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    An ethnographic study of autistic children’s social experiences at school : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2024) Narayanan, Vani
    Social experiences form a ubiquitous part of school life for all children, and this is no different for autistic children. Although these children have been described as having difficulties in social contexts within their school, this thesis challenges the notion that the social lives of autistic children are compromised. Autistic children included in educational settings indicate that positive social experiences are imperative for their sense of belonging and inclusion. However, the unique nature of the social needs and experiences for each child and the context within which these take place, requires intent listening to children and their specific experiences. Children’s rights to be heard and for their active participation in matters that affect them, including in research, are underscored by policies and conventions such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This study followed the social experiences of two autistic primary school-age boys within their school over two school terms. Foregrounding the two children’s experiences of their social lives at school was enabled by engaging them as co-researchers. An ethnographic methodology with participatory methods grounded within this approach were used, and a Children’s Research Advisory Group was consulted to facilitate children’s involvement in research as partners. The participants themselves guided the data collection process, thus enabling them to share and lead their stories. The findings showed a complex and agentic picture of the autistic children’s social world that included: multidimensional friendships; meaningful play; and self-determined interactions. The findings also showed that social inclusion and social exclusion can be viewed beyond a binary understanding of solely inclusion or exclusion. A relational understanding of social inclusion and exclusion is emphasised. Children’s awareness of how they are perceived by their peers and their motivation to engage with their peers in ways that were significant to them, played a role in how they deliberately navigated their social world at school. The ethnographic methodological approach allowed for the promotion of children as competent rights-holders through three key aspects: (i) following the child’s interests, (ii) engaging in reflexive partnership, and (iii) meaningful researcher engagement over time. Through the children’s active involvement in this research, their stories emerged authentically and organically and this facilitated new understandings of autistic children’s social experiences. This study invites a reconsideration of some existing conceptualisations of autistic children’s social experiences and assumed ideas around labels.
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    A dialogic reading intervention incorporating AAC modelling and increased communication partner responsiveness during shared storybook reading with children with complex physical, cognitive, and sensory needs who use partner assisted scanning : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Speech and Language Therapy at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Bayldon, Helen Jane
    Children with complex physical, cognitive and sensory needs (CPCSN) who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) may use partner assisted scanning (PAS) as their access method. This access method is not well understood and rarely features in existing literature. Children with CPCSN also seldom appear in the literature on aided language. Children who use AAC require significant intervention to build their receptive and expressive language skills and develop communicative competence. This research examined an evidence based dialogic shared reading strategy which incorporated aided language modelling and increased communication partner responsiveness with two children with CPCSN who use PAS to access a Pragmatic Organised Dynamic Display (PODD; Porter, 2012) communication book. The dialogic reading strategy prompted the communication partner to comment on the story, invite a communication turn, and respond contingently to the child. Aided language modelling and increased responsiveness are widely recognised as strategies which support language development in children who use AAC. Data were collected via communication frequency measures, field notes, and observations throughout the intervention process and an interview with the children’s teacher was conducted after the intervention was complete. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and graphs, while the qualitative data were analysed using a general inductive approach. In an effort to integrate all of the data sources, the quantitative communication frequency measures were treated as deductive codes and embedded within the qualitative analysis. Two major themes emerged from the data. One theme described the practical challenges associated with the health and physical needs of the children that required consideration when providing intervention, as well as the changes to the clinical protocol that became necessary in response. In addition, the second theme outlined the effects of the intervention on the children’s communication skills. This included positive outcomes in skill areas such as turn taking, efficiency and conveying meaning. Recommendations for further research and clinical practice as a result of the research are presented.
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    Enhancing augmentative and alternative communication use through collaborative planning and peer modelling : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Educational Psychology, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Young, Amy
    Communication difficulties are a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is estimated that 30-50% of children and adults with ASD do not develop sufficient spoken language to meet their daily communication needs. As well as difficulties with producing spoken language, children with ASD exhibit challenges with social-communication, for example, they may use a limited range of communicative functions and/or have difficulty initiating and responding to social interactions. For children who have difficulty producing spoken language, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems can provide an accessible and functional means of communication. In order for children who are learning to use AAC to become competent communicators, they must have frequent exposure to high quality language interactions with skilled communication partners. While there is an evidence base showing that behavioural, requesting focussed interventions can be effective in some circumstances for children with ASD, concerns about generalisability, and the lack of socio-communicative focus have led to calls for more naturalistic, social communication interventions. This study focused on investigating ways of supporting a child’s social communication using AAC within an interactional activity in the natural environment of his classroom. A descriptive case-study design was used to document the implementation of a four-phase, peer-mediated AAC intervention in an inclusive classroom. The focus was on social communication, and the intervention was developed and enacted in a collaborative partnership with the classroom teacher. In conducting this study, multiple sources of data, including interviews, observations, and data from an AAC system, were collated and analysed. From this analysis, three key themes emerged: a) enhanced participation, b) creation of a communicably accessible environment, and c) increased teacher agency. These themes suggest positive outcomes for a naturalistic, social-communication intervention, adding to the calls for further research development in this area.
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    Music analysis of clinical improvisations with an adolescent who has communication difficulties : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music Therapy at the New Zealand School of Music, Wellington
    (Massey University, 2010) Wang, Anna Ping-An
    This qualitative study examines four improvisations taken from four phases of the researcher’s clinical music therapy experience with an adolescent who had Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Therapeutic changes and communicative qualities in the improvisations were traced through reviewing clinical notes and journal reflections, and using adapted versions of Bruscia’s Improvisational Assessment Profiles (Autonomy and Variability profile) to provide insights to the description and interpretation of the music. The results suggest a progression in the client’s awareness of the music therapy student (MTS) (who later became the researcher) an increased ability to interact through turn-taking, imitating, sharing and empathetic playing, as well as enhanced non-verbal and verbal skills. The analyses unfold the client and the music therapy student’s journey in music therapy, highlighting the process of how two strangers became partners through improvisations.