Dataset Information

"Setting Them Up for Success": Including Youth on the Autism Spectrum in 4-H.

ABSTRACT: Youth on the autism spectrum often face challenges accessing services in rural communities compared to those who live in higher resource areas. There is a particular need for services that support skills that will help youth transition to adulthood and future employment. 4-H is a national youth development program that is well-positioned to address the needs of youth on the autism spectrum; however, minimal empirical evidence exists about the implementation and effectiveness of inclusive practices in 4-H programs. The goal of this study was to better understand barriers to enrollment and to identify gaps in support for youth on the autism spectrum participating in 4-H. Twenty Extension Educators in Indiana participated in two focus groups. Thematic analysis of focus group transcripts identified barriers to enrollment including awareness of 4-H as an inclusive program and difficulties navigating 4-H culture. Our analysis identified themes related to new training content and delivery including a resource portfolio, communication, individualized accommodations, and working within the existing leadership training structure. Findings support the benefits of 4-H as a program that can promote life skills and personal development for youth on the autism spectrum but also highlight a significant need for additional training opportunities and resources to increase uptake and improve the implementation of inclusive practices.

SUBMITTER: McCormick CEB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9193588 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

"Setting Them Up for Success": Including Youth on the Autism Spectrum in 4-H.

McCormick Carolyn E B CEB Peskova Veronika V Morgan Abby A Carlson Emily E Mason Rose A RA

Frontiers in psychiatry 20220531

Youth on the autism spectrum often face challenges accessing services in rural communities compared to those who live in higher resource areas. There is a particular need for services that support skills that will help youth transition to adulthood and future employment. 4-H is a national youth development program that is well-positioned to address the needs of youth on the autism spectrum; however, minimal empirical evidence exists about the implementation and effectiveness of inclusive practic ...[more]

PMID: 35711576

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Project description:ImportanceMore than half of youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have sensory overresponsivity (SOR), an extreme negative reaction to sensory stimuli. However, little is known about the neurobiological basis of SOR, and there are few effective treatments. Understanding whether SOR is due to an initial heightened sensory response or to deficits in regulating emotional reactions to stimuli has important implications for intervention.ObjectiveTo determine differences in brain responses, habituation, and connectivity during exposure to mildly aversive sensory stimuli in youth with ASDs and SOR compared with youth with ASDs without SOR and compared with typically developing control subjects.Design, setting, and participantsFunctional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine brain responses and habituation to mildly aversive auditory and tactile stimuli in 19 high-functioning youths with ASDs and 19 age- and IQ-matched, typically developing youths (age range, 9-17 years). Brain activity was related to parents' ratings of children's SOR symptoms. Functional connectivity between the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex was compared between ASDs subgroups with and without SOR and typically developing controls without SOR. The study dates were March 2012 through February 2014.Main outcomes and measuresRelative increases in blood oxygen level-dependent signal response across the whole brain and within the amygdala during exposure to sensory stimuli compared with fixation, as well as correlation between blood oxygen level-dependent signal change in the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex.ResultsThe mean age in both groups was 14 years and the majority in both groups (16 of 19 each) were male. Compared with neurotypical control participants, participants with ASDs displayed stronger activation in primary sensory cortices and the amygdala (P < .05, corrected). This activity was positively correlated with SOR symptoms after controlling for anxiety. The ASDs with SOR subgroup had decreased neural habituation to stimuli in sensory cortices and the amygdala compared with groups without SOR. Youth with ASDs without SOR showed a pattern of amygdala downregulation, with negative connectivity between the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (thresholded at z > 1.70, P < .05).Conclusions and relevanceResults demonstrate that youth with ASDs and SOR show sensorilimbic hyperresponsivity to mildly aversive tactile and auditory stimuli, particularly to multiple modalities presented simultaneously, and show that this hyperresponsivity is due to failure to habituate. In addition, findings suggest that a subset of youth with ASDs can regulate their responses through prefrontal downregulation of amygdala activity. Implications for intervention include minimizing exposure to multiple sensory modalities and building coping strategies for regulating emotional response to stimuli.

Dataset Information

"Setting Them Up for Success": Including Youth on the Autism Spectrum in 4-H.

Publications

"Setting Them Up for Success": Including Youth on the Autism Spectrum in 4-H.

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