Category: Topic paragraphs

For my project, I have chosen to research two of the most common methods used to aid individuals with Autism Spectrum disorders (ASD), Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and the Floortime method. ABA is a conditioning method which uses positive reinforcement and punishment to teach skills to the student. Floortime is a method which emphasizes the formation of a pathway of effective communication with the student as the foundation for learning. My work over the past six years with individuals who have ASD diagnoses has helped me develop an interest in this topic, along with an interest in cognitive behavior and related disabilities. My personal experience has included three years as an ABA therapist and three years as a DIR/Floortime therapist. in addition, I have utilized both techniques with the same child, and this led me to be curious as to which method is more effective.

After my initial research, I have come to the conclusion that people have profoundly disparate opinions as to the best therapy method for individuals with ASD. There are individuals in the “ABA camp” and others in the “Floortime camp,” and the two groups are vying for recognition of each of their espoused methods as the best treatment option for individuals with autism diagnoses. It is apparent that there has been much more research done about ABA, as the technique has been in use for many more years than Floortime, which is a more recent method. I am hoping to find a comprehensive comparison of the effectiveness of the two techniques, and would be interested to discover if anyone has written about trying to integrate the two methods to utilize the strengths of each to more effectively serve these individuals.

A very public or known study that shows a clear benefit of one therapy over the other, or a comparative study done of the two therapy techniques, would provide a springboard for much further research in my topic.

I hope to explore sensory development milestones and the extent of their inconsistencies with current standard education models. More and more, we hear about children being pushed in their classrooms to achieve what is beyond capability. Parents and teachers have high expectations, which results in demands that can have hindering effects on a child’s development. This seems to be a more recent trend, one that is a popular subject of research, as various education models are being implemented in classrooms today.

I recently spoke with an occupational therapist friend of mine who provided some insight into this. From her experience, children are being pushed in schools to develop higher cognitive functions at a pace faster than their basic sensory systems have a chance to fully develop. I want to explore this further and see exactly what this means. Which higher cognitive functions? Which sensory development is delayed? I’d like to answer these questions and continue to narrow the scope of the project. As per the suggestions of my groupmates, I will likely choose an age group to focus on (most likely, preschool or early elementary school age), as well as be specific with definitions and terminology to make this project understandable for those are outside of the developmental psychology field.

Astrostatistics is a reemerging field of interest in the larger field of astronomy. While statistics always had a role in the aerospace industry, astrophysics, and astronomy, the three fields have come together once more with the advent of more intensive ways to search for planets outside of our solar system. To find out information about planets that are outside the limits for direct observation, we rely on probability and modeling to get a sense of how these planets look and behave. In addition to learning the qualities of the planet, probability models and statistics also decide if the exoplanets candidates are likely actual planets.

What interests me is the development of these probability models. Getting deeper into how scientists develop these statistical methodologies, will enlighten me to the kinds of considerations that are the most important in identifying probable exoplanets. I also would like to explore the dynamics that arise with certainty and probability and the lack of direct observation and how that effects the confidence that scientists have in their findings. Seeing that exoplanetary research is a rising field of interest, I hope to learn more about how astronomers and statisticians develop models for future exoplanet hunting technologies. For the more mathematical portions, I plan to make use of NASA’s online research database for some sources. As well as looking at textbooks for exoplanet research, in order to get a more comprehensive/multidisciplinary view of the field.