Numerous methods have been developed to teach visual discriminations to individuals with intellectual disabilities. For many individuals, these methods have proven very successful. For some individuals, however, directing attention to task-relevant features of stimuli has proven difficult or impossible using these methods. The challenges facing researchers are to identify the bases of these failures and to design teaching methods that are maximally effective for particular individuals and/or populations (e.g., Down syndrome, autism). One of the main determinants of the success of these visually based teaching methods is the visual selective attention skills of the learner. If individuals or groups have differing visual processing skills and/or tendencies, then teaching effectiveness may vary as well. For example, those with autism have been reported to have exceptionally good visual discrimination skills (O'Riordan & Plaisted, 2001), even when compared to chronological-age-matched peers. However, these enhanced abilities may result in attention to irrelevant aspects of a visual presentation and, therefore, interfere with learning. Those with Down syndrome, on the other hand, tend to demonstrate selective attention skills that are poorer than mental-age-matched comparison groups (Munir, Cornish, &Wilding, 2000). They are slower to detect targets of visual search and demonstrate a unique pattern of errors on these tasks. Thus, individuals with autism and Down syndrome demonstrate unique patterns of visual analysis strengths and weaknesses. These basic skills must be considered when designing teaching programs for these populations. A """"""""one-size-fits-all"""""""" approach will not be effective. This project addresses these challenges directly by providing an in-depth analysis of visual search skills in populations (i.e., those with autism, those with Down syndrome) likely to differ dramatically in how they direct and focus attention on components of visual stimuli. Further, this basic research will be used to develop teaching procedures that match the abilities of the individual/population so that learning occurs quickly and with few errors. We will: (1) assess sensitivities to critical dimensions for object discrimination (color and form) and letter/number discrimination (e.g., line orientation, curvature) in populations with autism, Down syndrome, mixed-etiology mental retardation, and no intellectual disability (MA-matched);(2) assess visual search skills in complex visual arrays within which multiple dimensions (e.g., color and form) vary simultaneously. In these arrays, multiple dimensions and features compete for attention;and (3) design teaching procedures that match the unique visual processing profiles of these populations. PERSONNEL ENGAGED ON PROJECT, INCLUDING CONSULTANTS/COLLABORATORS. Usecontinuation pages as needed to provide the required information in the format shown below on all individuals participating in the project. Principal Investigator: Michael Carlin, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, UMMS Shriver Center Co- Investigator: Richard Serna, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, UMMS Shriver Center Page 115 Studies of Stimulus Control in Mental Retardation Mcllvane, William J. Project 1: Carlin &Serna A.
SPECIFIC AIMS Numerous methods have been developed to teach visual discriminations to individuals with intellectual disabilities. For many individuals, these methods have proven very successful. For some individuals, however, directing attention to task-relevant features of stimuli has proven difficult or impossible using these methods. The challenges facing researchers are to identify the bases of these failures and to design teaching methods that are maximally effective for particular individuals and/or populations (e.g., Down syndrome, autism). One of the main determinants of the success of these visually based teaching methods is the visual selective attention skills of the learner. If individuals or groups have differing visual processing skills and/or tendencies, then teaching effectiveness may vary as well. For example, those with autism have been reported to have exceptionally good visual discrimination skills (O'Riordan &Plaisted, 2001), even when compared to chronological-age-matched peers. However, these enhanced abilities may result in attention to irrelevant aspects of a visual presentation and, therefore, interfere with learning. Those with Down syndrome, on the other hand, tend to demonstrate selective attention skills that are poorer than mental-age-matched comparison groups (Munir, Cornish, &Wilding, 2000). They are slower to detect targets of visual search and demonstrate a unique pattern of errors on these tasks. Thus, individuals with autism and Down syndrome demonstrate unique patterns of visual analysis strengths and weaknesses. These basic skills must be considered when designing teaching programs for these populations. A """"""""one-size-fits-all"""""""" approach will not be effective. This project addresses these challenges directly by providing an in-depth analysis of visual search skills in populations (i.e., those with autism, those with Down syndrome) likely to differ dramatically in how they direct and focus attention on components of visual stimuli. Further, this basic research will be used to develop teaching procedures that match the abilities of the individual/population so that learning occurs quickly and with few errors.
The specific aims of this project, therefore, are to: (1) assess sensitivities to critical dimensions for object discrimination (color and form) and letter/number discrimination (e.g., line orientation, curvature) in populations with autism, Down syndrome, mixed-etiology mental retardation, and no intellectual disability (MA-matched). This component of the project will provide a comprehensive analysis of dimension-specific discrimination skills in these populations. Existing literature, though limited, implies that these populations would be expected to perform quite differently on these tasks. Further, our use of reaction time (RT) and eye-tracking measures of

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Program Projects (P01)
Project #
5P01HD025995-19
Application #
7918805
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHD1)
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2009-08-01
Budget End
2010-07-31
Support Year
19
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$145,437
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester
Department
Type
DUNS #
603847393
City
Worcester
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
01655
McIlvane, William J; Kledaras, Joanne B; Gerard, Christophe J et al. (2018) Algorithmic analysis of relational learning processes in instructional technology: Some implications for basic, translational, and applied research. Behav Processes 152:18-25
Dube, William V; Farber, Rachel S; Mueller, Marlana R et al. (2016) Stimulus Overselectivity in Autism, Down Syndrome, and Typical Development. Am J Intellect Dev Disabil 121:219-35
McIlvane, W J; Gerard, C J; Kledaras, J B et al. (2016) Teaching Stimulus-Stimulus Relations to Minimally Verbal Individuals: Reflections on Technology and Future Directions. Eur J Behav Anal 17:49-68
Wilkinson, Krista M; O'Neill, Tara; McIlvane, William J (2014) Eye-tracking measures reveal how changes in the design of aided AAC displays influence the efficiency of locating symbols by school-age children without disabilities. J Speech Lang Hear Res 57:455-66
Dube, William V; Wilkinson, Krista M (2014) The potential influence of stimulus overselectivity in AAC: information from eye tracking and behavioral studies of attention with individuals with intellectual disabilities. Augment Altern Commun 30:172-85
Wilkinson, Krista M; Mitchell, Teresa (2014) Eye tracking research to answer questions about augmentative and alternative communication assessment and intervention. Augment Altern Commun 30:106-19
Morro, Greg; Mackay, Harry A; Carlin, Michael T (2014) Rapid Teaching of Arbitrary Matching in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. Psychol Rec 64:731-742
Grisante, Priscila C; Galesi, Fernanda L; Sabino, NathalĂ­ M et al. (2013) Go/No-Go Procedure with Compound Stimuli: Effects of Training Structure On the Emergence of Equivalence Classes. Psychol Rec 63:63
Wilkinson, Krista M; McIlvane, William J (2013) Perceptual factors influence visual search for meaningful symbols in individuals with intellectual disabilities and Down syndrome or autism spectrum disorders. Am J Intellect Dev Disabil 118:353-64
McIlvane, William J; Kledaras, Joanne B (2012) Some Things We Learned from Sidman and Some We Did Not (We Think). Eur J Behav Anal 13:97-109

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