Globally, wetlands provide important ecosystem services and are critical to supporting wildlife and biodiversity. Anthropogenic disturbances, such as road construction, have a negative impact on wetland health and have dramatically reduced their number worldwide. In response to the damage caused by road construction, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) mitigates the consequent reduction of functions and the loss of wetlands through restoration efforts, including the monitoring and eradication of invasive vegetation (e.g. reed canary grass). WSDOT currently maps and monitors invasive species on the ground, which is challenging as they are hard to access due to inundation and dense vegetation. Compared to field survey methods, drones have the potential to quickly and safely survey large areas, reducing human effort and cost. By focusing on a single mitigation wetland site, we investigate the use of drones as an effective tool to accurately survey reed canary grass. We use object-based image analysis (OBIA) to create maps of reed canary grass cover and test the accuracy of the map using visual interpretation and confusion matrices. Results will inform about the difference in map accuracy between three drone sensors, an add-on 5-band (red, green, blue, red-edge, near-infrared (NIR)) camera and two built-in 3-band (reed, green, blue) cameras. We discuss opportunities and limitations of using drones as a tool to map invasive species. Additionally, we highlight the considerations that ecologists and natural resource managers must take into account when using drones for wetland monitoring. In conclusion, we identify future areas of research that include testing the repeatability of these methods at additional wetlands and increasing the suitability, number, and timing of the field data in support of this work.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by disruptions in social, behavioral, and communication behaviors. Meeting early language milestones has been identified as a strong predictor of positive language outcomes individuals with ASD. Females, compared to males, show better early cognitive and language functioning, including high risk infants with and without ASD outcomes. Less is known about language trajectories in females with ASD, as they often make up a minority of research participants. In this study, we want to evaluate the relationship between early language milestones and youth language and communication ability in a sex balanced sample with ASD. The project included 137 youths, 60 females and 77 males, from ages 8-18 years with ASD. To assess language, parents reported from the ACE Medical History, which reports on age at first words and age at 3-word phrases which were confirmed with similar items in the ADI. The participant completed the CELF-4, with analysis focusing on the subdomains Recalling Sentences and Formulating Sentences, and the parent completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior (Communication Domain). Our preliminary analysis demonstrated significant differences by sex in early language milestones as well as relation to later better language ability as a youth. Age at first words was related to later language, but only in females with ASD; while age at 3 words was related to later outcomes for males and females. It is important to understand how language develops different in males and females with ASD and being able to recognize risk factors at a young age for more accurate intervention.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is commonly associated with deficits in social, adaptive, and communication skills. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that impairs functioning. Previous research estimates that between 30 and 50% of individuals with ASD manifest ADHD symptoms. Although research has shown that individuals with ASD tend to have decreased community involvement, it is not well studied in individuals who have co-occurring ASD and ADHD. The current study explores the relationship between social or community engagement (involvement in organizations, sports, organized group activities) and adaptive skills of individuals with ASD or ASD+ADHD. Participants included 110 youth (m=66, f=44), 8-17 years of age with ASD from the ACE GENDAAR network, a four-site NIH funded project examining sex-based neural differences in children with ASD. All participants included in the sample met ASD criteria on standardized autism assessments (ADOS-2 and ADI-R) and scored ≥70 on a measure of verbal IQ (DAS-II). Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) reporting on child activity (involvement in sports, organizations, hobbies, chores), ADHD symptoms, overall behavioral problems, and overall competence. Parents also completed the Vineland-II, a parent interview assessing adaptive skills. We hypothesize that there will be a positive correlation between social activity involvement and adaptive skills. That is, children with more community participation will have better adaptive ability. Furthermore, we expect that children with ASD+ADHD compared to children with ASD only, will have greater impairment in adaptive skills and will score lower on the activities scale. The results of this study will provide further understanding of ASD+ADHD and barriers to children participating in community activities and organizations.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a disorder that is characterized by difficulty in social communication, social skills, and repetitive behavior domains (Sachak, 2016). One of the most prominent features in children with ASD under 3 years of age is delays in language development (Sachak, 2016). This project aims to examine language development in the first year after diagnosis in a sample of preschool children with ASD and to examine family and child demographic characteristics that account for variability in language development. Preschool aged children with ASD (N=59; 7 female) and a matched sample of typically developing (TD) children (N=48; 10 female;) were enrolled in a study of attention and emotion regulation. At enrollment (T1), autism was confirmed using the ADOS module 1 and standardized assessments were done to quantify communication ability (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales), nonverbal (visual) reasoning (Mullen Scales of Early Learning), expressive and receptive language (Preschool Language Scale), and self-regulation and executive functioning (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning). The PLS, VAB, and BRIEF were repeated at +6 months and +12 months. We hypothesize that: (1) TD children and ASD children who received language interventions will show greater improvement in functional language skills over the first year compared to ASD children ; and (2) children in families with higher household income or education level (one or more parents with college education) will show greater improvements in functional language skills over the 1 year period. Early childhood represents a critical time window for language interventions in order to support functional/adaptive skills and create greater positive outcomes for children with ASD.