A Driver Training Program Intervention for Student Drivers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multi-site Randomised Controlled Trial.

The purpose of this multi-site randomised controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Driving Training Program, an intervention designed for student drivers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants were 72 student drivers with ASD (ages 16-31) who were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Student drivers received ten driving lessons with a professional driving instructor via a standardised driving route.

A twelve-month follow-up of an information communication technology delivered intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder living in regional Australia.

This study investigated the long-term follow-up of an information communication techonology based intervention, the Therapeutic Outcomes By You application, for children with autism spectrum disorder living in regional Australia. Fifteen participants who completed a three-month randomised controlled trial of the Therapeutic Outcomes By You were assessed at least 12 months post-intervention to determine the maintenance or continued improvement of their language and social communication skills. Findings demonstrate the receptive language, social skills, pragmatic language and playfulness of children with autism spectrum disorder improved during the three-month intervention period and were maintained at least 12 months after ceasing the Therapeutic Outcomes By You app intervention.

Independent Community Mobility and Driving Experiences of Adults on the Autism Spectrum: A Scoping Review.

Importance: Autistic adults face decreased community participation for employment, education, and social activities plus barriers to driving and transportation. However, little is known about their experiences of moving around community environments.

Objective: To explore contextual issues and experiences of independent community mobility and driving for autistic adults and to determine the modes of community mobility, regions studied, and methodologies used.

Developing community mobility and driving with youth on the autism spectrum: A psychosocial perspective.

Background: Youth on the autism spectrum face particular challenges with community mobility and driving, contributing to reduced community participation. Skill development may be uniquely shaped by complex interactions between autistic traits, psychosocial influences and community environments. Research to guide occupational therapy practice is sparse.

Evaluating the effectiveness of an autism-specific public transport app for individuals on the autism spectrum: a pilot study.

Purpose: Autism is characterised by differences in social skills, limited communication abilities and repetitive behaviour, which often result in increased reliance on other people. Transportation is but one task that is commonly burdened on family members. Public transport is an inexpensive and widely available form of travel which facilitates independence.

"In Their Own Time": Parents Gently Push Their Autistic Youth Towards Independent Community Mobility and Participation.

Autistic adults have decreased independence in community mobility and driving, which is associated with decreased participation in work, education and community participation. This is the first exploration of the development of community mobility, driving and participation skills over adolescence and emerging adulthood. Interviews with 15 mothers of autistic youth, capable of independence, were qualitatively analysed using grounded theory.

Effect of Visual Information on Postural Control in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Visual information is crucial for postural control. Visual processing in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was hypothesized to be less efficient and thus they would display a less stable standing posture than typically developing children. The present study compared the static standing responses and attentional demands of 15 children with ASD and 18 control participants in conditions of eyes open and eyes closed.

Public transport planning tool for users on the autism spectrum: from concept to prototype.

Purpose: This research explored the challenges of public transport use for individuals on the autism spectrum. It, subsequently, proposed a mobile application solution, coproduced by individuals on the autism spectrum, to facilitate public transport use.

Methods: We, first, conducted a review of the literature to highlight the challenges people on the autism spectrum face when utilizing public transport.

Appropriateness of the TOBY Application, an iPad Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Thematic Approach.

This study aimed to explore the appropriateness of an ICT intervention, the Therapeutic Outcomes by You application (TOBY app), from the perspectives of the parents. Parental experiences of twenty-four parents of a child with ASD who had participated in a three-month trial using the TOBY app were collected using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted and themes were mapped against an appropriateness framework.

Postural control adaptation to optic flow in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Sensory reweighting is important for humans to flexibly up-weigh and down-weigh sensory information in dynamic environments. There is an element of time involved in the sensory reweighting process. A longer time spent on sensory reweighting may increase the destabilizing effect of postural control.

Effect of Optic Flow on Postural Control in Children and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been associated with sensorimotor difficulties, commonly presented by poor postural control. Postural control is necessary for all motor behaviors. However, findings concerning the effect of visual motion on postural control and the age progression of postural control in individuals with ASD are inconsistent.

Scoping Review of the Driving Behaviour of and Driver Training Programs for People on the Autism Spectrum.

Gaining a driver's licence represents increased independence and can lead to improved quality of life for individuals and their families. Learning to drive a motor vehicle and maintaining safe on-road skills are often more difficult for people on the autism spectrum. Many countries currently have no autism-specific licencing requirements for learner drivers, and there is a general lack of ASD-specific support and training packages for individuals, their families, and driving instructors.

A Randomised Controlled Trial of an Information Communication Technology Delivered Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Living in Regional Australia.

This exploratory randomised controlled trial tested the effectiveness of a tablet-based information communication technology early intervention application to augment existing therapy with the aim of improving visual motor, imitation, language and social skills in young children with ASD who reside in regional areas. Fifty-nine participants were recruited and randomised to either a therapy-as-usual group or intervention group. With the exception of the expressive language subscale on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning, no significant between-group differences were recorded for visual motor, imitation, receptive language and social skills of participants between baseline and post-intervention.

Effect of Visual Information on Postural Control in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Sensory processing difficulties affect the development of sensorimotor skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the effect of sensory information on postural control is unclear in the ASD adult population. The present study examined the effect of visual information on postural control as well as the attentional demands associated with postural control in fourteen adults with ASD and seventeen typically developed adults.

Towards unpacking older drivers' visual-motor coordination: A gaze-based integrated driving assessment.

Visual information for a driver is predominant during driving. Linking drivers' visual search patterns with motor behaviour helps understand how drivers perceived spatial and hazardous information to regulate their physical movements. Visual-motor coordination performance can be a sensitive indicator for driver competency assessment.

Investigating cognitive ability and self-reported driving performance of post-stroke adults in a driving simulator.

Background Safe driving is a complex activity that requires calibration. This means the driver can accurately assess the level of task demand required for task completion and can accurately evaluate their driving capability. There is much debate on the calibration ability of post-stroke drivers.

Investigating the driving performance of drivers with and without autism spectrum disorders under complex driving conditions.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the driving performance of drivers with autism spectrum disorders under complex driving conditions.

Method: Seventeen drivers with autism spectrum disorders and 18 typically developed drivers participated in a driving simulator trial. Prior to the assessment, participants completed the Driving Behaviour Questionnaire and measurements of cognitive and visual-motor ability.

Parent-Mediated Intervention Training Delivered Remotely for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Living Outside of Urban Areas: Systematic Review.

Background: Parent training programs for families living outside of urban areas can be used to improve the social behavior and communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, no review has been conducted to investigate these programs.

Objective: The aim of this study was to (1) systematically review the existing evidence presented by studies on parent-mediated intervention training, delivered remotely for parents having children with ASD and living outside of urban areas; (2) provide an overview of current parent training interventions used with this population; (3) and provide an overview of the method of delivery of the parent training interventions used with this population.

Median nerve mobilization techniques in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome: A systematic review.

Study Design: Systematic review.

Introduction: Median nerve mobilization is one of the interventions used in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, it is uncertain how many types of mobilization techniques are described in the current literature or the relative effectiveness of these techniques in treating CTS.

Driving Behaviour Profile of Drivers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The symptomatology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can make driving risky, but little is known about the on-road driving behaviour of individuals with ASD. This study assessed and compared the on-road driving performance of drivers with and without ASD, and explored how the symptomatology of ASD hinders or facilitates on-road driving performance. Sixteen drivers with ASD and 21 typically-developed drivers participated in the study.

Assessing Cognitive Ability and Simulator-Based Driving Performance in Poststroke Adults.

Driving is an important activity of daily living, which is increasingly relied upon as the population ages. It has been well-established that cognitive processes decline following a stroke and these processes may influence driving performance. There is much debate on the use of off-road neurological assessments and driving simulators as tools to predict driving performance; however, the majority of research uses unlicensed poststroke drivers, making the comparability of poststroke adults to that of a control group difficult.

Developing Agentic Learners for 21st Century Practice: A Pedagogic Approach in Occupational Therapy.

In this paper, an approach to teaching occupational therapy students how to create orthoses, whilst at the same time developing higher-order critical thinking, reflective, and clinical reasoning skills is described. The scaffolded nature of the learning activities, incorporating Kolb's reflective learning cycle, was used to support students' capacity for clinical reasoning and better prepare them for clinical placement. The peer-assessment element was also designed to support the experiential learning by allowing students to test their evaluation of hand orthoses, compare their assessment with an expert's, and identify areas for improvement.

The effect of the global positioning system on the driving performance of people with mild Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: The initial symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) include attention deficits, memory loss and deficiencies in topographic and spatial orientation. People with AD may have way-finding difficulties in driving due to the deterioration of their navigation ability. Although the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been proven to be a useful aid for older people in driving, there is no evidence to suggest that the benefit could extend to drivers with AD.

Viewpoints on driving of individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder.

Objective: Understanding the viewpoints of drivers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is crucial in the development of mobility support and driver training that is responsive to their needs.

Methods: Fifty young adults with ASD and fifty seven typically developed adults participated in the study to form a contrasting group. Q-methodology was used to understand viewpoints on driving as a main mode of transportation.

Post-stroke driving: examining the effect of executive dysfunction.

Introduction: Executive dysfunction can refer to both neurocognitive deficits and behavioral symptoms that include impaired judgment, slow decision making, disorganization, impulsiveness, and risk-taking behaviors. Executive dysfunction is relatively common in the post-stroke population but is often undetected. The impact of executive dysfunction on post-stroke driving is unclear but it may pose a risk to affected drivers and other road users.