant also funds special course work for students involved in the project. Through the life of the IN-BRE grant, it is hoped that 35 children with autism will receive this intensive programming and a minimum of 15 Salve Regina students will be able to participate in the research.
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