Mentor: James Bebko

Psychology

York University

Trainees

Jonathan Weiss, Gayle Goldstein, Kerry Wells, Kristen McFee, Jessica Schroeder

Research Projects: 1. Auditory-Visual Intermodal Processing. 2. Symbolic Representation in Autism 3. Memory & Information Processing Skills 4. Habituation in Autism

1. Auditory-Visual Intermodal Processing. A series of studies on how very young children with autism coordinate auditory and visual information in their environment. Goal is exploration of a possible early marker for risk of autism. 2. Symbolic Representation in Autism Project to examine how children with autism come to understand that pictures refer to external information. Implications for the use fo picture and picture systems with this group. 3. Memory & Information Processing Skills Studies on the use of active strategies by school-aged children to assist learning. Also an exploration of faciltating the generalization of learned behavior. 4. Habituation in Autism An examination of whether children with autsim habituate to stiumli differently than their peers.

Publications

1. Bebko, J.M., Demark, J.L., Weiss, J. & Gomez, P. (2006). Discrimination of temporal synchrony in intermodal events by children with autism and children with developmental delays. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 88-98.
   
2. Bebko, J.M., Demark, J.L., Im-Bolter, N,. & MacKewn A. (2005) Transfer, Control and Automatic Processing in a Complex Motor Task. Journal of Motor Behavior. 37, 465-474.
   
3. Bebko, J. M., Osborne, P. A., Majumder, S., Demark, J. L., Ricciuti, C., & Rhee, T. (2003). Acquisition and automatization of a complex task. Journal of Motor Behavior, 35, 109-118.
   
4. Bebko, J.M. & Calderon, R. & Treder, R. (2003) The Language Proficiency Profile-2: Assessing the language and communication skills of deaf children. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education , 8, 438-451. (Invited)
   
5. Goldstein, G. & Bebko, J.M. (2003) The Profile of Multiple Language Proficiencies: A measure for evaluating language samples of deaf children. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education , 8, 452-463.
   
6. Bebko, J.M., Perry, A. & Bryson, S. (2003) Commentary: Bebko, Perry, & Bryson on Mostert (2001), ?Facilitated Communication Since 1995? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33, 219-220. (Published with response by original author)
   
7. Bebko, J.M., Osborne, P.A., Majumder, S., Demark, J.L., Ricciuti, C. & Rhee, T. (2003) Acquisition and automatization of a complex task. Journal of Motor Behavior, 35, 109-118.
   
8. Freeman, N.L., Perry, A & Bebko, J.M. (2002) Behaviour is Communication: Nonverbal communicative behaviour in students with autism and instructors' responsivity. Journal on Developmental Disabilities, 9 (2), 145-155
   
9. Bebko, J.M. & Ricciuti, C (2000) Executive Functioning and Memory Strategy Use in Children with Autism: The Influence of Task Constraints on Spontaneous Rehearsal. Autism: An International Journal of Research and Practice, 4, 299-320.
   
10. Perry, A., Bryson, S. & Bebko,J.M. (1998) Degree of facilitator influence in FC as a function of facilitator characteristics, attitudes and beliefs. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 28, 87-90.
    
11. Bebko, J.M., Wainwright, A. , Brian, J., Coolbear, J. Landry, R. & Vallance, D. (1998) Social Competence and Peer Relations in Children with Mental Retardation: Models of the Development of Peer Relations. Journal on Developmental Disabilities, 6, 1-31.
    
12. Bebko, J.M., Bell, M., Metcalfe-Haggert, A. & McKinnon, E. E. (1998) Language proficiency and the prediction of spontaneous rehearsal in children who are deaf. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 68, 51-69.
    
13. ,0Bebko , J.M. (1998) Learning, Language, Memory and Reading: The Role of Language Automatization and its Impact on Complex Cognitive Activities. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 3, 4-14.
    
14. Marschark, M & Bebko, J.M. (1997) Editorial: Memory and information processing: A bridge from basic research to educational application. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 2, 119-120.
    
15. Bebko , J.M. & Metcalfe-Haggert, A. (1997) Deafness, language skills and memory: A model for the development of spontaneous rehearsal use. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 2, 131-139.
    
16. Oyen, A-S. & Bebko, J.M. (1996) The effects of computer games and lesson contexts on children's mnemonic strategies. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology,62, 173-189.
    
17. Bebko, J.M., Perry, A. & Bryson, S. (1996) Multiple method validation study of facilitated communication: Individual differences and subgroup results. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26, 19-42.
    
18. Bebko, J.M., Uchikawa, K., Saida, S & Ikeda, M. (1995) Learning to recognize patterns: Changes in the Visual Field with Familiarity. Optical Review, 2, 72-80.
    
19. Bebko, J.M. (1994) Letter: Re 'Studying the lives of persons with developmental disabilities: Methodological Lessons from the quality of life study,' by Raphael, Renwick & Brown. Journal on Developmental Disabilities, 3, 93-95.
    
20. Perry, A., Bebko, J.M. & Bryson, S. (1994) Letter: Validity of Facilitated Communication: Failure to replicate Calculator & Singer (1992) Topics in Language Disorders, 14(4), 79-82.
    
21. Perry, A., Bryson, S., & Bebko, J.M. (1993) Multiple method validation study of facilitated communication: Preliminary groups results. Journal on Developmental Disabilities, 2(2), 1-19.
    
22. Perry, A., Bebko, J.M. & Bryson, S. (1993) Letter: Empirical approach to facilitated communication. Journal on Developmental Disabilities, 2, 123-124
    
23. Bebko, J.M., Burke, L., Craven, J. & Sarlo, N. (1992) The importance of motor activity in sensorimotor development: A perspective from children with physical handicaps. Human Development, 35, 229-240. -Published with two accompanying commentary articles.
    
24. Bebko, J.M., Lacasse, M., Turk, H. & Oyen, A-S. (1992). Recall in a central-incidental memory task. American Annals of the Deaf, 137, 271-277.
    
25. Bebko, J.M. and McKinnon,E.E. (1990) The language experience of deaf children: Its relation to spontaneous rehearsal in a memory task. Child Development, 61, 1744-1752.
    
26. Bebko, J.M. (1990) Echolalia, mitigation, and autism: Indicators from child characteristics for the use of sign language and other augmentative language systems. Sign Language Studies, 66, 61-78.
    
27. Bebko, J.M. & Lennox, C. (1988) Teaching the control of diurnal bruxism to two children with autism. Behavior Therapy , 19, 249-255 .
    
28. Bebko, J.M., Konstantareas, M.M. & Springer, J. (1987) Parent and professional evaluation of family stress associated with characteristics of autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 17, 565-576.
    
29. Bebko, J. M. (1984) Memory and rehearsal characteristics of profoundly deaf children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 38, 415-428.
    
30. Bebko, J. M. (1979) Can recall differences among children be attributed to rehearsal effects? Canadian Journal of Psychology, 33, 96-105.

1. Bebko, J.M. & Weiss, J. (2005) Mental Retardation. In Ammerman, R.T. (Ed.), Volume III: Child Psychopathology. Part of: Hersen, M. and Thomas, J.C. (Chief Eds.), Comprehensive Handbook of Personality and Psychopathology. New York: Wiley. Pp 233-253.
   
2. Bebko, J.M. & Luhaorg, H. (1998) The Develo,0pment of Strategy Use and Metacognitive Processing in Mental Retardation: Some Sources of Difficulty. In Burack, J.A., Hodapp, R.M. & Zigler, E. (Eds.), Handbook of Mental Retardation and Development. Cambridge, UK:Cambridge University Press. Pp 382-407
   
3. Bebko, J.M. & McKinnon, E. E. (1998) Assessing pragmatic language skills in deaf children: The language proficiency profile. In M. Marschark & M.D. Clark (Eds). Psychological Perspectives on Deafness, Volume 2. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Pp.243-264.
   
4. Bebko, J. (1998) Invited book review of J Twachtman-Cullen (1997) A passion to believe. (A review of the Facilitated Communication Controversy), Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice.

Presentations

1. Invited Conference Presentations and Addresses: "What You See Is What You Hear: Intermodal Perception in Children With Autism and Developmental Disabilities". Invited address: The Developmental Neuroscience Laboratories, Queen Alexandra Centre for Children's Health and Psychology Department, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C. August, 2005.
2. Improving Learning Strategy Use in Children with Autism: What Works and What Doesn?t. Invited Address: Autism Society of Ontario Conference on ASD. Toronto, June 2005.
   
3. Evidence-based Practices for Teaching Learning Strategies to Children with Autism. Invited Address: Regional Forum on Autism. Richmond Hill, Ont., May, 2004 Autism Spectrum Disorders: Challenges and Directions: Invited Presentation: Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation. Toronto, Ont. May, 2004
   
4. Pragmatic and Structural Approaches to Identifying the Varied Language Skills of Children Who Are Deaf: A Tale of Two Measures. Invited Address: Preconference Program on Language Assessment in Deaf Children: Methodological Issues and Concerns. Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Minneapolis, MN April, 2001
   
5. Metacognition and Other Cognitive Processes in Children. Invited address: Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo Japan, June, 1998
   
6. Developmental Disabilities: Autism and Cognitive Impairment. Invited address and workshop: Universitè de Toulouse - Mirail, Toulouse, France, January, 1998
   
7. Methodological Issues in North American Developmental Psychology Research. Invited address: Universitè de Toulouse - Mirail, Toulouse, France, December, 1997
   
8. Higher Level Cognitive Processes in Children with Autism: A Developmental Perspective. Invited conference address: Autisme:Nouvelles Orientations. Aussois, France, October , 1997
   
9. Learning, language and memory: Potential links with reading skills. Invited keynote address: Conference on Learning Disability, Neuropsychology & Deaf Youth: Theory, Research and Practice. Seattle, WA, April, 1996
   
10. Communicating through Facilitated Communication: Evaluating the Promise. Invited address: The Conference on Developmentally Disabled Victims and the Law, Toronto, May, 1995 (with A. Perry & S. Bryson).
    
11. The Interface of Language, Memory and Metacognition in Autism: An Initial Study of Spontaneous Memory Strategies. Invited poster symposium. Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development, Amsterdam, June, 1994 (with C. Ricciuti, A. Lees & S. Krivyan).

Research Opportunities

See brief descriptions of projects above. Opportunites in each project. Populations range from very young preschoolers through late school aged children. Some projects offer opportunites to learn to construct complex stimuli for children, operate apparatus apporpriate for each study or to develop new methods for researching some fo the issues.Others involve analysis of existing data.