 |
|
Login Mentors and Trainees Only
Autism Research
Autism Connects
Trainee: Leslie Thorne
Leslie Thorne
.jpg)
PhD Candidate
StartDate: November 2007
EndDate: present
University of Manitoba
Department: Psychology, Applied Behavior Analysis
Supervisor: Dr. C.T. Dickie Yu
Secondary Supervisor: Dr. H. Ouellette-Kuntz
Research Project: Intensive Behavioural Intervention for Preschool-age Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Some Retrospective Analyses
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is considered the most effective intervention for children with Autism. The ABA Preschool Program at St. Amant provides 31 hours per week of one-to-one intensive behavioral intervention and provides training for 5 hours of parent led intervention. The ABA team consists of a Consultant, Senior Tutor, and Tutors. The Consultant is responsible for assessing skills, programming, analyzing outcomes, and supervising team members. Senior tutors assist the Consultant with their tasks, in addition to focusing on the training of team members. Tutors conduct one-to-one behavioral intervention by implementing the programs designed by the consultant. Prior to the start of intervention, children are assessed on a number of measures of adaptive, cognitive, language, and motor skills. Cognitive skills are assessed using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III), Language skills are assessed using the Preschool Language Scale (PLS-4), Adaptive skills are assessed using the Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R), discrimination skills are assessed using the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA), and autism severity is assessed using the Pervasive Developmental Disorder Behavior Inventory (PDDBI). The Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI-2) assesses a variety of areas and the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) is used to measure progress across several areas and is used as a curriculum for programming. All assessments are given at intake and repeated each year the child is receiving services. In addition, the ABLA and the ABLLS are repeated every 6 months. The data are used by the program to evaluate service and outcomes of children. The objective of this research is to examine potential predictors of outcome. Preliminary analyses include whether IQ and diagnosis are predictors of adaptive behavior and the number of skills acquired on the ABLLS after one year.Secondary Research Project: A Descriptive Analysis of Suspected PDD Cases in Manitoba Using NEDSAC Data
The National Epidemiologic Database for the Study of Autism in Canada (NEDSAC) is a database that was established in 2001 as part of the Autism Spectrum Disorders – Canadian-American Research Consortium’s (ASD-CARC) research program. The primary objective of NEDSAC is to investigate the epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in Canada and is a partnership between service providers, clinics, and government agencies. Information is collected on children who have been diagnosed with ASD and NEDSAC is used to examine characteristics of the children, including age at diagnosis, age of parents, ethnicity, and prevalence.The objectives of the secondary research project are to conduct a descriptive analysis of cases reported as “suspected PDD” in Manitoba. A suspected PDD case is one for which the diagnosis has not yet been confirmed. Once the reported “suspected PDD” cases have been identified, a number of similarities and differences between suspected and confirmed cases will be examined. Relevant variables to be examined include place of residence, age at diagnosis, and gender. The findings will be prepared in a written report.
Publications
Mondor, T. A., Hurlburt, J., & Thorne, L. (2003). Categorizing sounds by pitch: Effects of stimulus similarity and response repetition. Perception and Psychophysics, 63, 107-114.
Presentations
Thorne, L. T., Fazzio, D., Wright, L., & Yu, C.T. (2008, July). Intensive behavioural intervention for preschool-age children with autism spectrum disorders: Some retrospective analyses. Presented at ASD-CARC Summer Institute, Kingston, ON, 2008.
Walters, K. L., Fazzio, D., Wirth, K., Thorne, L., & Fregeau P. (2006, October). A comparison of two toilet training procedures. Presented at St. Amant’s 15th Annual Conference on Developmental Disabilities and Autism, Winnipeg, MB, October, 2006.
Mondor, T. A. & Thorne, L. (2003). Categorizing sounds by pitch: Effects of stimulus similarity and response repetition. Presented at the Canadian Society for Brain Behavior and Cognitive Sciences Conference in Vancouver, BC 2002.