Unit name | Cognitive Theories of Autism |
---|---|
Unit code | EDUC30040 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Sedgewick |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
EDUC20006 Cognitive Psychology and Special Education |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Education |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit is designed to teach students about Autism Spectrum Disorder, including diagnostic information and genetic contributions. We will examine the cognitive underpinnings of behaviour, with a specific focus on differences in theory of mind, executive functioning, and weak central coherence, and how these contribute to an ‘autistic profile’. We will also review and evaluate interventions used in classroom and home settings (e.g. PECS, TEACCH, ABA).
By the end of the unit students will:
Formative assessment:
Support for intervention evaluation in seminar sessions
The unit will be delivered via a mixture of lectures (20 hours) and seminars (10 hours)
Summative assessment:
A 2000 word evaluation of an existing intervention for ASD (50%) ILOs 1-5
A 2 hour exam (50%) ILOs 1-5
Pellicano, E., Maybery, M., Durkin, K., & Maley, A. (2006). Multiple cognitive capabilities/deficits in children with an autism spectrum disorder:“Weak” central coherence and its relationship to theory of mind and executive control. Development and psychopathology, 18(1), 77-98.
Happé, F. (2005). The weak central coherence account of autism. Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders, 1, 640-649.
Baron-Cohen, S. (1997). Mindblindness: An essay on autism and theory of mind. MIT press.
Jones, C. R., Simonoff, E., Baird, G., Pickles, A., Marsden, A. J., Tregay, J., ... & Charman, T. (2018). The association between theory of mind, executive function, and the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research, 11(1), 95-109
Wallace, G. L., Yerys, B. E., Peng, C., Dlugi, E., Anthony, L. G., & Kenworthy, L. (2016). Assessment and treatment of executive function impairments in autism spectrum disorder: an update. In International Review of Research in Developmental Disabilities (Vol. 51, pp. 85-122). Academic Press.
Volkmar, F. R., Lord, C., Bailey, A., Schultz, R. T., & Klin, A. (2004). Autism and pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 45(1), 135-170.
Constantino, J. N., Kennon-McGill, S., Weichselbaum, C., Marrus, N., Haider, A., Glowinski, A. L., ... & Jones, W. (2017). Infant viewing of social scenes is under genetic control and is atypical in autism. Nature, 547(7663), 340.