Glossary

OASIS is an acronym for the Online and Applied System of Intervention Skills distance training program which is designed to teach parents how to implement ABA-based strategies with their children with autism.

Observational study is a study in which the investigators do not seek to intervene but simply observe the course of events.

An obsession is an unwanted and unpleasant thought, image or urge that repeatedly enters a person's mind, causing feelings of anxiety, disgust or unease.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive activity.

Occupational therapy is the assessment and treatment of physical and psychiatric conditions using specific, purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of daily life.

OCD is an acronym for obsessive compulsive disorder, a mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive activity.

Ocular light therapy is a form of lightwave stimulation in which an individual looks at coloured light produced by a special machine called a lumatron or a photron light stimulator.

ODD is an acronym for oppositional defiant disorder, a condtion where children have disruptive and oppositional behaviour that is particularly directed towards authority figures, such as parents or teachers.

Oestrogen is a hormone which is used to treat a range of medical issues in women.

Olanzapine is a type of atypical antipsychotic drug which is sometimes used to treat problem behaviours in people on the autism spectrum.

Omega 3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids, essential to good health.

Omega-6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids which play a crucial role in brain function, as well as normal growth and development.

On the job training means training someone to do a job while they are actually doing that job, as opposed to training them how to do the job while they are still at school or college.

The Online and Applied System of Intervention Skills (OASIS) distance training program is designed to teach parents how to implement ABA-based strategies with their children with autism.

Online communities are composed of individuals who communicate with one another on a regular basis using online tools, such as forums, bulletin boards, listservs and some blogs.

The Ontario Preschool Autism Initiative is an early intensive behavioural intervention provided by the provincial government in Ontario.

An open label trial is a clinical trial in which the investigators and participants are aware which intervention is being used for which participant, that is, the opposite of a blinded trial.

Operant conditioning is a technique in which desired behaviours are systematically reinforced through rewards (such as praise or food) and undesired behaviours are ignored or redirected.

Opioid is a substance with action like that of opium or its derivatives.

Opioid antagonists are morphine-like substances which can be used to block the effect of endorphins in the central nervous system.