Browsing by Subject "ASD"
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Item Finding A Way: Aids To Support Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)(2017-05) WILLIAMS, JULIEAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder affecting around 1:68 children. Among other characteristics, children with ASD can be unduly sensitive to the elements in the environment, such as noise or light. Those affected have also described childhood difficulties finding their way around school. Despite the increasing numbers of children diagnosed with ASD, to date there has been little evidence-based research investigating how the environment affects them. The purpose of this exploratory experimental study was to determine whether wayfinding aids, (colored doors, colored shapes on the floor, and signage), applied in an elementary school corridor could help children with ASD find their way to a given destination with minimal assistance. This could improve their wayfinding skills and promote independence. Person-environment Fit Theory guided the research. This states that if a person is well-matched to their environment it can have a positive effect on them. A convenience sample of participants with ASD aged 8-11 (n=9) were randomly assigned to control or treatment groups. A study route was set up along part of the school corridor unfamiliar to participants. Each participant was given wayfinding instruction and shown the way to a destination before being asked to find the way on his/her own. Participants in the control group used existing cues in the environment. Participants in the treatment group used wayfinding aids applied along the route. A mixed methods approach to data collection included observation, behavioral mapping, and a post-study interview/questionnaire to find out what participants felt about their wayfinding experience and what they remembered about the route. The study found that all participants were able to find their way to the destination. This suggests that wayfinding could be used as an educational intervention to teach children with ASD how to find their way around school. Participants in the treatment group remembered more colors, shapes, and signs along the route compared to the control group. Some participants demonstrated a hypersensitivity to the environment, adversely affected by noise, light, and smell. Some participants demonstrated Weak Central Coherence, focusing on small details to help them find their way around rather than perceiving the larger environment. With further testing, it may be possible for clinicians who treat children with ASD to use wayfinding as a diagnostic tool to help them find out how children with ASD perceive their environment and what they are sensitive to in it. This is believed to be the first research study to test children with ASD in wayfinding. By documenting an evidence-based research process with children with ASD as participants, this study could act as a model for other designers and researchers to follow. It could also be replicated to determine whether the results are applicable to wayfinding in other school corridors, or other environments, used by children with ASD.Item Low voltage ride-through capability for matrix converter fed adjustable-speed Induction machine drives for industrial and wind applications.(2011-08) Prasad, RashmiThe matrix converter (MC) has been a subject of investigation since 1980, and with the rapid decline in semiconductor cost, better packaging concepts and the improvement in switching characteristics, it is now showing potential to replace the conventional dc link inverter rectifier structures. The MC finds its application wherever bidirectional power flow and controlled voltage and current in AC systems is needed and proves to be superior to its competitors when applied in certain specific environments and circumstances. Wind energy conversion systems (WECS) are also a recent growing research topic where use of MC as power electronic converter is being explored and compared to the performance of conventional voltage source based back-to-back converters. This thesis proposes to address one of the limitations of an MC, which is its ride-through capability. The proposed strategy may help to take matrix converters a step ahead in its struggle for commercialization. Ride-Through capability of an adjustable-speed drive (ASD) refers to the ability to avoid a system shut-down and thus unwanted delays in drive operation, leading to huge production losses, during short term power interruptions. In the context of wind energy systems, it refers to the grid requirement of the generating systems staying connected to the utility for a defined time during grid faults and disturbances. The ride-through behavior of the system with an MC is a challenging task, because of the absence of storage elements. Due to the direct connection between the grid and the generator/motor drives, any disturbance at the utility grid is immediately reflected on the machine behavior. The thesis comes up with a novel strategy to enhance the ride-through duration and achieve minimum possible flux deviation in the drive operation, during the voltage sag period, allowing minimum transients during power system restoration. With hysteretic control on the magnitude of motor current, the strategy comprises of keeping the motor continuously operating through a combination of input voltage vector application, aligned in the flux direction and zero vector application, along with discontinuation of MC switches. The strategy has been verified through simulation done in Matlab/Simulink. The ride-through behavior has been analyzed in integration with a wind energy system and various kinds of under voltage faults studied with different sag magnitudes for industrial applications. Ongoing research is aimed at improving the strategy based on experimental verification using laboratory prototype.Item Predicting Vocational Rehabilitation Employment Outcomes for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder(2015-08) Nye-Lengerman, KellyAbstract Employment is a mechanism for individuals with and without disabilities to participate in and benefit from the full social and economic benefits of community living. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disability, are often socially and systematically prevented from full participation in the workforce. Individuals with ASD experience high rates of unemployment and low rates of workforce participation. Despite significant federal and state investment in employment services and supports for individuals with ASD and other disabilities, we understand very little about what programs and services produce successful employment outcomes. State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) programs provide a critical gateway between individuals with ASD and employment opportunities. Using extant data from the Rehabilitation Service Administration (RSA) from fiscal year 2013, this study examined how ASD impairment type influences access to VR services, which VR services lead to case closure in integrated employment, and which services yield significant changes in earnings and hours worked. Findings indicate that a number of demographic and services factors are associated with improved employment outcomes. An individual’s ability to access specific types of VR services can influence their trajectory within the VR program and subsequent outcomes. VR’s job-related services yielded improved employment outcomes for individuals with ASD compared to administrative services. Keywords: Autism, ASD, vocational rehabilitation, employment, disability