Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Autistic spectrum disorder (AS)'

Questions have been raised as to whether the patterns of thoughts and behaviours experienced by individuals with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) can be indicative of comorbid obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The current study aimed to compare the experiences of adults with ASD or OCD and healthy controls (HC) in terms of the symptoms experienced and the associated emotions and responses. Associations between autistic traits and OCD severity were explored. A cross-sectional design utilising MANOVA, ANOVA and correlation was employed. Methods: Eighteen participants with ASD, 20 with OCD and 19 healthy controls completed self-report measures and interviews assessing IQ, comorbid diagnoses, OCD symptoms, autistic traits and emotions and responses associated with obsessional thoughts. Participants with ASD scored significantly higher than healthy controls in terms of OCD severity and also number of obsessions and compulsions and associated distress. While the OCD and ASD groups did not differ significantly on OCD severity, the OCD group reported significantly higher levels of sadness, worry, shame, guilt and disapproval triggered by obsessions. The ASD and healthy control groups were largely comparable on these factors. Associations were found between OCD severity and particular domains which are typically impaired in ASD, including social skills, attention switching, communication and imagination. Findings suggest that OCD symptoms may be common and a source of distress in individuals with ASD, thus perhaps warranting psychological intervention. Further research into the exact nature of this distress and how this can be assessed is required.

Thesis (MEdPsych (Educational Psychology)--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this research voyage of discovery, we story the voices of me (the research inquirer), my family and a teacher about our experience with a young woman with Autism Spectrum Disorder – my youngest sister Leyna.1 This is our attempt to give Leyna and (dis)ability a voice. Their voices have been silenced from research for too long. I try to explain a narrative research lens as a foundation for this document – one that views autism not as a disorder, but as a difference that needs to be embraced. People often live their lives according to the problem stories they tell themselves, and do not see the alternative stories that surround them every day. On this voyage I therefore tell our story to document the inspirational experiences that people with autism bring about in the lives of those supporting them. Little research that focuses on alternative stories about autism has been done on a global scale. Moreover, little research has been done on autism specifically in the South African context. This thesis relates the stories of the people involved in caring for my sister with autism. It brings a message of hope and suggests possibilities for future research voyages about autism. 1 Pseudonym
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie navorsingsontdekkingsreis vertel ons 'n storie deur verskeie stemme te laat hoor: ek, die navorsingsondersoeker, my gesin en 'n onderwyseres vertel 'n storie oor ons ervaringe met 'n jong vrou met Outisme Spektrum Versteuring – my jongste suster Leyna.2 Hierdie is ons onderneming om vir Leyna en gestremdheid 'n stem te gee. Te veel stemme is al te lank deur navorsing stilgemaak. Ek probeer die narratiewe navorsingslens te verduidelik as 'n grondslag vir hierdie dokument – een wat outisme nie as 'n versteuring sien nie, maar eerder as 'n verskil wat aangegryp en gerespekteer moet word. Mense leef dikwels hul lewens uit op grond van die probleemgesentreerde stories wat hulle aan hulself vertel, en sien nie die alternatiewe stories raak wat hulle daagliks omsluit nie. In hierdie reis vertel ek dus ons storie om die inspirerende ervarings wat mense met outisme in die mense wat hulle ondersteun teweeg bring, te dokumenteer. Min navorsing wat op die alternatiewe stories oor outisme fokus is tot op hede op 'n globale skaal gedoen. Verder is daar nog min navorsing oor outisme spesifiek in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks gedoen. Hierdie studie vertel die stories van die mense wat betrokke is in die versorging van my suster met outisme. Hiermee word 'n boodskap van hoop gebring en moontlikhede voorgestel vir toekomstige navorsingsreise oor outisme. 2 Skuilnaam is gebruik

Implementation of children's rights in practice is necessary to maximise their potential to improve the lives of children. This study aimed to develop a set of indicators to evaluate critically current practice in relation to Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder (asd) in Ireland from a children's rights perspective. The study was conducted in two stages using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The first stage focused on the development of a set of indicators for the IEP process based on a children's rights framework and informed by the perspectives of children, parents and teachers, alongside the literature on best practice on IEPs. In the second stage, a survey questionnaire was designed, based on the children's rights indicators, to evaluate current IEP practice in Ireland for pupils with asd. The main findings indicated that current IEP practice is compliant with indicators relating to participation ofparents and to the appropriateness of IEP goals and targets. Significant non-compliance was evident with respect to the right ofchildren to be given an opportmiity to express their views in relation to their IEP, but also that these views must be listened to and taken into account. The findings also indicated a serious shortfall in accessing resources to implement and co-ordinate the IEP. This study presents a strong argument for the importance of giving meaning to the application and implementation of children's rights in IEP practice for pupils with asd, in a climate of impending legislation on IEPs in Ireland.

Offending in people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) though rare requires specialist knowledge of the risk factors involved, to adapt interventions effectively. A review of the somewhat sparse literature suggests that empathy impairments and social skills deficits are frequently cited risk factors, indicating that attachment security may be a mediating factor. Due to ‘common’ impairments in empathising abilities, offenders with ASD and Psychopathic Disorder are sometimes thought of similarly, but evidence suggests they show differing cognitive and affective empathy deficits (Blair, 2010). The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI: Davis, 1983) was used to measure cognitive and affective empathy in this study. A secure website was designed and created to access participants and collect data over the Internet. Regression analyses were carried out to investigate how the empathy levels and attachment styles varied with psychopathic and autistic traits in a community sample of 46 male and 34 female participants, of whom 13 had a diagnosis of an ASD and 17 had committed offences. These results are discussed with regard to implications for risk and risk management in offenders with ASD.

In the last twenty years, governments around the world have signed policies and enacted legislation concerning the right of every child to be provided with education. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), which states that every child with SEN should receive education in a mainstream setting, whenever possible stimulated, at least partly, the enactment of such policies. To some extent, the Mexican government has responded to the UN initiative by reporting a gradual increase in the number of children with SEN being placed in mainstream schools over the last ten years. However, despite the efforts of some parents and teaching assistants, there is an increasing concern that many children with ASD are not educated in mainstream schools or they have been included but without the support of a qualified teaching assistant or teacher, which has a negative effect on the quality of education. This situation has emphasized the need to improve strategies in order to overcome the barriers to effective inclusion for these children. Thus, the main aim of this study was to explore the extent to which children identified as having Autistic Spectrum Disorder are included within in mainstream schools in Mexico with the support from DOMUS a non-profit parent led organisation. This is done by examining the facilitators and barriers that affect the success of inclusion of children with ASD in Mexico. Multiple case studies of children with autistic spectrum disorders were conducted. The data on the perceptions about inclusion was gathered from interviews with head teachers, teachers, teaching assistants, and parents of children with ASD. In addition, observations of the children with ASD both in class and in the playground were carried out along with focus groups conducted with secondary age classmates, sociometric data, and a review of DOMUS’ records. Participants offered many perspectives on the facilitators and barriers that should be overcome in order to include a child with autism in mainstream schools in Mexico. Seven key themes and related subthemes that can act as facilitators or barriers emerged from the analysis. These included family factors, children with ASD’s social and academic abilities, school ethos, role of teaching assistant and DOMUS, and the influence of stakeholders’ experience in overcoming anxieties about inclusion, teachers’ competence, and stakeholders’ attitudes towards children with ASD. The findings are discussed in relation to the literature review. It was concluded that the Mexican government’s inclusive education policies should be taken further, although the teachers involved should initially receive further training in order to help them feel more confident. An ASD friendly school ethos, positive attitudes from stakeholders, and financial resources can also support inclusion. Stakeholders need to overcome their anxieties, and they can achieve this by embracing the opportunity to experience inclusion. This study provides a starting-point in by identifying the facilitators that should be strengthened and the barriers that should be reduced in order to enhance the inclusion of children with ASD in Mexico.

Increasing numbers of students with disabilities are being educated in mainstream schools in response to the international call for inclusive education. This study investigated the experiences of five students diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with challenging behaviours, and those who support them including parents, class and special education teachers, regarding inclusive education. At the time of the study, the five male students were all of upper primary school age, and attended state schools in Queensland, Australia. A multi-case study approach was adopted to better understand the nature of inclusion through engaging participants (students, class teacher, parents, and special education teachers) in "conversations" about their experiences of inclusion by means of semi-structured interviews. Students diagnosed ASD with challenging behaviours are testing the educational system as it attempts to meet their individual needs. This is due in part to the complexities associated with the disability of ASD and the many factors required in the delivery of effective inclusive practices. The findings of the research study reflected significant variance in the nature of inclusive schooling practices. Data collected from participants involved in a focus group interview and five case studies were used to describe the practices adopted in response to meeting the educational needs of individual students diagnosed ASD with challenging behaviours. There were five key findings that emerged from this study. Firstly, a range of practices was identified for each of the five children and these were posited along the continuum from inclusive to exclusive. Secondly, inclusive practices emerged from a number of interconnected processes including training, stakeholder collaboration, a school culture pursuing educational inclusion, and educator efficacy. Thirdly, educator efficacy appears to be the most crucial factor in the establishment of inclusive practices, without it exclusionary practices prevail. Fourthly, legislation and policy alone do not appear to result in the universal adoption of inclusive educational practices. Lastly, while all students had unique educational programming needs, this thesis found that there is a need for an appropriate model to be implemented to offer a foundation level of appropriate education interventions. Implications for educational policy and practice relevant to inclusive education were discussed.

Increasing numbers of students with disabilities are being educated in mainstream schools in response to the international call for inclusive education. This study investigated the experiences of five students diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with challenging behaviours, and those who support them including parents, class and special education teachers, regarding inclusive education. At the time of the study, the five male students were all of upper primary school age, and attended state schools in Queensland, Australia. A multi-case study approach was adopted to better understand the nature of inclusion through engaging participants (students, class teacher, parents, and special education teachers) in "conversations" about their experiences of inclusion by means of semi-structured interviews. Students diagnosed ASD with challenging behaviours are testing the educational system as it attempts to meet their individual needs. This is due in part to the complexities associated with the disability of ASD and the many factors required in the delivery of effective inclusive practices. The findings of the research study reflected significant variance in the nature of inclusive schooling practices. Data collected from participants involved in a focus group interview and five case studies were used to describe the practices adopted in response to meeting the educational needs of individual students diagnosed ASD with challenging behaviours. There were five key findings that emerged from this study. Firstly, a range of practices was identified for each of the five children and these were posited along the continuum from inclusive to exclusive. Secondly, inclusive practices emerged from a number of interconnected processes including training, stakeholder collaboration, a school culture pursuing educational inclusion, and educator efficacy. Thirdly, educator efficacy appears to be the most crucial factor in the establishment of inclusive practices, without it exclusionary practices prevail. Fourthly, legislation and policy alone do not appear to result in the universal adoption of inclusive educational practices. Lastly, while all students had unique educational programming needs, this thesis found that there is a need for an appropriate model to be implemented to offer a foundation level of appropriate education interventions. Implications for educational policy and practice relevant to inclusive education were discussed.

Thesis (M.S.)--East Carolina University, 2009.
Advisor: John Heilmann. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed July 1, 2010). Presented to the faculty of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Includes bibliographical references.

This research aimed to explore the skills of those with and without a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in social coordination. The basis for these skills is considered to reside in social cognition, which is held to be either 'lacking' or 'different' for those with an ASD diagnosis. As such, few studies have explored contextualised social knowledge in those with a diagnosis or considered how this might be used in interaction. To explore social knowledge and how it is used in social coordination, several novel tasks were utilised. These tasks explored participant responses in situations of: coordination with an unknown co-player; in competition with a known co-player; in social situational coordination and when using moral reasoning in judgements. Participants were also asked to reflect on their experience in brief interviews. No differences between the groups were found in the quantitative analysis, suggesting comparable abilities in social coordination. The qualitative findings revealed differences in the manner in which the groups approached and managed the tasks. The control group approached tasks with confidence and a belief in their belonging to a wider network of similar people. The ASD group seemed to feel more uncertain about their sense of belonging and their abilities. This research suggests that social knowledge drawn on in coordination situations is similar for both groups; however, confidence in its use is not. It appears that individuals with an ASD diagnosis may use different and more expansive routes to achieve coordination. This is proposed to be driven by differences in neural pathways and internalised clinical and social understandings of being 'different'. It is hoped that this research can begin to challenge assumptions about what individuals with a diagnosis of ASD can do. Thus, widening the scope for research and supporting individuals to have greater confidence in their abilities.

Objectives: Currently there is no known single cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and diagnosis is based on observable behavioural characteristics. Research regarding theories about the aetiology of ASD have been dominated by an academic perspective. However, parents with children who have ASD will also have their own explanatory beliefs of their child's difficulties. Research examining parents' beliefs surrounding their child's ASD have shown both similarities and discrepancies between parental and academic understandings. These discrepancies may impact on parental help seeking behaviours and engagement with therapeutic services. The aim of this study is to explore the different explanatory beliefs parents have when talking about their child who has been diagnosed with ASD. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten parents of children with ASD. Data collection and analysis was guided by the Grounded Theory method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) which led to the production of a process model grounded in the parents experiences. Results: The core category of the process model was termed 'Accommodating Autism', which reflected the parents' beliefs regarding ASD and had implications for how they lived and coped with accommodating ASD within their families. Accommodation involves a process of adaptation, specifically how the parents have made adjustments to raising a child with ASD. The core category was formed of four main categories 'Making Sense of ASD', 'Process of Acceptance', 'Negotiating Difference'and 'Searching for an Explanation'. Discussion: The study's findings from the analysis are located within the current literature. The clinical implications of the findings include recommendations that services need to become more explicit with families in acknowledging their perspectives regarding the aetiology of ASD and there being other perspectives available. Grief was also a key issue and emotional support for parents needs to be addressed more openly.

Aim: A wealth of literature has contributed to our understanding of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However most of this research has been carried out with white families and there is a paucity of research documenting ethnic minority families' experiences of ASD. The current study attempted to address this limitation in the research. The aim of the study was to explore South Asian parents' experiences of their child's Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis process. Method: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse data from interviews with 8 parents (5 families) who had a child diagnosed with ASD. Parents were recruited from schools, child and adolescent mental health services, local authority child services, mosques and support groups. Results: Four super-ordinate themes were developed from the analysis. These included the early search for support, meeting the family: the extended family's rejection of ASD, a tug of war: finding a safe person and place in services and the struggle to maintain cultural links. Conclusions: The findings suggest that in addition to common challenges reported by all families during their child's ASD diagnosis process, South Asian families face unique challenges that arise due to specific cultural factors (e.g. language, cultural and religious beliefs). One of the key findings of the research is the loss of culture South Asian parents experience as a result of the ASD diagnosis. A range of implications for clinical practice that arise from the results are also described.

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the experiences of four children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and anxiety (aged 10-13 years) who took part in a mindfulness-based intervention. The research was conducted within a local authority in times of reform in both education and mental health. A systematic literature review indicated that the majority of children with ASD experience difficulties with attention, anxiety, empathy, comprehension and communication within the social world. The research into mindfulness revealed it to have many applications in social and emotional development, attention and general well-being for children and adults. However, there was limited literature regarding mindfulness-based interventions with children on the autistic spectrum. The central research question was ‘what do children with ASD say about their experiences of being part of the mindfulness programme?’ Additional research questions were ‘what do children with ASD say about their life experiences?’ and ‘does anything change in children’s lived experiences during the course of the mindfulness programme?’ The data was collected using semi-structured interviews pre and post intervention and via audio- diaries. Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The themes that emerged were ‘worries’, ‘perceptions of the self’, ‘relationships’, ‘connecting to the environment’, ‘views of autism’ and ‘perceptions and experiences of mindfulness’. The themes appear to indicate that mindfulness-based approaches may be useful in promoting the psychological well-being of children with ASD. Children reported enjoyment of mindfulness, engagement with the practical and concrete teaching of the intervention, positive changes to their experiences of having autism and worries, feelings of empowerment and resiliency, enjoyment of new experiences and abilities in noticing and accepting change. Therefore, the research identifies positive opportunities for children with ASD to engage with mindfulness-based approaches and it also highlights the role that can be undertaken by the educational psychologist in such interventions.

Receiving a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is often a pivotal moment for parents. The diagnostic feedback session can provide helpful information for moving forward with their child’s care but can also be filled with conflicting emotions. A few studies have looked at common parent experiences and have suggested actions for providers, but there is little information about how providers can predict parent reactions to the diagnosis and adjust their feedback accordingly. This study investigated factors related to parent reactions to the diagnostic disclosure session using a) interviews with providers that commonly diagnose autism; b) a focus group with parents of children with autism; and c) a mixed-methods survey of 189 parents with autistic children diagnosed in the US in the past 3 years. Overall, providers seem to give more information to families who are already knowledgeable about autism, helping them leave even more prepared. However, families who come to feedback very anxious about receiving a diagnosis are most critically in need of a breadth of information and are at risk of leaving the session feeling lost and unprepared if they do not receive adequate resources during feedback. Providers should be aware of parent anxiety about diagnosis and prior autism knowledge, as these factors predict parent post-session preparedness, positive emotions, difficult emotions, and confusion. Providers can help promote positive emotional reactions for parents and prevent confusion by increasing their positivity, warmth, and respect towards the family, and by being clear and confident in their communications.

Recognising people’s emotions is a promising research area in human-computer interaction as emotional communication plays a crucial role in humans’ lives. One of the main reasons for ineffective emotional communication is a deficit in understanding emotional signals such as facial expressions and body posture. There is a bidirectional challenge between autistic and non-autistic individuals since they display their emotional signals differently. This thesis discovers differences in emotional signals, in particular facial expressions, body posture, and physiological signals. Based on the interviews and questionnaires conducted in this thesis, the need to design an aid tool to assist autistic and non-autistic participants during their emotional communication is identified. Therefore, Emognition, a smartwatch, and its mobile application is designed to blur these differences and enhance the emotional communication between them. Furthermore, Emognition’s user evaluation indicates that the smartwatch could successfully detect nonautistic participants’ sadness and happiness. Also, they found the mobile application useful and aesthetically motivating to interact with. Even though we could not evaluate how well the Emognition recognises autistic participants’ sadness and happiness, it is promising to measure their emotions successfully by accurate sensors and, more importantly, by finding their autonomic response patterns to different emotions and enhance emotional communication between autistic and nonautistic people by Emognition.

Section A: A review of current research literature relating to the impact of child ASD upon non-affected siblings and the utility of sibling group interventions. The first section summarises and critiques studies relating to the social, emotional and behavioural adjustment of siblings, including consideration of potential mediating factors and discussion of methodological issues. The second section considers evidence for one intervention for this group, ASD-specific sibling support groups. The review suggests that inconsistencies remain within the sibling research literature and that there is a clear need for UK-based outcome research. Section B: Background: Having a brother or sister with an ASD can be challenging for non-affected siblings. These children may experience reduced parental attention, isolation from peers and difficult sibling behaviours. This pilot study aimed to investigate the utility of support groups for siblings of children with ASDs. Methods: A within group, mixed methods design was used with a pre-intervention baseline. Participants were 35 children, aged 7-15 years, with an ASD sibling. All were attending ASD-specific sibling group interventions across the South East of England. Sibling rated self-concept, anxiety and anger and parent-rated emotional difficulties were collected at pre group, post group and follow up. One group also participated in a focus group. Results: Results indicated significant improvements in self concept and significant decreases in anger and anxiety following participation in an ASD-specific sibling group. Anxiety continued to decrease at 3 month follow up. Parent-rated sibling emotional difficulties did not change. All siblings valued the groups. Four main themes were identified from qualitative data: Siblings valued the opportunity to meet similar others, have fun, learn new information about ASD and apply this knowledge to their own situation. Conclusions: The present pilot study extends existing literature on ASD-specific sibling groups. This is one of the first studies to combine qualitative data with standardised outcome measures. Participation in an ASD-specific support group may be associated with more positive self concept and decreased anger and anxiety. Given inherent study limitations, further, controlled research studies are warranted. Section C: A critical appraisal of the study conducted in section B and a reflective account of the process. This includes consideration of research skills learnt, future adaptations, clinical implications and ideas for future research.

There has been a recent increase in research into sensory sensitivity in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), which has prompted the inclusion of sensory issues as an explicit criterion in the impending revision of diagnostic guidelines (DSM-5: American Psychiatric Association, 2010). However, one of the most interesting aspects of research in this field is that a clear disparity exists between the results of self- or parent-report studies and behavioural studies. The former class of studies shows that those with ASD report clear, consistent differences in their sensory experiences (Baranek et al., 2006; Crane et al., 2009; Leekam et al., 2007), whereas the findings in the behavioural field are complex to interpret, with all but a few areas of sensory processing (e.g. visual search: Joliffe & Baron-Cohen, 1997; Shah & Frith, 1983, 1993) demonstrating consistent consensus (e.g. Dudova et al., 2011; Tavassoli et al., 2012a). The thesis presented here aims to explore the nature of sensory sensitivities in those with ASD and the broader autism phenotype (BAP) further using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research designs. In addition, an approach was developed (the Sensory Audit: Chapter 8) which can be used to objectively assess an environment for sensory stressors. Chapters 2 and 3 report the development of a sensory questionnaire (GSQ: Robertson & Simmons, 2012), which was administered to those with varying AQ scores, as measured by the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ: Baron-Cohen et al., 2001). There were both quantitative (Chapter 2) and qualitative (Chapter 3) features of the questionnaire. In the quantitative component, seven modalities were assessed (vision, audition, gustation, olfaction, touch, vestibular processing and proprioception), taking into account both hyper- and hypo-sensitivity to stimuli. We found that there was a strong, positive relationship between sensory sensitivity and AQ score, with medium scorers (who would be unlikely to be diagnosed with ASD) reporting significantly more difficulties with sensory stimuli than low scorers. For Chapter 3, we found that those with high levels of autistic traits (i.e. may be likely to have a diagnosis of ASD) tended to report using different coping techniques from medium and low scorers (e.g. avoiding situations and using sensory soothing rather than non-sensory soothing). The results from these studies suggest that sensory issues may be prevalent throughout the population and that the differences observed in Chapter 2 are mirrored in the themes extracted for each group in Chapter 3. The second set of studies (Chapters 4-6) report data from three focus groups (caregivers of those with autism, adults with ASD and an elderly control group), as well as from interactive group interviews with children who have autism. Although similar themes (e.g. control, consequences of problematic stimuli and positive effects of sensory stimuli) arose in all four studies, there were different types of information gathered from the groups. For those with ASD (Chapter 4 and Chapter 5), the discussion mainly centred around how sensory stimuli made them feel, and the implications of this for them. For the caregivers (Chapter 4) and the elderly group (who mainly discussed their relatives’ experiences) (Chapter 6), the themes reflected their own experiences, concentrating on the implications of adverse reactions to sensory stimuli (for both themselves and their loved ones). The data from these studies provide insight into living with someone who has sensory issues, for both those with a diagnosis of ASD and their caregivers, as well as the relatives of elderly individuals suffering from vision and hearing loss. Chapter 7 reports a study into the relationship between olfactory processing and the broader autism phenotype (as measured by the AQ). Participants completed the AQ as well as the Sniffin’ Sticks Extended Test. A subset of the sample (n=62) also completed the Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire (GSQ) that was developed as part of Chapter 2. As expected, there were no significant differences in the Threshold, Discrimination or Identification performance of those with high and low AQ scores. However, there was significantly greater intra-participant variability in the Threshold scores for the top 15% of scorers on the AQ. Furthermore, a similar relationship to that reported in Chapter 2 between sensory score and autistic traits was observed. These results indicate that there may be other differences in various aspects of performance in those with ASD that are not being targeted by current behavioural paradigms (which may explain the disparity between reported sensory differences and those observed using direct measurement). Finally, the last study reported is that of the development of a pilot Sensory Audit. This was an effort to apply the information gained from our previous research in a practical, useful way for individuals with ASD. Details of the development of the Sensory Audit, as well as the results of the pilot study are reported in Chapter 8. By making this freely available, we hope to help companies ensure that their working environments do not contain any undue stressors that could increase stress for those with sensory issues in their workforce. The results are discussed in light of three overarching themes of the thesis as a whole. Firstly, the potential mechanisms underlying sensory responsiveness in ASD, with the suggestion that emotional states may be an important avenue to consider in future research. Secondly, the impact of atypical sensory processing on caregivers, with particular attention paid to the compensation of these issues by caregivers, and the social implications of challenging behaviour instigated by unpleasant sensory stimuli. Thirdly, the data are discussed in light of the relationship between sensory processing and the broader autism phenotype (as measured using the AQ). The greater levels of intra-participant variability in the olfactory task (Chapter 7) are highlighted, as is the elevated sensory responsiveness of those with moderate levels of autistic traits reported in Chapters 2 and 3. The final section of the discussion deals with the limitations of the thesis, potential practical applications of the research and future directions.