Heidi Ham - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Heidi Ham
Language and Action in Cognitive Neuroscience, 2012
International audienc
Supplemental material, AUT676204_Lay_Abstract for Joint attention difficulties in autistic adults... more Supplemental material, AUT676204_Lay_Abstract for Joint attention difficulties in autistic adults: An interactive eye-tracking study by Nathan Caruana, Heidi Stieglitz Ham, Jon Brock, Alexandra Woolgar, Nadine Kloth, Romina Palermo and Genevieve McArthur in Autism
Supplemental material, AUT676204_-_Supplementary_material_3_-_Analysis_details for Joint attentio... more Supplemental material, AUT676204_-_Supplementary_material_3_-_Analysis_details for Joint attention difficulties in autistic adults: An interactive eye-tracking study by Nathan Caruana, Heidi Stieglitz Ham, Jon Brock, Alexandra Woolgar, Nadine Kloth, Romina Palermo and Genevieve McArthur in Autism
Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 2016
Since the first studies on limb apraxia carried out by Hugo Liepmann more than a century ago, res... more Since the first studies on limb apraxia carried out by Hugo Liepmann more than a century ago, research interests focused on the way humans process manual gestures by assessing gesture production after patients suffered neurologic deficits. Recent reviews centered their attention on deficits in gesture imitation or processing object-related gestures, namely pantomimes and transitive gestures, thereby neglecting communicative/intransitive gestures. This review will attempt to reconcile limb apraxia in its entirety. To this end, the existing cognitive models of praxis processing that have been designed to account for the complexity of this disorder will be taken into account, with an attempt to integrate in these models the latest findings in the studies of limb apraxia, in particular on meaningful gestures. Finally, this overview questions the very nature of limb apraxia when other cognitive deficits are observed.
Perspectives on Language Learning and Education, 2012
In this paper, we will explore the relationship between gesture and language in autism spectrum d... more In this paper, we will explore the relationship between gesture and language in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Gesture and speech have been shown to share the same neural substrates, and it has been proposed that speech evolved over time from a gestural repertoire. Simultaneously, research in gesture and language has shown that gesture plays a critical role in language development, and a gestural disturbance may be a predictor of future language development. Individuals with autism often present with imitation deficits, developmental dyspraxia, and deficits in motor coordination. Taken together, these deficits pose challenges to the speech-language pathologist providing therapy to these clients. If gesture is indeed critical to language development, and individuals with ASD demonstrate gestural deficits, new therapies are needed to bridge this gap. We will describe an innovative battery of tasks assessing gesture and discuss future gestural intervention.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2007
Nineteen people with Asperger syndrome (AS)/High-Functioning Autism (HFA) (ages 7-15) were tested... more Nineteen people with Asperger syndrome (AS)/High-Functioning Autism (HFA) (ages 7-15) were tested on imitation of two types of meaningless gesture: hand postures and finger positions. The individuals with AS/HFA achieved lower scores in the imitation of both hand and finger positions relative to a matched neurotypical group. The between-group difference was primarily accounted for by performance on a test of visual motor integration, together with a hand imitation deficit which was specifically due to errors in body part orientation. Our findings implicate both visuomotor processes (Damasio & Maurer, 1978) and self-other mapping (Rogers & Pennington, 1991) in ASD imitation deficits. Following Goldenberg (1999), we propose that difficulties with body part orientation may underlie problems in meaningless gesture imitation.
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by a 'triad of impairments' in the ... more Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by a 'triad of impairments' in the areas of social interaction; language and communication; and restrictive, repetitive, and stereotypical patterns of behavior (American Psychiatric Society, DSM-IV, 1994). The DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for autism (1994) was the end result of an international collaboration of both research and clinical institutions across twenty-one different sites, and included the evaluation of almost 1,000 cases of autism (Volkmar, Klin, & Cohen, 1997). In this new classification, autistic disorder was included under the general category of PDD or Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Five categories are currently listed under the PDD umbrella: Autistic Disorder (AD); Asperger Syndrome (AS); Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS); Rett Syndrome; and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. For accurate diagnosis of autism (DSM-IV 299.0), a total of at least six items from the three major groups are required; two of the criteria for social interaction (group 1), one from impaired communication (group 2) and one from restricted interests or repetitive behaviours (group 3). Also, "a delay or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years: (1) social interaction, (2) language as used in social communication, or (3) symbolic or imaginative play" (DSM-IV cited in Volkmar et al., 1997, p. 28) must be documented. The World Health Organisation's (WHO) 10 th Edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) is the second major classification system of diagnosis. The ICD-10 and the DSM-IV diagnostic classification systems are closely related according to 'legal convention' (Volkmar et al., 1997). However, there are differences Society reports that autism is "touching the lives of 500,000 families throughout the UK" (National Autistic Society, 2004). According to recent estimates, one in 100 children is reportedly affected by the disability in the UK alone (Baird, Simonoff, Pickles, Chandler, Loucas, Meldrum, & Charman, 2006). In 2000, the average ASD prevalence rate was 6.7 per 1,000 children (at 6 different sites) and in 2002, 6.6 per 1,000 children (at 14 different sites). In 2004, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) found that the prevalence rates were between 2 and 6 per 1,000 children. Therefore, using the higher rate, it was reported that up to 1 in 166 children are on the autism spectrum. In 2007, the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (part of the CDC) reported that the figure had risen to 1 in 150 children (ADDM, 2007). More than 1.5 million Americans are considered to be on the autism spectrum (Center for Disease Control Prevention, 2007). 2.1.4 Gestural Impairments within DSM-IV Diagnosis Autism is a developmental disability that affects not only the individual, but the entire family, and its impact on the family unit cannot be underestimated (National Research Council, 2001). One of the greatest sources of communication difficulty families and caregivers face when dealing with preverbal autistic children is that they do not compensate for their language deficit through the use of functional gestures, failing to spontaneously use conventional gestures to make their needs known (Wetherby, Prizant, & Hutchinson, 1998; Woods & Wetherby, 2003). Since the time of Kanner, gestural impairments in autism have been reported. Kanner (1943) published this description of a child from his original research, "Her expression was blank, though not unintelligent, and there was no communicative gestures" (p. 240). Curcio (1978) reported that children with autism did not use any pointing or showing gestures and stated that this performance was striking
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2006
Neurotransmitters are thought to be released as quanta, where synaptic vesicles deliver packets o... more Neurotransmitters are thought to be released as quanta, where synaptic vesicles deliver packets of neurotransmitter to the synaptic cleft by fusion with the plasma membrane. However, synaptic vesicles may undergo incomplete fusion. ...
In this study, the relationship between gesture recognition and imitation was explored. Nineteen ... more In this study, the relationship between gesture recognition and imitation was explored. Nineteen individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were compared to a control group of 23 typically developing children on their ability to imitate and recognize three gesture types (transitive, intransitive, and pantomimes). The ASD group performed more poorly than controls on all tasks of recognition and imitation. Higher performance on tests of working memory was associated with increased odds of successful imitation in both groups. Group differences remained even when working memory was statistically controlled for. An association was revealed in the ASD group between pantomime recognition and imitation but a similar association was not identified for intransitive gestures suggesting that recognition alone is not sufficient for imitation success.
Language and Action in Cognitive Neuroscience, 2012
International audienc
Supplemental material, AUT676204_Lay_Abstract for Joint attention difficulties in autistic adults... more Supplemental material, AUT676204_Lay_Abstract for Joint attention difficulties in autistic adults: An interactive eye-tracking study by Nathan Caruana, Heidi Stieglitz Ham, Jon Brock, Alexandra Woolgar, Nadine Kloth, Romina Palermo and Genevieve McArthur in Autism
Supplemental material, AUT676204_-_Supplementary_material_3_-_Analysis_details for Joint attentio... more Supplemental material, AUT676204_-_Supplementary_material_3_-_Analysis_details for Joint attention difficulties in autistic adults: An interactive eye-tracking study by Nathan Caruana, Heidi Stieglitz Ham, Jon Brock, Alexandra Woolgar, Nadine Kloth, Romina Palermo and Genevieve McArthur in Autism
Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 2016
Since the first studies on limb apraxia carried out by Hugo Liepmann more than a century ago, res... more Since the first studies on limb apraxia carried out by Hugo Liepmann more than a century ago, research interests focused on the way humans process manual gestures by assessing gesture production after patients suffered neurologic deficits. Recent reviews centered their attention on deficits in gesture imitation or processing object-related gestures, namely pantomimes and transitive gestures, thereby neglecting communicative/intransitive gestures. This review will attempt to reconcile limb apraxia in its entirety. To this end, the existing cognitive models of praxis processing that have been designed to account for the complexity of this disorder will be taken into account, with an attempt to integrate in these models the latest findings in the studies of limb apraxia, in particular on meaningful gestures. Finally, this overview questions the very nature of limb apraxia when other cognitive deficits are observed.
Perspectives on Language Learning and Education, 2012
In this paper, we will explore the relationship between gesture and language in autism spectrum d... more In this paper, we will explore the relationship between gesture and language in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Gesture and speech have been shown to share the same neural substrates, and it has been proposed that speech evolved over time from a gestural repertoire. Simultaneously, research in gesture and language has shown that gesture plays a critical role in language development, and a gestural disturbance may be a predictor of future language development. Individuals with autism often present with imitation deficits, developmental dyspraxia, and deficits in motor coordination. Taken together, these deficits pose challenges to the speech-language pathologist providing therapy to these clients. If gesture is indeed critical to language development, and individuals with ASD demonstrate gestural deficits, new therapies are needed to bridge this gap. We will describe an innovative battery of tasks assessing gesture and discuss future gestural intervention.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2007
Nineteen people with Asperger syndrome (AS)/High-Functioning Autism (HFA) (ages 7-15) were tested... more Nineteen people with Asperger syndrome (AS)/High-Functioning Autism (HFA) (ages 7-15) were tested on imitation of two types of meaningless gesture: hand postures and finger positions. The individuals with AS/HFA achieved lower scores in the imitation of both hand and finger positions relative to a matched neurotypical group. The between-group difference was primarily accounted for by performance on a test of visual motor integration, together with a hand imitation deficit which was specifically due to errors in body part orientation. Our findings implicate both visuomotor processes (Damasio & Maurer, 1978) and self-other mapping (Rogers & Pennington, 1991) in ASD imitation deficits. Following Goldenberg (1999), we propose that difficulties with body part orientation may underlie problems in meaningless gesture imitation.
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by a 'triad of impairments' in the ... more Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by a 'triad of impairments' in the areas of social interaction; language and communication; and restrictive, repetitive, and stereotypical patterns of behavior (American Psychiatric Society, DSM-IV, 1994). The DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for autism (1994) was the end result of an international collaboration of both research and clinical institutions across twenty-one different sites, and included the evaluation of almost 1,000 cases of autism (Volkmar, Klin, & Cohen, 1997). In this new classification, autistic disorder was included under the general category of PDD or Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Five categories are currently listed under the PDD umbrella: Autistic Disorder (AD); Asperger Syndrome (AS); Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS); Rett Syndrome; and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. For accurate diagnosis of autism (DSM-IV 299.0), a total of at least six items from the three major groups are required; two of the criteria for social interaction (group 1), one from impaired communication (group 2) and one from restricted interests or repetitive behaviours (group 3). Also, "a delay or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years: (1) social interaction, (2) language as used in social communication, or (3) symbolic or imaginative play" (DSM-IV cited in Volkmar et al., 1997, p. 28) must be documented. The World Health Organisation's (WHO) 10 th Edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) is the second major classification system of diagnosis. The ICD-10 and the DSM-IV diagnostic classification systems are closely related according to 'legal convention' (Volkmar et al., 1997). However, there are differences Society reports that autism is "touching the lives of 500,000 families throughout the UK" (National Autistic Society, 2004). According to recent estimates, one in 100 children is reportedly affected by the disability in the UK alone (Baird, Simonoff, Pickles, Chandler, Loucas, Meldrum, & Charman, 2006). In 2000, the average ASD prevalence rate was 6.7 per 1,000 children (at 6 different sites) and in 2002, 6.6 per 1,000 children (at 14 different sites). In 2004, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) found that the prevalence rates were between 2 and 6 per 1,000 children. Therefore, using the higher rate, it was reported that up to 1 in 166 children are on the autism spectrum. In 2007, the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (part of the CDC) reported that the figure had risen to 1 in 150 children (ADDM, 2007). More than 1.5 million Americans are considered to be on the autism spectrum (Center for Disease Control Prevention, 2007). 2.1.4 Gestural Impairments within DSM-IV Diagnosis Autism is a developmental disability that affects not only the individual, but the entire family, and its impact on the family unit cannot be underestimated (National Research Council, 2001). One of the greatest sources of communication difficulty families and caregivers face when dealing with preverbal autistic children is that they do not compensate for their language deficit through the use of functional gestures, failing to spontaneously use conventional gestures to make their needs known (Wetherby, Prizant, & Hutchinson, 1998; Woods & Wetherby, 2003). Since the time of Kanner, gestural impairments in autism have been reported. Kanner (1943) published this description of a child from his original research, "Her expression was blank, though not unintelligent, and there was no communicative gestures" (p. 240). Curcio (1978) reported that children with autism did not use any pointing or showing gestures and stated that this performance was striking
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2006
Neurotransmitters are thought to be released as quanta, where synaptic vesicles deliver packets o... more Neurotransmitters are thought to be released as quanta, where synaptic vesicles deliver packets of neurotransmitter to the synaptic cleft by fusion with the plasma membrane. However, synaptic vesicles may undergo incomplete fusion. ...
In this study, the relationship between gesture recognition and imitation was explored. Nineteen ... more In this study, the relationship between gesture recognition and imitation was explored. Nineteen individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were compared to a control group of 23 typically developing children on their ability to imitate and recognize three gesture types (transitive, intransitive, and pantomimes). The ASD group performed more poorly than controls on all tasks of recognition and imitation. Higher performance on tests of working memory was associated with increased odds of successful imitation in both groups. Group differences remained even when working memory was statistically controlled for. An association was revealed in the ASD group between pantomime recognition and imitation but a similar association was not identified for intransitive gestures suggesting that recognition alone is not sufficient for imitation success.