SOJ Psychology

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have emotional disorder high indices. Cognitive- emotional hypotheses differentiate between emotional experience, that people develop through their contexts interpretation and the emotional experience, which´s consequence of one’s emotion and conclude that emotional state presence is due to corporal activation and cognitive interpretation the people makes of that same physiological action, so it´s essential analyze factors that influence in emotional disturbance of children with ASD. Therefore, this investigation tries investigates, from families´ perspective, effects of personal, social, educational and health variables intersection on emotional stability changes of their offspring with ASD.

A total of 78 families of students with ASD were participated in this study, corresponding to 78 people with ASD of different diagnostic levels. Research design is based on experimental model, using an ordinal scale survey (0-5), being 0 “never”, and 5 “very often”. Data analysis was found: 1) Between-Subjects Effects Test, 2) Comparative Post-Hoc analysis to Diagnosis and Age variables, and 3) Comparative T Independent Samples Test for the Sex variable.

Results conclude the selected factors intersection decisively influences about changes in emotional disturbance levels of individuals with ASD, however factors analysis in isolation it´s necessary be important specific differentiations. Finally, study´ psycho- educational repercussions to reduce emotional stress are discussed.

Keywords: Emotional Disturbance, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cognitive- emotional.

Students with ASD present important limitations in two basic dimensions related to communication and social interaction, with differences in intensity according to three specific levels of diagnostic type, which have been defined by international classification of mental disorders DSM-5® (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). From cognitive perspective, emotional disturbance (ED) is related to anticipate physiological activation. In this sense, Schechter´ (1964) self-attribution theory differentiates between emotional experience that people perform through its interpretation of the situations and emotional experience which is consequence of one’s emotion, concluding the presence of an emotional state develop due to corporal activation and cognitive interpretation that self makes of same lived physiological action. Mandrel (1975; 1992) concur previous studies, nonetheless, provides significant important at definition of emotional state to performance of consciousness of perceived emotional experience, so that, from perceptive and cognitive disagreement, corporal activation is carried out.

Considering that people with ASD exhibit perceptive neuropsychological limitations, are supported by central cognitive theory (Happen, 1997; Happen and Frith, 2006), whose hypothesis show these individuals tend to have a reality perception which´s focused to particular aspects and perceptive inflexibility. In accordance to Northrop´ (2017) studies, it´s possible deduce that particularity leads to significant difficulties in understanding social events, as far as these deficits become increasingly complex, especially since their perception of the social world is determined by the continuous unpredictability of contexts and social interaction, which ultimately leads to confused interpretation. The empirical justification of these consequences is also determined by the executive system functioning (Wallace et al., 2016), which, for appropriate functioning, requires some flexibility and met cognition processes adaptation, however both elements are limited by cognitive-perceptive deficits of people with ASD, which, simultaneously, are associated with the depressive disorders co morbidity and difficulties in adaptive functioning in social environment.

The cognitive system´ neural interrelation throughout the information processing operation during the interactions carried out -both lived and perceived- therefore leads to immediate consequences, such as the disproportionate increase in anxiety indices (Simmons and Barceló, 2003). This intolerance and resistance to change and the events uncertainty are consubstantial to the diagnosis specific characteristics, related to the high sensory hypersensitivity of this disorder (Uljarevic, Carrington and Leek am, 2016), although it isn´t clear whether these cognitive-biological processes are analogous in individuals of neurotypical development. Research carried out by Hillocks, Pickles, Howling and Simonoff (2016) confirm that there´s a significant correlation between physiological answers and attentional deficits as predictive elements of manifest anxiety in people with ASD.

Clinton (2016) indicates that ED can be defined as a disability related to individuals´ mental health, characterized by intensive internalized persistent behaviors, such as anguish, anxiety and depression, as well as externalized behaviors, related with physical and verbal aggression or the increase of restrictive and stereotyped behaviors, which concur with significant co morbidity in people with ASD, however, nowadays, there´s little profound knowledge about relationships of ED and autism.

Mayes et al. (2017) analyze symptomatic manifestations of ED and mood in 1827 children with autism and attention and hyperactivity disorders, concluding that children´ 45% with ASD showed a significant ED, whose symptoms aren´t related to age of studies´ participants.

Newbigin, Uljarevic, Vivendi and Dissanavake (2016) explore emotional reactions, specifically related to anguish, manifested, expressed or anticipated anguish in 21 children with ASD between 8 and 12 age years. Their studies conclude there weren´t meaningful differences in prevalence of both answer prosaically performed before researcher who pretended lose clock compared to control group formed by 17 typical children. Payment and Brookshire (2018) perform a predictive study relating to reports issued by 362 mothers on ED and aggressive reactions of their children with ASD and affirm the distress reactions are associated with identity ambiguity, low social support, as well as intrinsic attributions indicated of the manifest anguish.

However, emotional deficits aren´t isolated process, but there is interaction at psychological and physiological systemic level. Prosper at al. (2017) analyze prevalence of emotional and behavioural symptoms with gastrointestinal problems and food selectivity in 163 preschoolers with ASD. Study concludes the children´s 40.5% with ASD exhibit, leastwise, one symptom of gastrointestinal difficulty or food selectivity and, when this relationship occurs, there´re sleep problems, self-injurious behaviors and anxiety consequent problems.

Auditory hyper- reactivity is particular sensory- perceptive process children´s own with ASD that interferes with behavioural adaptability. Takahshi, Komatsu, Takayuki and Kazuo (2016) probe modulation of startle acoustic reply in 17 children with ASD compared with 27 with typical development and deduce the startle acoustic answer is meaningful greater in children with ASD their typical pairs, being, moreover, more prolonged. Other exhaustive research could increase neurophysiological deficits understanding that underlie of disorder and other health problems.

Such et al (2016) verify, in fact, the 27 children with high functioning autism had higher scores in all features of Broader Autism Phenotype, less stability ED and pragmatic language deficits that 23 normotypic pairs.

Lever and Guests (2016) examine psychiatric symptoms in 344 young and adults people with ASD concluding that people´ 79% meet criteria, leastways, a psychiatric disorder once in lifetime, being most common ED: anxiety, depression and social phobia. Also, adults had fewer incidences than younger, specifically, in social type phobias, what´s, besides, adults´ common.

Indeed, different studies confirm these assertions. Magmata et al. (2016) show the anxiety scores severity is determined by symptoms intensity make up the diagnosis itself such as stereotyped behaviors and adaptive difficulties functioning in social context. Factor, Candy, Farley and Scarps (2016) conclude that, although restricted behaviours can be useful as strategies for reducing social anxiety, these are significantly related to deficits in social motivation, deriving from specific symptoms that defines diagnosis, and which, moreover, increase ritualised behaviours and difficulties in assuming changes to previously acquired routines. While, Merrick, Grieve and Cogan (2017) find significant relationships between motivational processes, maladaptive behaviors frequency and psychological impacts in people with ASD.

Before these empirical evidences, this research tries to respond to the following general aims:

1) Analyze, from family perspective, the effects of personal, social, educational and health variables intersection about changes in emotional stability of their offspring.
2) Prove the effects analysis of these variables in isolation.
3) Study possible influence of static variables: diagnosis type, age and sex on explanatory variances found.

Following alternative hypotheses have been proposed: 1) From family perspective, emotional disturbance of people with ASD is influenced by the sum of personal, social, educational and health variables, and 2) The observed emotional disturbance isn´t related to diagnosis level (ASD 1-2-3) and participants´ age or sex.

The research design is based on an empirical study of quantitative model, supported on the use of a scale survey (0- 5), being 0 “never”, and 5 “very often”, to which the families of students with ASD have answered.

A total of 78 families of students with ASD were participated in this study, corresponding to 78 people with ASD of different diagnostic levels, age and sex.

In this study, the analysis of following variables is carried out:

1. Dependent Variable (DV): Emotional Disturbance (ED), which is operationalized and defined as the sum of four observable behavior dimensions: Inattention+ Irritability + Hyperactivity + Obsession- Compulsion /4.

2. Independent Variables (IV):
- Fixed Factors:

· Diagnosis: Diagnosis level (1-2-3).
· Age: Participants age (3-18 years).
· Sex: Participants sex (man- woman).
- Co-variables:
· Pharmacological Treatment (Pharm): Adjusted attention to psycho-psychiatric and pharmacological treatment.
· Agendas with Visual Indicators or Pictograms (Agenda): Use of temporalized agendas with visual indicators of pictographic type.
· Participation in Social Groups (Social): Participation level with the peer group.
· Specifics Characteristics (Personal): Participants´ characteristics in survey.
· Organized and Anticipated Activity (Organization): The activities´ organization, anticipation level of task and continuity of routine actions without unforeseen.

Once defined concept of temporary emotional disorder (ED) and the possible influence factors, a hoc survey was made and families were asked from your perspective, When´re outbreaks of emotional disturbance into your children with ASD? Finally, answers were collected and their results analyzed.

Once defined concept of temporary emotional disorder (ED)