Date of Award

7-29-2022

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Medical Science (MMSc)

First Advisor

Julie Wolf, PhD

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder characterized by social communication deficits and restricted, repetitive behaviors. It is associated with deficits in cognitive flexibility, which is the ability to switch between tasks, shift attention, and adapt learned responses. Various interventions, such as the Unstuck and On Target curriculum, target cognitive flexibility. In addition, prior studies have supported including sibling mediation in interventions; however, the inclusion of siblings as mediators of the Unstuck and On Target curriculum has not yet been explored. We propose to determine whether including siblings as mediators to a modified Unstuck and On Target curriculum improves cognitive flexibility outcomes, specifically performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, as well as the quality of the sibling relationship. This randomized controlled trial will provide implications on the integration of typically developing sibling mediators in other contexts to help children with autism spectrum disorder.

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