Pedro Vital - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Pedro Vital

Research paper thumbnail of A Systematic Review of Social Maintenance Behavior Outcomes of Interactive Social Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Feb 9, 2021

A large and varied evidence base supporting the efficacy of social therapies to improve the socia... more A large and varied evidence base supporting the efficacy of social therapies to improve the social behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) does not permit a clear understanding of which specific types of social behavior are improved by specific social therapies. Social maintenance behaviors function to form and sustain relationships, which has been associated with a reduction in negative social experiences in children with ASD. The present systematic review investigates the effectiveness of interactive social therapy in increasing these specific behaviors in this population. A systematic search of PsycArticles, Medline, Education Resources Information Centre, Child Development and Adolescent Studies, and Scopus databases identified 18 articles as relevant for inclusion. The extant evidence suggests that interactive social therapies are effective in increasing social maintenance behaviors in children with ASD. Explicit targeting of these behaviors and inclusion of reinforcement are highlighted as potentially active components in this regard.

Research paper thumbnail of Mature Student Recruitment to Foundation Year Provision

Mature learners are highlighted as being intrinsically motivated to attend Higher Education (HE) ... more Mature learners are highlighted as being intrinsically motivated to attend Higher Education (HE) and therefore adopt a meaningful learning approach. Consequently, mature learners are considered an important demographic and make significant contributions to the culture of HE. After the Educational Reform of 1997, the widening participation agenda increased numbers of mature learners in HE (Murphy and Roopchand, 2003). However UCAS (2017) analysis indicates that mature learner applications to HE via UCAS are in decline and the current study aimed to examine factors that have contributed to this. For this investigation, researchers adopted a pragmatic approach to research where the application of findings were at the forefront of the research. Using a focus group method, researchers explored mature learner experiences of the recruitment process. In total, five participants took part in a focus group; all were HE students studying Foundation Year Psychology at the University of Bolton. ...

Research paper thumbnail of What aspects of autism predispose to talent?

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2009

In this paper, we explore the question, why are striking special skills so much more common in au... more In this paper, we explore the question, why are striking special skills so much more common in autism spectrum conditions (ASC) than in other groups? Current cognitive accounts of ASC are briefly reviewed in relation to special skills. Difficulties in ‘theory of mind’ may contribute to originality in ASC, since individuals who do not automatically ‘read other minds’ may be better able to think outside prevailing fashions and popular theories. However, originality alone does not confer talent. Executive dysfunction has been suggested as the ‘releasing’ mechanism for special skills in ASC, but other groups with executive difficulties do not show raised incidence of talents. Detail-focused processing bias (‘weak coherence’, ‘enhanced perceptual functioning’) appears to be the most promising predisposing characteristic, or ‘starting engine’, for talent development. In support of this notion, we summarize data from a population-based twin study in which parents reported on their 8-year-o...

Research paper thumbnail of Relationship between special abilities and autistic-like traits in a large population-based sample of 8-year-olds

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2009

The raised incidence of special abilities or &amp... more The raised incidence of special abilities or 'savant skills' among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) relative to other developmental disorders suggests an association between the traits characteristic of ASD and special abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between special abilities and ASD-like traits. This study compared the scores of 6,426 8-year-olds with and without parent-reported special abilities on a screening questionnaire for ASD-like traits in three areas: social interaction, communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests. Measures of IQ, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES) were also compared. From parent report, children with special abilities showed significantly more ASD-like traits than those without such abilities. General intelligence did not mediate this relationship: IQ was found to be positively associated with ability, but negatively associated with ASD-like traits. Special abilities were more strongly associated with restricted/repetitive characteristics than with social or communication traits. Results support the association between special abilities and ASD-like traits, and expand it to traits in the general population. The type of nonsocial traits most strongly associated with parental reports of special abilities suggests a link to a feature information processing style, or 'weak central coherence'.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘They are out of control’: self‐perceptions, risk‐taking and attributional style of adolescents with SEBDs

Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of A Systematic Review of Social Maintenance Behavior Outcomes of Interactive Social Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Feb 9, 2021

A large and varied evidence base supporting the efficacy of social therapies to improve the socia... more A large and varied evidence base supporting the efficacy of social therapies to improve the social behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) does not permit a clear understanding of which specific types of social behavior are improved by specific social therapies. Social maintenance behaviors function to form and sustain relationships, which has been associated with a reduction in negative social experiences in children with ASD. The present systematic review investigates the effectiveness of interactive social therapy in increasing these specific behaviors in this population. A systematic search of PsycArticles, Medline, Education Resources Information Centre, Child Development and Adolescent Studies, and Scopus databases identified 18 articles as relevant for inclusion. The extant evidence suggests that interactive social therapies are effective in increasing social maintenance behaviors in children with ASD. Explicit targeting of these behaviors and inclusion of reinforcement are highlighted as potentially active components in this regard.

Research paper thumbnail of Mature Student Recruitment to Foundation Year Provision

Mature learners are highlighted as being intrinsically motivated to attend Higher Education (HE) ... more Mature learners are highlighted as being intrinsically motivated to attend Higher Education (HE) and therefore adopt a meaningful learning approach. Consequently, mature learners are considered an important demographic and make significant contributions to the culture of HE. After the Educational Reform of 1997, the widening participation agenda increased numbers of mature learners in HE (Murphy and Roopchand, 2003). However UCAS (2017) analysis indicates that mature learner applications to HE via UCAS are in decline and the current study aimed to examine factors that have contributed to this. For this investigation, researchers adopted a pragmatic approach to research where the application of findings were at the forefront of the research. Using a focus group method, researchers explored mature learner experiences of the recruitment process. In total, five participants took part in a focus group; all were HE students studying Foundation Year Psychology at the University of Bolton. ...

Research paper thumbnail of What aspects of autism predispose to talent?

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2009

In this paper, we explore the question, why are striking special skills so much more common in au... more In this paper, we explore the question, why are striking special skills so much more common in autism spectrum conditions (ASC) than in other groups? Current cognitive accounts of ASC are briefly reviewed in relation to special skills. Difficulties in ‘theory of mind’ may contribute to originality in ASC, since individuals who do not automatically ‘read other minds’ may be better able to think outside prevailing fashions and popular theories. However, originality alone does not confer talent. Executive dysfunction has been suggested as the ‘releasing’ mechanism for special skills in ASC, but other groups with executive difficulties do not show raised incidence of talents. Detail-focused processing bias (‘weak coherence’, ‘enhanced perceptual functioning’) appears to be the most promising predisposing characteristic, or ‘starting engine’, for talent development. In support of this notion, we summarize data from a population-based twin study in which parents reported on their 8-year-o...

Research paper thumbnail of Relationship between special abilities and autistic-like traits in a large population-based sample of 8-year-olds

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2009

The raised incidence of special abilities or &amp... more The raised incidence of special abilities or 'savant skills' among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) relative to other developmental disorders suggests an association between the traits characteristic of ASD and special abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between special abilities and ASD-like traits. This study compared the scores of 6,426 8-year-olds with and without parent-reported special abilities on a screening questionnaire for ASD-like traits in three areas: social interaction, communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests. Measures of IQ, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES) were also compared. From parent report, children with special abilities showed significantly more ASD-like traits than those without such abilities. General intelligence did not mediate this relationship: IQ was found to be positively associated with ability, but negatively associated with ASD-like traits. Special abilities were more strongly associated with restricted/repetitive characteristics than with social or communication traits. Results support the association between special abilities and ASD-like traits, and expand it to traits in the general population. The type of nonsocial traits most strongly associated with parental reports of special abilities suggests a link to a feature information processing style, or 'weak central coherence'.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘They are out of control’: self‐perceptions, risk‐taking and attributional style of adolescents with SEBDs

Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 2006