Psychology 493 (W): Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Spring 2013
Classes: MW 10:20pm-11:40pm
Room: 120 Psychology Building
PROFESSOR
Brooke Ingersoll, Ph.D.
OFFICE
105B Psychology Building
TEACHING ASSISTANT
Ivan Wu
OFFICE
26 Psychology Building
OFFICE HOURS
Mon: 12:00-1:30
and by appt.
OFFICE HOURS
Thurs: 3:00-5:00
and by appt.
CONTACT
Email: ingers19@msu.edu
Phone: 517-432-8412
CONTACT
Email: ivanhcwu@gmail.com
Required Readings:
1) You are required to read 2-4 peer-reviewed articles and chapters per week. These readings are available on
Desire2Learn.
2) You are also required to read a book that provides a personal account of living with autism. You are expected to
purchase this book on your own. Amazon.com carries these books at a reduced cost. You may choose any of the
following books:
Books written by a parent of an individual with autism:
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The Siege: The first eight years of an autistic child (1967) by Clara Parks
There’s a boy in here: A mother and her son tell the story of his emergence from autism (1992) by Judy and Sean
Barron
Eating an Artichoke: A Mother's Perspective on Asperger Syndrome (2000) by Echo Fling
Books written by individuals with autism
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Thinking in pictures and other reports from my life with autism (1995) by Temple Grandin
Nobody nowhere: The extraordinary autobiography of an autistic (1992) by Donna Williams
Supplemental Materials:
I have placed a number of additional articles, websites, news stories, and videos on D2L under Supplemental Materials.
These materials are meant to enhance your understanding of the concepts covered in class as well as to present
additional perspectives on some of the more controversial issues in the field of ASD. I strongly encourage you to view
them and discuss them in class along with the required readings.
Course Description: This course is designed to help you develop and apply critical reading and scientific writing skills to
the field of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This course will review current research on the behavioral and biological
characteristics of children with autism, the etiology and course of the disorder over the lifespan, the development of
effective interventions, and the experience of individuals living with the disorder. In discussing current research in
autism, this class will illustrate important issues in developmental psychopathology (e.g., the interplay between
biological factors and social experiences; how knowledge of typical development informs the understanding of the
etiology and course of autism), concepts from different domains of psychology (e.g., social, cognitive, neuroscience),
and introduce students to a range of psychological methods including cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental
studies.
Course Objectives: The specific objectives of this course are for you to develop:
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An understanding of the diagnosis, assessment, and epidemiology of ASD.
Knowledge of the core features and early identification of ASD.
An understanding of the leading theoretical perspectives and genetics of ASD.
Familiarity with different treatment approaches for children with ASD.
An appreciation for the perspectives of individuals with ASD and their families.
Critical reading skills through critiquing original research studies in the field of ASD.
Scientific writing skills by writing an APA-style literature review on a relevant topic in ASD.
Contacting me: Your TA and I are here to help you master the course material. I encourage to you to stop by either of
our offices during office hours to get clarification on material presented in class to get additional information about
topics we have (or have not) covered in class that interest you. If you cannot make office hours or need a longer time to
talk, you can make an appointment to meet at another time. You can also reach us by email. If you don’t hear back
from us within 2 days, please email us again.
Course Format: This course will cover a significant amount of material, most of which will be new to you. The class
format will be a combination of lecture, discussion, and activities designed to acquaint you with important topics in
ASD. This course does not use a textbook. The course readings are all original source journal articles and book
chapters. My lectures will cover the most important and more difficult concepts related to the reading assignments.
However, I will NOT review all of the important information that is presented in the assigned articles. Since I will not
cover all of the material in the assigned reading, it is your responsibility to let me know what material you are struggling
with so that we can discuss it during class. My lectures will also introduce a significant amount of new material not
covered in the readings. I will post copies of the lecture slides on D2L after class. These lecture notes are designed to
help you focus your note taking on the most relevant concepts. They do not include enough information for you to
understand the material if are not present. Thus, in order to do well in this class, you will need to attend all lectures and
complete all reading assignments. In order to make the most out of class discussions, you must have read and be
prepared to discuss the assigned readings before class. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to make up the
material.
Grading: Your final grade in this course will be based on the following 4 components.
Assignments
Reaction Papers
Literature Review
Midterm
Final Exam
Class Participation
% of Final Grade
10%
35%
25%
25%
5%
Literature Review: You will be required to write an 8-10 page literature review on a topic about autism that interests
you. Your literature review will be worth 35% of your final grade. This paper will be completed in 4 stages.
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Topic & Reference List: You will turn in a summary of your research topic and an initial supporting reference list
containing at least 5 scholarly articles that your will review in your paper. The summary should be several
sentences that describe what you plan to research and write your paper on. Your reference list should be
written in APA style. This portion of your assignment is due on 1/30/13 and will be worth 5% of your literature
review.
Outline: You will turn in an outline of your paper. This outline should include a summary of the articles that
you will review and should be laid out in argument form. This portion of your assignment is due on 2/25/13 and
will be worth 5% of your literature review.
Rough Draft: You will turn in a draft of your literature review on 3/20/13. The goal of this draft is to receive
feedback from the instructor and TA that you should incorporate into your final draft. The draft will be worth
25% of your literature review.
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Final Draft: You will turn in the final draft of your literature on 4/15/13. You will also need to turn in your first
draft with the instructor and/or TA’s editorial comments, so be sure to keep your first draft. The final draft of
your literature review will be worth 65% of your literature review grade.
More information on the Literature Review can be found here.
Reaction Papers: You will be required to complete a reaction paper based on your selected book on a personal account
of living with autism. This assignment is designed to help you develop a deeper appreciation of the experiences of
individuals living with an autism spectrum disorder, as well as to apply the information that you learn in class to an
individual with an autism spectrum disorder. For this assignment, you will be given a set of questions to discuss in your
paper. Your reaction papers should be should be 2-3 pages long and will be worth 5% of your final grade.
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Paper 1: The first paper will require you to relate your knowledge of the diagnostic process, characteristics of
autism, and leading theories of autism to the individual with autism described in your book. This paper is
due 3/11/13.
Paper 2: The second paper will require you to relate your knowledge of intervention techniques, adult
outcomes, and family experiences to the individual described in your book. This paper is due 4/22/13.
More information on the Reaction Papers can be found here.
Exams: There will be a midterm and non-cumulative final exam, each worth 25% of your final grade. These exams will
consist of multiple choice and short answer questions covering material from the assigned articles and lecture. Exams
must be taken on the dates indicated. Early and late exams will not be given except under very special circumstances. If
you are sick and miss an exam, you may make it up only if you provide me with a doctor’s note.
Class Participation: You will be expected to participate in class discussions. In addition, we will have two class periods
(3/11/13 & 4/22/13) set aside to engage in more lengthy discussions of the material to encourage you to think more
deeply about some of the controversial issues in the field of ASD and to help you prepare for the exams. I will
periodically ask you to write a brief essay (1-2 paragraphs) on topics covered in the reading and class to facilitate
discussion and to help me assess your understanding of the material. Active participation in class discussion and
completion of the in-class writing assignments will count for 5% of your final grade.
Grading: The percentage cut-offs for particular letter grades are:
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90% - 100% = 4.0
85% - 89% = 3.5
80% - 84% = 3.0
75% - 79% = 2.5
70% - 74% = 2.0
65% - 69% = 1.5
60% - 64% = 1.0
<60% = 0.
Extra Credit: There will be no extra credit offered for this course.
Deadlines and Extensions: Assignment deadlines are listed in the syllabus. Points will be deducted for late papers
(those handed in after class has started the day due). Note that extensions will be discouraged and will be granted only
in unusual --and well-documented-- circumstances. Please keep in mind that in requesting an extension, you are putting
me in the position of having to judge whether your situation is more valid or serious than that of other students who
also have difficult circumstances but may not have requested an extension. Fairness to all is very hard to achieve. For
this reason, I do not like to grant extensions. You are encouraged to plan ahead and work on each assignment in such a
way that you do not expose yourself to the risk of last-minute emergencies. If the term paper is handed in late you may
receive an incomplete for the course, because of the tight schedule to grade papers and then final exams so as to turn in
final grades.
Written assignments must be handed in at the beginning of class on the due date or before. They may NOT be
emailed. If you are late (e.g., middle of class), the TA will mark this fact and points will be deducted accordingly. The
more late it is, the more points will be deducted. To be fair to all students, it is best if all papers are on time and graded
together.
Citing Sources, Avoiding Plagiarism, Academic Honesty Policy: Plagiarism means (1) that you copy someone else's
exact words without indicating by quote marks that it is a quote (even if you cite the author, it is still plagiarism to take
the exact words without quoting) or (2) that you take someone else's exact idea without giving them any credit for it. In
using sources for this paper, you must avoid plagiarizing. Plagiarism is a "felony" in the academic world--it can get you
severe sanctions in the university, including expulsion. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and if detected on a paper will
result in an automatic grade of zero points on that paper. Whether you plagiarize by 'accident' (unwittingly) or
intentionally, the penalty will be the same. Instead, in using sources for the papers, summarize and paraphrase the
material from the sources. If you are in doubt about whether what you have done may be plagiarism, either meet with
the instructor or TA to look at your work, or indicate the questionable text (e.g., by placing it in a different font with a
cover note accompanying your paper pointing out the source material you are using) and we will be glad to give you
pointers on how to properly paraphrase and use sources of this nature, without penalty. Here is additional information
on How and When to Cite Other People's Work.
Academic Honesty: Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that "The student shares with the faculty the
responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards." In addition, the
Department of Psychology adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations
1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance
17.00, Examinations. See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource
Guide (http://www.vps.msu.edu/SpLife/index.htm) and/or the MSU Web site:http://www.msu.edu.
Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, you are expected to complete all course assignments, including
homework, lab work, quizzes, tests and exams, without assistance from any source. You are not authorized to use the
www.allmsu.com Web site to complete any work for this course. Students who violate MSU rules may receive a penalty
grade, including but not limited to a failing grade on the assignment or in the course itself.
Special accommodations: Students with disabilities should contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to
establish reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a disability specialist, call 353-9642 (voice), 355-1293
(TTY), or visit MyProfile.rcpd.msu.edu.
The following is a tentative schedule for the class. I reserve the right to change it to best meet the needs of the class.
Date
Topic
Introduction/History of
7-Jan Autism
9-Jan Diagnostic Criteria
Diagnostic Criteria
14-Jan
Assessment of ASD
16-Jan
21-Jan MLK Day - NO CLASS
Epidemiology
23-Jan
28-Jan Social Communication
Required Reading
Supplemental Material
Kanner (1943); Film:
Refrigerator Mothers
Video Glossary (Behaviors)
CBS Interview with Dr. Lord
Lord & Jones (2012)
NY Times article; AANE
Position; DSM-V
Workgroup Commentary
Huerta & Lord (2012); Lord M-CHAT Screener
et al. (2006)
Fombonne (2009); Gerber NIMH Commentary; News
& Offit (2009)
Report on MMR Fraud
Carter et al.
Assignments Due
Impairments
Social Communication
30-Jan Impairments
Restricted Interests &
6-Feb Repetitive Behaviors
11-Feb Early Identification
Early Identification
(2005); Dawson et al.
(2004)
Tager-Flusberg (2011)
Topic & Reference List
Bodfish (2011)
Rogers (2009)
Ozonoff et al. (2010)
13-Feb
18-Feb Cognitive Theories of ASD
Lind & Williams (2011)
20-Feb Neurological Theories of ASD Pelphrey et al. (2011)
25-Feb Neurological Theories of ASD Dalpretto et al. (2006)
Devlin & Scherer
Genetics of ASD
(2012); Gerdts & Bernier
27-Feb
(2011)
4-Mar Spring Break – NO CLASS
6-Mar Spring Break – NO CLASS
11-Mar Catch-up & Discussion
Happe (2006)
13-Mar Midterm
National Research Council
Treatment of ASD
18-Mar
(2001)
Comprehensive
Rogers & Vismara (2008)
20-Mar Interventions
Comprehensive
Dawson et al. (2010)
25-Mar Interventions
Kasari et al. (2006); Yoder
Focused Interventions
27-Mar
& Stone (2006)
1-Apr Focused Interventions
Laugeson et al. (2012)
Hyman & Levy
Controversial Treatments
3-Apr
(2011); Stokstad (2008)
8-Apr Adult Outcomes
Howlin & Moss (2012)
10-Apr Family Perspectives
Meadan et al. (2010)
15-Apr Parent Panel
Hastings et al. (2005)
Web Forum - Aspies for
Personal Perspectives
17-Apr
Freedom
22-Apr Catch-up & Discussion
24-Apr Final Exam
CBS Interview with Dr.
Ozonoff
Eyes Test
Outline
AQ test
Reaction Paper 1
Video Glossary (Treatments)
Rough Draft
NCSL Insurance Report
NPDC Evidence-based
Practices
CNN Interview with Jenny
McCarthy
Final Draft
Film: Loving Lampposts
Reaction Paper 2