Analyzing Self-Efficacy and Summary Feedback in Automated Social Skills Training.

Goal: Although automated social skills training has been proposed to enhance human social skills, the following two aspects have not been adequately explored: what types of feedback are effective from virtual agents and the extent to which such systems enhance users' social self-efficacy. Methods: We developed an automated social skills trainer+ that follows human-based social skills training processes and implemented two types of feedback: 1) a summary of the displayed feedback and 2) feedback based on the results of their previous training. Using our developed system, we measured social self-efficacy, feedback evaluations, and the third-party ratings of participants between pre- and post-training as well as their social responsiveness scales. Results: Self-efficacy is significantly correlated to the social responsiveness scale (r = -0.72) and can be improved with our system (mean improvement of 0.68, p < 0.05). The participants highly rated the feedback that was compared to their past training (14 out of 16, p < 0.05) more than the cases without it and the displayed summary feedback (11 out of 16, p = 0.21) more than the verbal comments. Conclusions: Our system effectively summarized user feedback in terms of user self-efficacy and third-party ratings.

Effectiveness of a Teacher Training Program for Students with Symptoms of Developmental Disorders: Data from a Correspondence High School in Japan.

In the present study, a teacher training program based on behavioral therapy was conducted for high school correspondence course teachers of adolescents aged between 15 and 18 years who showed developmental difficulties. Participating teachers were assigned to either an immediate treatment (IT; n = 13) or delayed treatment control (DTC; n = 17) group to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, which comprised five 90-min sessions with small groups of three to six participants and was conducted over three months. The results showed significant improvement in students' behaviors and social responsiveness and in teachers' confidence among those in the IT group; however, those in the DTC group did not show any such improvement. We discuss the program's feasibility in terms of developing support resources for teachers in Japanese high schools.

Influence of Self-Esteem and Psychiatric Diagnosis on Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents with School Refusal Behavior.

BACKGROUND: School refusal behavior (SRB), which is the refusal to attend or remain in school, has been associated with emotional, psychological, and other behavioral problems, as well as a lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, the effects of self-esteem and a psychiatric diagnosis in students with SRB on HRQOL are not yet known. Understanding these relationships could help to develop more effective therapeutic interventions. METHODS: A total of 175 young people (aged 8-18 years old) who visited our medical centers and outpatient clinics participated in the study. This comprised the SRB group (n = 70) and an age- and sex-matched control group (n = 105). Information about any psychiatric diagnosis was collected from medical records, HRQOL was measured using the J-KIDSCREEN-52, SRB was assessed using the School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised for Japanese Attendance at School, self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, children's mental health status was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and social support was measured using the Oslo 3-item Social Support Scale. We performed between-group comparisons and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The SRB had a significantly lower HRQOL than the control group in several of the KIDSCREEN-52 dimensions. In the SRB group, 35.7% had chronic disease and 35.7% of their parents had health problems and were receiving treatment. The multiple regression analysis revealed that, within the SRB group, a psychiatric diagnosis was associated with a lower HRQOL. However, this was not the case for a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder. Self-esteem positively affected HRQOL in six dimensions of the KIDSCREEN-52 within the SRB group. CONCLUSION: Our results could inform the development of support strategies for young people with SRB. Namely, support that enhances self-esteem could be used to increase HRQOL in young people with SRB. Furthermore, the presence of psychiatric disorders should be assessed as early as possible.

The Self-Construal Scale: A Potential Tool for Predicting Subjective Well-Being of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Despite accumulating evidence that culture shapes the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), no studies have yet applied the Self-Construal Scale to individuals with ASD. We compared the self-construals (measured using the Self-Construal Scale) of 31 high-functioning Japanese individuals with ASD with those of 60 typically developing (TD) individuals. We also examined how the self-construals of individuals with ASD related to their intelligence quotient, adverse childhood experiences, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ASD symptoms during adulthood and preschool years, and subjective well-being. Individuals with ASD were more likely to display independent self-construals than were TD individuals; unexpectedly, however, a substantial proportion of individuals with ASD (43.8%) displayed relatively interdependent self-construals. Among individuals with ASD, self-construals were significantly associated with ASD symptoms during preschool years, and with satisfaction of the need for autonomy and frustration of the need for relatedness. Evaluating self-construals can help predict the subjective well-being of high-functioning individuals with ASD. Moreover, the Self-Construal Scale may be useful for understanding the heterogeneous phenotypes of ASD, based on its association with autistic symptoms during preschool years, suggesting that the scale is a potential tool to develop efficient interventions for high-functioning individuals with ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 947-958. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a group of disorders presenting a variety of symptoms and biological origins that can complicate choosing an intervention best suited for improving well-being. Results indicate that a self-construal scale could help understand individuals with high-functioning ASD by independent and interdependent self-construals that are associated with ASD symptoms during preschool years and adult subjective well-being. Our findings suggest that this scale can help understand ASD and select appropriate interventions.

Embodied conversational agents for multimodal automated social skills training in people with autism spectrum disorders.

Social skills training, performed by human trainers, is a well-established method for obtaining appropriate skills in social interaction. Previous work automated the process of social skills training by developing a dialogue system that teaches social communication skills through interaction with a computer avatar. Even though previous work that simulated social skills training only considered acoustic and linguistic information, human social skills trainers take into account visual and other non-verbal features. In this paper, we create and evaluate a social skills training system that closes this gap by considering the audiovisual features of the smiling ratio and the head pose (yaw and pitch). In addition, the previous system was only tested with graduate students; in this paper, we applied our system to children or young adults with autism spectrum disorders. For our experimental evaluation, we recruited 18 members from the general population and 10 people with autism spectrum disorders and gave them our proposed multimodal system to use. An experienced human social skills trainer rated the social skills of the users. We evaluated the system's effectiveness by comparing pre- and post-training scores and identified significant improvement in their social skills using our proposed multimodal system. Computer-based social skills training is useful for people who experience social difficulties. Such a system can be used by teachers, therapists, and social skills trainers for rehabilitation and the supplemental use of human-based training anywhere and anytime.

Event-Related Potentials Correlate with the Severity of Child and Adolescent Patients with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms can continue through adolescence and adulthood, including difficulty in staying focused, paying attention, and controlling behavior, as well as hyperactivity. While children and adolescents with ADHD have functional impairments at multiple dimensions, there are no objective biological indicators to assess the severity of ADHD. Event-related potentials (ERPs) are widely used as a noninvasive method for evaluating sensory and cognitive processes involved in attention tasks. Previous studies have shown that P300 amplitude or latency, a main component in ERPs, is altered in patients with ADHD. However, little is known about the relationship between P300 and the severity of ADHD symptoms. METHOD: We sought to measure both P300 amplitude and latency in ERPs during auditory oddball tasks in 44 patients with ADHD (mean age ± SD 10.28 ± 3.43 years) and 15 age- and gender-matched normally developing children (11.40 ± 3.02 years). In ADHD patients, we also assessed symptom severity using the ADHD rating scale-IV-Japanese version. RESULT: In ADHD groups, P300 amplitude and latency were attenuated and prolonged compared to controls at the frontocentral, centroparietal, and parietal positions. Furthermore, levels of P300 latency at these positions are positively correlated with the inattention subscale scores measured by the ADHD rating scale-IV-Japanese version. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that the degree of P300 latency might reflect the severity of ADHD symptoms with children and adolescents, suggesting that ERPs are a useful technique to evaluate the severity of ADHD symptoms.

Reliability and validity of Japanese versions of KIDSCREEN-27 and KIDSCREEN-10 questionnaires.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of Japanese versions of the KIDSCREEN-27 (J-KIDSCREEN-27) and KIDSCREEN-10 (J-KIDSCREEN-10) questionnaires, which are shorter versions of the KIDSCREEN-52 (J-KIDSCREEN-52). METHODS: The present analyses are based on a pre-existing dataset of the J-KIDSCREEN-52 validation study, including 1564 children and adolescents aged 8-18 years and their 1326 parents. All were asked to complete the J-KIDSCREEN and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) questionnaires. Test-retest reliability was assessed with Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) in a one-way random effects model, and internal consistency reliability was measured using Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Agreement between child and parent scores was evaluated using ICCs in a two-way mixed effects model. To assess concurrent validity, a sub-sample of 535 parents evaluated their child's mental health status using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). RESULTS: For children, test-retest ICCs were ≥0.60 and Cronbach's alpha ≥0.70 for every dimension of both instruments. Correlations of corresponding dimensions between the J-KIDSCREEN-27 or -10 and the PedsQL were acceptable. For parents, test-retest ICCs were ≥0.60, Cronbach's alpha ≥0.70, and ICCs between child and parent scores ≥0.41 in every dimension of both instruments. In multivariate logistic regression models, after adjusting for confounders, lower health-related QOL in every dimension of both instruments, except Physical Well-being, was significantly associated with higher odds ratios for borderline and clinical ranges of the SDQ. CONCLUSION: The child/adolescent and parent/proxy versions of the J-KIDSCREEN-27 and J-KIDSCREEN-10 demonstrated acceptable levels of reliability and validity.

[Psycho-social Treatment for Developmental Disorders -Parent and Social Skills Training-].

As one of the treatments for developmental disorders, psychosocial treatment has attracted attention. Because of the advances in support for children and adults with develop- mental disorders in terms of health, education, and welfare, comprehensive and long-term treatment may have become demanded along with medical treatment, called the spread of medication therapy for ADHD. I introduced our investigation with the child psychiatric practice organization after having spoken about the trend in support for developmental disorders in Japan in this report. Next, parent training (PT) and social skills training (SST), recommended by both domestic and foreign diagnosis treatment guidelines, gave an outline and particularly emphasized the need for a basic platform of PT. Furthermore, I suggested the aim of psychosocial treatment after having given examples of environmental adjustment at home, at school, and in the workplace.

Automated social skills training with audiovisual information.

People with social communication difficulties tend to have superior skills using computers, and as a result computer-based social skills training systems are flourishing. Social skills training, performed by human trainers, is a well-established method to obtain appropriate skills in social interaction. Previous works have attempted to automate one or several parts of social skills training through human-computer interaction. However, while previous work on simulating social skills training considered only acoustic and linguistic features, human social skills trainers take into account visual features (e.g. facial expression, posture). In this paper, we create and evaluate a social skills training system that closes this gap by considering audiovisual features regarding ratio of smiling, yaw, and pitch. An experimental evaluation measures the difference in effectiveness of social skill training when using audio features and audiovisual features. Results showed that the visual features were effective to improve users' social skills.

Event-related potentials in drug-naïve pediatric patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most common mental health disorders, characterized by obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviors, which may involve specific disorders in cognition and/or information processing. Event-related potentials (ERPs) are commonly used as physiological measures of cognitive function as they are easily measured and noninvasive. In the present study, 20 drug-naïve pediatric patients with OCD were compared with 20 healthy control participants who were age- and sex-matched to perform the ERP. Based on the guidelines for evoked potential measurement, the P300 and mismatch negativity (MMN) were obtained by auditory odd-ball tasks. We found that the amplitudes of the P300 components in the Fz, Cz, Pz, C3, and C4 regions were significantly smaller in the OCD group compared with the control group. There were no between-group differences in P300 latency, MMN amplitude, or MMN latency. Moreover, we found significant correlations between scores on the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) and P300 amplitudes at Cz, Pz, and C3. The present study is the first to report smaller P300s and the associations between P300 abnormalities and CY-BOCS scores.

Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the KIDSCREEN-52 health-related quality of life questionnaire for children/adolescents and parents/proxies.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of KIDSCREEN-52 (J-KIDSCREEN-52), a generic questionnaire used to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among children/adolescents and parents/proxies. METHODS: We conducted a school-based study, in which 1564 children and adolescents aged 8-18 years and their 1326 parents participated from five schools. They were asked to complete two questionnaires (the J-KIDSCREEN-52 and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL)), and the Oslo 3-Item Social Support (OSS-3) scale. Internal consistency reliability was measured using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Test-retest reliability was assessed by the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) in the one-way random effects model in sub-samples taken approximately three to four weeks apart. Agreement between the ratings of the child and parent was evaluated using the ICC in the two-way mixed effects model among 681 pairs. RESULTS: For the overall sample, Cronbach's alpha values of 10 dimensions were ≥0.70, except for one dimension. Test-retest ICCs were ≥0.60 for nearly all dimensions. Correlation coefficients between the J-KIDSCREEN-52 and the PedsQL dimensions indicated a reasonable convergent validity. Parent ratings corresponded well with child ratings (ICC = 0.38-0.62). Statistically significant differences in mean T scores were dependent on gender for seven dimensions, age group for all dimensions, and health status for two dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: The J-KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaires child/adolescent and parent/proxy versions demonstrated acceptable levels of reliability and validity.

[Effectiveness of a modified parent training of smaller groups and shorter schedules for children with pervasive developmental disorders].

OBJECTIVE: We have previously reported the modified parent training of smaller groups and shorter schedules (PTSS). In this study, we applied PTSS to the mothers of children with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) and revealed the new evidence for its effectiveness. METHODS: The participants were 30 mothers of children with PDD aged from 4.2 to 9.6 years. The effectiveness of PTSS was assessed with the confidence degree questionnaire (CDQ) and the child behavior checklist (CBCL), before and after each PTSS course. The recorded interviews were qualitatively analyzed using the KJ (Kawakita Jiro) methods. RESULTS: Average CDQ scores were clearly improved as previously reported. In addition, the CBCL total T-score was significantly improved, which was not observed in the previous study. About KJ methods, six factors that change of mothers recognition were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provides additional evidence for the usefulness of PTSS for children with PDD.

Comparison of pervasive developmental disorder and schizophrenia by the Japanese version of the National Adult Reading Test.

OBJECTIVE: In adults, it is sometimes difficult to discriminate between pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) and schizophrenia (SCH) when positive symptoms are not outstanding. We examined whether the Japanese version of the National Adult Reading Test (JART), is a valid scale for evaluating pre-morbid intelligence quotient (IQ) in patients with SCH, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) are useful for helping to discriminate between PDD and SCH. METHODS: Sixteen patients with adult PDD and 16 age-, education- and sex-matched patients with SCH participated in the present study. In addition, two groups were matched for JART and GAF scores. All subjects were scored on the JART and WAIS-R after informed consent on the aim of this study. Examiners who were blind to the diagnoses measured JART and WAIS-R. RESULTS: Significant diagnosis-by-IQ examination interactions were found (F[1,30] = 10.049, P = 0.003). Furthermore, WAIS-R scores of the PDD group were higher than those of the SCH group (P = 0.002) considering two groups were matched for JART. CONCLUSIONS: The comparison of IQ in the PDD group and in the SCH group by JART and WAIS-R might be an easy and useful method for helping to discriminate between PDD and SCH.

Effectiveness of modified parent training for mothers of children with Pervasive Developmental Disorder on parental confidence and children's behavior.

AIM: This study used parent training (PT), with modifications to smaller groups and shorter schedules (PTSS), for mothers of children with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). The usefulness of PTSS was evaluated according to the parent's confidence and child's behavior by questionnaire. METHOD: PTSS was used on 14 mothers of 14 children with PDD of preschool to elementary school age, and performed in small groups of 3-4 mothers each. One PTSS course comprised six consecutive sessions and was completed within three months. The sessions consisted mainly of training for parenting skills, understanding the children's inappropriate behaviors, and helping the children adapt to school. The effectiveness of PTSS was assessed by changes in the scores for confidence degree questionnaire for families (CDQ) and the child behavior checklist (CBCL), determined before and after each course. RESULTS: The average CDQ scores increased for 17 of 18 items after completion of the PTSS course in all 14 mothers. The change was statistically significant in five items. Increases in average CDQ scores were also seen in 10 of 18 items assessed in fathers, although none were significant. The CBCL total T-score decreased in 10 of 14 children (71.4%). The remaining four children showed an increased CBCL total T-score. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that PTSS is useful based on changes in the parents' CDQ scores and children's CBCL scores.

Establishing the cut-off point for the Oppositional Defiant Behavior Inventory.

The purpose of the present paper was to make a detailed examination of the cut-off point for the Oppositional Defiant Behavior Inventory (ODBI). The subjects were 56 untreated boys (age 6-15 years), who were diagnosed to have oppositional defiant disorder and who presented between December 2001 and March 2008. Controls were 690 boys with no history of contacting hospitals and no developmental or behavioral disorders at two elementary schools and two junior high schools in a city and its suburbs. It was shown that the level of opposition in boys could be evaluated regardless of the age groups by the ODBI, because there was no significant difference in the ODBI score for the one-way analysis of variance. Based on the sensitivity (88.2%), specificity (90.0%), positive predictive value (75.0%) and negative predictive value (95.7%), a score of 20 points was thus established as a suitable cut-off point to distinguish the children who are eligible for ODD diagnosis from those who are not.

The reliability and validity of the Oppositional Defiant Behavior Inventory.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop an evaluation scale for use as a supplementary tool for the diagnosis of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). METHOD: The subjects were 98 Japanese children (91 males and 7 females), aged 6-15 years, diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or ODD. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity and divergent validity of the oppositional defiant behavior inventory (ODBI), an evaluation scale of oppositional defiant tendency, were examined. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the ODBI was 0.925. The correlation coefficient between the test and the retest was 0.820 (p < 0.0001). Both the ODBI scores (test and retest) were correlated with the number of items that matched the ODD diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV (r = 0.660, 0.659, p < 0.001), and with the ODD-scale of Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (r = 0.725, 0.654, p < 0.001). Compared with the ADHD group or controls, the ADHD and ODD group showed a significantly higher ODBI score at p < 0.0001. CONCLUSION: The concurrent use of this scale with clinical examination is expected to increase the accuracy of the diagnosis of ODD.

Minor physical anomalies in childhood and adolescent onset schizophrenia.

A modified version of the Waldrop scale (WS) was used to assess the prevalence of minor physical anomalies in schizophrenic patients (n = 71) and healthy controls (n = 65). The mean total WS score was 3.32 (SD 1.98) for the schizophrenic patients, significantly higher than that for the controls (2.19, SD 1.18). Minor physical anomalies were compared between two schizophrenic groups, divided on the basis of age at onset, early onset schizophrenia (EOS, onset under age 18 years) group and late onset schizophrenia (LOS, onset at or above age 20 years) group. The mean total WS score was 3.92 (SD 1.86) in the EOS group, significantly higher than the 2.59 (SD 1.79) in the LOS group. Minor physical anomalies are an indirect index for early prenatal central nervous system (CNS) maldevelopment; the present study indicated association between minor physical anomalies and EOS, thus a relationship between early prenatal CNS maldevelopment and EOS. These results support the hypothesis that EOS constitutes a subset of schizophrenia in which neurodevelopmental damage is largely involved.