Comprehensive examination

[Lilyviolet]

te bucuri, ai?
las' ca scap io de comps si vedeti voi  :razz:

Si la comps de ce nu ne povestesti cum a fost?

[tapirul]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

pi n-a fost inca.. Incep maine (luni) october 16, o intrebare la doua zile (luni-miercuri-vineri-luni-miercuri), ca martea si joia predau fix in jumatea zilei
si pe 3 noiembrie am oralu'...(I scheduled it, FINALLY!!)

[Lilyviolet]

Bafta Tapi!

La mine s-a consumat scrisul (de luni pana vineri, 7 intrebari in 5 zile) si oralul (miercurea ailalta) la sfarsitul lui septembrie.

Cand povestesti tu, povestesc si eu cum a fost.

Nu de altceva, dar cand am zis de comps a intrebat cineva ce mare chestie e cu ele, quote: daca ai fost atent la cursuri nu-i nici o problema cu compsurile, ar fi cazul sa explicam ca ne stresam atata de retardati ce suntem noi doi, ori poate se cam subestimeaza ce inseamna un Ph D aici.

Hm!

Pana nu vine Vlad sa faca un doctorat in psihanaliza nu vom fi perceputi cu seriozitate in randul marelui public.

[clebs]

cum adica o intrebare la 2 zile?nu explicati putin?

[vlad]

Pana nu vine Vlad sa faca un doctorat in psihanaliza nu vom fi perceputi cu seriozitate in randul marelui public.

Asta mi-e teama ca nu se va intampla vreodata :( Mie aproape imposibil sa ma apuc aici de vreo formare in psihoterapie... Da' ce sunt eu, un etalon de seriozitate? :D

Felicitari si succes!

[tapirul]

explicam putin
Comitetul de doctorat (eu am 6 oameni in comisie) creeaza un umar de intrebari (una pe membru de obicei), dintr-un domeniu general.
Pentru partea scrisa am 3ore pe intrebare. Primesc intrebarea de la secretara departamentului (trimise in prealabil de membri) in ziua in care am decis sa dau examenul. Zilele le aranjez cum vreau (o intrebare pe zi, la doua zile, trei intrebari pe zi, toate in aceeasi zi, etc), as long as you take them within two weeks. Dupa ce ai raspuns la toate intrebarile secretara trimite raspunsurile comisiei si, in doua saptamani cel mult, ma prezint la partea orala, unde ma pot intreba din intrebarile de la partea scrisa, sau orice altceva gasesc dumnealor de cuviinta.

Eu am ales sa dau testele lunea, miercurea si vinerea, pentru ca marti si joi predau de la 12 la 2 fix in mijlocul zilei.

[Lilyviolet]

Uite Klebsiella cheri(e) cum stau lucrurile:

(Vlad - vous etes tellement serieux, bien sur! -  imi pare rau dar nu gasesc accent ascutit, grav si circumflex in lada de zestre a Tapirului indiferent prin ce cutii si sertare caut, asa ca las toate calificativele sub forma de darling neaccentuat)

Tapi e doctorand la o universitate publica de pe coasta de vest.  Eu sunt masterand la o universitate particulara din Liga de Iedera de pe coasta de est, mai precis Noua Anglie.  De asta e asa diferit.  Nu e complet diferit, dar e substantial diferit.

1. Eu am avut comisie pe jumatate cat a lui Tapi (numai 3 membri, cate unul pe domeniu- iti alegi un domeniu major si 2 domenii minore, si alegi tu profesorii respectivi, dintre care unii accepta si altii pot sa refuze, plus ca pot aparea probleme de coordonare- unul are an sabatic, altul pleaca la o conferinta sau la arhive in strainatate exact cand ai tu oralul, al treilea preda curs in ziua aia, sau are examen cu alt student, si desi nu e la aceeasi ora nu mai vrea sa faca nimic in ziua respectiva)- pe scurt, la o universitate particulara e mai greu de programat un asemenea examen si de pus laolalta un comitet de examen din punctul de vedere al studentului, fiindca profesorii sunt mai autonomi, desi nici la o universitate publica nu e usor sa-i strangi la un loc.

2.  Pentru scris ai la dispozitie 5 zile, adica profesorii compun intrebarile si tu le iei in plic de la secretara luni la ora 9, si ii aduci inapoi raspunsurile printate si discheta sau CD ul pe care le-ai compus, vineri la ora 15. Evident ca nu se admit raspunsuri intarziate.  In cazul meu care locuiesc out of state si fac naveta, evident ca i le-am trimis prin e-mail secretarei vineri la ora 11, de grija sa nu mi se intample ceva pe drum si sa intarzii tocmai in ziua aia, le-a printat ea si la 15 fix m-am infiintat si eu cu copia mea, de altfel superflua ca pana la ora aia ea facuse si CD din ele. Da' m-a laudat ca sunt prevazatoare si nu las pe ultimul moment, ca s-ar fi stresat si ea de dragul meu.  Cu ocazia asta am pierdut cateva ore fata de unul care locuieste in oras, ca acela poate sa scrie linistit pana la ora 14, sau fata de unul care locuieste in campus, ca acela poate sa scrie linistit pana la ora 14.45 la biblioteca si sa vina valvartej cu examenul la 14.59, ceea ce se intampla cel mai des, de asta se streseaza secretara. 

3.  La scris fiecare profesor iti pune un pogon de intrebari din care alegi tu la care sa raspunzi ex. din 6 intrebari iti spune sa raspunzi la 3, sau din 4 intrebari iti spune sa raspunzi la 2.  Totalul intrebarilor la care trebuie sa raspunzi poate fi oricare vor ei.  Teoretic sunt vreo 6-7 intrebari: ori 2 de domeniu, ori cate 2 la domeniile minore si 3 la domeniul major, total 7. Eu am avut tot 7 intrebari, din care insa 3 au fost la unul din domeniile minore ca acolo aveam membru in comisie pe seful de catedra deci dansul s-a manifestat plenar. Ca sa nu mai explic cat am invatat pentru minorul respectiv. Mai abitir ca la domeniul major. Noroc ca-mi placea materia.

4.  La scris ai o limita de 12, 000 cuvinte, cate 4, 000 de cuvinte pe domeniu. Asta e rolul CD ului pe care il aduci: sa se asigure secretara ca nu ai depasit numarul de cuvinte admis.  Contra cronometru este si la noi, dar se desfasoara pe zile, nu pe ore.  Iti imparti timpul cum vrei, numai sa termini la timp. 

5. Oralul e in cursul saptamanii urmatoare, si dureaza o ora pentru domeniul major, pauza zece minute, si cate o jumatate de ora pentru fiecare din domeniile minore. Acolo te intreaba detalii pe care nu le-ai abordat din intrebarile la care ai raspuns, se discuta intrebarile la care nu ai ales sa raspunzi, si orice altceva mai incape.

[tapirul]

nu e usor de loc nici la universitatea publica ("de stat" - de aia se cheama "Oregon State University", nu inseamna "Universitatea Statului Oregon" ci "Universitatea de Stat din Oregon"), profesorii au aceeasi autonomie ca si la alea particulare. Ba poate accountability e un pic mai redus la alea publice (ca la orice institutie de stat).

Uite de exemplu mie mi-au trebuit aproape 5 luni (chiar mai bine daca stau sa ma gadesc) NUMAI CA SA FAC COMISIA. Comisia mea e co-chaired, si unul din chair este sefa departamentului. Anul asta (ianuarie-iunie) departamentul meu a scos la mezat 5 faculty positions. Cine a fost la o universitate americana intelege ce inseamna asta - a major undertakig. Pentru fiecare pozitie au venit la interviu cate 3-4-5 candidati, fiecare stand in campus cate 3-4 zile, cu conferinte, prezentari, intalniri peste intalniri etc. Drept urmare pentru mine nu s-a prea mai gasit timp (aveam nevoie de sefa mea sa se uite pe lista ce o propun si sa o aprobe sau sa sugereze pe alticineva). Nici eu nu am fost foarte persuasive (cum ar fi facut un adevarat american pe care il doare in cur de altii). Prin iunie in sfarsit am avut comitetul format. A doua problema a fost, evident, sa stabilesc intalnirea pentru orals. Sase profesori foarte ocupati, pentru care tu ca student esti pe locul 10 la prioritati...
Noi trebuie sa avem cel putin 5 pozitii in comitet: chair (daca sunt doi co-chairs ei conteaza ca o pozitie), domeniul major (2), domeniul minor (1) si Graduate Council Representative (care makes sure ca toate procedurile se respecta). Mai conteaza evident si de ce specialisti ai nevoie pentru dizertatie.

La noi scrisul se da contra cronometru.

[Lilyviolet]

in rest, se aseamana ca doua picaturi de apa! Mai ales ca si Tapi si eu ne indeletnicim cu ceva la interfata lichid-gaz, adica stiintific-umanist, daca nu ma insel. La tine ce e, psihologie infantila?  Scuze dar nu-mi amintesc sa fi scris. 

[vlad]

Asa e , e infantila psihologia Tapirului  ;D

[tapirul]

nutz ascund.

la mine e child development, lily, in cadrul human development. Care e o social science de sine statatoare (desi nu prea recunoscuta in afara field-ului), laolalta cu sociologia, psihologia, economia, antropologia et comp

si in mod particular children with disabilities and their families

[clebs]

bafta!

[tapirul]

"Canta, zeita, vremea Tapirului care
azi a raspuns la prima intrebare..."

[Furnika]

A fost ca la Fort Boyard? Ti-au aruncat cheia in apa si ai inotat dupa ea?

[vlad]

Ai luat un A?

[tapirul]

era mai palpitant daca era ca la fort Boyard.
A fost rather boring. M-am dus si am luat plicul de la secretara si apoi m-am incuiat intr-o camera trei ore.
Decizia se ia dupa ce rapsund la toate trei intrebarile si am si partea orala.

[tapirul]

Okaz, hai sa va impartasesc ce am avut pana acum si ce am scris. Aveti voie sa ma faceti praf  (dar nu uitati ca am avut trei ore numai la dispozitie).

Teorie

Child development theory (3 hours)
Compare and contrast the following child development theories, indicating:
A. How the theory fits into the broad categories of explanation for human development theories
B. Key elements of the theory
C. Leaders in the development of the theory
D. Major areas where the theory has been applied
E. Present or potential uses in the development of children with autism spectrum disorders.

Spend the bulk time on parts A. and B. The theories we wish to cover are:
* Radical behaviorism/social learning theory
* Constructivism
* Bio-ecological theory


I will start with a definition: what is a theory? Simply put, a theory is a set of statements trying to describe, explain, and predict a phenomenon. There are many phenomena that can be (or not...) explained by a theory; for the human development field the phenomena explained is, well, human development. There is still a debate on how to define human development; each theory or set of theories (paradigms) has its own definition, sometimes quite different from each other (hence the apparent incompatibility among some of these theories). Some theories define human development as a quantitative behavioral change; others talk about human development in terms of biological growth and maturation; yet others describe human development as a complex process of adaptation to and integration between the developing organism and its environment (be it physical, social, or symbolic). While not the best definition, the one I find rather simple, concise, and serving its purpose (of having a common ground in scientific inquiry) is: human development can de defined as the process of change from simple to more complex forms of organization of an human being, change that unfolds in time, occurs at different levels of integration, and is influenced by internal (biological, genetic) factors and external (physical, social, and symbolic environment) factors.
I mentioned above that there is more than one theory in human development; there are actually many. Some theories have many things in common; some other theories contradict each other fiercely. This situation forced researchers and theoreticians in human development to try to group them according to a set or another of criteria and premises that these theories might share. The simplest criteria used to group these theories revolves around the classic debate in human development theory field, namely nurture versus nature. This debate is based on the question "which group of factors (internal, biological, or external, environmental) is more important in shaping human development?" (side note: none of the theories belonging to a group or another declared that the other factor – nature for exogenous theories and nurture for endogenous theories, see below – didn't exist or didn't influence at all human development; they merely said that either nature or nurture are THE factor in shaping human development). A number of theories affirm that the main drive for development comes from exterior. These theories are labeled as exogenous theories (from Latin exo- = outside). The main theories in this group are all behavioral theories (Skinner's radical behaviorism, Bandura's Social-Cognitive Theory being most prominent) and Vygotsky's Social Construction (or Sociocultural) theory.

Another set of theories puts a great emphasis on the internal, biological and (mostly genetic) factors. These theories, named endogenous theories (from Latin endos-, = inside), while accepting that environmental factors exist and have their influence, maintain that the main drive for development comes from within the organism. The main theories in this group are the Freud's Psychoanalytical Perspective, Erikson's Psychosocial Perspective and Developmental Behavioral Genetic Perspective(s) described by researchers such as Scarr, Plomin and Rowe.
A more recent trend in developmental theories affirms that the nature vs. nurture debate is centered on the wrong question; that is, it is not important (and actually it is inappropriate) to ask "Which one is more important – biology or environment;" the real (important) question is "How these factors interact to influence development?" This group of theories contains Piaget's model of cognitive development and the more recent family of theories called "Developmental System Theories," which contains (among others) Baltes's Life-Span Developmental Theory, Elder's Life Course Perspective, and Bronfenbrenner's Bio-ecological model.

Another paradigm grouping often used in describing human development theories is based on Pepper's (1967) world hypotheses: theories can be considered to belong to one or another paradigm based on several criteria:
1. are they dispersive or integrative? That is, are they based on a disparate and unrelated set of factors, or these factors have an underlying, integrative aspect? In the case of human development, are there universal laws that explain development, that go across time and place, or development can be only explained by context and time specific factors?
2. are they analytic or synthetic? For human development theories this is translated in whether or not the development can be viewed in a reductionist way versus a holistic way. Reductionism refers it affirms the phenomena can be broken apart in smaller components, each component analyzed separately, and the knowledge combined back or, in other words, the whole is the sum of the parts. A holistic view asserts that human development and the factors influencing it cannot be reduced to a number of elements and each explained separately; they act as an integrated whole, the whole is greater than the sum of its part.
3. A third factor is represented by the set of causes influencing development: material causes (internal), efficient causes (external), formal causes (the interaction between different factors on not the factors per se), and final causes (a teleological approach, a goal toward the phenomenon – human development – is aiming at).
Based on these factors Pepper grouped the world views in three groups (actually four, but the fourth, formism, has been abandoned as not scientific), each of them defined by a root metaphor:
- mechanistic worldview (root metaphor: the mechanism); is integrative, analytical, with efficient and material causes
- organismic worldview (the root metaphor the living organism); is integrative and synthetic; the causes considered: material, efficient, formal, final
- contextualism (root metaphor: historical event); is dispersive and synthetic; the causes considered: material, efficient and formal – NOT final).

A note of caution: Pepper was a philosopher and not a developmentalist; his worldviews were not developed specifically for human development, nor are they absolute in nature. While his worldviews can serve as a good proxy for grouping the theories of human development, one should not force the theories to fit in one or another of Pepper's worldviews; they won't always fit. Most of the scholars who developed theories in human development did not actually structure their discourse based on Pepper's world hypotheses.

I will move now onto describing each theory from the list provided; I will shortly explain to which paradigm the theory belongs (and why), the key elements, how it has been applied, and the special case of the theory in autistic spectrum disorder.
Radical behaviorism/social learning theory

The Radical Behaviorism (described by Skinner) and Social Learning Theory (or Social Cognitive Theory, described by Bandura) are representative cases for both exogenous theories and mechanistic perspectives. Both share the idea that developing equals learning (that's why these theories are named, generally, learning theories); and learning (the source of learning, that is, or whatever is learned) comes from exterior, from the environment. The biological structures do exist, but their main role is to provide a material base on which learning (and, therefore, development) occurs; they do not in themselves create development. To make an analogy, in the act of writing a book, the material on which the book is written (be it papyrus, paper or magnetic devices), while important, is just a support for the ideas written down, does not create the book. Development (the ideas written down) comes from outside. In this extent, learning theories are exogenous theories.
As for the Pepper's worldviews, learning theories are representative cases for the mechanistic worldview. They consider that development (learning) follows a set of universal rules (the integrative aspect described by Pepper; actually the rules are considered so universal that Skinner didn't even study humans, but pigeons and rats), and that development can only be studied by studying behaviors and behavioral change in a reductionist manner: it is possible to take apart the factors that influence behavioral change and to determine the particular (and independent) influence of each of them.
Skinner's radical behaviorism and Bandura's social learning theory, while sharing the basic assumptions that place them in the exogenous/mechanistic group, do differ in how they approach learning and behavioral change, what other factors contribute to human development and, most importantly, the very different weight each of them attributed to the cognitive processes.
The key concepts and assumptions of learning theories are listed below.
A. Human beings are born with an empty mind (a "tabula rasa") and a set of inborn reflexes (Skinner) or, in Bandura's view, with the potential for developing specific abilities such as vicarious learning (learning through imitation), symbolizing capacity, and capacity for foreboding and self-regulation.
B. Learning occurs through operant conditioning (Skinner) or imitation (Bandura). Operant conditioning is the concept that behaviors are responses to specific environmental stimuli. Operant conditioning has its roots in Pavlov's studies of classical conditioning (in physiology) and Watson's application of classical conditioning in psychology. Skinner had a new approach in stating that organisms are not simply reactive to external stimuli; they rather elicit specific (desired) responses from the environment by the use of one behaviors or another. These stimuli appear after the behavior has been exhibited (that's why these stimuli are also called consequences): a behavior is elicited in order to obtain a specific consequence. Simply stated, in classical conditioning the (external) stimulus precedes the response (behavior), whereas in operant conditioning the stimulus follows the response. These processes develop through learning: the past history will establish what behaviors will elicit what stimuli. Bandura added a new dimension to learning in affirming that, while operant conditioning exists, learning occurs not only by personal experience with behaviors and stimuli, but also by imitation (vicarious learning), that is by observing (and obviously internalizing) what happens to others. Bandura also placed a greater emphasis on the cognitive processes that take place in the process of learning (attention, memory, etc). However, the focus on the cognitive processes underlying learning does not qualify Bandura's theory as an endogenous theory: as the scholar declared, the most important factor in development is the environment. Development equal learning new behaviors and learning equals internalization of something from the environment (granted, with the help of cognitive processes).
The behavioristic approaches are not in fashion anymore as theories of human development; however they still have numerous practical applications. Education techniques and child rearing procedures that are in use and popularized are based on a behavioristic approach, on an operant conditioning theory and imitation. A special application of behaviorist approaches is in special education. Teaching exceptional children new skills and behaviors (that they do not develop properly by themselves in a natural way) and/or removing unwanted behaviors rely heavily on operant conditioning principles. The most applied behavioristic technique is the therapy for autistic spectrum disabilities. While they vary and they borrow from other theoretical frameworks (ecological theory for example), most types of behavioral therapies (also known as Applied Behavioral Analysis) in autism rely is a classic example of operant conditioning. The most prominent example is the Discrete Trial Therapy developed by Lovaas and collogues in the '70s.
It interesting to note that, while Bandura's social cognitive theory belongs to the same family of theories as Skinner's radical behaviorism (namely, learning theory), Bandura's theory, while widely applicable in education and child rearing (contributing to the concept of learning through modeling and imitation), has limited application in the field of autism. That is (in my opinion) because one of the basic deficits in autism is capacity of imitation, which is the basic concept of Bandura's theory. An intervention approach based on social cognitive theory would have little success in autism (as demonstrated by the difficulties of teaching sign language in children with autism with profound communication deficit). In a way, autistic spectrum disorder represents a social learning theory that went wrong.


Constructivism (Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Theory)
Piaget theory is more limited in scope than other developmental theories because it focuses on the acquisition and development of knowledge only. Piaget's theory is viewed as constructivistic because the theory is neither exogenous nor endogenous; for Piaget the (cognitive) development is a matter of interaction between nature and nurture, thus development – knowledge – is constructed. From Pepper's perspectives, Piaget's theory falls under the organismic worldview: it is integrative in that there are universal rules for development, and is synthetic in that it has a holistic, and not a reductionist approach: development is better understood from the interaction among factors, the way new structures are constructed, and not by reducing them to its components. 
According to Piaget, human beings are born with a propensity for active exploration; development is the result of the interaction between the active organism and the physical environment, trough continuous process equilibrium and disequilibrium. Cognitive development has a qualitative aspect, rather than a quantitative one; cognitive development is not simply adding new information to the existing one; at each stage of development new structures, qualitatively different from the previous ones, appear. Development is the result of two complementary processes that aim at attaining and maintaining a state of equilibrium: adaptation and organization.
Piaget's theory has a functional component and a structural component. The structural component is represented by schemas, operations, and grouping. The functional component is represented by the two functions that operate in the process of development: adaptation and organization.
Adaptation is the process of modifying or creating new schemas (organized patterns of objects and actions) through direct interaction with the physical environment. It comprises of two complementary processes: assimilation (inclusion of information from the environment into existing schemas) and accommodation (modifying existing schemas or creating new schemas)
Organization is the process of linking and re-linking together schemas through the use of operation (mental actions that obey logical rules). Organization requires the presence of the capacity for mental representation (representing mentally and object or phenomenon in the absence of its physical presence)
The main application of Piaget's cognitive development theory is in education. The concept that children are active and that they learn through free exploration of the environment, as well as the concept that children go through different stages in an individual way (that is, the stages are the same for everybody, but each individual goes through these stages at his own pace) has been incorporate din actual educational policies, especially early education. The Developmentally Appropriate Practices philosophy stems directly from a Piagetian approach.
In the field of autism, cognitive development theory can have a particular role in understanding the disability and less in devising intervention strategies. For one, children with ASD seem not to go through all stages described by Piaget (sensoriomotor, preoperational, concrete operational; formal operational); they never seem to reach the formal operational stage, which characterized by its capacity of abstractization An important theory explaining autism spectrum disorders, namely the Theory of Mind, can be seen from a Piaget's theoretical view: it seems that these children never fully acquire the capacity for mental representation, that is an important prerequisite in cognitive development (coincidentally, mental representation develop, in Piaget views, at about the same age at which autism is first diagnosed, around 2). What is interesting and merits further development is the fact that autistic spectrum disorders support the idea that cognitive development is not a single block, but it is rather composed of several components, each of them developing (seemingly) independently. One of these components is the social cognitive development, and this development is at deficit in children with autism.

Bio-Ecological Theory (Bronfenbrenner)
Bio-Ecological theory proposed by Uri Bronfenbrenner belongs to the larger family of Developmental System Theories and is an example of a constructivist approach (it takes a relational/integrative approach to development; the impetus for development is represented by the dynamic, synthetic relationship between environment and the organism). Bronfenbrenner had a relational approach to human development, that is, the question to be asked is not which one (the biology or the environment) is more important for development, nor how much each one influence development (as in split views of development), but rather how all these factors dynamically interact at different levels of integration (1998)
As for Pepper's worldviews, bioecological is usually placed under the contextualist view. However, as Lerner (2002) mentioned, developmental systems theories do not fully fall under contextualism or under organismic view; they rather combine these two worldviews.
For Bronfenbrenner, development is the progressing process of integration and dynamic relation between an active organism and the immediate and remote environment; the ecology of development is the complex, layered systems (physical, social, symbolic) within which a developing organism functions and with which the organism has an integrative, relational interaction. The ecology of development comprises of several systems as follow:
  1. Microsystem: the pattern of activities, relations and interaction within the immediate environment, and the persons that are contained in it; e.g., the family, the day care, the school, the peer group, etc.
2. Mesosystem: the sum of a person's microsystems, and the relationship among these
3. Exosystem: the farther environment that does not influence directly the developing person, but has an indirect influence (e.g., parents' workplace)
4. Macrosystem:  The larger societal and cultural environment
6. Chronosystem: the passage of time and its relationship with development.
Bronfenbrenner proposed a series of propositions within his theory; in a more narrative way (and not necessarily identifying each of them) they are as follows: development has its origin in the process of active interaction between the developing organism and the immediate environment (physical, social, and symbolic); this interaction is call proximal process. The intensity, direction and form of proximal processes are a joint function of the Process, the Person, the Context, and Time (PPCT system). The developing person requires the presence of a second person (usually the parent or caregiver) to whom he/she creates a special bond/attachment.
The implication of the ecological theory in autism is that all ecological systems (levels) are affected by and affect, in turn, the developing child with autism. To understand autism and to successfully intervene (or to understand the outcomes of the intervention), one has to take into account ALL systems within which the child function. Intervention should be aimed at all levels, not only at the individual with autism, but at his/her microsystems (family, school) and macrosystem (policies, etc). Autism, in its manifestation and effects, is not solely a function of the disability in itself (say, the neurological condition), but also a function of the relationship within the systems; to understand autism one has to take into account all levels of integration.

[tapirul]

si Autism...

Autism in Children under Age 8 (3 hours)
You have been invited to present a talk on the autism spectrum in children birth to age 8 to an audience of social scientists who are not experts in the area of developmental disabilities. Outline your talk, using bullets if you choose. Include the following components and the evidence for each:
A. Definition, diagnostic criteria, and symtomology
B. Prevalence of autism and its related disorders
C. Biological causes, structural characteristics of the brain
C. Psychological manifestations (Theory of Mind, self awareness, lack of social understanding, difficulty with joint attention, communication challenges, sensory issues)
E. Tree primary areas of current research and their leaders
F. Three common misconceptions about autism.


Introduction. Before going into what autism is, how it is manifested, and what are its causes, I will share with you several things that autism is NOT: first of all, autism is NOT a mental disorder (it is not a psychosis, it is not schizophrenia). Second, autism is NOT a result of bad parenting, "refrigerator mothers" or other parenting-related theories you might have heard about. Third, although the deficit in social interaction in these children is the main component, children with autism do NOT totally lack social skills, as is wrongly believed by some. Fourth, autism is NOT caused by the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccination in children (it's only a coincidence the fact that autism starts to be manifested around the time these vaccines are administered to children). I imagine that this list can continue, but I will stop here because I think these are the main misconceptions related to autism.

Autism (or, better, autistic disorders) is not a single entity (there are few developmental disabilities that are single entities, actually), but a group of developmental disorders that share some common things. This group of "autistic disorders" was dubbed either "Pervasive Developmental Disorders" (PDDs), or "Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Autism, per se, is but a member of these groups. However, for the sake of brevity, in the following text I will use the simpler term "autism" to refer to the whole group, unless otherwise specified. 

Autism represents, at the same time, the most studied group of developmental disabilities and the least understood. This group doesn't have a long history as other disabilities do (for example Mental Retardation and Physical Disabilities, which have been known and described since antiquity, being referred as "the idiots" and "the crippled"); the first scientific description of autism as a childhood disorder belongs to Leo Kanner (1944), who described a group of 11 children with serious social and communication deficits and odd behaviors. Kanner labeled these children with the term "infantile autism." The term "autism", which comes from the Latin "auto" – "in (on) its own" (think of "automobile" – "mobile on its own") – was borrowed by Kanner from the earlier Bleuer's description of schizophrenia, who described the patients with schizophrenia as "being in their own world." This initial label introduced by Kanner (which actually lasted until today) contributed to the confusion that autism is a psychotic-type of illness, similar with (or maybe even identical with) schizophrenia. One year latter, Hans Asperger, a Viennese psychiatrist, described (apparently without being aware of Kanner's article due to the difficulties in information sharing in a Europe shattered by the war) a condition in children characterized by high verbal ability and high intelligence, but with serious social deficiencies. This disability bears now his name, "Asperger's syndrome", thing that, for some reasons, didn't happen for "Kanner's syndrome," where the label "autism" stuck. Interestingly, H. Asperger used the same term, "autism", to describe his condition.

This section was about when autism was first time referred to. But what exactly is autism? What are its causes? How is it manifested? Can it be treated? How? These are all questions that, even after more than 60 years of research, haven't been fully answered yet. However, we know more about autism than we did 60 years ago, and I am going to try to share with you these findings. I will structure my points around several main points.

Definition. Although researchers did not come yet to a definition fully accepted by everybody, they agree over the main points: autism is a developmental disability characterized by deficits in social skills, deficits in communication, and a set of behavioral abnormalities manifested (not always and not only) by a restricted range of interests associated with stereotypical and repetitive behaviors. The two main "bibles" used nowadays for defining and diagnosing autism are DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistic Manual for Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision, American Psychiatric Association) and ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition, World Health Organization). There are manifestations associated with autism that were not included in the diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV-TR or ICD-10, most of them being related to deficiencies in sensory integration (either overreactivity to some "normal" sensory inputs such as human voice or whispering, or underreactivity to other group of sensory inputs such as pain or cold). Nevertheless, these manifestations exist and they should be included in the definition (they will probably be included in a future revision). DSM-IV and ICD differ in their specific diagnostic criteria for each of the disabilities that comprise the PDD group (for example age of onset, the level of cognitive ability, developmental history and so forth) and in the number and names of each type of disability included in their respective group. However, the main component present in all diagnostic criteria is the social relatedness deficit. Since every scholar seems to have his or her own opinion on how to describe autism, I will dare to present here my own definition: autism seems to be a disability that has to do with impaired or otherwise inappropriate relationship between the child and the two environments in which any human being functions: the social environment and the physical environment. Moreover, the deficit seems to be related to the symbolic component of these environments. The deficit in relating with the social environment is manifested by the collection of social deficits, starting with joint attention and ending with Theory of Mind – terms that I will develop latter on, AND the communication deficits, from the mutism characteristic to the "classic" autism to the deficits in pragmatics and prosody (which are the social components of language), and the group of non-verbal communication abilities that these children seem to lack. The deficits in relating with the physical environment include the repertoire of repetitive and stereotype behaviors characteristic to these children, the restricted (and sometimes very intense) range of interests that these children display (many times focused exclusively on aspects of the physical environment such as  washer machines or geographical routes), the sensory abnormalities most of these children express and (arguably) the motor clumsiness that seems to characterize at least some of these children (especially children with Asperger's syndrome). For the social environment it's easy to talk about the symbolic component of it; the entire social milieu, one way or another, a complex and intricate network of symbols that are commonly shared. For the physical environment is more difficult to talk about the deficits related to the symbolic component of it. However, when you think of these children with autism playing lining up toys and spinning the wheels of the car-toys and not getting involved in the symbolic play that these toys are supposed to be about, it is easier to see that children with autism have difficulties with the symbolic component (whenever present) of the physical environment.

Prevalence: Before talking of the specific symtomology of autism, let's quickly talk about its prevalence. The prevalence of autism is another debated and controversial topic; different studies came to different conclusions. However, it is commonly agreed that prevalence of autism has increased dramatically, becoming an "epidemic." Some researchers assert that there is a real increase in the prevalence of the condition, but most people agree this is a relative increase. Two main reasons for this relative increase were offered: first, the diagnostic criteria have changed over time, permitting the inclusion of children who otherwise wouldn't have been included. The second reason is the refinement of the diagnostic procedures associated with the wider spread of knowledge about and awareness of autism among teachers and parents, thus permitting more children to be identified and diagnosed at earlier age by more professionals. The accepted prevalence rate for PDDs (as a group), according to the Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders (2005) is 1.5-1.7 cases per 1000 population.

Symtomology. The group of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs0 is composed of five disabilities: Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Rett's syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise specified (or PDD-NOS). These five conditions share some of the defining characteristics for this group (from the three groups of symptoms described earlier). However, they differ in regard to several aspects: cognitive ability, age of onset, developmental history, etiology, and prognostic.
1. Autism: the main disability of this group and the one considered as the "prototype." Kanner's initial description of his group of children actually falls within this group (his elegant description is still very accurate nowadays). Usually the condition has its onset before age 2, with some of the manifestation being present even earlier. While intervention therapies (the earlier the better) have a positive impact on the development of this condition, the prognostic of autism is not very optimistic.
Children with autism display marked social relatedness deficits, manifested in several ways: poor or absence of eye contact, lack of social smile, limited social referencing (seeking adults' reaction and approval in ambiguous social situations), lack of initiation of social relations, absence of pretend play, absence of cooperative or parallel play, deficits in joint attention (the sharing interest with an object or a phenomenon with another person), limited interest in other people.
In terms of communication issues, these children are either totally mute, or with a restricted vocabulary. Even when they have a developed vocabulary, they do not use it for communication purposes. Usually they fail to respond to their name. They do not use and do not understand non-verbal means of communication (gestures, face expression, voice tonalities etc). At least part of these children's language and communication deficits are related to their cognitive development, because a big proportion of these children associate mental retardation to their autistic symptoms. The more severe the mental retardation is, the more severe the communication deficits are. Even when these children have close-to-normal IQ and a developed vocabulary (condition described as "high functioning autism"), their speech lacks the pragmatics component that make language a communicative tool; their prosody is altered (either monotonous, flat voice or pitched in unusual ways).
In terms of behavioral abnormalities, children with autism display hand or body mannerisms (hand flapping, walking on tiptoes) and inappropriate play with objects (spinning the wheels of a toy truck or lining up the toys). They also present sensory integration problems, being hypersensitive to some stimuli (tactile, auditory), and/or hyposensitive to other stimuli (pain)
2. Asperger's syndrome: the main deficit in Asperger's Syndrome is the social relatedness one. These children usually have normal to very high intelligence and their language is developed at least to the level of their typically developing children of same age. What they lack is the pragmatics component of the language, but their deficit is more subtle than the one in autism.
Usually these children are diagnosed after age 3, when the deficits in social interactions are more evident. Actually, this is the age at which many children start going to preschool; the preschool environment, with its rich social interaction, is more likely to elicit the social deficits than the home environment. However, AS does not start after age 3, it's just that before this age the symptoms are usually masked.
In terms of social interactions, these children are not disinterested in other children, like children with autism; they usually want to be engaged in social activities (playing together, having friends), but they lack the understanding of the subtle social clues and norms. For example, older children with Asperger's do not fully understand the concept of "friendship," usually taking a more rational, logic approach to it.
In terms of communication deficit, as I mentioned above, these children have a rich vocabulary baggage; what they lack is how to use this vocabulary in social situations. They fail to understand non-verbal communication signals as well.
As for unusual behaviors, children with Asperger's usually do display strange and specific interests which are usually more advanced and intellectualized than in children with autism (for example children with AS may develop a morbid interest in busses and bus routes and stations).
Rett's syndrome is a X-linked genetic condition that affects almost exclusively girls. These children usually develop normally for the first years of life (acquiring language and social skills), but they start to regress during their third year of life; they start developing motor problems, stereotyped movements (flapping or "washing" hands the most common), and they lose their language and social skills (this being the reason this condition has been included in the PDD group, although its genetic etiology is known, as opposed to the other four condition in the group)
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) is a very rare condition (there are only about 200 cases documented) that is characterized by a period of normal development follow by a rapid regression to severe autistic-type symptoms; it has many similarities with Rett's syndrome, but a genetic etiology hasn't been confirmed (yet).
PDD-NOS comprise all other children who have symptoms characteristic for PDD but who cannot be included in any of the other four categories, using DSM-IV or ICD-10 criteria. These children either don't manifest all the symptoms required for being included in the other groups, or display milder forms of the symptoms.  Several scholars argue that autistic spectrum disorders are actually manifested on a continuum, with autism at one end and Asperger's at the other end. PDD-NOS fall, according to these researchers, somewhere in the middle. Rett's syndrome and CDD are not included on this continuum because they are, actually, different entities with different etiologies. The Handbook of Autism and PDDs (2005) actually differentiates between Pervasive Developmental Disorders as a group (the group that contains all five conditions described above) and Autism Spectrum Disorders group that contain autism, Asperger's and PDD-NOS, as members of the continuum. Personally I do believe that this is a more accurate description of these conditions.

Etiology: There is no clear cause for autism discovered to date. However, is almost unanimously accepted that autism is a neurological disorder with a genetic base. Studies with monozygotic children and familial aggregation (especially when the inclusion criteria weren't too strict, for example looking at cases of all autism, PDD-NOS, and Asperger's syndrome in a family) showed clearly that there is a genetic inheritance factor in the etiology of autism. The most accepted idea is that autism is a polygenic condition, which means that the condition is not caused by a single gene, but is the result of interaction of more than one gene. Also,  it is believed that the genetic make-up does not directly causes autism, but predisposes the organism to autism; that is, the genetic makeup interacts in complex ways with the internal and external environment in order to manifest itself as autism.

Autism is also a neurological condition. The results of these studies are very promising. The neurological studies of children with disabilities have looked at both the neurochemistry of the brain (especially related to serotonin and dopamine) and at the structural and functional aspects of the brain. The researchers have already identified parts of the brain that seem to be involved in the condition. Among these structures are amygdale, the limbic system, the cerebellum, the frontal and temporal areas of the brain, and corpus calossum. There are several theories within the bio-neurological field trying to link the specific manifestations in autism with specific mal-developments in the nervous system.
The genetic and the neurological aspects of autism are two of the primary areas of interests in autism. Researchers such as Rutter, Wasnik and Piven (to name only a few) are pushing forward the research in the genetics of autism, whereas Baron-Cohen and Courchense are deciphering the secrets of the autistic brain. Another domain (last but not least) of great scientific interest in autism is the intervention. Educational programs such as TEACCH developed by Schopler, behavioral interventions pioneered by Lovaas and continued by his collaborators, early intervention approaches developed by Dawson are only a few of the rays of hope for these children. Certainly, autism cannot be cured yet, but these children can be successfully helped to enjoy a close-to-normal life.

[vlad]

De-abia astept sa le citesc. Pacat ca tre' sa merg la serviciu.

[vlad]

Mi-a placut. N-am gasit cele trei misconceptions, poate ca trebuie sa mai citesc odata (e mentionata confuzia cu autismul schizofrenic)
Mi-a placut tonul degajat, aproape oral al lucrarii. Ma intreb de ce anumite notiuni sunt luate (cum e normal) drept cunoscute, in schimb explici ca pentru niste copii ce inseamna "auto" :)

Io-ti dau 10+.

[tapirul]

:)
pai americanii nu prea le au cu latina
misconceptiile sunt chiar la inceput, boala mentala, vaccin, "refrigerator mothers" a lu' Bettleheim...

[tapirul]

oricum, multumesc de incurajare.
Azi am partea de Methods, doua intrebari a cate doua ore (le dau pe amandoua), si asta e cea mai ambigua parte, ca habar nu am cum in ce detalii trebuie sa intru....

on the positive side, azi vin baietii de la comcast sa instaleze digital cable si digital phone... V-am spus ca dupa patru ani s-au prins pana a urma ca plateam basic si primeam extended? din vina lor, nu a mea. am decis acum sa desfiintez linia de telefon "normala" si sa iau un bundle de la comcast

[vlad]

Haaa, ce cretin sunt. Sau chior. Pur si simplu n-am citit paragraful ala. Scuze  :oops:

[tapirul]

hihi
sper sa nu pateasca la fel si profii.
azi am cam rasolit-l la Methods, mi-a dat sa design a study (pentru un grant).. ce poti face in doua ore? Ma pierdut 40 minute sa figure out a research question si sa o pun in mai putin de 50 words...

[Qvadratus]

Oricum, deocamdata felicitari pentru rabdarea de a duce pina la capat munca acestor ani !

In rest (sunt superstitios) astept pina termini cu toate.

[tapirul]

bre, am termenat cu partea scrisa. Sunt cam dezamagit, sincer sa fiu, nu neaparat din cauza mea (did my best) ci din cauza ca sistemul este cam tembel. O sa explic mai incolo de ce.

Urmeaza oralu' pe 3 noiembrie cand or sa ma faca bucatele si or sa ma intrebe cate in luna si in stele. I got a hint, though, ca in general preefera sa fii imaginativ si nu banca de date - ma avantajeaza, ca memoria mea de date e asimptotica cu zero

Eri am celebrat cu Toshiko (ea fiind de opt ori mai excited ca mine) cu sampanie si vin fiert ("binfierte")

[A CERB]

talkin' about binfierte, tot nu mi-ai spus de ce numele tau este crisu si nu curisu.

bafta la restu!

[tapirul]

puterea educatiei. acum imi zice cris'ku, da' cand trebe sa spell out zice cu-ri-su-ku

[vlad]

"binfierte"

Deci merg 2 consoane alaturate, faceti progrese. Dar cu "l" cum e?
Bafta si de la mine. Hai ca tu esti foarte elocvent.

[tapirul]

cu "r" you mean? Tot haios. Imi aduce aminte de mine la patru ani cand incercam sa invat sa zic "r" si sor'mea facea misto de mine.

cu "n", de fapt, asta e singura consoana in japoneza care nu e urmata de vocala.
In japoneza consoanele singure sunt exprimate urmate de "u" (la noi in romana sunt urmate de "î" in romana de pe strada, sau "e", in romana de la scoala: a, bî, cî, dî... sau a, be, ce, de ...)
Mai vedem pana pe 3. Macar acum stiu ce intrebari au avut (se vor axa pe ele se pare, ca eu sa develop further sau sa completez ce nu am raspuns in scris). But they can pop out any question if they feel like.

[vlad]

Io zic ca o sa ii rupi, o sa ii umilesti.

[tapirul]

mama lor....

[vlad]

Exact, pe ea!

[tapirul]

A fost o experienta interesanta, zic eu, dar tare dezamagitoare. Felul in care este organizat examenul este cam aberant, dupa parerea mea, si nu prea masoara nimic din ceea ce vrea sa masoare. Este bazat pe memorie si cam atat.
Well, o sa vedem cum o sa fie la oral, acolo o sa am sansa sa demonstrez daca merit sau nu a fiu "PhD candidate"

[clebs]

teresant asa zicem noi de rezi, nu masoara ce tre sa masoare si se bazeaza pe memorie

[tapirul]

mda, buna comparatie
diferenta e ca din pacate la comps nu avem "bibliografie".  Imagineza-ti un rezi la care ai de studiat "Medicina interna", "pediatrie", "imagistica" si "laborator". Punct.
Treaba buna e ca, macar, nu e grila, ci scris. Si ca mai ai un oral la care poti extinde ce nu ai putut acoperi in scris.

[ada]

Cum ai zis la study design?
Bafta daca mai ai ceva de dat si congrats !

[tapirul]

banuiesc ca te referi la "Research Methods" - asa ii zice la noi.
Multam fain, am vineri oralul si gata. Urmeaza dizertatia, alt bal alta distractie.

[tapirul]

GATA!

[vlad]

IEEEEEE!!!

:39: :55: :bravo: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :crown: :daisy: :donatello: :smartass: :smartass: :smartass: :sorcerer: :drummer: :rockon: :rockon: :rockon: :guitarist: :gunsmilie: :drinking: :drinking: :rolleyes5: :rock: :punk: :santa2: :santa3: :joker: :party: :xmas: :taz:

DECI, KUM PHU?

[tapirul]

pai comitetu' s-a adunat la ora 11, au scos raspunsurile la intrebarile mele (nici nu stiam ca vor citi fiecare toate raspunsurile, credeam ca e fiecare cu mama ma-sii), si au inceput sa ma intrebe pe rand: sa extind, sa explic, sa clarific, sa exemplific. Plus intrebari suplimentare ("da' cum crezi ca..").. etc.
dupa doua ore m-au poftit afara ca sa debate si in cinci minute a iesit advisora sa ma adune inapoi. Felicitat, strans de maini, etc.

In seara asta ma imbat si dupa aia incep sa ma gandesc la dizertatie.

whew!!

[tapirul]

si anuntul oficial:

Congratulations to Cris Dogaru who successfully completed his comprehensive exams and has been admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree!

The Committee consisted of Carolyn Aldwin and me, co-chairs; Alan Acock; Jennifer Connor-Smith; John Edwards; and Carmen Steggell, grad rep.
Sharon Rosenkoetter, Ph.D.
Human Development and Family Sciences, 14B Milam Hall
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-5102
Phone 541-737-8529
Fax 541-737-1076
Email sharon.rosenkoetter@oregonstate.edu
Web page  http://www.hhs.oregonstate.edu/faculty-staff/userinfo.php?id=209

[alandala]

Felicitari , ba!

[tapirul]

sarumana
sunt semi-beat

[A CERB]

KONGRATZ, BA!

[tapirsis]

Po' sa le trimit un email lu'profii aia ai tai sa le zic ce frumos e afara?
...and that Ploiesti (and the rest of us) rulz for ever as always!!!!!

:55:

:SuN011: :SuN011: :SuN011:

[Furnika]

Bravo bre.  :alucard: :alucard: :alucard:
Dar la cetz mai trebuie dizertatie acu?  ???

[tapirul]

pi bre, comps asta nu e examenul final. E ca si cum la sfarsitul anului trei in medicina tre' sa treci niste examene sa vada daca ai priceput ceva din preclinic (anatomie, fiziologie, alea) si daca poti sa continui sau nu (sa incepi "the real thing", clinicul).
Acum ca nu mai am cursuri si am scapat si de comps, pot sa ma focusez pe cercetare, un an sau mai multi, care se termina cu o lucrare de doctorat (dizertatia).