Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Autism: How Developmental Psychology Can Inform Practice. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
6 pages in length. Developmental psychology has long served to bridge the gap between knowledge and application when certain aspects of both are missing from a strictly medical perspective. Better understanding how to attain the right fit between autistic children and their individual abilities to learn, communicate and develop interpersonal skills has been magnified through such psychological concepts as theory of mind, executive dysfunction, central coherence and early transactions. Bibliography lists 12 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: LM1_TLCautismdevpsy.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
right fit between autistic children and their individual abilities to learn, communicate and develop interpersonal skills has been magnified through such psychological concepts as theory of mind, executive dysfunction, central
coherence and early transactions (Wood et al, 2006). Children learn a plethora of interpersonal cues between the ages of two and four that
ultimately allow them to understand subtle, often unspoken signals that play a significant role in how people communicate. Autism robs children of the ability to differentiate - or even
realize - these signs that can come in the form of sarcasm, metaphors, glances or facial expressions. This capacity to understand such nuances inherent to the human species is
called theory of mind, a concept autistic children inherently lack yet have been taught to some degree. In essence, they are trained to recognize and respond as a way
of establishing "mind reading" skills associated with such otherwise undetectable cues which in turn allows them to carry on consistent and coherent conversations, appropriately change the subject, listen attentively and
ask meaningful questions within the context of the dialog. False-Belief tasks were used to establish a baseline of response both prior to and after the training sessions, with results
being virtually the same (Chin et al, 2000). Theory of mind, the ability to attribute mental states to self and others in order to understand and predict behavior, is
an area of weakness for individuals across the autism spectrum...While the peak in theory of mind development occurs in typical children from the age of 3 to 4, mental state
understanding in individuals within the spectrum often continues to be conspicuously absent throughout the lifespan and leads to significant social and communicative challenges (Lantz, 2002, pp. 18-25). Executive dysfunction
...