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  1. Parental Report of the Diagnostic Process and Outcome: ASD Compared with Other Developmental Disabilities

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    Oswald, Donald P.; Haworth, Shannon M.; Mackenzie, Bernadette K.; Willis, Janet H.

    2017-01-01

    Parents report that the process of getting an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis is arduous, lengthy, and fraught with difficulties. This analysis of the Pathways survey data set examined the experiences of parents who said, at the time of the survey, that their child currently had ASD compared with parents who said, at the time of the…

  2. Non-ASD outcomes at 36 months in siblings at familial risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A baby siblings research consortium (BSRC) study.

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    Charman, Tony; Young, Gregory S; Brian, Jessica; Carter, Alice; Carver, Leslie J; Chawarska, Katarzyna; Curtin, Suzanne; Dobkins, Karen; Elsabbagh, Mayada; Georgiades, Stelios; Hertz-Picciotto, Irva; Hutman, Ted; Iverson, Jana M; Jones, Emily J; Landa, Rebecca; Macari, Suzanne; Messinger, Daniel S; Nelson, Charles A; Ozonoff, Sally; Saulnier, Celine; Stone, Wendy L; Tager-Flusberg, Helen; Webb, Sara Jane; Yirmiya, Nurit; Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie

    2017-01-01

    We characterized developmental outcomes of a large sample of siblings at familial high-risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who themselves did not have ASD (n = 859), and low-risk controls with no family history of ASD (n = 473). We report outcomes at age 3 years using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning, the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and adaptive functioning on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Around 11% of high-risk siblings had mild-to-moderate levels of developmental delay, a rate higher than the low-risk controls. The groups did not differ in the proportion of toddlers with mild-to-moderate language delay. Thirty percent of high-risk siblings had elevated scores on the ADOS, double the rate seen in the low-risk controls. High-risk siblings also had higher parent reported levels of ASD symptoms on the ADI-R and lower adaptive functioning on the Vineland. Males were more likely to show higher levels of ASD symptoms and lower levels of developmental ability and adaptive behavior than females across most measures but not mild-to-moderate language delay. Lower maternal education was associated with lower developmental and adaptive behavior outcomes. These findings are evidence for early emerging characteristics related to the "broader autism phenotype" (BAP) previously described in older family members of individuals with ASD. There is a need for ongoing clinical monitoring of high-risk siblings who do not have an ASD by age 3 years, as well as continued follow-up into school age to determine their developmental and behavioral outcomes. Autism Res 2017, 10: 169-178. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Brief Report: Bullying and Anxiety in High-Functioning Adolescents with ASD

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    van Schalkwyk, Gerrit; Smith, Isaac C.; Silverman, Wendy K.; Volkmar, Fred R.

    2018-01-01

    Youth with ASD are more likely to experience bullying than their typically developing peers. This risk has not been studied in youth with ASD transitioning to college. We examined the occurrence of bullying in 35 high functioning youth with ASD who were preparing to attend college. We also examined youth anxiety and ASD symptoms. Fifty-one percent…

  4. Parenting adolescents with ASD: A multimethod study.

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    van Esch, Lotte; Vanmarcke, Steven; Ceulemans, Eva; Van Leeuwen, Karla; Noens, Ilse

    2018-05-15

    A number of studies have concluded that parents of children with ASD experience high levels of parenting stress. However, little is known about their parenting behaviors. Especially few studies investigated parenting in adolescence, although this period is associated with additional challenges for both adolescents and their parents. In the present study, a multi-method approach was used, combining data from a self-report questionnaire and observation of mother-child interactions during different semi-structured (e.g., inventing and building a vehicle of the future with construction toys) and structured tasks (e.g., solving marble maze). Linear mixed models (LMM) were used to compare the means of parenting behaviors among mothers of adolescents with (n = 44) and without ASD (n = 38), aged 12 to 16 years old. During the observations, mothers of adolescents with ASD showed more sensitivity and creativity, compared to the general population control group. In addition, mothers in the ASD group reported on the self-report questionnaire to adapt the environment more, for example, by establishing routines. Furthermore, this study investigated the role of maternal characteristics, that is, ASD characteristics and parenting stress. Parenting stress was associated with less self-reported positive parenting. Higher levels of ASD characteristics of the mother were related to more negativity and less sensitivity during the observation, and more self-reported harsh punishment and adapting the environment. This study additionally examined whether the impact of these maternal characteristics was the same across the two groups. Whereas group by parenting stress interaction effects were not significant for any of the observed and self-reported parenting behaviors, significant group by ASD characteristics interaction effects were noticed for self-reported harsh punishment and adapting the environment. Autism Res 2018. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley

  5. Assessing possible DSM-5 ASD subtypes in a sample of victims meeting caseness for DSM-5 ASD based on self-report following multiple forms of traumatic exposure.

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    Hansen, Maj; Armour, Cherie; Wang, Li; Elklit, Ask; Bryant, Richard A

    2015-04-01

    Acute stress disorder (ASD) was introduced into the DSM-IV to recognize early traumatic responses and as a precursor of PTSD. Although the diagnostic criteria for ASD were altered and structured more similarly to the PTSD definition in DSM-5, only the PTSD diagnosis includes a dissociative subtype. Emerging research has indicated that there also appears to be a highly symptomatic subtype for ASD. However, the specific nature of the subtype is currently unclear. The present study investigates the possible presence of ASD subtypes in a mixed sample of victims meeting caseness for DSM-5 ASD based on self-report following four different types of traumatic exposure (N=472). The results of latent profile analysis revealed a 5-class solution. The highly symptomatic class was marked by high endorsement on avoidance and dissociation compared to the other classes. Findings are discussed in regard to its clinical implications including the implications for the pending the ICD-11 and the recently released DSM-5. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. ASD Closure in Structural Heart Disease.

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    Wiktor, Dominik M; Carroll, John D

    2018-04-17

    While the safety and efficacy of percutaneous ASD closure has been established, new data have recently emerged regarding the negative impact of residual iatrogenic ASD (iASD) following left heart structural interventions. Additionally, new devices with potential advantages have recently been studied. We will review here the potential indications for closure of iASD along with new generation closure devices and potential late complications requiring long-term follow-up. With the expansion of left-heart structural interventions and large-bore transseptal access, there has been growing experience gained with management of residual iASD. Some recently published reports have implicated residual iASD after these procedures as a potential source of diminished clinical outcomes and mortality. Additionally, recent trials investigating new generation closure devices as well as expanding knowledge regarding late complications of percutaneous ASD closure have been published. While percutaneous ASD closure is no longer a novel approach to managing septal defects, there are several contemporary issues related to residual iASD following large-bore transseptal access and new generation devices which serve as an impetus for this review. Ongoing attention to potential late complications and decreasing their incidence with ongoing study is clearly needed.

  7. Are Non-intellectually Disabled Black Youth with ASD Less Impaired on Parent Report than Their White Peers?

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    Anthony, Bruno J.; Kenworthy, Lauren; Armour, Anna Chelsea; Dudley, Katerina; Anthony, Laura Gutermuth

    2016-01-01

    There is a lack of research examining differences in functioning in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across ethnicity, particularly among those without intellectual disability (ID). This study investigated ethnic differences in parent-reported impairment in executive function, adaptive behavior, and social–emotional functioning. White and Black youth (n = 64; ages 6–17) with ASD without ID were compared on each of these domains. Black youth had significantly lower levels of impairment on all three domains. Findings may reflect better daily functioning among Black youth with ASD and/or cultural differences in parent response to questionnaires. Regardless, these findings raise concern about the sensitivity of commonly used measures for Black children with ASD and the impact of culture on daily functioning and symptom manifestation. PMID:26439481

  8. Brief Report: Parent's Assessments of Their Care-Related Stress and Child's ASD Symptoms in Relation to Their child's Intervention History.

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    Shepherd, Daniel; Csako, Rita; Landon, Jason; Goedeke, Sonja; Ty, Kelly

    2018-03-20

    Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be stressful. Understanding parent's perceptions of their stress and their child's ASD-related symptoms is important for both the well-being of parent and child and for other reasons, such as intervention adherence and diagnostic accuracy. We report parent (N = 570) ratings of both their ASD Care-Related Stress scores and their child's symptoms in relation to the child's exposure to five mainstream ASD interventions. Differences across intervention history in the way parents perceive their child's symptoms and rate the stressfulness of performing ASD-related parenting duties were found.

  9. Is Older Age Associated with Higher Self- and Other-Rated ASD Characteristics?

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    Lever, Anne G; Geurts, Hilde M

    2018-06-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) characteristics seem to abate over time, but whether this protracts until late adulthood is largely unknown. We cross-sectionally investigated self- and other-reported ASD characteristics of adults with (ASD: N max-self  = 237, N max-other  = 130) and without ASD (COM: N max-self  = 198, N max-other  = 148) aged 19-79 years. Within the ASD group, self-reported ASD characteristics, and sensory sensitivities were highest in middle adulthood, while age was not associated to empathy. Sex differences were also found. However, age-and sex-related differences were not revealed by others and self- and other-report were poorly concordant. These results show that ASD characteristics in adulthood are differently perceived across age, sex, and informants and suggest that it is important to repeatedly assess self-reported ASD characteristics during adulthood.

  10. Autism Spectrum disorders (ASD) in South Asia: a systematic review.

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    Hossain, Mohammad Didar; Ahmed, Helal Uddin; Jalal Uddin, M M; Chowdhury, Waziul Alam; Iqbal, Mohd S; Kabir, Razin Iqbal; Chowdhury, Imran Ahmed; Aftab, Afzal; Datta, Pran Gopal; Rabbani, Golam; Hossain, Saima Wazed; Sarker, Malabika

    2017-08-01

    Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders. The prevalence of ASD in many South Asian countries is still unknown. The aim of this study was to systematically review available epidemiological studies of ASD in this region to identify gaps in our current knowledge. We searched, collected and evaluated articles published between January 1962 and July 2016 which reported the prevalence of ASD in eight South Asian countries. The search was conducted in line with the PRISMA guidelines. We identified six articles from Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka which met our predefined inclusion criteria. The reported prevalence of ASD in South Asia ranged from 0.09% in India to 1.07% in Sri Lanka that indicates up to one in 93 children have ASD in this region. Alarmingly high prevalence (3%) was reported in Dhaka city. Study sample sizes ranged from 374 in Sri Lanka to 18,480 in India. The age range varied between 1 and 30 years. No studies were found which reported the prevalence of ASD in Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan. This review identifies methodological differences in case definition, screening instruments and diagnostic criteria among reported three countries which make it very difficult to compare the studies. Our study is an attempt at understanding the scale of the problem and scarcity of information regarding ASD in the South Asia. This study will contribute to the evidence base needed to design further research and make policy decisions on addressing this issue in this region. Knowing the prevalence of ASD in South Asia is vital to ensure the effective allocation of resources and services.

  11. The Reciprocal Relationship of ASD, ADHD, Depressive Symptoms and Stress in Parents of Children with ASD and/or ADHD

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    van Steijn, Daphne J.; Oerlemans, Anoek M.; van Aken, Marcel A. G.; Buitelaar, Jan K.; Rommelse, Nanda N. J.

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the role of parental Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depressive symptoms on parenting stress in 174 families with children with ASD and/or ADHD, using generalized linear models and structural equation models. Fathers and mothers reported more stress when parenting with…

  12. Brief Report: Adaptive Functioning in Children with ASD, ADHD and ASD + ADHD

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    Ashwood, Karen L.; Tye, Charlotte; Azadi, Bahare; Cartwright, Sally; Asherson, Philip; Bolton, Patrick

    2015-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often co-occur. Children with ASD and ADHD demonstrate deficits in adaptive functioning, yet pure and comorbid groups have not been directly compared. Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS-II) data were examined in boys with ASD (n = 17), ADHD (n = 31) and…

  13. Imaging Depression in Adults With ASD

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    2015-10-30

    system and environmental stressors contribute to emotional symptoms in higher functioning adults with ASD. Hypotheses: (1) Severity of ASD and emotional...approved SOW. Appendices have been included supporting this account and confidently supporting the successful completion of this project (see Appendices B, C...change Nothing to Report. Actual or anticipated problems or delays and actions or plans to resolve them Please see Appendix B for an account of the

  14. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

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    ... Español (Spanish) Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share Compartir Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause ... work. Autism: What's New MMWR article: Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Data Community Report Press release: Autism Prevalence Slightly ...

  15. Comparison of Perinatal Risk Factors Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability (ID), and Co-Occurring ASD and ID

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    Schieve, Laura A.; Clayton, Heather B.; Durkin, Maureen S.; Wingate, Martha S.; Drews-Botsch, Carolyn

    2015-01-01

    While studies report associations between perinatal outcomes and both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID), there has been little study of ASD with versus without co-occurring ID. We compared perinatal risk factors among 7547 children in the 2006-2010 Autism and Developmental Disability Monitoring Network classified as…

  16. Identification of rare recurrent copy number variants in high-risk autism families and their prevalence in a large ASD population.

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    Nori Matsunami

    Full Text Available Structural variation is thought to play a major etiological role in the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs, and numerous studies documenting the relevance of copy number variants (CNVs in ASD have been published since 2006. To determine if large ASD families harbor high-impact CNVs that may have broader impact in the general ASD population, we used the Affymetrix genome-wide human SNP array 6.0 to identify 153 putative autism-specific CNVs present in 55 individuals with ASD from 9 multiplex ASD pedigrees. To evaluate the actual prevalence of these CNVs as well as 185 CNVs reportedly associated with ASD from published studies many of which are insufficiently powered, we designed a custom Illumina array and used it to interrogate these CNVs in 3,000 ASD cases and 6,000 controls. Additional single nucleotide variants (SNVs on the array identified 25 CNVs that we did not detect in our family studies at the standard SNP array resolution. After molecular validation, our results demonstrated that 15 CNVs identified in high-risk ASD families also were found in two or more ASD cases with odds ratios greater than 2.0, strengthening their support as ASD risk variants. In addition, of the 25 CNVs identified using SNV probes on our custom array, 9 also had odds ratios greater than 2.0, suggesting that these CNVs also are ASD risk variants. Eighteen of the validated CNVs have not been reported previously in individuals with ASD and three have only been observed once. Finally, we confirmed the association of 31 of 185 published ASD-associated CNVs in our dataset with odds ratios greater than 2.0, suggesting they may be of clinical relevance in the evaluation of children with ASDs. Taken together, these data provide strong support for the existence and application of high-impact CNVs in the clinical genetic evaluation of children with ASD.

  17. Psychopharmacological prescriptions for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): a multinational study

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    Hsia, Y.; Wong, A.Y.; Murphy, D.G.; Simonoff, E.; Buitelaar, J.K.; Wong, I.C.

    2014-01-01

    RATIONALE: Previous studies on psychotropic drugs prescribing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were from the USA or the UK. However, these studies may not be generalizable to other countries. There is a need to understand the extent of psychopharmacological prescribing for ASD treatment at a

  18. Brief report: eye-movement patterns during an embedded figures test in children with ASD.

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    Keehn, Brandon; Brenner, Laurie A; Ramos, Aurora I; Lincoln, Alan J; Marshall, Sandra P; Müller, Ralph-Axel

    2009-02-01

    The present study examined fixation frequency and duration during an Embedded Figures Test (EFT) in an effort to better understand the attentional and perceptual processes by which individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) achieve accelerated EFT performance. In particular, we aimed to elucidate differences in the patterns of eye-movement in ASD and typically developing (TD) children, thus providing evidence relevant to the competing theories of weak central coherence (WCC) and enhanced perceptual functioning. Consistent with prior EFT studies, we found accelerated response time (RT) in children with ASD. No group differences were seen for fixation frequency, but the ASD group made significantly shorter fixations compared to the TD group. Eye-movement results indicate that RT advantage in ASD is related to both WCC and enhanced perceptual functioning.

  19. Gender comparisons in children with ASD entering early intervention.

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    Fulton, Alexandra M; Paynter, Jessica M; Trembath, David

    2017-09-01

    Males are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) approximately four times as often as females. This has led to interest in recent years of potential under-diagnosis of females, as well as negative consequences for females with ASD due to under-identification. A number of potential explanations for gender bias in diagnosis are discussed including that females and males may present differently despite showing the same core symptoms. Previous research has shown inconsistent findings in comparisons between genders in young children with ASD for whom early intervention is vital. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the social, communication, and cognitive functioning, as well as level of ASD symptoms, in a cohort of children who presented for early intervention to inform understanding of gender differences in this population, as well as to inform understanding of the mechanisms by which gender bias may occur. Participants included 254 children (42 females) aged 29-74 months who completed measures of cognition, communication skills, adaptive behaviour, and ASD symptoms on entry to early intervention. Consistent with hypotheses, no significant gender differences were found both overall, and when split by functioning level. However, a similar ratio of males and females was found in both high- and low-functioning groups contrary to predictions. These results are consistent with some of the previous research that suggests gender differences may not be apparent in clinical samples at this young age. We highlight a need for further research that may use universal screening or longitudinal methods to understand the trajectory of development for females with ASD specifically. Such research could better inform timely and tailored intervention from the preschool years onwards. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Impact of Diagnostic Practices on the Self-Reported Health of Mothers of Recently Diagnosed Children with ASD

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    Phil Reed

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Obtaining a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD for a child is a pivotal point in developing the treatment plan for the child but can also be regarded as highly stressful by parents. The current study examined the impact of different aspects of the diagnosis process on the self-reported mental health of mothers of children undergoing a diagnosis for ASD in a cross-sectional cohort design. Methods: One-hundred-fifty-eight mothers of consequently diagnosed children with ASD participated. The severity of the children’s ASD and their intellectual functioning was assessed within twelve months of the diagnosis, and the mothers completed a psychometric assessment battery including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, General Health Questionnaire, and Questionnaire on Resources and Stress. Results: The actual time from first reporting a problem to obtaining a diagnosis, and the speed of the diagnostic process from first to last appointment, were both negatively related to patenting stress. In contrast, mothers’ perceptions of the speed and helpfulness of the process were negatively related to levels of anxiety and depression. The number of professionals involved in the process and the perceived coherence of the diagnosis were also negatively related to aspects of mothers’ functioning. Conclusions: Care is needed to help mothers through the diagnostic process with regard to their own functioning. Providing information and help sources throughout the process, while keeping the number of professionals involved to a minimum, may improve the parent perception of the process and reduce the negative impacts of the diagnosis on the family as a whole.

  1. External validation of the adult spinal deformity (ASD) frailty index (ASD-FI).

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    Miller, Emily K; Vila-Casademunt, Alba; Neuman, Brian J; Sciubba, Daniel M; Kebaish, Khaled M; Smith, Justin S; Alanay, Ahmet; Acaroglu, Emre R; Kleinstück, Frank; Obeid, Ibrahim; Sánchez Pérez-Grueso, Francisco Javier; Carreon, Leah Y; Schwab, Frank J; Bess, Shay; Scheer, Justin K; Lafage, Virginie; Shaffrey, Christopher I; Pellisé, Ferran; Ames, Christopher P

    2018-03-30

    To assess the ability of the recently developed adult spinal deformity frailty index (ASD-FI) to predict odds of perioperative complications, odds of reoperation, and length of hospital stay after adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery using a database other than the one used to create the index. We used the ASD-FI to calculate frailty scores for 266 ASD patients who had minimum postoperative follow-up of 2 years in the European Spine Study Group (ESSG) database. Patients were enrolled from 2012 through 2013. Using ASD-FI scores, we categorized patients as not frail (NF) ( 0.5 points). Multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for preoperative and surgical factors such as operative time and blood loss, was performed to determine the relationship between ASD-FI category and odds of major complications, odds of reoperation, and length of hospital stay. We categorized 135 patients (51%) as NF, 90 patients (34%) as frail, and 41 patients (15%) as SF. Overall mean ASD-FI score was 0.29 (range 0-0.8). The adjusted odds of experiencing a major intraoperative or postoperative complication (OR 4.5, 95% CI 2.0-10) or having a reoperation (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.7-8.9) were higher for SF patients compared with NF patients. Mean hospital stay was 2.1 times longer (95% CI 1.8-2.4) for SF patients compared with NF patients. Greater patient frailty, as measured by the ASD-FI, is associated with longer hospital stays and greater odds of major complications and reoperation. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

  2. Parenting Behavior in Mothers of Preschool Children with ASD: Development of a Self-Report Questionnaire

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    Greet Lambrechts

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Parents of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD encounter many daily challenges and often experience much stress. However, little research exists about parenting behavior among these parents. With this study, we aim to address this gap. We examined the structure and internal consistency of a questionnaire intended to measure parenting behavior among mothers of young children with ASD. Furthermore, we compared parenting behavior among mothers of young children with and without ASD between two and six years old. Factor analyses resulted in a factor solution with seven subscales of parenting behavior. Two additional subscales especially relevant for parenting preschoolers with ASD were also considered. Analyses of covariance, controlling for gender and age, showed significantly higher scores for Discipline and Stimulating the Development in the control group in comparison with the ASD group. These findings suggest that mothers of preschoolers with ASD are still trying to find strategies to guide and stimulate their child’s behavior and development effectively.

  3. Parent-reported and clinician-observed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): implications for practice under DSM-5.

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    Grzadzinski, Rebecca; Dick, Catherine; Lord, Catherine; Bishop, Somer

    2016-01-01

    Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often present with social difficulties, though the extent to which these clearly overlap with symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not well understood. We explored parent-reported and directly-observed ASD symptoms on the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) in children referred to ASD-specialty clinics who received diagnoses of either ADHD (n = 48) or ASD (n = 164). Of the ADHD sample, 21 % met ASD cut-offs on the ADOS and 30 % met ASD cut-offs on all domains of the ADI-R. Four social communication ADOS items (Quality of Social Overtures, Unusual Eye Contact, Facial Expressions Directed to Examiner, and Amount of Reciprocal Social Communication) adequately differentiated the groups while none of the items on the ADI-R met the criteria for adequate discrimination. Results of this work highlight the challenges that clinicians and researchers face when distinguishing ASD from other disorders in verbally fluent, school-age children.

  4. Brief Report: Does Gender Matter in Intervention for ASD? Examining the Impact of the PEERS® Social Skills Intervention on Social Behavior Among Females with ASD.

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    McVey, Alana J; Schiltz, Hillary; Haendel, Angela; Dolan, Bridget K; Willar, Kirsten S; Pleiss, Sheryl; Karst, Jeffrey S; Carson, Audrey M; Caiozzo, Christina; Vogt, Elisabeth; Van Hecke, Amy Vaughan

    2017-07-01

    A paucity of research has been conducted to examine the effect of social skills intervention on females with ASD. Females with ASD may have more difficulty developing meaningful friendships than males, as the social climate can be more complex (Archer, Coyne, Personality and Social Psychology Review 9(3):212-230, 2005). This study examined whether treatment response among females differed from males. One hundred and seventy-seven adolescents and young adults with ASD (N = 177) participated in this study. When analyzed by group, no significant differences by gender emerged: PEERS ® knowledge (TASSK/TYASSK, p = .494), direct interactions (QSQ, p = .762), or social responsiveness (SRS, p = .689; SSIS-RS, p = .482). Thus, females and males with ASD respond similarly to the PEERS ® intervention.

  5. ADHD severity as it relates to comorbid psychiatric symptomatology in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

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    Mansour, Rosleen; Dovi, Allison T; Lane, David M; Loveland, Katherine A; Pearson, Deborah A

    2017-01-01

    Comorbid diagnoses identified in pediatric samples have been correlated with a range of outcomes, including greater levels of emotional, behavioral, and educational impairment and the need for more intensive treatment. Given that previous research has documented high levels of comorbid Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), this study closely examines the relationship between parent-reported ADHD symptoms (i.e., Conners' Parent Rating Scale, Revised [CPRS-R]) and the prevalence of additional comorbid psychiatric diagnoses in a pediatric ASD sample (n=99). Regression analyses revealed that greater severity of ADHD symptomatology was significantly related to a greater number of comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, as identified using the Diagnostic Interview for Children and adolescents, 4th Edition (DICA-IV). Additionally, more severe ADHD symptoms were also associated with higher levels of symptom severity on Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) syndrome subscales. Interestingly, increasing severity of ASD symptomatology, as measured by the Autism Diagnostic Interview, Revised (ADI-R), was not associated with a higher prevalence of comorbid psychiatric diagnoses or CBCL syndrome severity. Our study concluded that higher levels of ADHD severity-not ASD severity-were associated with a higher prevalence of comorbid psychiatric symptomatology in school-age children with ASD. These findings may encourage clinicians to thoroughly assess ADHD symptomatology in ASD children to better inform treatment planning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Joint-Attention and the Social Phenotype of School-Aged Children with ASD.

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    Mundy, Peter; Novotny, Stephanie; Swain-Lerro, Lindsey; McIntyre, Nancy; Zajic, Matt; Oswald, Tasha

    2017-05-01

    The validity of joint attention assessment in school-aged children with ASD is unclear (Lord, Jones, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 53(5):490-509, 2012). This study examined the feasibility and validity of a parent-report measure of joint attention related behaviors in verbal children and adolescents with ASD. Fifty-two children with ASD and 34 controls were assessed with the Childhood Joint Attention Rating Scale (C-JARS). The C-JARS exhibited internally consistency, α = 0.88, and one factor explained 49% of the scale variance. Factor scores correctly identified between 88 and 94% of the children with ASD and 62-82% of controls. These scores were correlated with the ADOS-2, but not other parent-report symptom measures. The C-JARS appears to assess a unique dimension of the social-phenotype of children with ASD.

  7. Pupillary Response and Phenotype in ASD: Latency to Constriction Discriminates ASD from Typically Developing Adolescents.

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    Lynch, Georgina T F; James, Stephen M; VanDam, Mark

    2018-02-01

    Brain imaging data describe differences in the ASD brain, including amygdala overgrowth, neural interconnectivity, and a three-phase model of neuroanatomical changes from early post-natal development through late adolescence. The pupil reflex test (PRT), a noninvasive measure of brain function, may help improve early diagnosis and elucidate underlying physiology in expression of ASD endophenotype. Commonly observed characteristics of ASD include normal visual acuity but difficulty with eye gaze and photosensitivity, suggesting deficient neuromodulation of cranial nerves. Aims of this study were to confirm sensitivity of the PRT for identifying adolescents with ASD, determine if a phenotype for a subtype of ASD marked by pupil response is present in adolescence, and determine whether differences could be observed on a neurologic exam testing cranial nerves II and III (CNII; CNIII). Using pupillometry, constriction latency was measured serving as a proxy for recording neuromodulation of cranial nerves underlying the pupillary reflex. The swinging flashlight method, used to perform the PRT for measuring constriction latency and return to baseline, discriminated ASD participants from typically developing adolescents on 72.2% of trials. Results further confirmed this measure's sensitivity within a subtype of ASD in later stages of development, serving as a correlate of neural activity within the locus-coeruleus norepinephrine (LC-NE) system. A brainstem model of atypical PRT in ASD is examined in relation to modulation of cranial nerves and atypical arousal levels subserving the atypical pupillary reflex. Autism Res 2018, 11: 364-375. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Milder forms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be difficult to diagnose based on behavioral testing alone. This study used eye-tracking equipment and a hand-held penlight to measure the pupil reflex in adolescents with "high functioning" ASD and in adolescents

  8. Functioning and Participation of Young Adults with ASD in Higher Education According to the ICF Framework

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    Jansen, Dorien; Emmers, Elke; Petry, Katja; Mattys, Laura; Noens, Ilse; Baeyens, Dieter

    2018-01-01

    Because of a better understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in all stages of life and the improvement of support of students with ASD in primary and secondary education, an increasing number of students with ASD are accessing higher education. Previous research suggests that these students have fewer opportunities in higher education due…

  9. Resting-State Neurophysiological Activity Patterns in Young People with ASD, ADHD, and ASD + ADHD

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    Shephard, Elizabeth; Tye, Charlotte; Ashwood, Karen L.; Azadi, Bahar; Asherson, Philip; Bolton, Patrick F.; McLoughlin, Grainne

    2018-01-01

    Altered power of resting-state neurophysiological activity has been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which commonly co-occur. We compared resting-state neurophysiological power in children with ASD, ADHD, co-occurring ASD + ADHD, and typically developing controls. Children with ASD…

  10. Abnormal Size-Dependent Modulation of Motion Perception in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sysoeva, Olga V; Galuta, Ilia A; Davletshina, Maria S; Orekhova, Elena V; Stroganova, Tatiana A

    2017-01-01

    Excitation/Inhibition (E/I) imbalance in neural networks is now considered among the core neural underpinnings of autism psychopathology. In motion perception at least two phenomena critically depend on E/I balance in visual cortex: spatial suppression (SS), and spatial facilitation (SF) corresponding to impoverished or improved motion perception with increasing stimuli size, respectively. While SS is dominant at high contrast, SF is evident for low contrast stimuli, due to the prevalence of inhibitory contextual modulations in the former, and excitatory ones in the latter case. Only one previous study (Foss-Feig et al., 2013) investigated SS and SF in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Our study aimed to replicate previous findings, and to explore the putative contribution of deficient inhibitory influences into an enhanced SF index in ASD-a cornerstone for interpretation proposed by Foss-Feig et al. (2013). The SS and SF were examined in 40 boys with ASD, broad spectrum of intellectual abilities (63 ASD. The presence of abnormally enhanced SF in children with ASD was the only consistent finding between our study and that of Foss-Feig et al. While the SS and SF indexes were strongly interrelated in TD participants, this correlation was absent in their peers with ASD. In addition, the SF index but not the SS index correlated with the severity of autism and the poor registration abilities. The pattern of results is partially consistent with the idea of hypofunctional inhibitory transmission in visual areas in ASD. Nonetheless, the absence of correlation between SF and SS indexes paired with a strong direct link between abnormally enhanced SF and autism symptoms in our ASD sample emphasizes the role of the enhanced excitatory influences by themselves in the observed abnormalities in low-level visual phenomena found in ASD.

  11. Are Non-Intellectually Disabled Black Youth with ASD Less Impaired on Parent Report than Their White Peers?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratto, Allison B.; Anthony, Bruno J.; Kenworthy, Lauren; Armour, Anna Chelsea; Dudley, Katerina; Anthony, Laura Gutermuth

    2016-01-01

    There is a lack of research examining differences in functioning in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across ethnicity, particularly among those without intellectual disability (ID). This study investigated ethnic differences in parent-reported impairment in executive function, adaptive behavior, and social-emotional functioning. White and Black…

  12. Coping and Well-Being in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Wei Wei; Goh, Tze Jui; Oei, Tian P.; Sung, Min

    2015-01-01

    This study examined psychological well-being and coping in parents of children with ASD and parents of typically developing children. 73 parents of children with ASD and 63 parents of typically developing children completed a survey. Parents of children with ASD reported significantly more parenting stress symptoms (i.e., negative parental…

  13. ASD and Genetic Associations with Receptors for Oxytocin and Vasopressin-AVPR1A, AVPR1B, and OXTR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Sunday M; Kim, Soo-Jeong; Kistner-Griffin, Emily; Guter, Stephen; Cook, Edwin H; Jacob, Suma

    2016-01-01

    Background: There are limited treatments available for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Studies have reported significant associations between the receptor genes of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) and ASD diagnosis, as well as ASD-related phenotypes. Researchers have also found the manipulation of these systems affects social and repetitive behaviors, core characteristics of ASD. Consequently, research involving the oxytocin/vasopressin pathways as intervention targets has increased. Therefore, further examination into the relationship between these neuropeptides and ASD was undertaken. In this study, we examined associations between variants in the receptor genes of vasopressin ( AVPR1A, AVPR1B ), oxytocin ( OXTR ), and ASD diagnosis along with related subphenotypes. Methods: Probands were assessed using Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, and clinical DSM-IV-TR criteria. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in AVPR1B and OXTR , and microsatellites in AVPR1A were genotyped in ~200 families with a proband with ASD. Family-based association testing (FBAT) was utilized to determine associations between variants and ASD. Haplotypes composed of OXTR SNPs (i.e., rs53576-rs2254298-rs2268493) were also analyzed due to previously published associations. Results: Using the additive inheritance model in FBAT we found associations between AVPR1B SNPs (rs28632197, p = 0.005, rs35369693, p = 0.025) and diagnosis. As in other studies, OXTR rs2268493 ( p = 0.050) was associated with diagnosis. rs2268493 was also associated with ASD subphenotypes of social withdrawal ( p = 0.013) and Insistence on Sameness ( p = 0.039). Further analyses demonstrated that the haplotype, rs2254298-rs2268493 was found to be significantly associated with diagnosis (A-T; p = 0.026). FBAT was also used to analyze AVPR1A microsatellites (RS1 and RS3). Both length variants were found to be associated with restrictive, repetitive behaviors, but not overall

  14. Serum Antibody Biomarkers for ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-10-01

    typically developing control. US, unaffected sibling control. 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 19a...typically developing (TD) children (e.g., Warren et al., 1990; Singh, 2009). The goal of this study is to identify a serum antibody biomarker for ASD using...50% less IgG1 antibody in ASD boys vs . TD boys (p=0.0096). The level of ASD1 binding to the AM group was the same as to the ASD boys. These data

  15. Brief Report: Does Gender Matter in Intervention for ASD? Examining the Impact of the PEERS® Social Skills Intervention on Social Behavior among Females with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    McVey, Alana J.; Schiltz, Hillary; Haendel, Angela; Dolan, Bridget K.; Willar, Kirsten S.; Pleiss, Sheryl; Karst, Jeffrey S.; Carson, Audrey M.; Caiozzo, Christina; Vogt, Elisabeth; Van Hecke, Amy Vaughan

    2017-01-01

    A paucity of research has been conducted to examine the effect of social skills intervention on females with ASD. Females with ASD may have more difficulty developing meaningful friendships than males, as the social climate can be more complex (Archer, Coyne, "Personality and Social Psychology Review" 9(3):212-230, 2005). This study…

  16. ASD Customer Satisfaction Survey

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Veterans Affairs — ASD implemented a customer satisfaction survey for our products and services. This feedback will provide a better understanding of how ASD products and services can...

  17. Designing and recruiting to UK autism spectrum disorder research databases: do they include representative children with valid ASD diagnoses?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warnell, F; George, B; McConachie, H; Johnson, M; Hardy, R; Parr, J R

    2015-09-04

    (1) Describe how the Autism Spectrum Database-UK (ASD-UK) was established; (2) investigate the representativeness of the first 1000 children and families who participated, compared to those who chose not to; (3) investigate the reliability of the parent-reported Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnoses, and present evidence about the validity of diagnoses, that is, whether children recruited actually have an ASD; (4) present evidence about the representativeness of the ASD-UK children and families, by comparing their characteristics with the first 1000 children and families from the regional Database of children with ASD living in the North East (Dasl(n)e), and children and families identified from epidemiological studies. Recruitment through a network of 50 UK child health teams and self-referral. Parents/carers with a child with ASD, aged 2-16 years, completed questionnaires about ASD and some gave professionals' reports about their children. 1000 families registered with ASD-UK in 30 months. Children of families who participated, and of the 208 who chose not to, were found to be very similar on: gender ratio, year of birth, ASD diagnosis and social deprivation score. The reliability of parent-reported ASD diagnoses of children was very high when compared with clinical reports (over 96%); no database child without ASD was identified. A comparison of gender, ASD diagnosis, age at diagnosis, school placement, learning disability, and deprivation score of children and families from ASD-UK with 1084 children and families from Dasl(n)e, and families from population studies, showed that ASD-UK families are representative of families of children with ASD overall. ASD-UK includes families providing parent-reported data about their child and family, who appear to be broadly representative of UK children with ASD. Families continue to join the databases and more than 3000 families can now be contacted by researchers about UK autism research. Published by the BMJ

  18. ASD and genetic associations with receptors for oxytocin and vasopressin – AVPR1A, AVPR1B, and OXTR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunday M Francis

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: There are limited treatments available for autism spectrum disorder (ASD. Studies have reported significant associations between the receptor genes of oxytocin (OT and vasopressin (AVP and ASD diagnosis, as well as, ASD-related phenotypes. Researchers have also found the manipulation of these systems affect social and repetitive behaviors, core characteristics of ASD. Consequently, research involving the oxytocin/vasopressin pathways as intervention targets has increased. Therefore, further examination into the relationship between these neuropeptides and ASD was undertaken. In this study, we examined associations between variants in the receptor genes of vasopressin (AVPR1A, AVPR1B, oxytocin (OXTR and ASD diagnosis along with related subphenotypes.Methods: Probands were assessed using Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, and clinical DSM-IV-TR criteria. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in AVPR1B and OXTR, and microsatellites in AVPR1A were genotyped in ~200 families with a proband with ASD. Family-based association testing (FBAT was utilized to determine associations between variants and ASD. Haplotypes composed of OXTR SNPs (i.e. rs53576-rs2254298-rs2268493 were also analyzed due to previously published associations.Results: Using the additive inheritance model in FBAT we found associations between AVPR1B SNPs (rs28632197, p=0.005, rs35369693, p=0.025 and diagnosis. As in other studies, OXTR rs2268493 (p=0.050 was associated with diagnosis. rs2268493 was also associated with ASD subphenotypes of social withdrawal (p=0.013 and insistence on sameness (p=0.039. Further analyses demonstrated that the haplotype, rs2254298-rs2268493 was found to be significantly associated with diagnosis (A-T; p=0.026. FBAT was also used to analyze AVPR1A microsatellites (RS1 and RS3. Both length variants were found to be associated with restrictive, repetitive behaviors, but not overall diagnosis. Correction

  19. Gaze Behavior of Children with ASD toward Pictures of Facial Expressions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsuda, Soichiro; Minagawa, Yasuyo; Yamamoto, Junichi

    2015-01-01

    Atypical gaze behavior in response to a face has been well documented in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Children with ASD appear to differ from typically developing (TD) children in gaze behavior for spoken and dynamic face stimuli but not for nonspeaking, static face stimuli. Furthermore, children with ASD and TD children show a difference in their gaze behavior for certain expressions. However, few studies have examined the relationship between autism severity and gaze behavior toward certain facial expressions. The present study replicated and extended previous studies by examining gaze behavior towards pictures of facial expressions. We presented ASD and TD children with pictures of surprised, happy, neutral, angry, and sad facial expressions. Autism severity was assessed using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). The results showed that there was no group difference in gaze behavior when looking at pictures of facial expressions. Conversely, the children with ASD who had more severe autistic symptomatology had a tendency to gaze at angry facial expressions for a shorter duration in comparison to other facial expressions. These findings suggest that autism severity should be considered when examining atypical responses to certain facial expressions.

  20. TIME-A - an international RCT on the effectiveness of music therapy in ASD

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Geretsegger, Monika

    2014-01-01

    disorders (ASD). However, generalisability of previous findings has been restricted, as studies were limited in either methodological accuracy or the clinical relevance of their approach. TIME-A is hosted by the Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre, Bergen/Norway, and sets out to examine whether...... improvisational music therapy is superior to standard care in improving social communication in children with ASD over a 5-month treatment period. Funded by the Research Council of Norway, and building upon a collaboration of nine countries worldwide, TIME-A aims to include a total of 300 children with ASD aged...

  1. Investigating gaze of children with ASD in naturalistic settings.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Basilio Noris

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Visual behavior is known to be atypical in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD. Monitor-based eye-tracking studies have measured several of these atypicalities in individuals with Autism. While atypical behaviors are known to be accentuated during natural interactions, few studies have been made on gaze behavior in natural interactions. In this study we focused on i whether the findings done in laboratory settings are also visible in a naturalistic interaction; ii whether new atypical elements appear when studying visual behavior across the whole field of view. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Ten children with ASD and ten typically developing children participated in a dyadic interaction with an experimenter administering items from the Early Social Communication Scale (ESCS. The children wore a novel head-mounted eye-tracker, measuring gaze direction and presence of faces across the child's field of view. The analysis of gaze episodes to faces revealed that children with ASD looked significantly less and for shorter lapses of time at the experimenter. The analysis of gaze patterns across the child's field of view revealed that children with ASD looked downwards and made more extensive use of their lateral field of view when exploring the environment. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The data gathered in naturalistic settings confirm findings previously obtained only in monitor-based studies. Moreover, the study allowed to observe a generalized strategy of lateral gaze in children with ASD when they were looking at the objects in their environment.

  2. Clinical Genetic Aspects of ASD Spectrum Disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Bradley Schaefer

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Early presumptions opined that autism spectrum disorder (ASD was related to the rearing of these children by emotionally-distant mothers. Advances in the 1960s and 1970s clearly demonstrated the biologic basis of autism with a high heritability. Recent advances have demonstrated that specific etiologic factors in autism spectrum disorders can be identified in 30%–40% of cases. Based on early reports newer, emerging genomic technologies are likely to increase this diagnostic yield to over 50%. To date these investigations have focused on etiologic factors that are largely mono-factorial. The currently undiagnosed causes of ASDs will likely be found to have causes that are more complex. Epigenetic, multiple interacting loci, and four dimensional causes (with timing as a variable are likely to be associated with the currently unidentifiable cases. Today, the “Why” is more important than ever. Understanding the causes of ASDs help inform families of important issues such as recurrence risk, prognosis, natural history, and predicting associated co-morbid medical conditions. In the current era of emerging efforts in “personalized medicine”, identifying an etiology will be critical in identifying endo-phenotypic groups and individual variations that will allow for tailored treatment for persons with ASD.

  3. Shorter sleep duration is associated with social impairment and comorbidities in ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veatch, Olivia J; Sutcliffe, James S; Warren, Zachary E; Keenan, Brendan T; Potter, Melissa H; Malow, Beth A

    2017-07-01

    Sleep disturbance, particularly insomnia, is common in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Furthermore, disturbed sleep affects core symptoms and other related comorbidities. Understanding the causes and consequences of sleep disturbances in children with ASD is an important step toward mitigating these symptoms. To better understand the connection between sleep duration and ASD severity, we analyzed ASD-related symptoms using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), IQ scores, and parent reports of the average amount of time slept per night that were available in the medical histories of 2,714 children with ASD in the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC). The mean (SD) sleep duration was 555 minutes. Sleep duration and severity of core ASD symptoms were negatively correlated, and sleep duration and IQ scores were positively correlated. Regression results indicated that more severe social impairment, primarily a failure to develop peer relationships, is the core symptom most strongly associated with short sleep duration. Furthermore, increased severity for numerous maladaptive behaviors assessed on the Child Behavior Checklist, as well as reports of attention deficit disorder, depressive disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder were associated with short sleep duration. Severity scores for social/communication impairment and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) were increased, and IQ scores were decreased, for children reported to sleep ≤420 minutes per night (lower 5th percentile) compared to children sleeping ≥660 minutes (upper 95th percentile). Our results indicate that reduced amounts of sleep are related to more severe symptoms in children with ASD. Autism Res 2017. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1221-1238. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 International Society for Autism

  4. Parents of Children with ASD Experience More Psychological Distress, Parenting Stress, and Attachment-Related Anxiety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keenan, Belinda M; Newman, Louise K; Gray, Kylie M; Rinehart, Nicole J

    2016-09-01

    There has been limited study of the relationship between child attachment and caregiver wellbeing amongst children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined self-reported child attachment quality alongside caregivers' report of their own psychological distress, parenting stress and attachment style, amongst 24 children with high-functioning autism or Asperger's disorder (ASD; aged 7-14 years) and 24 typically developing children (aged 7-12 years), and their primary caregiver. Children with ASD were no less secure, but their caregivers were more stressed and reported more attachment-related anxiety, compared to typically developing dyads. Child attachment security was related to caregiver psychological distress and attachment style, but only amongst typically developing children. Impacts of emotion processing impairments on caregiver-child relationships in ASD are discussed.

  5. Common paths to ASD and PTSD

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Maj; Armour, Cherie; Wittmann, Lutz

    Numerous studies have investigated the prediction of acute and long term posttraumatic symptoms following traumatic exposure. As a result several factors have been shown to be predictive of Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) respectively. Furthermore, research...... suggests a strong relationship between ASD severity and subsequent PTSD severity. However, little is known in relation to whether there are common pathways to the development of ASD and PTSD. Peritraumatic responses to trauma are found to be associated with both the development of ASD and PTSD. Although...... of peritraumatic factors such as symptoms of tonic immobility, panic, and dissociation on the development of ASD (N = 458) and PTSD (n = 378) symptoms in a national study of Danish bank robbery victims. The estimated ASD rate was 11.1 % (n = 41) and the estimated PTSD rate was 6.2 % (n = 23). The results...

  6. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Diet

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Conditions Autism Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Diet Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Diet By Karen Ansel, MS, RDN, CDN Published April 2, 2018 nambitomo/iStock/Thinkstock Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a complex developmental and neurological ...

  7. ASD and PTSD in Rape Victims

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elklit, Ask; Christiansen, Dorte M

    2010-01-01

    In recent years, a number of studies have investigated the prediction of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through the presence of acute stress disorder (ASD). The predictive power of ASD on PTSD was examined in a population of 148 female rape victims who visited a center for rape victims...... shortly after the rape or attempted rape. The PTSD diagnosis based solely on the three core symptom clusters was best identified by a subclinical ASD diagnosis based on all ASD criteria except dissociation. However, a full PTSD diagnosis including the A2 and F criteria was best identified by classifying...... on ASD severity and sexual problems following the rape accounted for only 28% of the PTSD severity variance. In conclusion, the ASD diagnosis is not an optimal method for identifying those most at risk for PTSD. It remains to be seen whether a better way can be found....

  8. Age and Adaptive Functioning in Children and Adolescents with ASD: The Effects of Intellectual Functioning and ASD Symptom Severity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Trenesha L; Gray, Sarah A O; Kamps, Jodi L; Enrique Varela, R

    2015-12-01

    The present study examined the moderating effects of intellectual functioning and ASD symptom severity on the relation between age and adaptive functioning in 220 youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Regression analysis indicated that intellectual functioning and ASD symptom severity moderated the relation between age and adaptive functioning. For younger children with lower intellectual functioning, higher ASD symptom severity was associated with better adaptive functioning than that of those with lower ASD symptom severity. Similarly, for older children with higher intellectual functioning, higher ASD symptom severity was associated with better adaptive functioning than that of those with lower ASD symptom severity. Analyses by subscales suggest that this pattern is driven by the Conceptual subscale. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

  9. What is important for Quality of Life in adolescents and adults with ASD?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knüppel, Ane; Kjærsdam Telléus, Gry; Lauritsen, Marlene Briciet

    Title: What is important for Quality of Life in adolescents and adults with ASD? Results from a nation-wide Danish follow-up study Background: It is becoming increasingly common to measure Quality of life (QoL) among people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Most often, this is undertaken...... by using proxy reporting but letting people with ASD self-report on their QoL is possible and in some researchers’ opinion the most correct method to apply. Furthermore, it is important to explore the factors of importance for having a higher level of QoL. However, usually only a few factors are included...... within a study, which makes it difficult to conduct a profound analysis of, what is important for QoL. Additionally, the ASD populations studied are often characterized by few females within each sample and a large age-span, including diversity in age at diagnosis. Objectives: To investigate a range...

  10. Brief Report: Eye-Movement Patterns during an Embedded Figures Test in Children with ASD

    OpenAIRE

    Keehn, Brandon; Brenner, Laurie A.; Ramos, Aurora I.; Lincoln, Alan J.; Marshall, Sandra P.; Müller, Ralph-Axel

    2008-01-01

    The present study examined fixation frequency and duration during an EFT in an effort to better understand the attentional and perceptual processes by which individuals with ASD achieve accelerated EFT performance. In particular, we aimed to elucidate differences in the patterns of eye-movement in ASD and TD children, thus providing evidence relevant to the competing weak central coherence and enhanced perceptual functioning theories. Consistent with prior EFT studies, we found accelerated RT...

  11. Joint-Attention and the Social Phenotype of School-Aged Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mundy, Peter; Novotny, Stephanie; Swain-Lerro, Lindsey; McIntyre, Nancy; Zajic, Matt; Oswald, Tasha

    2017-01-01

    The validity of joint attention assessment in school-aged children with ASD is unclear (Lord, Jones, "Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry" 53(5):490-509, 2012). This study examined the feasibility and validity of a parent-report measure of joint attention related behaviors in verbal children and adolescents with ASD. Fifty-two…

  12. Aripiprazole for autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirsch, Lauren E; Pringsheim, Tamara

    2016-06-26

    Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) include autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder and pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Antipsychotics have been used as a medication intervention for irritability related to ASD. Aripiprazole, a third-generation, atypical antipsychotic, is a relatively new drug that has a unique mechanism of action different from that of other antipsychotics. This review updates a previous Cochrane review on the safety and efficacy of aripiprazole for individuals with ASD, published in 2011 (Ching 2011). To assess the safety and efficacy of aripiprazole as medication treatment for individuals with ASD. In October 2015, we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and seven other databases as well as two trial registers. We searched for records published in 1990 or later, as this was the year aripiprazole became available. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of aripiprazole (administered orally and at any dosage) versus placebo for treatment of individuals with a diagnosis of ASD. Two review authors independently collected, evaluated and analysed data. We performed meta-analysis for primary and secondary outcomes, when possible. We used the GRADE (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach to rate the overall quality of the evidence. We included three trials in this review. Two were included in the previous published review, and the results of one, placebo-controlled discontinuation study were added to this review. Although we searched for studies across age groups, we found only studies conducted in children and youth. Included trials had low risk of bias across most domains. High risk of bias was seen in only one trial with incomplete outcome data. We judged the overall quality of the evidence for most outcomes to be moderate.Two RCTs with similar methods evaluated

  13. Psychiatric and Medical Conditions in Transition-Aged Individuals With ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davignon, Meghan N; Qian, Yinge; Massolo, Maria; Croen, Lisa A

    2018-04-01

    Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a variety of medical and psychiatric conditions and an increased use of health care services. There is limited information about the prevalence of psychiatric and medical conditions in adolescents and young adults with ASD. Our objective was to describe the frequency of medical and psychiatric conditions in a large population of diverse, insured transition-aged individuals with ASD. Participants included Kaiser Permanente Northern California members who were enrolled from 2013 to 2015 and who were 14 to 25 years old. Individuals with ASD ( n = 4123) were compared with peers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( n = 20 615), diabetes mellitus ( n = 2156), and typical controls with neither condition ( n = 20 615). Over one-third (34%) of individuals with ASD had a co-occurring psychiatric condition; the most commonly reported medical conditions included infections (42%), obesity (25%), neurologic conditions (18%), allergy and/or immunologic conditions (16%), musculoskeletal conditions (15%), and gastrointestinal (11%) conditions. After controlling for sex, age, race, and duration of Kaiser Permanente Northern California membership, most psychiatric conditions were significantly more common in the ASD group than in each comparison group, and most medical conditions were significantly more common in the ASD group than in the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and typical control groups but were similar to or significantly less common than the diabetes mellitus group. Although more research is needed to identify factors contributing to this excess burden of disease, there is a pressing need for all clinicians to approach ASD as a chronic health condition requiring regular follow-up and routine screening and treatment of medical and psychiatric issues. Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  14. Shared genetic influences between dimensional ASD and ADHD symptoms during child and adolescent development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stergiakouli, Evie; Davey Smith, George; Martin, Joanna; Skuse, David H; Viechtbauer, Wolfgang; Ring, Susan M; Ronald, Angelica; Evans, David E; Fisher, Simon E; Thapar, Anita; St Pourcain, Beate

    2017-01-01

    during childhood was also shown, as per previous reports. Cross-dimensionally, however, neither SCDC nor SDQ-ADHD scores were linked to genetic risk for disorder. In the general population, genetic aetiologies between social-communication difficulties and ADHD symptoms are shared throughout child and adolescent development and may implicate similar biological pathways that co-vary during development. Within both the ASD and the ADHD dimension, population-based traits are also linked to clinical disorder, although much larger clinical discovery samples are required to reliably detect cross-dimensional trait-disorder relationships.

  15. The Relationship between Autistic Traits and Atypical Sensory Functioning in Neurotypical and ASD Adults: A Spectrum Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayer, Jennifer L.

    2017-01-01

    Sensory processing atypicalities are a common feature in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and have previously been linked to a range of behaviours in individuals with ASD and atypical neurological development. More recently research has demonstrated a relationship between autistic traits in the neurotypical (NT) population and increased levels of…

  16. Divide and Conquer: Sub-Grouping of ASD Improves ASD Detection Based on Brain Morphometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baum, Stefi A.; Cahill, Nathan D.; Michael, Andrew M.

    2016-01-01

    Low success (ASD) classification using brain morphometry from the large multi-site ABIDE dataset and inconsistent findings on brain morphometric abnormalities in ASD can be attributed to the ASD heterogeneity. In this study, we show that ASD brain morphometry is highly heterogeneous, and demonstrate that the heterogeneity can be mitigated and classification improved if autism severity (AS), verbal IQ (VIQ) and age are used with morphometric features. Morphometric features from structural MRIs (sMRIs) of 734 males (ASD: 361, controls: 373) of ABIDE were derived using FreeSurfer. Applying the Random Forest classifier, an AUC of 0.61 was achieved. Adding VIQ and age to morphometric features, AUC improved to 0.68. Sub-grouping the subjects by AS, VIQ and age improved the classification with the highest AUC of 0.8 in the moderate-AS sub-group (AS = 7–8). Matching subjects on age and/or VIQ in each sub-group further improved the classification with the highest AUC of 0.92 in the low AS sub-group (AS = 4–5). AUC decreased with AS and VIQ, and was the lowest in the mid-age sub-group (13–18 years). The important features were mainly from the frontal, temporal, ventricular, right hippocampal and left amygdala regions. However, they highly varied with AS, VIQ and age. The curvature and folding index features from frontal, temporal, lingual and insular regions were dominant in younger subjects suggesting their importance for early detection. When the experiments were repeated using the Gradient Boosting classifier similar results were obtained. Our findings suggest that identifying brain biomarkers in sub-groups of ASD can yield more robust and insightful results than searching across the whole spectrum. Further, it may allow identification of sub-group specific brain biomarkers that are optimized for early detection and monitoring, increasing the utility of sMRI as an important tool for early detection of ASD. PMID:27065101

  17. Longitudinal adaptation in language development: a study of typically-developing children and children with ASD

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Weed, Ethan; Fusaroli, Riccardo; Fein, Deborah

    Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often display distinctive language development trajectories (Tek et al., 2013). Because language-learning is a social endeavor, these trajectories could be partially grounded in the dynamics that characterize the children's social and lingu......Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often display distinctive language development trajectories (Tek et al., 2013). Because language-learning is a social endeavor, these trajectories could be partially grounded in the dynamics that characterize the children's social......’s previous behavior. In this study, we tested this model of mutual influence in a longitudinal corpus (6 visits over 2 years), consisting of 30 minutes of controlled playful activities between parents and 66 children (33 ASD and 33 matched typically developing (TD), Goodwin et al. 2012). Methods: We first.......Results:Developmental trajectories: Our models described the developmental trajectories (0.3 ASD (β: from -1.14 to -0.86), with an interaction between the two (children with ASD showed shallower trajectories, β: -2.43 to -1...

  18. ASD Screening Measures for High-Ability Youth with ASD: Examining the ASSQ and SRS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cederberg, Charles D.; Gann, Lianne C.; Foley-Nicpon, Megan; Sussman, Zachary

    2018-01-01

    High-ability youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) historically have been neglected within samples validating ASD screening measures, and consensus for what constitutes high ability has not been established. The Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) are two common screening tools for ASD…

  19. Emotion Dysregulation and Anxiety in Adults with ASD: Does Social Motivation Play a Role?

    OpenAIRE

    Swain, Deanna; Scarpa-Friedman, Angela; White, Susan; Laugeson, Elizabeth

    2015-01-01

    Young adults with ASD and no intellectual impairment are more likely to exhibit clinical levels of anxiety than typically developing peers (DSM-5, American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This study tests a mechanistic model in which anxiety culminates via emotion dysregulation and social motivation. Adults with ASD (49 males, 20 females) completed self-report measures on emotion regulation, caregivers completed measures on ASD severity and both on social anxiety. Results indicated that emoti...

  20. DSM-V Changes for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Implications for Diagnosis, Management, and Care Coordination for Children With ASDs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lobar, Sandra L

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to highlight issues about diagnosis and management of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in all settings, along with care coordination for all children with ASDs. The article outlines differences between the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, revised (DSM-IV-TR) and the newer version (DSM-V) for ASDs. These changes may limit the eligibility of some children for services in school, leading to poorer social/academic outcomes, lower rates of employment, and decreased assistance in eventual independent living. Primary care providers identified a lack of knowledge regarding ASDs before the DSM-V was published, describing difficulty in making ASD diagnoses, recognizing early symptoms of developmental concern, and managing care. Care coordination is part of the role of the advanced practice nurse, and lack of understanding of ASD changes in the DSM-V may diminish the ability of advanced practice nurses to screen for ASDs and make the appropriate referrals. Copyright © 2016 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Response time variability under slow and fast-incentive conditions in children with ASD, ADHD and ASD+ADHD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tye, Charlotte; Johnson, Katherine A; Kelly, Simon P; Asherson, Philip; Kuntsi, Jonna; Ashwood, Karen L; Azadi, Bahare; Bolton, Patrick; McLoughlin, Gráinne

    2016-12-01

    Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show significant behavioural and genetic overlap. Both ADHD and ASD are characterised by poor performance on a range of cognitive tasks. In particular, increased response time variability (RTV) is a promising indicator of risk for both ADHD and ASD. However, it is not clear whether different indices of RTV and changes to RTV according to task conditions are able to discriminate between the two disorders. Children with ASD (n = 19), ADHD (n = 18), ASD + ADHD (n = 29) and typically developing controls (TDC; n = 26) performed a four-choice RT task with slow-baseline and fast-incentive conditions. Performance was characterised by mean RT (MRT), standard deviation of RT (SD-RT), coefficient of variation (CV) and ex-Gaussian distribution measures of Mu, Sigma and Tau. In the slow-baseline condition, categorical diagnoses and trait measures converged to indicate that children with ADHD-only and ASD + ADHD demonstrated increased MRT, SD-RT, CV and Tau compared to TDC and ASD-only. Importantly, greater improvement in MRT, SD-RT and Tau was demonstrated in ADHD and ASD + ADHD from slow-baseline to fast-incentive conditions compared to TDC and ASD-only. Slower and more variable RTs are markers of ADHD compared to ASD and typically developing controls during slow and less rewarding conditions. Energetic factors and rewards improve task performance to a greater extent in children with ADHD compared to children with ASD. These findings suggest that RTV can be distinguished in ASD, ADHD and ASD + ADHD based on the indices of variability used and the conditions in which they are elicited. Further work identifying neural processes underlying increased RTV is warranted, in order to elucidate disorder-specific and disorder-convergent aetiological pathways. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for

  2. Sibling Relationships: Parent-Child Agreement and Contributions of Siblings with and without ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braconnier, Megan L.; Coffman, Marika C.; Kelso, Nicole; Wolf, Julie M.

    2018-01-01

    Research on the experiences of siblings of individuals with ASD and the quality of their sibling relationships has yielded mixed results. The present study examined the significance of parent- versus child-report of both positive and negative behaviors exhibited by siblings and their brothers and sisters with ASD within sibling dyads. Findings…

  3. Increased Sensory Processing Atypicalities in Parents of Multiplex ASD Families Versus Typically Developing and Simplex ASD Families

    OpenAIRE

    Donaldson, Chelsea K.; Stauder, Johannes E. A.; Donkers, Franc C. L.

    2016-01-01

    Recent studies have suggested that sensory processing atypicalities may share genetic influences with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To further investigate this, the adolescent/adult sensory profile (AASP) questionnaire was distributed to 85 parents of typically developing children (P-TD), 121 parents from simplex ASD families (SPX), and 54 parents from multiplex ASD families (MPX). After controlling for gender and presence of mental disorders, results showed that MPX parents significantly d...

  4. Does gender influence core deficits in ASD? An investigation into social-communication and play of girls and boys with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrop, Clare; Shire, Stephanie; Gulsrud, Amanda; Chang, Ya-Chih; Ishijima, Eric; Lawton, Kathy; Kasari, Connie

    2015-03-01

    Due to the predominance of boys diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), girls are rarely studied independently. Research specifically focusing on play and social-communication in girls with ASD is extremely varied. We were interested in whether girls with ASD demonstrated equivalent social-communication and play skills in early childhood relative to boys, using two measures focused on the specific quantification of these variables. We also examined whether the associations between developmental variables and social-communication and play differed by gender. Forty girls with ASD were individually matched to 40 boys based on ASD severity. Our results suggest that girls and boys were more similar than different, however they also raise questions about the potential differential associations between development and requesting ability in girls and boys with ASD.

  5. Examining ECLS-B: Maternal Stress and Depressive Symptoms when Raising Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeans, Laurie M.; Santos, Rosa Milagros; Laxman, Daniel J.; McBride, Brent A.; Dyer, W. Justin

    2013-01-01

    Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), a nationally representative data set, we examined the extent to which mothers of preschool children with and without the diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) reported stress and depressive symptoms prior to and following diagnosis of ASD. At 4 years, approximately 100…

  6. Examining the Links between Challenging Behaviors in Youth with ASD and Parental Stress, Mental Health, and Involvement: Applying an Adaptation of the Family Stress Model to Families of Youth with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schiltz, Hillary K.; McVey, Alana J.; Magnus, Brooke; Dolan, Bridget K.; Willar, Kirsten S.; Pleiss, Sheryl; Karst, Jeffrey; Carson, Audrey M.; Caiozzo, Christina; Vogt, Elisabeth; Van Hecke, Amy Vaughan

    2018-01-01

    Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) poses unique challenges that may impact parents' mental health and parenting experiences. The current study analyzed self-report data from 77 parents of youth with ASD. A serial multiple mediation model revealed that parenting stress (SIPA) and parental mental health (BAI and BDI-II) appears to…

  7. Cross-parent reliability in rating ASD markers in infants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Sasson, Ayelet; Amit-Ben-Simhon, Hemda; Meyer, Sonya

    2015-06-01

    To investigate the congruence and discrepancies between mother and father reports of early autism spectrum disorders (ASD) markers. Mothers (n = 80) and fathers (n = 78) of 12-month-old infants (55% boys) completed the first year inventory (FYI), an ASD norm-referenced screening questionnaire. Mothers also completed the Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (ITSEA). There were significant and moderate intra-class correlations between mother and father reports for most FYI factors. Fathers' median FYI social-communication domain score was almost twice that of mothers. Mann-Whitney tests indicated that fathers rated their child significantly higher than mothers on the four FYI social-communication factors and on the sensory processing factor. Linear weighted kappa analyses indicated poor agreement on gaze-related and reactivity FYI items. FYI social-communication and sensory-regulatory factors showed significant correlations with corresponding ITSEA scores. Social-communication markers pose a greater challenge for consistent report across parents than sensory-regulatory markers.

  8. Parenting a Child with ASD: Comparison of Parenting Style between ASD, Anxiety, and Typical Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ventola, Pamela; Lei, Jiedi; Paisley, Courtney; Lebowitz, Eli; Silverman, Wendy

    2017-01-01

    Parenting children with ASD has a complex history. Given parents' increasingly pivotal role in children's treatment, it is critical to consider parental style and behaviours. This study (1) compares parenting style of parents of children with ASD, parents of children with anxiety disorders, and parents of typically developing (TD) children and (2)…

  9. Visual search performance in infants associates with later ASD diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C.H.M. Cheung

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available An enhanced ability to detect visual targets amongst distractors, known as visual search (VS, has often been documented in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD. Yet, it is unclear when this behaviour emerges in development and if it is specific to ASD. We followed up infants at high and low familial risk for ASD to investigate how early VS abilities links to later ASD diagnosis, the potential underlying mechanisms of this association and the specificity of superior VS to ASD. Clinical diagnosis of ASD as well as dimensional measures of ASD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD and anxiety symptoms were ascertained at 3 years. At 9 and 15 months, but not at age 2 years, high-risk children who later met clinical criteria for ASD (HR-ASD had better VS performance than those without later diagnosis and low-risk controls. Although HR-ASD children were also more attentive to the task at 9 months, this did not explain search performance. Superior VS specifically predicted 3 year-old ASD but not ADHD or anxiety symptoms. Our results demonstrate that atypical perception and core ASD symptoms of social interaction and communication are closely and selectively associated during early development, and suggest causal links between perceptual and social features of ASD. Keywords: Visual search, Visual attention, ASD, ADHD, Infant, Familial risk

  10. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Related Topics

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Facebook Tweet Share Compartir Q: Do vaccines cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? A: Many studies that have looked at whether there is a relationship between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To date, the studies continue to show ...

  11. ACTIVE SOIL DEPRESSURIZATION (ASD) DEMONSTRATION IN A LARGE BUILDING

    Science.gov (United States)

    The report gives results of an evaluation of the feasibility of implementing radon resistant construction techniques -- especially active soil depressurization (ASD) -- in new large buildings in Florida. Indoor radon concentrations and radon entry were monitored in a finished bui...

  12. Changes in Depressive Symptoms among Adolescents with ASD Completing the PEERS® Social Skills Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schiltz, Hillary K.; McVey, Alana J.; Dolan, Bridget K.; Willar, Kirsten S.; Pleiss, Sheryl; Karst, Jeffrey S.; Carson, Audrey M.; Caiozzo, Christina; Vogt, Elisabeth M.; Yund, Brianna D.; Van Hecke, Amy Vaughan

    2018-01-01

    Depression is a common concern among people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is often associated with social skills and relationship challenges. The present data, from a randomized controlled trial, examined the effect of PEERS® on self-reported depressive symptoms via the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) among 49 adolescents with ASD.…

  13. Reported Wandering Behavior among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rice, Catherine E.; Zablotsky, Benjamin; Avila, Rosa M.; Colpe, Lisa J.; Schieve, Laura A.; Pringle, Beverly; Blumberg, Stephen J.

    2016-01-01

    Objective To characterize wandering, or elopement, among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability. Study design Questions on wandering in the previous year were asked of parents of children with ASD with and without intellectual disability and children with intellectual disability without ASD as part of the 2011 Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services. The Pathways study sample was drawn from the much larger National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs conducted in 2009-2010. Results For children with special healthcare needs diagnosed with either ASD, intellectual disability, or both, wandering or becoming lost during the previous year was reported for more than 1 in 4 children. Wandering was highest among children with ASD with intellectual disability (37.7%) followed by children with ASD without intellectual disability (32.7%), and then children with intellectual disability without ASD (23.7%), though the differences between these groups were not statistically significant. Conclusions This study affirms that wandering among children with ASD, regardless of intellectual disability status, is relatively common. However, wandering or becoming lost in the past year was also reported for many children with intellectual disability, indicating the need to broaden our understanding of this safety issue to other developmental disabilities. PMID:27157446

  14. Visual search performance in infants associates with later ASD diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, C H M; Bedford, R; Johnson, M H; Charman, T; Gliga, T

    2018-01-01

    An enhanced ability to detect visual targets amongst distractors, known as visual search (VS), has often been documented in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Yet, it is unclear when this behaviour emerges in development and if it is specific to ASD. We followed up infants at high and low familial risk for ASD to investigate how early VS abilities links to later ASD diagnosis, the potential underlying mechanisms of this association and the specificity of superior VS to ASD. Clinical diagnosis of ASD as well as dimensional measures of ASD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety symptoms were ascertained at 3 years. At 9 and 15 months, but not at age 2 years, high-risk children who later met clinical criteria for ASD (HR-ASD) had better VS performance than those without later diagnosis and low-risk controls. Although HR-ASD children were also more attentive to the task at 9 months, this did not explain search performance. Superior VS specifically predicted 3 year-old ASD but not ADHD or anxiety symptoms. Our results demonstrate that atypical perception and core ASD symptoms of social interaction and communication are closely and selectively associated during early development, and suggest causal links between perceptual and social features of ASD. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Does Gender Influence Core Deficits in ASD? An Investigation into Social-Communication and Play of Girls and Boys with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrop, Clare; Shire, Stephanie; Gulsrud, Amanda; Chang, Ya-Chih; Ishijima, Eric; Lawton, Kathy; Kasari, Connie

    2015-01-01

    Due to the predominance of boys diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), girls are rarely studied independently. Research specifically focusing on play and social-communication in girls with ASD is extremely varied. We were interested in whether girls with ASD demonstrated equivalent social-communication and play skills in early childhood…

  16. Reduced Oblique Effect in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sysoeva, Olga V.; Davletshina, Maria A.; Orekhova, Elena V.; Galuta, Ilia A.; Stroganova, Tatiana A.

    2016-01-01

    People are very precise in the discrimination of a line orientation relative to the cardinal (vertical and horizontal) axes, while their orientation discrimination sensitivity along the oblique axes is less refined. This difference in discrimination sensitivity along cardinal and oblique axes is called the “oblique effect.” Given that the oblique effect is a basic feature of visual processing with an early developmental origin, its investigation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may shed light on the nature of visual sensory abnormalities frequently reported in this population. We examined line orientation sensitivity along oblique and vertical axes in a sample of 26 boys with ASD (IQ > 68) and 38 typically developing (TD) boys aged 7–15 years, as well as in a subsample of carefully IQ-matched ASD and TD participants. Children were asked to detect the direction of tilt of a high-contrast black-and-white grating relative to vertical (90°) or oblique (45°) templates. The oblique effect was reduced in children with ASD as compared to TD participants, irrespective of their IQ. This reduction was due to poor orientation sensitivity along the vertical axis in ASD children, while their ability to discriminate line orientation along the oblique axis was unaffected. We speculate that this deficit in sensitivity to vertical orientation may reflect disrupted mechanisms of early experience-dependent learning that takes place during the critical period for orientation selectivity. PMID:26834540

  17. External Validation of the Adult Spinal Deformity (ASD) Frailty Index (ASD-FI) in the Scoli-RISK-1 Patient Database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Emily K; Lenke, Lawrence G; Neuman, Brian J; Sciubba, Daniel M; Kebaish, Khaled M; Smith, Justin S; Qiu, Yong; Dahl, Benny T; Pellisé, Ferran; Matsuyama, Yukihiro; Carreon, Leah Y; Fehlings, Michael G; Cheung, Kenneth M; Lewis, Stephen; Dekutoski, Mark B; Schwab, Frank J; Boachie-Adjei, Oheneba; Mehdian, Hossein; Bess, Shay; Shaffrey, Christopher I; Ames, Christopher P

    2018-05-14

    Analysis of a prospective multicenter database. To assess the ability of the recently created Adult Spinal Deformity (ASD) Frailty Index (ASD-FI) to predict odds of major complications and length of hospital stay for patients who had more severe preoperative deformity and underwent more invasive ASD surgery compared with patients in the database used to create the index. Accurate preoperative estimates of risk are necessary given the high complication rates currently associated with ASD surgery. Patients were enrolled by participating institutions in Europe, Asia, and North America from 2009 to 2011. ASD-FI scores were used to classify 267 patients as not frail (NF) (0.5). Multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for preoperative and surgical covariates such as operative time and blood loss, was performed to determine the relationship between ASD-FI category and incidence of major complications, overall incidence of complications, and length of hospital stay. The mean ASD-FI score was 0.3 (range, 0-0.7). We categorized 105 patients as NF, 103 as frail, and 59 as SF. The adjusted odds of developing a major complication were higher for SF patients (odds ratio = 4.4; 95% CI 2.0, 9.9) compared with NF patients. After adjusting for covariates, length of hospital stay for SF patients increased by 19% (95% CI 1.4%, 39%) compared with NF patients. The odds of developing a major complication or having increased length of stay were similar between frail and NF patients. Greater patient frailty, as measured by the ASD-FI, is associated with a longer hospital stay and greater risk of major complications among patients who have severe preoperative deformity and undergo invasive surgical procedures. 2.

  18. Brief Report: Comparability of DSM-IV and DSM-5 ASD Research Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazefsky, C. A.; McPartland, J. C.; Gastgeb, H. Z.; Minshew, N. J.

    2013-01-01

    Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) criteria for ASD have been criticized for being too restrictive, especially for more cognitively-able individuals. It is unclear, however, if high-functioning individuals deemed eligible for research via standardized diagnostic assessments would meet DSM-5 criteria. This study investigated the impact of…

  19. [Suicidal behaviors in adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) without intellectual disability].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abadie, Pascale

    2012-01-01

    The Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by an atypical sociability, alterations in communication, restricted interests and stereotypies, with adding affective and adaptative disabilities. The suicidal behaviors are frequently observed in the adolescents and adults with an ASD without intellectual deficience. However, the clinical research on the topic is limited and the diagnosis not assessed in the emergency units. Among the individual risk factors of the suicidal behavior in ASD patients, mood and anxiety disorders are found as well as a familial affective disorder history. The intimidation and the lack of socio-professional integration were also reported as environnemental risk factors. Laters tudies taking into account the cognitive characteristics would permit to investigate the suicidal phenomenology in ASD patients.

  20. The co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in parents of children with ASD or ASD with ADHD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Steijn, Daphne J; Richards, Jennifer S; Oerlemans, Anoek M; de Ruiter, Saskia W; van Aken, Marcel A G; Franke, Barbara; Buitelaar, Jan K; Rommelse, Nanda N J

    2012-09-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) share about 50-72% of their genetic factors, which is the most likely explanation for their frequent co-occurrence within the same patient or family. An additional or alternative explanation for the co-occurrence may be (cross-)assortative mating, e.g., the tendency to choose a partner that is similar or dissimilar to oneself. Another issue is that of parent-of-origin effect which refers to the possibility of parents differing in the relative quantity of risk factors they transmit to the offspring. The current study sets out to examine (cross-)assortative mating and (cross-)parent-of-origin effects of ASD and ADHD in parents of children with either ASD or ASD with ADHD diagnosis. In total, 121 families were recruited in an ongoing autism-ADHD family genetics project. Participating families consisted of parents and at least one child aged between 2 and 20 years, with either autistic disorder, Asperger disorder or PDD-NOS, and one or more biological siblings. All children and parents were carefully screened for the presence of ASD and ADHD. No correlations were found between maternal and paternal ASD and ADHD symptoms. Parental ASD and ADHD symptoms were predictive for similar symptoms in the offspring, but with maternal hyperactive-impulsive symptoms, but not paternal symptoms, predicting similar symptoms in daughters. ASD pathology in the parents was not predictive for ADHD pathology in the offspring, but mother's ADHD pathology was predictive for offspring ASD pathology even when corrected for maternal ASD pathology. Cross-assortative mating for ASD and ADHD does not form an explanation for the frequent co-occurrence of these disorders within families. Given that parental ADHD is predictive of offspring' ASD but not vice versa, risk factors underlying ASD may overlap to a larger degree with risk factors underlying ADHD than vice versa. However, future research is needed to clarify

  1. Structural brain imaging correlates of ASD and ADHD across the lifespan: a hypothesis-generating review on developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rommelse, Nanda; Buitelaar, Jan K; Hartman, Catharina A

    2017-02-01

    We hypothesize that it is plausible that biologically distinct developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes are present, each characterized by a distinct time of onset of symptoms, progression and combination of symptoms. The aim of the present narrative review was to explore if structural brain imaging studies may shed light on key brain areas that are linked to both ASD and ADHD symptoms and undergo significant changes during development. These findings may possibly pinpoint to brain mechanisms underlying differential developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes. To this end we brought together the literature on ASD and ADHD structural brain imaging symptoms and particularly highlight the adolescent years and beyond. Findings indicate that the vast majority of existing MRI studies has been cross-sectional and conducted in children, and sometimes did include adolescents as well, but without explicitly documenting on this age group. MRI studies documenting on age effects in adults with ASD and/or ADHD are rare, and if age is taken into account, only linear effects are examined. Data from various studies suggest that a crucial distinctive feature underlying different developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes may be the differential developmental thinning patterns of the anterior cingulate cortex and related connections towards other prefrontal regions. These regions are crucial for the development of cognitive/effortful control and socio-emotional functioning, with impairments in these features as key to both ASD and ADHD.

  2. The geometric preference subtype in ASD: identifying a consistent, early-emerging phenomenon through eye tracking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Adrienne; Wozniak, Madeline; Yousef, Andrew; Barnes, Cindy Carter; Cha, Debra; Courchesne, Eric; Pierce, Karen

    2018-01-01

    The wide range of ability and disability in ASD creates a need for tools that parse the phenotypic heterogeneity into meaningful subtypes. Using eye tracking, our past studies revealed that when presented with social and geometric images, a subset of ASD toddlers preferred viewing geometric images, and these toddlers also had greater symptom severity than ASD toddlers with greater social attention. This study tests whether this "GeoPref test" effect would generalize across different social stimuli. Two hundred and twenty-seven toddlers (76 ASD) watched a 90-s video, the Complex Social GeoPref test, of dynamic geometric images paired with social images of children interacting and moving. Proportion of visual fixation time and number of saccades per second to both images were calculated. To allow for cross-paradigm comparisons, a subset of 126 toddlers also participated in the original GeoPref test. Measures of cognitive and social functioning (MSEL, ADOS, VABS) were collected and related to eye tracking data. To examine utility as a diagnostic indicator to detect ASD toddlers, validation statistics (e.g., sensitivity, specificity, ROC, AUC) were calculated for the Complex Social GeoPref test alone and when combined with the original GeoPref test. ASD toddlers spent a significantly greater amount of time viewing geometric images than any other diagnostic group. Fixation patterns from ASD toddlers who participated in both tests revealed a significant correlation, supporting the idea that these tests identify a phenotypically meaningful ASD subgroup. Combined use of both original and Complex Social GeoPref tests identified a subgroup of about 1 in 3 ASD toddlers from the "GeoPref" subtype (sensitivity 35%, specificity 94%, AUC 0.75.) Replicating our previous studies, more time looking at geometric images was associated with significantly greater ADOS symptom severity. Regardless of the complexity of the social images used (low in the original GeoPref test vs high in

  3. Association of Schizophrenia Spectrum and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Symptoms in Children with ASD and Clinic Controls

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gadow, Kenneth D.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: This study examines relations between the severity of specific symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) and severity of the three defining symptom domains of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children with ASD (N = 147) and child psychiatry outpatient referrals (Controls; N = 339). Method: Participants were subdivided into four…

  4. Increased Sensory Processing Atypicalities in Parents of Multiplex ASD Families versus Typically Developing and Simplex ASD Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donaldson, Chelsea K.; Stauder, Johannes E. A.; Donkers, Franc C. L.

    2017-01-01

    Recent studies have suggested that sensory processing atypicalities may share genetic influences with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To further investigate this, the adolescent/adult sensory profile (AASP) questionnaire was distributed to 85 parents of typically developing children (P-TD), 121 parents from simplex ASD families (SPX), and 54…

  5. Sensory hypersensitivity predicts enhanced attention capture by faces in the early development of ASD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E.J.H Jones

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Sensory sensitivity is prevalent among young children with ASD, but its relation to social communication impairment is unclear. Recently, increased sensory hypersensitivity has been linked to greater activity of the neural salience network (Green et al., 2016. Increased neural sensitivity to stimuli, especially social stimuli, could provide greater opportunity for social learning and improved outcomes. Consistent with this framework, in Experiment 1 we found that parent report of greater sensory hypersensitivity at 2 years in toddlers with ASD (N = 27 was predictive of increased neural responsiveness to social stimuli (larger amplitude event-related potential/ERP responses to faces at P1, P400 and Nc at 4 years, and this in turn was related to parent report of increased social approach at 4 years. In Experiment 2, parent report of increased perceptual sensitivity at 6 months in infants at low and high familial risk for ASD (N = 35 predicted larger ERP P1 amplitude to faces at 18 months. Increased sensory hypersensitivity in early development thus predicted greater attention capture by faces in later development, and this related to more optimal social behavioral development. Sensory hypersensitivity may index a child's ability to benefit from supportive environments during development. Early sensory symptoms may not always be developmentally problematic for individuals with ASD. Keywords: Autism, Sensory hypersensitivity, Social attention, Salience network, Infant, EEG

  6. Intelligence May Moderate the Cognitive Profile of Patients with ASD.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nanda Rommelse

    Full Text Available The intelligence of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD varies considerably. The pattern of cognitive deficits associated with ASD may differ depending on intelligence. We aimed to study the absolute and relative severity of cognitive deficits in participants with ASD in relation to IQ.A total of 274 children (M age = 12.1, 68.6% boys participated: 30 ASD and 22 controls in the below average Intelligence Quotient (IQ group (IQ115. Matching for age, sex, Full Scale IQ (FSIQ, Verbal IQ (VIQ, Performance IQ (PIQ and VIQ-PIQ difference was performed. Speed and accuracy of social cognition, executive functioning, visual pattern recognition and basic processing speed were examined per domain and as a composite score.The composite score revealed a trend significant IQ by ASD interaction (significant when excluding the average IQ group. In absolute terms, participants with below average IQs performed poorest (regardless of diagnosis. However, in relative terms, above average intelligent participants with ASD showed the most substantial cognitive problems (particularly for social cognition, visual pattern recognition and verbal working memory since this group differed significantly from the IQ-matched control group (p < .001, whereas this was not the case for below-average intelligence participants with ASD (p = .57.In relative terms, cognitive deficits appear somewhat more severe in individuals with ASD and above average IQs compared to the below average IQ patients with ASD. Even though high IQ ASD individuals enjoy a certain protection from their higher IQ, they clearly demonstrate cognitive impairments that may be targeted in clinical assessment and treatment. Conversely, even though in absolute terms ASD patients with below average IQs were clearly more impaired than ASD patients with average to above average IQs, the differences in cognitive functioning between participants with and without ASD on the lower end of the IQ spectrum were

  7. ASD and PTSD in Rape Victims

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elklit, Ask; Christiansen, Dorte M.

    2010-01-01

    In recent years, a number of studies have investigated the prediction of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through the presence of acute stress disorder (ASD). The predictive power of ASD on PTSD was examined in a population of 148 female rape victims who visited a center for rape victims shortly after the rape or attempted rape. The PTSD…

  8. Brief Report: A Pilot Summer Robotics Camp to Reduce Social Anxiety and Improve Social/Vocational Skills in Adolescents with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaboski, Juhi R; Diehl, Joshua John; Beriont, Jane; Crowell, Charles R; Villano, Michael; Wier, Kristin; Tang, Karen

    2015-12-01

    This pilot study evaluated a novel intervention designed to reduce social anxiety and improve social/vocational skills for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The intervention utilized a shared interest in robotics among participants to facilitate natural social interaction between individuals with ASD and typically developing (TD) peers. Eight individuals with ASD and eight TD peers ages 12-17 participated in a weeklong robotics camp, during which they learned robotic facts, actively programmed an interactive robot, and learned "career" skills. The ASD group showed a significant decrease in social anxiety and both groups showed an increase in robotics knowledge, although neither group showed a significant increase in social skills. These initial findings suggest that this approach is promising and warrants further study.

  9. Driving Behaviour Profile of Drivers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chee, Derserri Y.; Lee, Hoe C.; Patomella, Ann-Helen; Falkmer, Torbjörn

    2017-01-01

    The symptomatology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can make driving risky, but little is known about the on-road driving behaviour of individuals with ASD. This study assessed and compared the on-road driving performance of drivers with and without ASD, and explored how the symptomatology of ASD hinders or facilitates on-road driving…

  10. Exploring the relationship between cortical GABA concentrations, auditory gamma-band responses and development in ASD: Evidence for an altered maturational trajectory in ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Port, Russell G; Gaetz, William; Bloy, Luke; Wang, Dah-Jyuu; Blaskey, Lisa; Kuschner, Emily S; Levy, Susan E; Brodkin, Edward S; Roberts, Timothy P L

    2017-04-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is hypothesized to arise from imbalances between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission (E/I imbalance). Studies have demonstrated E/I imbalance in individuals with ASD and also corresponding rodent models. One neural process thought to be reliant on E/I balance is gamma-band activity (Gamma), with support arising from observed correlations between motor, as well as visual, Gamma and underlying GABA concentrations in healthy adults. Additionally, decreased Gamma has been observed in ASD individuals and relevant animal models, though the direct relationship between Gamma and GABA concentrations in ASD remains unexplored. This study combined magnetoencephalography (MEG) and edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in 27 typically developing individuals (TD) and 30 individuals with ASD. Auditory cortex localized phase-locked Gamma was compared to resting Superior Temporal Gyrus relative cortical GABA concentrations for both children/adolescents and adults. Children/adolescents with ASD exhibited significantly decreased GABA+/Creatine (Cr) levels, though typical Gamma. Additionally, these children/adolescents lacked the typical maturation of GABA+/Cr concentrations and gamma-band coherence. Furthermore, children/adolescents with ASD additionally failed to exhibit the typical GABA+/Cr to gamma-band coherence association. This altered coupling during childhood/adolescence may result in Gamma decreases observed in the adults with ASD. Therefore, individuals with ASD exhibit improper local neuronal circuitry maturation during a childhood/adolescence critical period, when GABA is involved in configuring of such circuit functioning. Provocatively a novel line of treatment is suggested (with a critical time window); by increasing neural GABA levels in children/adolescents with ASD, proper local circuitry maturation may be restored resulting in typical Gamma in adulthood. Autism Res 2017, 10: 593-607. © 2016 International Society for

  11. Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Individuals with Mucopolysaccharide Disease Type III (Sanfilippo Syndrome): A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolfenden, C; Wittkowski, A; Hare, D J

    2017-11-01

    The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in many genetic disorders is well documented but not as yet in Mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III). MPS III is a recessively inherited metabolic disorder and evidence suggests that symptoms of ASD present in MPS III. This systematic review examined the extant literature on the symptoms of ASD in MPS III and quality assessed a total of 16 studies. Results indicated that difficulties within speech, language and communication consistent with ASD were present in MPS III, whilst repetitive and restricted behaviours and interests were less widely reported. The presence of ASD-like symptoms can result in late diagnosis or misdiagnosis of MPS III and prevent opportunities for genetic counselling and the provision of treatments.

  12. Relating ASD symptoms to well-being: moving across different construct levels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deserno, M K; Borsboom, D; Begeer, S; Geurts, H M

    2018-05-01

    Little is known about the specific factors that contribute to the well-being (WB) of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A plausible hypothesis is that ASD symptomatology has a direct negative effect on WB. In the current study, the emerging tools of network analysis allow to explore the functional interdependencies between specific symptoms of ASD and domains of WB in a multivariate framework. We illustrate how studying both higher-order (total score) and lower-order (subscale) representations of ASD symptomatology can clarify the interrelations of factors relevant for domains of WB. We estimated network structures on three different construct levels for ASD symptomatology, as assessed with the Adult Social Behavior Questionnaire (item, subscale, total score), relating them to daily functioning (DF) and subjective WB in 323 adult individuals with clinically identified ASD (aged 17-70 years). For these networks, we assessed the importance of specific factors in the network structure. When focusing on the highest representation level of ASD symptomatology (i.e. a total score), we found a negative connection between ASD symptom severity and domains of WB. However, zooming in on lower representation levels of ASD symptomatology revealed that this connection was mainly funnelled by ASD symptoms related to insistence on sameness and experiencing reduced contact and that those symptom scales, in turn, impact different domains of WB. Zooming in across construct levels of ASD symptom severity into subscales of ASD symptoms can provide us with important insights into how specific domains of ASD symptoms relate to specific domains of DF and WB.

  13. Patient profiling can identify patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) at risk for conversion from nonoperative to surgical treatment: initial steps to reduce ineffective ASD management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Passias, Peter G; Jalai, Cyrus M; Line, Breton G; Poorman, Gregory W; Scheer, Justin K; Smith, Justin S; Shaffrey, Christopher I; Burton, Douglas C; Fu, Kai-Ming G; Klineberg, Eric O; Hart, Robert A; Schwab, Frank; Lafage, Virginie; Bess, Shay

    2018-02-01

    Non-operative management is a common initial treatment for patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) despite reported superiority of surgery with regard to outcomes. Ineffective medical care is a large source of resource drain on the health system. Characterization of patients with ASD likely to elect for operative treatment from non-operative management may allow for more efficient patient counseling and cost savings. This study aimed to identify deformity and disability characteristics of patients with ASD who ultimately convert to operative treatment compared with those who remain non-operative and those who initially choose surgery. A retrospective review was carried out. A total of 510 patients with ASD (189 non-operative, 321 operative) with minimum 2-year follow-up comprised the patient sample. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Short-Form 36 Health Assessment (SF-36), Scoliosis Research Society questionnaire (SRS-22r), and spinopelvic radiographic alignment were the outcome measures. Demographic, radiographic, and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) from a cohort of patients with ASD prospectively enrolled into a multicenter database were evaluated. Patients were divided into three treatment cohorts: Non-operative (NON=initial non-operative treatment and remained non-operative), Operative (OP=initial operative treatment), and Crossover (CROSS=initial non-operative treatment with subsequent conversion to operative treatment). NON and OP groups were propensity score-matched (PSM) to CROSS for baseline demographics (age, body mass index, Charlson Comorbidity Index). Time to crossover was divided into early (1 year). Outcome measures were compared across and within treatment groups at four time points (baseline, 6 weeks, 1 year, and 2 years). Following PSM, 118 patients were included (NON=39, OP=38, CROSS=41). Crossover rate was 21.7% (41/189). Mean time to crossover was 394 days. All groups had similar baseline sagittal alignment, but CROSS had larger

  14. Accurate or assumed: visual learning in children with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trembath, David; Vivanti, Giacomo; Iacono, Teresa; Dissanayake, Cheryl

    2015-10-01

    Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often described as visual learners. We tested this assumption in an experiment in which 25 children with ASD, 19 children with global developmental delay (GDD), and 17 typically developing (TD) children were presented a series of videos via an eye tracker in which an actor instructed them to manipulate objects in speech-only and speech + pictures conditions. We found no group differences in visual attention to the stimuli. The GDD and TD groups performed better when pictures were available, whereas the ASD group did not. Performance of children with ASD and GDD was positively correlated with visual attention and receptive language. We found no evidence of a prominent visual learning style in the ASD group.

  15. PHYSICAL AND NUMERICAL MODELING OF ASD EXHAUST DISPERSION AROUND HOUSES

    Science.gov (United States)

    The report discusses the use of a wind tunnel to physically model the dispersion of exhaust plumes from active soil depressurization (ASD) radon mitigation systems in houses. he testing studied the effects of exhaust location (grade level vs. above the eave), as house height, roo...

  16. The reciprocal relationship of ASD, ADHD, depressive symptoms and stress in parents of children with ASD and/or ADHD

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Steijn, D.J. van; Oerlemans, A.M.; Aken, M.A.G. van; Buitelaar, J.K.; Rommelse, N.N.J.

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the role of parental Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depressive symptoms on parenting stress in 174 families with children with ASD and/or ADHD, using generalized linear models and structural equation models. Fathers and

  17. The Reciprocal Relationship of ASD, ADHD, Depressive Symptoms and Stress in Parents of Children with ASD and/or ADHD

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Steijn, Daphne J.; Oerlemans, Anoek M.; van Aken, Marcel A. G.; Buitelaar, Jan K.; Rommelse, Nanda N. J.

    This study investigated the role of parental Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depressive symptoms on parenting stress in 174 families with children with ASD and/or ADHD, using generalized linear models and structural equation models. Fathers and

  18. State-Level Trends in the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from 2000 to 2012: A Reanalysis of Findings from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheldrick, R Christopher; Carter, Alice S

    2018-04-13

    Since 2000, the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Network (ADDM) has published detailed prevalence estimates for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among 8 year-olds, which are widely interpreted as the U.S. national prevalence of ASD. Although differences in state-level ASD prevalence has been reported, state-level heterogeneity has not been explored systematically. We analyzed state-level estimates and trends in ASD prevalence from 2000 to 2012 using secondary data from bi-annual ADDM reports. Heterogeneity among state-level ASD prevalence estimates were apparent in 2000 and grew between 2000 and 2012. Findings highlight the need for greater understanding of how children with ASD are identified by the medical and educational systems, which has significant implications for the state-level resources required to effectively manage ASD.

  19. Development of an ASD IC for the Micro Pixel Chamber

    CERN Document Server

    Orito, R; Kubo, H; Miuchi, K; Nagayoshi, T; Okada, Y; Takada, A; Takeda, A; Tanimori, T; Ueno, M

    2004-01-01

    A new amplifier-shaper-discriminator (ASD) chip was designed and manufactured for the Micro Pixel Chamber ($\\mu$-PIC). The design of this ASD IC is based on the ASD IC (TGC-ASD) for the Thin Gap Chamber in the LHC Atlas Experiment. The decay time constant of the preamplifier is 5-times longer than that of the TGC-ASD, and some other modifications have been made in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the $\\mu$-PIC. The ASD IC uses SONY Analog Master Slice bipolar technology. The IC contains 4 channels in a QFP48 package. The decay time constant of the preamplifier is 80 ns and its gain is approximately 0.8 V/pC. The output from the preamplifier is received by a shaper (main-amplifier) with a gain of 7. A baseline restoration circuit is incorporated in the main-amplifier, and the current used for the baseline restoration is 5-times smaller than that of the TGC-ASD. The threshold voltage for the discriminator section is common to the 4 channels and their digital output level is LVDS-compatible. The ASD...

  20. An ontology for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to infer ASD phenotypes from Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mugzach, Omri; Peleg, Mor; Bagley, Steven C; Guter, Stephen J; Cook, Edwin H; Altman, Russ B

    2015-08-01

    Our goal is to create an ontology that will allow data integration and reasoning with subject data to classify subjects, and based on this classification, to infer new knowledge on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). We take a first step toward this goal by extending an existing autism ontology to allow automatic inference of ASD phenotypes and Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria based on subjects' Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) assessment data. Knowledge regarding diagnostic instruments, ASD phenotypes and risk factors was added to augment an existing autism ontology via Ontology Web Language class definitions and semantic web rules. We developed a custom Protégé plugin for enumerating combinatorial OWL axioms to support the many-to-many relations of ADI-R items to diagnostic categories in the DSM. We utilized a reasoner to infer whether 2642 subjects, whose data was obtained from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, meet DSM-IV-TR (DSM-IV) and DSM-5 diagnostic criteria based on their ADI-R data. We extended the ontology by adding 443 classes and 632 rules that represent phenotypes, along with their synonyms, environmental risk factors, and frequency of comorbidities. Applying the rules on the data set showed that the method produced accurate results: the true positive and true negative rates for inferring autistic disorder diagnosis according to DSM-IV criteria were 1 and 0.065, respectively; the true positive rate for inferring ASD based on DSM-5 criteria was 0.94. The ontology allows automatic inference of subjects' disease phenotypes and diagnosis with high accuracy. The ontology may benefit future studies by serving as a knowledge base for ASD. In addition, by adding knowledge of related NDDs, commonalities and differences in manifestations and risk factors could be automatically inferred, contributing to the understanding of ASD pathophysiology. Copyright

  1. Are parental autism spectrum disorder and/or attention-deficit/Hyperactivity disorder symptoms related to parenting styles in families with ASD (+ADHD) affected children?

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Steijn, Daphne J; Oerlemans, Anoek M; de Ruiter, Saskia W; van Aken, Marcel A G; Buitelaar, Jan K; Rommelse, Nanda N J

    2013-11-01

    An understudied and sensitive topic nowadays is that even subthreshold symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in parents may relate to their parenting styles. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of (the combined) effect of child diagnosis (ASD or ASD + ADHD affected/unaffected children) and parental ASD and/or ADHD on parenting styles. Ninety-six families were recruited with one child with a clinical ASD (+ADHD) diagnosis, and one unaffected sibling. Parental ASD and ADHD symptoms were assessed using self-report. The Parenting Styles Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) self- and spouse-report were used to measure the authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles. Fathers and mothers scored significantly higher than the norm data of the PSDQ on the permissive style regarding affected children, and lower on the authoritative and authoritarian parenting style for affected and unaffected children. Self- and spouse-report correlated modestly too strongly. Higher levels of paternal (not maternal) ADHD symptoms were suboptimally related to the three parenting styles. Further, two parent-child pathology interaction effects were found, indicating that fathers with high ADHD symptoms and mothers with high ASD symptoms reported to use a more permissive parenting style only towards their unaffected child. The results highlight the negative effects of paternal ADHD symptoms on parenting styles within families with ASD (+ADHD) affected offspring and the higher permissiveness towards unaffected offspring specifically when paternal ADHD and/or maternal ASD symptoms are high. Parenting training in these families may be beneficial for the well-being of all family members.

  2. Decrease in endogenous brain allopregnanolone induces autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-like behavior in mice: A novel animal model of ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebihara, Ken; Fujiwara, Hironori; Awale, Suresh; Dibwe, Dya Fita; Araki, Ryota; Yabe, Takeshi; Matsumoto, Kinzo

    2017-09-15

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with core symptoms of social impairments and restrictive repetitive behaviors. Recent evidence has implicated a dysfunction in the GABAergic system in the pathophysiology of ASD. We investigated the role of endogenous allopregnanolone (ALLO), a neurosteroidal positive allosteric modulator of GABA A receptors, in the regulation of ASD-like behavior in male mice using SKF105111 (SKF), an inhibitor of type I and type II 5α-reductase, a rate-limiting enzyme of ALLO biosynthesis. SKF impaired sociability-related performance, as analyzed by three different tests; i.e., the 3-chamber test and social interaction in the open field and resident-intruder tests, without affecting olfactory function elucidated by the buried food test. SKF also induced repetitive grooming behavior without affecting anxiety-like behavior. SKF had no effect on short-term spatial working memory or long-term fear memory, but enhanced latent learning ability in male mice. SKF-induced ASD-like behavior in male mice was abolished by the systemic administration of ALLO (1mg/kg, i.p.) and methylphenidate (MPH: 2.5mg/kg, i.p.), a dopamine transporter inhibitor. The effects of SKF on brain ALLO contents in male mice were reversed by ALLO, but not MPH. On the other hand, SKF failed to induce ASD-like behavior or a decline in brain ALLO contents in female mice. These results suggest that ALLO regulates episodes of ASD-like behavior by positively modulating the function of GABA A receptors linked to the dopaminergic system. Moreover, a sex-dependently induced decrease in brain ALLO contents may provide an animal model to study the main features of ASD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. The Mechanisms Underlying the ASD Advantage in Visual Search.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaldy, Zsuzsa; Giserman, Ivy; Carter, Alice S; Blaser, Erik

    2016-05-01

    A number of studies have demonstrated that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are faster or more successful than typically developing control participants at various visual-attentional tasks (for reviews, see Dakin and Frith in Neuron 48:497-507, 2005; Simmons et al. in Vis Res 49:2705-2739, 2009). This "ASD advantage" was first identified in the domain of visual search by Plaisted et al. (J Child Psychol Psychiatry 39:777-783, 1998). Here we survey the findings of visual search studies from the past 15 years that contrasted the performance of individuals with and without ASD. Although there are some minor caveats, the overall consensus is that-across development and a broad range of symptom severity-individuals with ASD reliably outperform controls on visual search. The etiology of the ASD advantage has not been formally specified, but has been commonly attributed to 'enhanced perceptual discrimination', a superior ability to visually discriminate between targets and distractors in such tasks (e.g. O'Riordan in Cognition 77:81-96, 2000). As well, there is considerable evidence for impairments of the attentional network in ASD (for a review, see Keehn et al. in J Child Psychol Psychiatry 37:164-183, 2013). We discuss some recent results from our laboratory that support an attentional, rather than perceptual explanation for the ASD advantage in visual search. We speculate that this new conceptualization may offer a better understanding of some of the behavioral symptoms associated with ASD, such as over-focusing and restricted interests.

  4. Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Adolescents with ASD: Comparisons to Youth with Intellectual Disability or Typical Cognitive Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Bruce L.; Blacher, Jan

    2015-01-01

    Dual diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and behavior problems and/or mental disorders has become increasingly recognized and studied. Reported rates in samples of mixed-age youth with ASD are often above 70%, making this comorbidity more the rule than the exception. The present study compared rates of disruptive behavior disorder…

  5. Expanding Horizons: A Pilot Mentoring Program Linking College/Graduate Students and Teens With ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curtin, Carol; Humphrey, Kristin; Vronsky, Kaela; Mattern, Kathryn; Nicastro, Susan; Perrin, Ellen C

    2016-02-01

    A small pilot program of 9 youth 13 to 18 years old with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or Asperger's syndrome assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of an individualized mentoring program. Youth met weekly for 6 months with trained young adult mentors at a local boys and girls club. Participants reported improvements in self-esteem, social anxiety, and quality of life. Participants, parents, mentors, and staff reported that the program improved participants' social connectedness. Although the pilot study was small, it provides preliminary data that mentoring for youth with ASD has promise for increasing self-esteem, social skills, and quality of life. © The Author(s) 2015.

  6. Intelligence May Moderate the Cognitive Profile of Patients with ASD

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rommelse, Nanda; Langerak, Ilse; van der Meer, Jolanda; Buitelaar, Jan

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The intelligence of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) varies considerably. The pattern of cognitive deficits associated with ASD may differ depending on intelligence. We aimed to study the absolute and relative severity of cognitive deficits in participants with ASD in

  7. Touch Processing and Social Behavior in ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miguel, Helga O.; Sampaio, Adriana; Martínez-Regueiro, Rocío; Gómez-Guerrero, Lorena; López-Dóriga, Cristina Gutiérrez; Gómez, Sonia; Carracedo, Ángel; Fernández-Prieto, Montse

    2017-01-01

    Abnormal patterns of touch processing have been linked to core symptoms in ASD. This study examined the relation between tactile processing patterns and social problems in 44 children and adolescents with ASD, aged 6-14 (M = 8.39 ± 2.35). Multiple linear regression indicated significant associations between touch processing and social problems. No…

  8. Parents Perceive Improvements in Socio-emotional Functioning in Adolescents with ASD Following Social Skills Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    N Lordo, Danielle; Bertolin, Madison; L Sudikoff, Eliana; Keith, Cierra; Braddock, Barbara; Kaufman, David A S

    2017-01-01

    The current study examined the effectiveness of a social skills treatment (PEERS) for improving socio-emotional competencies in a sample of high-functioning adolescents with ASD. Neuropsychological and self- and parent-report measures assessing social, emotional, and behavioral functioning were administered before and after treatment. Following social skills treatment, adolescents with ASD exhibited decreased aggression, anxiety, and withdrawal, as well as improvements in emotional responsiveness, adaptability, leadership, and participation in activities of daily living, though no change was found in affect recognition abilities. These findings suggest that PEERS social skills treatment improves particular aspects of emotional, behavioral, and social functioning that may be necessary for developing and maintaining quality peer relationships and remediating social isolation in adolescents with ASD.

  9. Enhanced ERPs to visual stimuli in unaffected male siblings of ASD children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anzures, Gizelle; Goyet, Louise; Ganea, Natasa; Johnson, Mark H

    2016-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by deficits in social and communication abilities. While unaffected relatives lack severe deficits, milder impairments have been reported in some first-degree relatives. The present study sought to verify whether mild deficits in face perception are evident among the unaffected younger siblings of children with ASD. Children between 6-9 years of age completed a face-recognition task and a passive viewing ERP task with face and house stimuli. Sixteen children were typically developing with no family history of ASD, and 17 were unaffected children with an older sibling with ASD. Findings indicate that, while unaffected siblings are comparable to controls in their face-recognition abilities, unaffected male siblings in particular show relatively enhanced P100 and P100-N170 peak-to-peak amplitude responses to faces and houses. Enhanced ERPs among unaffected male siblings is discussed in relation to potential differences in neural network recruitment during visual and face processing.

  10. Brief Report: A Pilot Summer Robotics Camp to Reduce Social Anxiety and Improve Social/Vocational Skills in Adolescents with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaboski, Juhi R.; Diehl, Joshua John; Beriont, Jane; Crowell, Charles R.; Villano, Michael; Wier, Kristin; Tang, Karen

    2015-01-01

    This pilot study evaluated a novel intervention designed to reduce social anxiety and improve social/vocational skills for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The intervention utilized a shared interest in robotics among participants to facilitate natural social interaction between individuals with ASD and typically developing (TD)…

  11. Facial trustworthiness judgments in children with ASD are modulated by happy and angry emotional cues.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frances Caulfield

    Full Text Available Appearance-based trustworthiness inferences may reflect the misinterpretation of emotional expression cues. Children and adults typically perceive faces that look happy to be relatively trustworthy and those that look angry to be relatively untrustworthy. Given reports of atypical expression perception in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, the current study aimed to determine whether the modulation of trustworthiness judgments by emotional expression cues in children with ASD is also atypical. Cognitively-able children with and without ASD, aged 6-12 years, rated the trustworthiness of faces showing happy, angry and neutral expressions. Trust judgments in children with ASD were significantly modulated by overt happy and angry expressions, like those of typically-developing children. Furthermore, subtle emotion cues in neutral faces also influenced trust ratings of the children in both groups. These findings support a powerful influence of emotion cues on perceived trustworthiness, which even extends to children with social cognitive impairments.

  12. Amor and Social Stigma: ASD Beliefs Among Immigrant Mexican Parents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Shana R; Miguel, Jessica

    2018-06-01

    This study examined cultural beliefs about ASD and its causes among Mexican-heritage families. In focus group interviews, we asked 25 immigrant parents of children with ASD to identify words they associated with ASD and its causes. Participants free-listed, ranked, and justified their responses. Mixed methods analyses utilized saliency scores to calculate responses. Deductive interview analyses justified participants' responses. Salient responses for ASD perceptions included specific characteristics about the child (e.g., loving) and perceptions about lack of resources. Salient responses for ASD causes were vaccines, genetics, and a combination of genetics and environment. Inductive analyses revealed distinct beliefs about social stigma, child characteristics, factors supporting development, and parents' emotional stress. Interpretations linked these beliefs to promising adaptations in diagnosis and treatment.

  13. Altered functional connectivity of the language network in ASD: Role of classical language areas and cerebellum☆

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verly, Marjolein; Verhoeven, Judith; Zink, Inge; Mantini, Dante; Peeters, Ronald; Deprez, Sabine; Emsell, Louise; Boets, Bart; Noens, Ilse; Steyaert, Jean; Lagae, Lieven; De Cock, Paul; Rommel, Nathalie; Sunaert, Stefan

    2014-01-01

    The development of language, social interaction and communicative skills is remarkably different in the child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Atypical brain connectivity has frequently been reported in this patient population. However, the neural correlates underlying their disrupted language development and functioning are still poorly understood. Using resting state fMRI, we investigated the functional connectivity properties of the language network in a group of ASD patients with clear comorbid language impairment (ASD-LI; N = 19) and compared them to the language related connectivity properties of 23 age-matched typically developing children. A verb generation task was used to determine language components commonly active in both groups. Eight joint language components were identified and subsequently used as seeds in a resting state analysis. Interestingly, both the interregional and the seed-based whole brain connectivity analysis showed preserved connectivity between the classical intrahemispheric language centers, Wernicke's and Broca's areas. In contrast however, a marked loss of functional connectivity was found between the right cerebellar region and the supratentorial regulatory language areas. Also, the connectivity between the interhemispheric Broca regions and modulatory control dorsolateral prefrontal region was found to be decreased. This disruption of normal modulatory control and automation function by the cerebellum may underlie the abnormal language function in children with ASD-LI. PMID:24567909

  14. A qualitative study of attachment relationships in ASD during middle childhood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keenan, Belinda M; Newman, Louise K; Gray, Kylie M; Rinehart, Nicole J

    2017-02-01

    Although research has indicated that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) display normative attachment behaviours, to date there has been limited qualitative research exploring these relationships. This study aimed to describe qualitative features of the child-caregiver attachment relationship in children with ASD. Primary caregivers to 26 children with ASD (aged 7-14 years) and 23 typically developing children (aged 7-13 years) were administered the Disturbances of Attachment Interview (Smyke & Zeanah, 1999) to elicit descriptions of children's attachment behaviours. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts indicated that while children with ASD demonstrated a range of normative attachment behaviours, they displayed impairments in the use of the caregiver as a secure base and co-regulating agent. ASD-associated impairments in emotion processing, sharing/reciprocity, and emotion co-regulation, as well as the caregiver's experience, were important in understanding attachment relationships in ASD. Findings highlight the need to consider the bidirectional nature of the attachment relationship in ASD.

  15. Predictive Factors for Patients Undergoing ASD Device Occlusion Who "Crossover" to Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulukutla, Venkatachalam; Qureshi, Athar M; Pignatelli, Ricardo; Ing, Frank F

    2018-03-01

    The aim of this study was to define characteristics of those patients who are referred for device closure of an Atrial septal defect (ASD), but identified to "crossover" surgery. All patients who underwent surgical and device (Amplatzer or Helex occluder) closures of secundum ASDs from 2001 to 2010 were reviewed and organized into three groups: surgical closure, device closure, and "crossover" group. 369 patients underwent ASD closure (265 device, 104 surgical). 42 of the 265 patients referred for device closure "crossed over" to the surgical group at various stages of the catheterization procedure. The device group had defect size measuring 14.2 mm (mean) and an ASD index (Defect Size (mm)/BSA) of 14.0 compared to the corresponding values in the surgical group (20.1 mm, ASD index 25.9) (P ASD index) (P ASD index of 14.7 compared with the crossover group ASD index of 23.8 (P ASD index greater than 23.7 had a 90% specificity in "crossing over" to surgery. The crossover and surgical groups had statistically larger ASD defect size indexes compared with the device group. Deficient rim in the posterior/inferior rim is associated with a large ASD size index which is a predictive factor for crossing over to surgery. Catheterization did not negatively impact surgical results in the "crossover" group.

  16. ASD FieldSpec Calibration Setup and Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olive, Dan

    2001-01-01

    This paper describes the Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD) Fieldspec Calibration Setup and Techniques. The topics include: 1) ASD Fieldspec FR Spectroradiometer; 2) Components of Calibration; 3) Equipment list; 4) Spectral Setup; 5) Spectral Calibration; 6) Radiometric and Linearity Setup; 7) Radiometric setup; 8) Datadets Required; 9) Data files; and 10) Field of View Measurement. This paper is in viewgraph form.

  17. Having Older Siblings Is Associated with Lower Rates of Depression, ADD/ADHD, Anxiety and Behavior Problems Among Children with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montes, Guillermo

    2018-05-01

    Objective Within the social determinants of mental health framework, this article investigated whether children with ASD who have older siblings are less likely to experience depression, anxiety, behavior problems or have ADD/ADHD after controlling for standard social determinants of mental health such as household income, parental education and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Methods Using the National Survey of Children's Health 2011-2012, children with ASD spectrum disorders (n = 1624) were categorized into three groups: only child, oldest child and has older siblings. Design corrected cross-tabulations, univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were estimated. Results The three groups of children with ASD were comparable in demographic characteristics (except age), ACEs, and parent-reported ASD severity. Children with ASD who had older siblings were significantly less likely to experience depression, anxiety or behavior problems. They were also less likely to have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Adjusted odds ratios ranged from 0.12 to 0.53 indicating robust associations. Conclusions for Practice Children with ASD who have older siblings were less likely to have comorbid mental health disorders than other children with ASD. Conversely, oldest and only children with ASD were at increased risk for these disorders. Further research is needed to understand how this protection is conferred on children with ASD, and whether it can be adapted into interventions for only and oldest children with ASD.

  18. Eye-tracking Reveals Abnormal Visual Preference for Geometric Images as an Early Biomarker of an ASD Subtype Associated with Increased Symptom Severity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierce, Karen; Marinero, Steven; Hazin, Roxana; McKenna, Benjamin; Barnes, Cynthia Carter; Malige, Ajith

    2015-01-01

    Background Clinically and biologically, ASD is heterogeneous. Unusual patterns of visual preference as indexed by eye-tracking are hallmarks, yet whether they can be used to define an early biomarker of ASD as a whole, or leveraged to define a subtype is unclear. To begin to examine this issue, large cohorts are required. Methods A sample of 334 toddlers from 6 distinct groups (115 ASD, 20 ASD-Features, 57 DD, 53 Other, 64 TD, and 25 Typ SIB) participated. Toddlers watched a movie containing both geometric and social images. Fixation duration and number of saccades within each AOI and validation statistics for this independent sample computed. Next, to maximize power, data from our previous study (N=110) was added totaling 444 subjects. A subset of toddlers repeated the eye-tracking procedure. Results As in the original study, a subset of toddlers with ASD fixated on geometric images greater than 69%. Using this cutoff, sensitivity for ASD was 21%, specificity 98%, and PPV 86%. Toddlers with ASD who strongly preferred geometric images had (a) worse cognitive, language, and social skills relative to toddlers with ASD who strongly preferred social images and (b) fewer saccades when viewing geometric images. Unaffected siblings of ASD probands did not show evidence of heightened preference for geometric images. Test-retest reliability was good. Examination of age effects suggest that this test may not be appropriate with children > 4 years. Conclusions Enhanced visual preference for geometric repetition may be an early developmental biomarker of an ASD subtype with more severe symptoms. PMID:25981170

  19. The issue of prevalence of autism/asd

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamil Özerk

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available From a purely educationist perspective, gaining a deeper understanding of several aspects related to the prevalence of autism/ASD in a given population is of great value in planning and improving educational and psychological intervention for treatment, training, and teaching of children with this disorder. In this article, I present and discuss numerous facets of prevalence studies, beginning with assessing the changes in diagnostic manuals (DSM and ICD over time. Based on the existing available research literature and empirical studies published during 2000 to 2016, I address the geographical-dimension and age-dimension of prevalence of autism/ASD. Over 50 studies from 21 countries reveals that prevalence rates of autism/ASD among children are on rise. There are inter-national and intra-national, regional/territorial variations with regard to prevalence rates, and I present and discuss possible factors/factor-groups that can explain these variations. Regardless of their geographic location, children with autism/ASD can be treated, trained, and taught, but to do so effectively requires reliable prevalence studies that can properly inform policy makers and higher institutions about the steps that must be taken in the field in order to improve the learning conditions of these children with special needs. Moving forward, it’s essential that studies of geographical dimension and age dimension of prevalence of autism/ASD must be supplemented by other (i.e. gender, socio-economic, ethnic, cultural, and language dimensions to help give us the perspective we need to grapple with this increasingly common disorder.

  20. The Issue of Prevalence of Autism/ASD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamil ÖZERK

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available From a purely educationist perspective, gaining a deeper understanding of several aspects related to the prevalence of autism/ASD in a given population is of great value in planning and improving educational and psychological intervention for treatment, training, and teaching of children with this disorder. In this article, I present and discuss numerous facets of prevalence studies, beginning with assessing the changes in diagnostic manuals (DSM and ICD over time. Based on the existing available research literature and empirical studies published during 2000 to 2016, I address the geographical-dimension and age-dimension of prevalence of autism/ASD. Over 50 studies from 21 countries reveals that prevalence rates of autism/ASD among children are on rise. There are inter-national and intra-national, regional/territorial variations with regard to prevalence rates, and I present and discuss possible factors/factor-groups that can explain these variations. Regardless of their geographic location, children with autism/ASD can be treated, trained, and taught, but to do so effectively requires reliable prevalence studies that can properly inform policy makers and higher institutions about the steps that must be taken in the field in order to improve the learning conditions of these children with special needs. Moving forward, it’s essential that studies of geographical dimension and age dimension of prevalence of autism/ASD must be supplemented by other (i.e. gender, socio-economic, ethnic, cultural, and language dimensions to help give us the perspective we need to grapple with this increasingly common disorder.

  1. Brief Report: Prevalence of Co-Occurring Epilepsy and Autism Spectrum Disorder--The U.S. National Survey of Children's Health 2011-2012

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Shiny; Hovinga, Mary E.; Rai, Dheeraj; Lee, Brian K.

    2017-01-01

    Epilepsy is reported to co-occur in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous studies across the world have found prevalence estimates ranging from 4 to 38%. We examined parent-reported prevalence of co-occurring epilepsy and ASD in the most recent U.S. National Survey of Children's Health, 2011-2012. All analyses accounted for…

  2. ASD in females: are we overstating the gender difference in diagnosis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreiser, Nicole L; White, Susan W

    2014-03-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is predominantly diagnosed in males. In explaining the differential rate of occurrence in males and females, biogenetic models have been proposed and studied, often to the exclusion of potential social or cultural factors that may influence different rates of diagnosis across the genders. In this theoretical paper, we consider sociocultural influences that may contribute to the differential expression of ASD in females and partially explain potential underidentification of ASD in females. Based on our synthesis of the extant literature, we propose that ASD may be underidentified in affected females without co-occurring intellectual impairment, owing to a pattern of subtle yet potentially meaningful gender differences in symptom manifestation (e.g., less unusual stereotyped and repetitive behaviors in females, increased prevalence of internalizing problems in females) and gender inequities in research on the ASD phenotype that potentially contributes to biases in assessment tools and diagnostic practices. We offer recommendations for future research directions on gender differences in ASD, and we suggest implications to inform best practice and policy for the assessment of females with ASD.

  3. Does Gender Moderate Core Deficits in ASD? An Investigation into Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in Girls and Boys with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrop, Clare; Gulsrud, Amanda; Kasari, Connie

    2015-01-01

    Due to the uneven gender ratio of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), girls are rarely studied independently from boys. Research focusing on restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) indicates that above the age of six girls have fewer and/or different RRBs than boys with ASD. In this study we investigated whether girls and boys with ASD…

  4. The familial co-aggregation of ASD and ADHD: a register-based cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghirardi, L; Brikell, I; Kuja-Halkola, R; Freitag, C M; Franke, B; Asherson, P; Lichtenstein, P; Larsson, H

    2018-02-01

    Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently co-occur. The presence of a genetic link between ASD and ADHD symptoms is supported by twin studies, but the genetic overlap between clinically ascertained ASD and ADHD remains largely unclear. We therefore investigated how ASD and ADHD co-aggregate in individuals and in families to test for the presence of a shared genetic liability and examined potential differences between low- and high-functioning ASD in the link with ADHD. We studied 1 899 654 individuals born in Sweden between 1987 and 2006. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between clinically ascertained ASD and ADHD in individuals and in families. Stratified estimates were obtained for ASD with (low-functioning) and without (high-functioning) intellectual disability. Individuals with ASD were at higher risk of having ADHD compared with individuals who did not have ASD (odds ratio (OR)=22.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 21.77-22.92). The association was stronger for high-functioning than for low-functioning ASD. Relatives of individuals with ASD were at higher risk of ADHD compared with relatives of individuals without ASD. The association was stronger in monozygotic twins (OR=17.77, 95% CI: 9.80-32.22) than in dizygotic twins (OR=4.33, 95% CI: 3.21-5.85) and full siblings (OR=4.59, 95% CI: 4.39-4.80). Individuals with ASD and their relatives are at increased risk of ADHD. The pattern of association across different types of relatives supports the existence of genetic overlap between clinically ascertained ASD and ADHD, suggesting that genomic studies might have underestimated this overlap.

  5. Altered functional connectivity of the language network in ASD: Role of classical language areas and cerebellum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marjolein Verly

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The development of language, social interaction and communicative skills is remarkably different in the child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD. Atypical brain connectivity has frequently been reported in this patient population. However, the neural correlates underlying their disrupted language development and functioning are still poorly understood. Using resting state fMRI, we investigated the functional connectivity properties of the language network in a group of ASD patients with clear comorbid language impairment (ASD-LI; N = 19 and compared them to the language related connectivity properties of 23 age-matched typically developing children. A verb generation task was used to determine language components commonly active in both groups. Eight joint language components were identified and subsequently used as seeds in a resting state analysis. Interestingly, both the interregional and the seed-based whole brain connectivity analysis showed preserved connectivity between the classical intrahemispheric language centers, Wernicke's and Broca's areas. In contrast however, a marked loss of functional connectivity was found between the right cerebellar region and the supratentorial regulatory language areas. Also, the connectivity between the interhemispheric Broca regions and modulatory control dorsolateral prefrontal region was found to be decreased. This disruption of normal modulatory control and automation function by the cerebellum may underlie the abnormal language function in children with ASD-LI.

  6. Maternal and Neonatal Birth Factors Affecting the Age of ASD Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darcy-Mahoney, Ashley; Minter, Bonnie; Higgins, Melinda; Guo, Ying; Zauche, Lauren Head; Hirst, Jessica

    2016-12-01

    Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) enables early intervention that improves long term functioning of children with ASD but is often delayed until age of school entry. Few studies have identified factors that affect timely diagnosis. This study addressed how maternal education, race, age, marital status as well as neonatal birth factors affect the age at which a child is diagnosed with ASD. This study involved a retrospective analysis of 664 records of children treated at one of the largest autism treatment centers in the United States from March 1, 2009 to December 30, 2010. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to identify maternal and neonatal factors associated with age of diagnosis. Infant gender, maternal race, marital status, and maternal age were identified as significant factors for predicting the age of ASD diagnosis. In the Cox proportional hazards regression model, only maternal race and marital status were included. Median survival age till diagnosis of children born to married mothers was 53.4 months compared to 57.8 months and 63.7 months of children born to single and divorced or widowed mothers respectively. Median survival age till diagnosis for children of African American mothers was 53.8 months compared to 57.2 months for children of Caucasian mothers. No statistically significant difference of timing of ASD diagnosis was found for children of varying gestational age. Children born to older or married mothers and mothers of minority races were more likely to have an earlier ASD diagnosis. No statistically significant differences in timing of ASD diagnosis were found for children born at varying gestational ages. Identification of these factors has the potential to inform public health outreach aimed at promoting timely ASD diagnosis. This work could enhance clinical practice for timelier diagnoses of ASD by supporting parents and clinicians around the world in identifying risk factors beyond gender

  7. An improved asynchronous brain interface: making use of the temporal history of the LF-ASD feature vectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bashashati, Ali; Mason, Steve; Ward, Rabab K.; Birch, Gary E.

    2006-06-01

    The low-frequency asynchronous switch design (LF-ASD) has been introduced as a direct brain interface (BI) for asynchronous control applications. Asynchronous interfaces, as opposed to synchronous interfaces, have the advantage of being operational at all times and not only at specific system-defined periods. This paper modifies the LF-ASD design by incorporating into the system more knowledge about the attempted movements. Specifically, the history of feature values extracted from the EEG signal is used to detect a right index finger movement attempt. Using data collected from individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries and able-bodied subjects, it is shown that the error characteristics of the modified design are significantly better than the previous LF-ASD design. The true positive rate percentage increased by up to 15 which corresponds to 50% improvement when the system is operating with false positive rates in the 1-2% range.

  8. PARENTING STRESS AND RESILIENCE IN PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) IN THE MALAYSIAN CONTEXT: A MIXED METHODS PERSPECTIVE

    OpenAIRE

    KARTINI ILIAS

    2018-01-01

    The multi-phase study aimed to better understand the resilience of parents of children with ASD (autism) in Malaysia. The study utilised a mixed methods, constructive grounded theory design with quantitative parent surveys and qualitative interviews with parents and professionals. Parents of children with ASD reported more parenting stress and depression symptoms as well as poorer sleep quality and family functioning than parents of children without ASD. The findings revealed numerous risk an...

  9. Genetic and non-genetic animal models for autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ergaz, Zivanit; Weinstein-Fudim, Liza; Ornoy, Asher

    2016-09-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated, in addition to complex genetic factors, with a variety of prenatal, perinatal and postnatal etiologies. We discuss the known animal models, mostly in mice and rats, of ASD that helps us to understand the etiology, pathogenesis and treatment of human ASD. We describe only models where behavioral testing has shown autistic like behaviors. Some genetic models mimic known human syndromes like fragile X where ASD is part of the clinical picture, and others are without defined human syndromes. Among the environmentally induced ASD models in rodents, the most common model is the one induced by valproic acid (VPA) either prenatally or early postnatally. VPA induces autism-like behaviors following single exposure during different phases of brain development, implying that the mechanism of action is via a general biological mechanism like epigenetic changes. Maternal infection and inflammation are also associated with ASD in man and animal models. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Management of Mental Health Crises Among Youths With and Without ASD: A National Survey of Child Psychiatrists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalb, Luther G; Stuart, Elizabeth A; Mandell, David S; Olfson, Mark; Vasa, Roma A

    2017-10-01

    This study compared management by child psychiatrists of mental health crises among youths with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A custom online mental health crisis services survey was administered to members of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The survey probed three domains of crisis management: willingness to work with youths with a history of mental health crisis, comfort level in managing a mental health crisis, and availability of external resources during a crisis. Child psychiatrists reporting on management of youths with ASD (N=492) and without ASD (N=374) completed the survey. About 75% of psychiatrists in both groups were willing to accept a child with a history of a mental health crisis in their practice. During a crisis, psychiatrists caring for youths with ASD had less access to external consultation resources, such as a crisis evaluation center or other mental health professionals, compared with those caring for youths without ASD. Psychiatrists also expressed concerns about the ability of emergency department professionals and emergency responders to manage mental health crises among youths in a safe and developmentally appropriate manner, particularly among those with ASD. Child psychiatrists are in need of more external resources to manage youths with ASD who are experiencing a mental health crisis. There is also a need to develop best practice procedures for emergency responders who are working with youths experiencing a mental health crisis.

  11. Common paths to ASD severity and PTSD severity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Maj; Armour, Cherie; Wittmann, Lutz

    Numerous studies have identified risk factors for acute and long term posttraumatic symptoms following traumatic exposure. However, little is known about possible common pathways to the development of acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research suggests that a c......Numerous studies have identified risk factors for acute and long term posttraumatic symptoms following traumatic exposure. However, little is known about possible common pathways to the development of acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research suggests...... that a common pathway to ASD and PTSD may lie in peritraumatic responses and cognitions. Using structural equation modeling we examined the role of three peritraumatic factors (tonic immobility, panic and dissociation) and three cognitive factors (anxiety sensitivity, negative cognitions about the world......, and negative cognitions about self ) on the development of ASD and PTSD severity in a national study of Danish bank robbery victims (N = 450). Peritraumatic panic, anxiety sensitivity, and negative cognitions about self were found to be significant common risk factors, whereas peritraumatic dissociation...

  12. Brief Report: Predicting Inner Speech Use amongst Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)--The Roles of Verbal Ability and Cognitive Profile

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, David M.; Jarrold, Christopher

    2010-01-01

    Studies of inner speech use in ASD have produced conflicting results. Lidstone et al., J "Autism Dev Disord" (2009) hypothesised that Cognitive Profile (i.e., "discrepancy" between non-verbal and verbal abilities) is a predictor of inner speech use amongst children with ASD. They suggested other, contradictory results might be explained in terms…

  13. Anxiety in individuals with ASD: Prevalence, phenomenology, etiology, assessment, and interventions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Steensel, F.J.A.; Bögels, S.M.; Magiati, I.; Perrin, S.; Patel, V.B.; Preedy, V.R.; Martin, C.R.

    2014-01-01

    ndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience high levels of anxiety symptomatology with an estimated prevalence rate of anxiety disorders as high as 40 %. It is likely that anxiety is prominent in individuals with ASD throughout the life-span and that factors such as age, IQ, and ASD

  14. Examining the intertwined development of prosocial skills and ASD symptoms in adolescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oerlemans, Anoek M; Rommelse, Nanda N J; Buitelaar, Jan K; Hartman, Catharina A

    2018-01-30

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and reduced prosocial behaviour are strongly intertwined. However, social interactions with peers may be increasingly practiced over the course of development and may instigate a reduction in ASD symptoms and vice versa. We, therefore, sought to determine if, during adolescence, possible improvements in prosocial behaviours and ASD symptoms may benefit one another over time. Participants were 2773 adolescents from the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) cohorts. Measurements took place over three waves (mean ages: 11.1, 13.4, and 16.2 years). Longitudinal associations between teacher-rated classroom prosocial skills and parent-rated ASD symptoms were examined using the random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM). In addition to estimating the stable, between-person associations, the dynamical effects between prosocial skills and ASD symptoms over time were estimated at the within-person level. At the between-person level, prosocial skills and ASD symptoms were substantially negatively correlated. At the within-person level, a small and unexpected positive cross-lagged effect from wave 1 ASD symptoms on wave 2 prosocial skills was observed. We added to the existing literature by showing that, in addition to replicating the already firmly established between-person association between low prosocial skills and ASD, within-person gains in prosocial skills do not lead to subsequent reduction of ASD symptoms, and reductions in ASD symptoms do not lead to subsequent enhancement of prosocial skills. We, therefore, conclude from our findings that the inverse association between autistic symptoms and prosocial skills in adolescence is highly stable.

  15. Prevalence and Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among 18-36 Month Old Children in Tianjin of China

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    HUANG Jun Ping; CUI Shan Shan; HAN Yu; IRVA Hertz-Picciotto; QI Li Hong; ZHANG Xin

    2014-01-01

    Objective The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among 18-36 month old children in the Tianjin Municipality of China, and to identify early signs of autistic children and the predictability of each individual symptom. Methods A total of 8 000 children were screened to do a questionnaire based on CHAT modified to include more early signs of autism at the age of 18-36 months. Then the at-risk children were reexamined 1.5 years later and ASD children were identified based on DSM-IV. Early signs of autism were analyzed retrospectively by using discriminant function analysis performed among ASD children, children not followed up and children followed up but failing to meet ASD criteria. Results Three hundred and sixty seven children were screened as being at-risk to ASD, and 22 of them were identified as having ASD in the subsequent diagnosis. The prevalence of ASD was 27.5 per 10 000 in Tianjin of China with a male to female ratio of 4:1. Items addressing social interactions and communications had higher predictability than other items to distinguish autistic children from non-autistic ones. Pretend play, functional play, showing and reading parents’ facial expressions distinguished autistic children from those not followed up, nevertheless those followed up but failing to meet ASD criteria were not included. Conclusion The prevalence of ASD found in our study was lower than that reported in some studies by western researchers. Autism has its specific symptoms, such as deficits in social awareness, social relatedness, and social referencing.

  16. ASD Traits and Co-Occurring Psychopathology: The Moderating Role of Gender

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreiser, Nicole L.; White, Susan W.

    2015-01-01

    The higher prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in males, relative to that seen in females, is a well-replicated phenomenon. A growing body of research has suggested that there may be gender differences in core ASD deficits and patterns of psychiatric comorbidity among adolescents and adults with ASD. The present study sought to determine…

  17. Atomic Spectra Database (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    SRD 78 NIST Atomic Spectra Database (ASD) (Web, free access)   This database provides access and search capability for NIST critically evaluated data on atomic energy levels, wavelengths, and transition probabilities that are reasonably up-to-date. The NIST Atomic Spectroscopy Data Center has carried out these critical compilations.

  18. Parents of Children with ASD Experience More Psychological Distress, Parenting Stress, and Attachment-Related Anxiety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keenan, Belinda M.; Newman, Louise K.; Gray, Kylie M.; Rinehart, Nicole J.

    2016-01-01

    There has been limited study of the relationship between child attachment and caregiver wellbeing amongst children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined self-reported child attachment quality alongside caregivers' report of their own psychological distress, parenting stress and attachment style, amongst 24 children with…

  19. Satisfaction with Individualized Education Programs among Parents of Young Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slade, Nicole; Eisenhower, Abbey; Carter, Alice S.; Blacher, Jan

    2018-01-01

    We examined parents' satisfaction with multiple aspects of their children's individualized education programs (IEPs). Parents (n = 142) raising children ages 4 to 8 years old with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reported their satisfaction with four aspects of their children's IEPs: (a) content of the IEP document, (b) services provided, (c)…

  20. Young children with ASD use lexical and referential information during on-line sentence processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edith L. Bavin

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Research with adults and older children indicates that verb biases are strong influences on listeners’ interpretations when processing sentences, but they can be overruled. In this paper we ask two questions: (i are children with ASD who are high functioning sensitive to verb biases like their same age typically developing peers?, and (ii do young children with ASD and young children with typical development override strong verb biases to consider alternative interpretations of ambiguous sentences? Participants were aged 5-9 years (mean age 6.65 years: children with ASD who were high functioning and children with typical development. In task 1 biasing and neutral verbs were included (e.g., eat cake versus move cake. In task 2 the focus was on whether the prepositional phrase occurring with an instrument biasing verb (e.g. ‘chop the tree with the axe’ was interpreted as an instrument even if the named item was an implausible instrument (e.g. candle in ‘Cut the cake with the candle’. Overall, the results showed similarities between groups but the ASD group was generally slower. In task 1, both groups looked at the named object faster in the biasing than the non-biasing condition, and in the biasing condition the ASD group looked away from the target more quickly than the TD group. In task 2, both groups identified the target in the prepositional phrase. They were more likely to override the verb instrument bias and consider the alternative (modification interpretation in the implausible condition (e.g., looking at the picture of a cake with a candle on it’. Our findings indicate that children of age 5 years and above can use context to override verb biases. Additionally, an important component of the sentence processing mechanism is largely intact for young children with ASD who are high functioning. Like children with typical development, they draw on verb semantics and plausibility in integrating information. However, they are likely

  1. The Role of Emotion Regulation in Autism Spectrum Disorder RH: Emotion Regulation in ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazefsky, Carla A.; Herrington, John; Siegel, Matthew; Scarpa, Angela; Maddox, Brenna B.; Scahill, Lawrence; White, Susan W.

    2013-01-01

    Objective Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with amplified emotional responses and poor emotional control, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. This paper provides a conceptual and methodological framework for understanding compromised emotion regulation (ER) in ASD. Method After defining ER and related constructs, methods to study ER were reviewed with special consideration on how to apply these approaches to ASD. Against the backdrop of cognitive characteristics in ASD and existing ER theories, available research was examined to identify likely contributors to emotional dysregulation in ASD. Results Little is currently known about ER in youth with ASD. Some mechanisms that contribute to poor ER in ASD may be shared with other clinical populations (e.g., physiological arousal, degree of negative and positive affect, alterations in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex), whereas other mechanisms may be more unique to ASD (e.g., differences in information processing/perception, cognitive factors (e.g., rigidity), less goal-directed behavior and more disorganized emotion in ASD). Conclusions Although assignment of concomitant psychiatric diagnoses is warranted in some cases, poor ER may be inherent in ASD and may provide a more parsimonious conceptualization for the many associated socio-emotional and behavioral problems in this population. Further study of ER in youth with ASD may identify meaningful subgroups of patients and lead to more effective individualized treatments. PMID:23800481

  2. Sex Differences in Social Perception in Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coffman, M. C.; Anderson, L. C.; Naples, A. J.; McPartland, J. C.

    2015-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more common in males than females. An underrepresentation of females in the ASD literature has led to limited knowledge of differences in social function across the sexes. Investigations of face perception represent a promising target for understanding variability in social functioning between males and females.…

  3. 49 CFR 40.245 - What is the procedure for an alcohol screening test using a saliva ASD or a breath tube ASD?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... process, take the device from the employee (or if you were holding it, remove it from the employee's mouth... direct the employee to take a new test immediately, using another type of ASD (e.g., saliva device) or an... a breath tube ASD? (a) As the STT or BAT, you must take the following steps when using the saliva...

  4. Peculiarities of inclusive education of ASD children in Ukraine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larysa Rybchenko

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Despite the fact that special education in Ukraine is quite extensive and eveloped, education itself and social psychological development remain unavailable for children with ASD. The article aim is to show a model of autistic children inclusion in the educational system of Ukraine taking into account the experience of success. The investigated group consists of 20 children with ASD and 20 children with mental retardation from a boarding school aged from 8 to 9 years. The children indices were investigated according to Binet-Simon Scale for intelligence level determination, method of neuropsychological research according to Alexander Luria for psychophysical development level determination and Childhood Autism Rating Scale for autism level determination. The analysis of inclusive education implementation in the educational system of Ukraine has been conducted. The results of studies have shown that children with ASD have substantially lower indices of speech development, capacity for imitation as well as concentration of attention than children with mental retardation. Conductance of social intervention based of TEACCH therapy elements for group of children with ASD has shown their progress in indices of social interaction, emotional reaction and communication. The results obtained allow us to build a model of inclusion of children with ASD in the educational system of Ukraine. The main components of the model are considered.

  5. Anxiety in Adolescents with ASD. Autism at-a-Glance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hedges, S.; White, T.; Smith, L.

    2015-01-01

    "Autism at-a-Glance" is a series of practitioner and family-friendly documents created by the Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) designed for high school staff members supporting students on the autism spectrum, as well as family members of adolescents with ASD. The purpose of the "Autism…

  6. Brief Report: DSM-5 "Levels of Support:" A Comment on Discrepant Conceptualizations of Severity in ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weitlauf, Amy S.; Gotham, Katherine O.; Vehorn, Alison C.; Warren, Zachary E.

    2014-01-01

    Proposed DSM-5 revisions to the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include a "severity" marker based on degree of impairment. Although qualitative differences between support levels are described, quantitative methods or practice recommendations for differentiating between levels remain undetermined. This leaves the field…

  7. Dyspraxia in ASD: Impaired coordination of movement elements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McAuliffe, Danielle; Pillai, Ajay S; Tiedemann, Alyssa; Mostofsky, Stewart H; Ewen, Joshua B

    2017-04-01

    Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have long been known to have deficits in the performance of praxis gestures; these motor deficits also correlate with social and communicative deficits. To date, the precise nature of the errors involved in praxis has not been clearly mapped out. Based on observations of individuals with ASD performing gestures, we hypothesized that the simultaneous execution of multiple movement elements is especially impaired in affected children. We examined 25 school-aged participants with ASD and 25 age-matched controls performing seven simultaneous gestures that required the concurrent performance of movement elements and nine serial gestures, in which all elements were performed serially. There was indeed a group × gesture-type interaction (P decrement with simultaneous (vs. serial) gestures than controls. These results point to a potential deficit in the simultaneous processing of multiple inputs and outputs in ASD. Such deficits could relate to models of social interaction that highlight the parallel-processing nature of social communication. Autism Res 2016,. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Autism Res 2017, 10: 648-652. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Spectrum of care: Current management of childhood autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in New Zealand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thabrew, Hiran; Eggleston, Matthew

    2017-07-01

    The purpose of this research was to compare the current status of assessment and intervention for New Zealand children and adolescents who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with recommendations outlined in the 2008 New Zealand ASD Guideline. ASD coordinators and New Zealand District Health Board (DHB) staff working with children and adolescents who have ASD were electronically surveyed. Responses were received from 32 staff in 17 (85%) surveyed DHBs. Positive findings included the presence of ASD coordinators in 85% of DHBs, clear pathways for management in 73.1% of DHBs and good communications between paediatric, psychiatric and educational teams in some DHBs regions. Areas for improvement included wait times to assessment, access to longer-term support and intervention for families, and training for staff in ASD and cultural issues. Since the launch of the NZ ASD Guidelines, significant progress has been made. However, further work is needed to ensure services for children and adolescents with ASD are accessible, well-coordinated and focussed on both assessment and intervention.

  9. Accurate or Assumed: Visual Learning in Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trembath, David; Vivanti, Giacomo; Iacono, Teresa; Dissanayake, Cheryl

    2015-01-01

    Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often described as visual learners. We tested this assumption in an experiment in which 25 children with ASD, 19 children with global developmental delay (GDD), and 17 typically developing (TD) children were presented a series of videos via an eye tracker in which an actor instructed them to…

  10. Analysis and functional characterization of sequence variations in ligand binding domain of thyroid hormone receptors in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalikiri, Mahesh Kumar; Mamidala, Madhu Poornima; Rao, Ananth N; Rajesh, Vidya

    2017-12-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro developmental disorder, reported to be on a rise in the past two decades. Thyroid hormone-T3 plays an important role in early embryonic and central nervous system development. T3 mediates its function by binding to thyroid hormone receptors, TRα and TRβ. Alterations in T3 levels and thyroid receptor mutations have been earlier implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders and have been linked to environmental toxins. Limited reports from earlier studies have shown the effectiveness of T3 treatment with promising results in children with ASD and that the thyroid hormone levels in these children was also normal. This necessitates the need to explore the genetic variations in the components of the thyroid hormone pathway in ASD children. To achieve this objective, we performed genetic analysis of ligand binding domain of THRA and THRB receptor genes in 30 ASD subjects and in age matched controls from India. Our study for the first time reports novel single nucleotide polymorphisms in the THRA and THRB receptor genes of ASD individuals. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1919-1928. ©2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Thyroid hormone (T3) and thyroid receptors (TRα and TRβ) are the major components of the thyroid hormone pathway. The link between thyroid pathway and neuronal development is proven in clinical medicine. Since the thyroid hormone levels in Autistic children are normal, variations in their receptors needs to be explored. To achieve this objective, changes in THRA and THRB receptor genes was studied in 30 ASD and normal children from India. The impact of some of these mutations on receptor function was also studied. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Managing Repetitive Behaviours in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of a New Parent Group Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grahame, Victoria; Brett, Denise; Dixon, Linda; McConachie, Helen; Lowry, Jessica; Rodgers, Jacqui; Steen, Nick; Le Couteur, Ann

    2015-01-01

    Early intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tends to focus on enhancing social-communication skills. We report the acceptability, feasibility and impact on child functioning of a new 8 weeks parent-group intervention to manage restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRB) in young children with ASD aged 3-7 years. Forty-five families took…

  12. Social Smiling and Its Components in High-Risk Infant Siblings without Later ASD Symptomatology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nichols, Caitlin McMahon; Ibañez, Lisa V.; Foss-Feig, Jennifer H.; Stone, Wendy L.

    2014-01-01

    Impaired affective expression, including social smiling, is common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and may represent an early marker for ASD in their infant siblings (Sibs-ASD). Social smiling and its component behaviors (eye contact and non-social smiling) were examined at 15 months in Sibs-ASD who demonstrated later ASD…

  13. Fundamental Visual Representations of Social Cognition in ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-14-1-0565 TITLE: Fundamental Visual Representations of Social Cognition in ASD PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: John Foxe, Ph.D...Visual Representations of Social Cognition in ASD 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-14-1-0565 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S... vertical line) adaptation trials are started. This involves moving the target in by 3 degrees of visual angle while the participants eyes are “in

  14. Refining ASD for disease management in strawberry and apple production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) has been studied as an industry level option for replacing soil fumigants to manage soil-borne diseases in both annual and perennial crop production systems. Although ASD has proven effective for the suppression of certain soil-borne pathogens in both strawberry ...

  15. Imitation (rather than core language) predicts pragmatic development in young children with ASD: a preliminary longitudinal study using CDI parental reports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miniscalco, Carmela; Rudling, Maja; Råstam, Maria; Gillberg, Christopher; Johnels, Jakob Åsberg

    2014-01-01

    Research in the last decades has clearly pointed to the important role of language and communicative level when trying to understand developmental trajectories in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate whether (1) core language skills, measured as expressive vocabulary and grammar, and/or (2) pre-linguistic social-communicative skills, including gestures and imitation abilities, drive pragmatic language development in young children with ASD. We examined correlates and longitudinal predictors of pragmatic growth in a sample of 34 children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), whose parents were given parts of two MacArthur Communicative Developmental Inventories (CDI: Words & Gestures and CDI: Words & Sentences) for completion at two time points (at time 1 the mean child age was 41 months, and at time 2 it was 54 months). A novel feature in this study is that the relevant parts from both CDI forms were included at both time points, allowing us to examine whether pre-linguistic social-communication skills (e.g. imitation and gesturing) and/or core language skills (i.e. grammar and vocabulary) predict pragmatic language growth. The results show that basically all pre-linguistic, linguistic and pragmatic skills were associated concurrently. When controlling for possible confounders and for the autoregressive effect, imitation skills predicted pragmatic growth over time, whereas core language did not. This could only have been shown by the use of both CDI forms. This preliminary study may be of both conceptual and methodological importance for research in the field of language and communication development in ASD. Imitation may play a pivotal role in the development of subsequent conversational pragmatic abilities in young children with ASD. Future research should be directed at unravelling the mechanisms underlying this association. © 2014 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

  16. Social attention in ASD: A review and meta-analysis of eye-tracking studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chita-Tegmark, Meia

    2016-01-01

    Determining whether social attention is reduced in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and what factors influence social attention is important to our theoretical understanding of developmental trajectories of ASD and to designing targeted interventions for ASD. This meta-analysis examines data from 38 articles that used eye-tracking methods to compare individuals with ASD and TD controls. In this paper, the impact of eight factors on the size of the effect for the difference in social attention between these two groups are evaluated: age, non-verbal IQ matching, verbal IQ matching, motion, social content, ecological validity, audio input and attention bids. Results show that individuals with ASD spend less time attending to social stimuli than typically developing (TD) controls, with a mean effect size of 0.55. Social attention in ASD was most impacted when stimuli had a high social content (showed more than one person). This meta-analysis provides an opportunity to survey the eye-tracking research on social attention in ASD and to outline potential future research directions, more specifically research of social attention in the context of stimuli with high social content. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Reduced modulation of thalamocortical connectivity during exposure to sensory stimuli in ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Shulamite A; Hernandez, Leanna; Bookheimer, Susan Y; Dapretto, Mirella

    2017-05-01

    Recent evidence for abnormal thalamic connectivity in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and sensory processing disorders suggests the thalamus may play a role in sensory over-responsivity (SOR), an extreme negative response to sensory stimuli, which is common in ASD. However, there is yet little understanding of changes in thalamic connectivity during exposure to aversive sensory inputs in individuals with ASD. In particular, the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus is implicated in atypical sensory processing given its role in selective attention, regulation, and sensory integration. This study aimed to examine the role of pulvinar connectivity in ASD during mildly aversive sensory input. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine connectivity with the pulvinar during exposure to mildly aversive auditory and tactile stimuli in 38 youth (age 9-17; 19 ASD, 19 IQ-matched typically developing (TD)). Parents rated children's SOR severity on two standard scales. Compared to TD, ASD participants displayed aberrant modulation of connectivity between pulvinar and cortex (including sensory-motor and prefrontal regions) during sensory stimulation. In ASD participants, pulvinar-amygdala connectivity was correlated with severity of SOR symptoms. Deficits in modulation of thalamocortical connectivity in youth with ASD may reflect reduced thalamo-cortical inhibition in response to sensory stimulation, which could lead to difficulty filtering out and/or integrating sensory information. An increase in amygdala connectivity with the pulvinar might be partially responsible for deficits in selective attention as the amygdala signals the brain to attend to distracting sensory stimuli. Autism Res 2017, 10: 801-809. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Uneven Expressive Language Development in Mandarin-Exposed Preschool Children with ASD: Comparing Vocabulary, Grammar, and the Decontextualized Use of Language via the PCDI-Toddler Form.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Yi Esther; Naigles, Letitia R; Su, Lin-Yan

    2018-05-21

    Data from children with ASD who are learning Indo-European languages indicate that (a) they vary hugely in their expressive language skills and (b) their pragmatic/socially-based language is more impaired than their structural language. We investigate whether similar patterns of language development exist for Mandarin-exposed children with ASD. Parent report data of the Putonghua Communicative Development Inventory-Toddler Form were collected from 160 17-83-month-old children with ASD. These children with ASD demonstrated similar levels of variability as Western children with ASD. In particular, they could be divided into three distinct subgroups (high verbal, middle verbal, low verbal), all of which manifested relative strengths in lexical and grammatical language compared to pragmatic usage of decontextualized language.

  19. Distal trisomy 10q syndrome, report of a patient with duplicated q24.31 – qter, autism spectrum disorder and unusual features

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Sarraj, Yasser; Al-Khair, Hakam Abu; Taha, Rowaida Ziad; Khattab, Namat; El Sayed, Zakaria H; Elhusein, Bushra; El-Shanti, Hatem

    2014-01-01

    Key Clinical Message We report on a patient with distal trisomy 10q syndrome presenting with a few previously undescribed physical features, as well as, autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We recommend that patients with distal trisomy 10q syndrome should have a behavioral evaluation for ASD for the early institution of therapy. PMID:25614812

  20. Perceived Intensity of Emotional Point-Light Displays Is Reduced in Subjects with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krüger, Britta; Kaletsch, Morten; Pilgramm, Sebastian; Schwippert, Sven-Sören; Hennig, Jürgen; Stark, Rudolf; Lis, Stefanie; Gallhofer, Bernd; Sammer, Gebhard; Zentgraf, Karen; Munzert, Jörn

    2018-01-01

    One major characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is problems with social interaction and communication. The present study explored ASD-related alterations in perceiving emotions expressed via body movements. 16 participants with ASD and 16 healthy controls observed video scenes of human interactions conveyed by point-light displays. They…

  1. Atypical neural responding to hearing one's own name in adults with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nijhof, Annabel D; Dhar, Monica; Goris, Judith; Brass, Marcel; Wiersema, Jan R

    2018-01-01

    Diminished responding to hearing one's own name is one of the earliest and strongest predictors of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we studied, for the first time, the neural correlates of hearing one's own name in ASD. Based on existing research, we hypothesized enhancement of late parietal positive activity specifically for the own name in neurotypicals, and for this effect to be reduced in adults with ASD. Source localization analyses were conducted to estimate group differences in brain regions underlying this effect. Twenty-one adults with ASD, and 21 age- and gender-matched neurotypicals were presented with 3 categories of names (own name, close other, unknown other) as task-irrelevant deviant stimuli in an auditory oddball paradigm while electroencephalogram was recorded. As expected, late parietal positivity was observed specifically for own names in neurotypicals, indicating enhanced attention to the own name. This preferential effect was absent in the ASD group. This group difference was associated with diminished activation in the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) in adults with ASD. Further, a familiarity effect was found for N1 amplitude, with larger amplitudes for familiar names (own name and close other). However, groups did not differ for this effect. These findings provide evidence of atypical neural responding to hearing one's own name in adults with ASD, suggesting a deficit in self-other distinction associated with rTPJ dysfunction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  2. Improvement of tricuspid regurgitation after transcatheter ASD closure in older patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, L; Shen, J; Shan, X; Wang, F; Kan, T; Tang, X; Zhao, X; Qin, Y

    2017-07-19

    Adult patients with undiagnosed atrial septal defect (ASD) may have right heart cavity enlargement and functional tricuspid valve insufficiency. Moderate or more severe tricuspid regurgitation has been associated with a worse prognosis, and more serious complications are typically seen in older patients. This study aimed to evaluate the improvement in functional tricuspid regurgitation and heart geometry after transcatheter ASD closure in older patients. The data of 111 patients over 60 years of age with moderate or severe tricuspid regurgitation before ASD closure were analyzed. At the 1‑month and 6‑month follow-up after closure, both tricuspid regurgitation jet area and right atrial volume decreased significantly. Right ventricular volume decreased 1 month after closure, showing a further decrease at the end of the 6‑month follow-up. However, 24 patients (21.6%) still had persistent severe tricuspid regurgitation after the procedure. Multivariate analysis revealed that patient age at ASD closure and pulmonary artery systolic pressure determined by echocardiography before closure were predictors of persistent tricuspid regurgitation after closure. Transcatheter ASD closure in older patients could significantly decrease tricuspid regurgitation and improve right heart geometry.

  3. Testing the effects of expression, intensity and age on emotional face processing in ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luyster, Rhiannon J; Bick, Johanna; Westerlund, Alissa; Nelson, Charles A

    2017-06-21

    Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly show global deficits in the processing of facial emotion, including impairments in emotion recognition and slowed processing of emotional faces. Growing evidence has suggested that these challenges may increase with age, perhaps due to minimal improvement with age in individuals with ASD. In the present study, we explored the role of age, emotion type and emotion intensity in face processing for individuals with and without ASD. Twelve- and 18-22- year-old children with and without ASD participated. No significant diagnostic group differences were observed on behavioral measures of emotion processing for younger versus older individuals with and without ASD. However, there were significant group differences in neural responses to emotional faces. Relative to TD, at 12 years of age and during adulthood, individuals with ASD showed slower N170 to emotional faces. While the TD groups' P1 latency was significantly shorter in adults when compared to 12 year olds, there was no significant age-related difference in P1 latency among individuals with ASD. Findings point to potential differences in the maturation of cortical networks that support visual processing (whether of faces or stimuli more broadly), among individuals with and without ASD between late childhood and adulthood. Finally, associations between ERP amplitudes and behavioral responses on emotion processing tasks suggest possible neural markers for emotional and behavioral deficits among individuals with ASD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Resting-State Neurophysiological Activity Patterns in Young People with ASD, ADHD, and ASD + ADHD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shephard, Elizabeth; Tye, Charlotte; Ashwood, Karen L; Azadi, Bahar; Asherson, Philip; Bolton, Patrick F; McLoughlin, Grainne

    2018-01-01

    Altered power of resting-state neurophysiological activity has been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which commonly co-occur. We compared resting-state neurophysiological power in children with ASD, ADHD, co-occurring ASD + ADHD, and typically developing controls. Children with ASD (ASD/ASD + ADHD) showed reduced theta and alpha power compared to children without ASD (controls/ADHD). Children with ADHD (ADHD/ASD + ADHD) displayed decreased delta power compared to children without ADHD (ASD/controls). Children with ASD + ADHD largely presented as an additive co-occurrence with deficits of both disorders, although reduced theta compared to ADHD-only and reduced delta compared to controls suggested some unique markers. Identifying specific neurophysiological profiles in ASD and ADHD may assist in characterising more homogeneous subgroups to inform treatment approaches and aetiological investigations.

  5. Quantitative autistic trait measurements index background genetic risk for ASD in Hispanic families.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, Joshua; Constantino, John Nicholas; Zambrana, Katherine; Martin, Eden; Tunc, Ilker; Zhang, Yi; Abbacchi, Anna; Messinger, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    Recent studies have indicated that quantitative autistic traits (QATs) of parents reflect inherited liabilities that may index background genetic risk for clinical autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their offspring. Moreover, preferential mating for QATs has been observed as a potential factor in concentrating autistic liabilities in some families across generations. Heretofore, intergenerational studies of QATs have focused almost exclusively on Caucasian populations-the present study explored these phenomena in a well-characterized Hispanic population. The present study examined QAT scores in siblings and parents of 83 Hispanic probands meeting research diagnostic criteria for ASD, and 64 non-ASD controls, using the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2). Ancestry of the probands was characterized by genotype, using information from 541,929 single nucleotide polymorphic markers. In families of Hispanic children with an ASD diagnosis, the pattern of quantitative trait correlations observed between ASD-affected children and their first-degree relatives (ICCs on the order of 0.20), between unaffected first-degree relatives in ASD-affected families (sibling/mother ICC = 0.36; sibling/father ICC = 0.53), and between spouses (mother/father ICC = 0.48) were in keeping with the influence of transmitted background genetic risk and strong preferential mating for variation in quantitative autistic trait burden. Results from analysis of ancestry-informative genetic markers among probands in this sample were consistent with that from other Hispanic populations. Quantitative autistic traits represent measurable indices of inherited liability to ASD in Hispanic families. The accumulation of autistic traits occurs within generations, between spouses, and across generations, among Hispanic families affected by ASD. The occurrence of preferential mating for QATs-the magnitude of which may vary across cultures-constitutes a mechanism by which background genetic liability

  6. Profiles of Children with down Syndrome Who Meet Screening Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Comparison with Children Diagnosed with ASD Attending Specialist Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warner, G.; Howlin, P.; Salomone, E.; Moss, J.; Charman, T.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Recent research suggests that around 16% to 18% of children with Down syndrome (DS) also meet diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there are indications that profiles of autism symptoms in this group may vary from those typically described in children with ASD. Method: Rates of autism symptoms and emotional…

  7. Decoding the contribution of dopaminergic genes and pathways to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Michael; Roth, Andrew; Kyzar, Evan J; Poudel, Manoj K; Wong, Keith; Stewart, Adam Michael; Kalueff, Allan V

    2014-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a debilitating brain illness causing social deficits, delayed development and repetitive behaviors. ASD is a heritable neurodevelopmental disorder with poorly understood and complex etiology. The central dopaminergic system is strongly implicated in ASD pathogenesis. Genes encoding various elements of this system (including dopamine receptors, the dopamine transporter or enzymes of synthesis and catabolism) have been linked to ASD. Here, we comprehensively evaluate known molecular interactors of dopaminergic genes, and identify their potential molecular partners within up/down-steam signaling pathways associated with dopamine. These in silico analyses allowed us to construct a map of molecular pathways, regulated by dopamine and involved in ASD. Clustering these pathways reveals groups of genes associated with dopamine metabolism, encoding proteins that control dopamine neurotransmission, cytoskeletal processes, synaptic release, Ca(2+) signaling, as well as the adenosine, glutamatergic and gamma-aminobutyric systems. Overall, our analyses emphasize the important role of the dopaminergic system in ASD, and implicate several cellular signaling processes in its pathogenesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. ACTH has beneficial effects on stuttering in ADHD and ASD patients with ESES: A retrospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altunel, Attila; Sever, Ali; Altunel, Emine Özlem

    2017-02-01

    Etiology of stuttering remains unknown and no pharmacologic intervention has been approved for treatment. We aimed to evaluate EEG parameters and the effect of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) therapy in stuttering. In this retrospective study, 25 patients with attention deficit and hyperactivity (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and comorbid stuttering were followed and treated with ACTH for electrical status epilepticus in sleep (ESES). Sleep EEGs were recorded at referral and follow-up visits and short courses of ACTH were administered when spike-wave index (SWI) was ⩾15%. The assessment of treatment effectiveness was based on reduction in SWI, and the clinician-reported improvement in stuttering, and ADHD or ASD. Statistical analyses were conducted in order to investigate the relationship between the clinical and EEG parameters. Following treatment with ACTH, a reduction in SWI in all the patients was accompanied by a 72% improvement in ADHD or ASD, and 83.8% improvement in stuttering. Twelve of the 25 patients with stuttering showed complete treatment response. Linear regressions established that SWI at final visit significantly predicted improvement in ADHD or ASD, and in stuttering. If symptoms had recurred, improvement was once again achieved with repeated ACTH therapies. Stuttering always improved prior to, and recurred following ADHD or ASD. The underlying etiology leading to ESES may play a significant role in the pathophysiology of stuttering and connect stuttering to other developmental disorders. ACTH therapy has beneficial effects on stuttering and improves EEG parameters. Copyright © 2016 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. The Influence of Visual Arts Education on Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Çevirgen, Ayse; Aktas, Burcu; Kot, Mehtap

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this research is to examine the effects of visual arts on a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The research included a 13-years-old male student with ASD, the student's parents, and the visual arts teacher. The research was designed according to the case study from qualitative research models. Semi-structured interviewing and…

  10. Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents with ASD without Mental Retardation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caamaño, Marta; Boada, Leticia; Merchán-Naranjo, Jessica; Moreno, Carmen; Llorente, Cloe; Moreno, Dolores; Arango, Celso; Parellada, Mara

    2013-01-01

    This study analyzes subclinical psychopathology in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) without mental retardation with no comorbid disorder, assessed by an extensive general psychopathology interview. The K-SADS-PL was administered to a group of 25 patients with ASD (mean age = 12.80 ± 2.86 years) and 25 healthy controls…

  11. A POSITIVE SOCIALIZATION MODEL FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS (ASD: COMPREHENSIVE AND INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES. Part 1. Foreign models of teaching social skills to children with ASD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Albina A. Nesterova

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The first part of the article aims to show different models of formation of social skills and technologies of social development of children with autism spectrum disorders used abroad. It aims to summarize and systemize the most promising methods of working with children with ASD, to analyze the researches that verify the efficiency of the technologies and prove the scientific validity of used methods.Methods. The methods involve theoretical analysis, systematization and summarization of scientific and methodological publications published abroad on the issue of developmen t of social skills in children with ASD.Results. The most efficient methodical techniques used abroad that had undergone the empirical approbation, which may be included in the process of social-psychological support for children with ASD and their families are defined under conditions of adaptation of such techniques. The most efficient and littleknown in Russia methods of development of social skills in children with ASD are described: video modeling; virtual technologies; technologies of inclusion of peers and parents in the process of socialization of children with autism.Scientific novelty. All modern foreign developments in the field of social development of children with ASD are summarized for the first time in the presented article; the question about the necessity of scientific validation of practical technologies and verification of the efficiency of the developed methods is raised. It has been shown that scientifically validated data that confirms the usefulness of many foreign methods for children and adolescents with ASD is absent. It has been concluded that translation and validation of some successful methods of socialization of children with ASD are important: video modeling; virtual technologies, possibilities of telecommunication methods. Practical significance. An overview of the most tested techniques will enhance the knowledge of domestic

  12. Subtyping of Toddlers with ASD Based on Patterns of Social Attention Deficits

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-10-30

    1 AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-13-1-0179 TITLE: “Subtyping of Toddlers with ASD Based on Patterns of Social Attention Deficits” PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR...SUBTITLE “Subtyping of Toddlers with ASD Based on Patterns of Social Attention Deficits” 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-13-1-0179 5c...proposed project is to elucidate the factors that affect spontaneous dyadic orienting at the earliest stages when ASD can be reliably diagnosed in order

  13. The autism puzzle: Diffuse but not pervasive neuroanatomical abnormalities in children with ASD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Sussman

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD is a clinically diagnosed, heterogeneous, neurodevelopmental condition, whose underlying causes have yet to be fully determined. A variety of studies have investigated either cortical, subcortical, or cerebellar anatomy in ASD, but none have conducted a complete examination of all neuroanatomical parameters on a single, large cohort. The current study provides a comprehensive examination of brain development of children with ASD between the ages of 4 and 18 years who are carefully matched for age and sex with typically developing controls at a ratio of one-to-two. Two hundred and ten magnetic resonance images were examined from 138 Control (116 males and 22 females and 72 participants with ASD (61 males and 11 females. Cortical segmentation into 78 brain-regions and 81,924 vertices was conducted with CIVET which facilitated a region-of-interest- (ROI- and vertex-based analysis, respectively. Volumes for the cerebellum, hippocampus, striatum, pallidum, and thalamus and many associated subregions were derived using the MAGeT Brain algorithm. The study reveals cortical, subcortical and cerebellar differences between ASD and Control group participants. Diagnosis, diagnosis-by-age, and diagnosis-by-sex interaction effects were found to significantly impact total brain volume but not total surface area or mean cortical thickness of the ASD participants. Localized (vertex-based analysis of cortical thickness revealed no significant group differences, even when age, age-range, and sex were used as covariates. Nonetheless, the region-based cortical thickness analysis did reveal regional changes in the left orbitofrontal cortex and left posterior cingulate gyrus, both of which showed reduced age-related cortical thinning in ASD. Our finding of region-based differences without significant vertex-based results likely indicates non-focal effects spanning the entirety of these regions. The hippocampi, thalamus, and globus

  14. Research on atomoxetine in Dutch ASD/ADHD children : The RADAR study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harfterkamp, Maria

    2016-01-01

    Symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are frequently present in children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In her study Myriam Harfterkamp showed that atomoxetine appears to be a promising treatment of ADHD in children and adolescents with ASD. Atomoxetine was superior to

  15. Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in childhood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryn, V; Halvorsen, B; Ueland, T; Isaksen, J; Kolkova, K; Ravn, K; Skjeldal, O H

    2015-07-01

    Neurotrophic factors are essential regulators of neuronal maturation including synaptic synthesis. Among those, Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been in particular focus in the understanding of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The aim of our study was to investigate whether BNDF could be used as diagnostic/biological marker for ASD. For this purpose we examined the plasma levels of BDNF and the precursors pro- BDNF in patients with ASD and compared it with non-autistic controls; determined whether there was a correlation between the BDNF and proBDNF levels and clinical severity. We also investigated the coding region of BDNF identify for well-variations which could be associated to ASD. The 65 ASD patients (51 boys) were enrolled from a recent completed epidemiological survey covering two counties (Oppland and Hedmark) in Norway. The mean age of the total number of children who participated in this study was 11,7 years. 30 non-autistic children were included as controls, 14 boys and 16 girls. The mean age was 11.3 years. Exclusion criteria for control group were individuals suffering from either neurological, endocrine, or immune insuffiency. Patients with ASD were characterized by moderately but significantly elevated plasma levels of BDNF compared to matched controls. No differences were observed in the proBDNF level between patients and controls. Within the ASD group, children with intellectual disability demonstrated increased BDNF, but not proBDNF levels, while the presence of ADHD had no impact on circulating proBDNF or BDNF. No further associations between plasma proBDNF or BDNF and other clinical demographics were observed. Copyright © 2015 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. How Do We Create ASD-Friendly Schools? A Dilemma of Placement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodall, Craig

    2015-01-01

    Scope exists within the Northern Ireland (NI) education system to transform mainstream schools into autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)-friendly environments. The efficacy of mainstream inclusion is discussed prior to discussing the creation of ASD-friendly schools. The transformation of mainstream school environments is underpinned by concepts such…

  17. Relating ASD symptoms to well-being : Moving across different construct levels

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Deserno, M. K.; Borsboom, D.; Begeer, S.; Geurts, H. M.

    BACKGROUND: Little is known about the specific factors that contribute to the well-being (WB) of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A plausible hypothesis is that ASD symptomatology has a direct negative effect on WB. In the current study, the emerging tools of network analysis allow

  18. Relating ASD symptoms to well-being : moving across different construct levels

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Deserno, Marie K.; Borsboom, D.; Begeer, S; Geurts, H M

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Little is known about the specific factors that contribute to the well-being (WB) of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A plausible hypothesis is that ASD symptomatology has a direct negative effect on WB. In the current study, the emerging tools of network analysis allow

  19. Parents Perceive Improvements in Socio-Emotional Functioning in Adolescents with ASD Following Social Skills Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lordo, Danielle N.; Bertolin, Madison; Sudikoff, Eliana L.; Keith, Cierra; Braddock, Barbara; Kaufman, David A. S.

    2017-01-01

    The current study examined the effectiveness of a social skills treatment (PEERS) for improving socio-emotional competencies in a sample of high-functioning adolescents with ASD. Neuropsychological and self- and parent-report measures assessing social, emotional, and behavioral functioning were administered before and after treatment. Following…

  20. Communication Deficits and the Motor System: Exploring Patterns of Associations in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mody, M.; Shui, A. M.; Nowinski, L. A.; Golas, S. B.; Ferrone, C.; O'Rourke, J. A.; McDougle, C. J.

    2017-01-01

    Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have notable difficulties in motor, speech and language domains. The connection between motor skills (oral-motor, manual-motor) and speech and language deficits reported in other developmental disorders raises important questions about a potential relationship between motor skills and…

  1. Supporting Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Their Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jin-ah; Cavaretta, Nancy; Fertig, Krystle

    2014-01-01

    The increased prevalence of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) calls for improvement in implementing early interventions, which are critical in improving long-term outcomes. This includes providing better and appropriate education and services for children with ASD, as well as providing supports for their parents and families. The…

  2. Groundwork for Success: A College Transition Program for Students with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shmulsky, Solvegi; Gobbo, Ken; Donahue, Andy

    2015-01-01

    This article describes the Transition Program implemented at a liberal arts college for newly enrolled students who have the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The diagnosis of ASD has risen dramatically; consequently, more students are arriving on college campuses with needs related to social pragmatic functioning. The Transition…

  3. Intra-individual cognitive imbalance in ASD between perceptual reasoning and ambiguity-solving related to tool use: Comparison among children exhibiting ASD, AD/HD, and typical development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakusawa, Keisuke; Nara, Chieko; Kubota, Yuki; Tomizawa, Yayoi; Taki, Yasuyuki; Sassa, Yuko; Kobayashi, Satoru; Suzuki-Muromoto, Sato; Hirose, Mieko; Yokoyama, Hiroyuki; Nara, Takahiro; Kure, Shigeo; Mori, Norio; Takei, Noriyoshi; Kawashima, Ryuta

    2018-01-01

    Several studies have suggested that objective deficits in the processing of abstract information in conjunction with an enhanced ability to process concrete information is a definitive characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, this cognitive imbalance is not necessarily clear in high-functioning autistic individuals who do not display absolute differences relative to typically developing (TD) populations. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify this cognitive tendency in high-functioning autistic individuals using intra-individual cognitive comparisons. The reaction times (RTs) of TD children, children with ASD, and children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) (n=17 in each group, mean age=11.9years, age range=9.8-15.8years) were compared using the Which/How-to-Apply Tools (W/HAT) test, which consists of tasks requiring the adaptive use of novel tools and familiar tools in atypical and typical situations. Differences in RTs between the atypical and typical trials ([A-T]) were used to assess intra-individual cognitive imbalances. As predicted, the [A-T] scores of the ASD group were significantly higher than those of the TD group even though the RTs in the atypical and typical trials did not differ. Additionally, the [A-T] values were significantly higher in the ASD group than in the AD/HD group, which indicates that the cognitive imbalance was specific to ASD individuals. No significant interaction was detected between the trial and subject group. The findings of this study demonstrate that a cognitive imbalance in ASD individuals may enhance the current understanding of the pathophysiology of this disorder, which is found in a range of individuals, including those with obvious cortical dysfunction to those with only intra-individual imbalances. Copyright © 2017 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. EXPANDING HORIZONS: A PILOT MENTORING PROGRAM LINKING COLLEGE/GRADUATE STUDENTS AND TEENS WITH ASD

    OpenAIRE

    Curtin, Carol; Humphrey, Kristin; Vronsky, Kaela; Mattern, Kathryn; Nicastro, Susan; Perrin, Ellen C.

    2015-01-01

    A small pilot program of nine youth ages 13–18 with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or Asperger’s syndrome assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of an individualized mentoring program. Youth met weekly for 6 months with trained young adult mentors at a local Boys and Girls Clubs. Participants reported improvements in self-esteem, social anxiety, and quality of life. Participants, parents, mentors, and staff reported that the program improved participa...

  5. Emergency Department Use among Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vohra, Rini; Madhavan, Suresh; Sambamoorthi, Usha

    2016-01-01

    A cross-sectional analyses using Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (2006-2011) was conducted to examine the trends, type of ED visits, and mean total ED charges for adults aged 22-64 years with and without ASD (matched 1:3). Around 0.4% ED visits (n = 25,527) were associated with any ASD and rates of such visits more than doubled from 2006 to…

  6. Intact perception but abnormal orientation towards face-like objects in young children with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guillon, Quentin; Rogé, Bernadette; Afzali, Mohammad H; Baduel, Sophie; Kruck, Jeanne; Hadjikhani, Nouchine

    2016-02-25

    There is ample behavioral evidence of diminished orientation towards faces as well as the presence of face perception impairments in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the underlying mechanisms of these deficits are still unclear. We used face-like object stimuli that have been shown to evoke pareidolia in typically developing (TD) individuals to test the effect of a global face-like configuration on orientation and perceptual processes in young children with ASD and age-matched TD controls. We show that TD children were more likely to look first towards upright face-like objects than children with ASD, showing that a global face-like configuration elicit a stronger orientation bias in TD children as compared to children with ASD. However, once they were looking at the stimuli, both groups spent more time exploring the upright face-like object, suggesting that they both perceived it as a face. Our results are in agreement with abnormal social orienting in ASD, possibly due to an abnormal tuning of the subcortical pathway, leading to poor orienting and attention towards faces. Our results also indicate that young children with ASD can perceive a generic face holistically, such as face-like objects, further demonstrating holistic processing of faces in ASD.

  7. Does the Cognitive Architecture of Simplex and Multiplex ASD Families Differ?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oerlemans, Anoek M.; Hartman, Catharina A.; Franke, Barbara; Buitelaar, Jan K.; Rommelse, Nanda N. J.

    2016-01-01

    Children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their unaffected siblings from 54 simplex (SPX, one individual in the family affected) and 59 multiplex (MPX, two or more individuals affected) families, and 124 controls were assessed on intelligence, social cognition and executive functions. SPX and MPX ASD probands displayed similar cognitive…

  8. Comparing Children with ASD and Their Peers' Growth in Print Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dynia, Jaclyn M.; Brock, Matthew E.; Logan, Jessica A.; Justice, Laura M.; Kaderavek, Joan N.

    2016-01-01

    Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle with reading. An increased focus on emergent literacy skills--particularly print knowledge--might improve later reading outcomes. We analyzed longitudinal measures of print knowledge (i.e., alphabet knowledge and print-concept knowledge) for 35 preschoolers with ASD relative to a sample of…

  9. ASD and schizophrenia show distinct developmental profiles in common genetic overlap with population-based social communication difficulties

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    St Pourcain, B; Robinson, E B; Anttila, V

    2017-01-01

    Difficulties in social communication are part of the phenotypic overlap between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia. Both conditions follow, however, distinct developmental patterns. Symptoms of ASD typically occur during early childhood, whereas most symptoms characteristic......-developing youth (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, N⩽5553, longitudinal assessments at 8, 11, 14 and 17 years) using the Social Communication Disorder Checklist. Data on clinical ASD (PGC-ASD: 5305 cases, 5305 pseudo-controls; iPSYCH-ASD: 7783 cases, 11 359 controls) and schizophrenia (PGC-SCZ2: 34...... 241 cases, 45 604 controls, 1235 trios) were either obtained through the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) or the Danish iPSYCH project. Overlap in genetic influences between ASD and social communication difficulties during development decreased with age, both in the PGC-ASD and the iPSYCH-ASD...

  10. Sibling influences on theory of mind development for children with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, Karen; Slaughter, Virginia; Peterson, Candida C

    2011-06-01

    Research indicates that having child siblings is positively associated with theory of mind (ToM) in typically developing children. As ToM is important to everyday social behaviours it is important to extend this research to examine whether there are similar sibling effects for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Theory of mind and executive functioning abilities of 60 children clinically diagnosed with ASD were assessed with batteries of standard tasks. Verbal mental age (VMA) and severity of autism symptoms were also measured together with number of child-aged siblings (1 to 12 years) and position in the sibling constellation. Having older siblings was a significant negative predictor of ToM performance for children with ASD, even after controlling for age, VMA, executive function and autism symptom severity. A weaker ToM benefit of younger siblings was not statistically significant independently of control variables. In sharp contrast to findings for typically developing preschoolers, having an older sibling was a disadvantage for ToM development in children with ASD. Conceivably, older siblings may over-compensate for their younger ASD siblings in social interactions, thereby limiting opportunities for social-cognitive growth. Parental attitudes, family resources, cultural norms and access to educational interventions may also conceivably be relevant and clearly warrant further research. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2011 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

  11. Validating a Culturally-Sensitive Social Competence Training Programme for Adolescents with ASD in a Chinese Context: An Initial Investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Raymond Won Shing; Leung, Cecilia Nga Wing; Ng, Denise Ching Yiu; Yau, Sania Sau Wai

    2018-01-01

    Previous studies on social skills training on ASD were done almost exclusively in the West with children as the main subjects. Demonstrations of the applicability of social interventions in different cultures and age groups are warranted. The current study outlined the development and preliminary evaluation of a CBT-context-based social competence…

  12. Modeling the autistic cell: iPSCs recapitulate developmental principles of syndromic and nonsyndromic ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Reuven, Lihi; Reiner, Orly

    2016-06-01

    The opportunity to model autism spectrum disorders (ASD) through generation of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is currently an emerging topic. Wide-scale research of altered brain circuits in syndromic ASD, including Rett Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Angelman's Syndrome and sporadic Schizophrenia, was made possible through animal models. However, possibly due to species differences, and to the possible contribution of epigenetics in the pathophysiology of these diseases, animal models fail to recapitulate many aspects of ASD. With the advent of iPSCs technology, 3D cultures of patient-derived cells are being used to study complex neuronal phenotypes, including both syndromic and nonsyndromic ASD. Here, we review recent advances in using iPSCs to study various aspects of the ASD neuropathology, with emphasis on the efforts to create in vitro model systems for syndromic and nonsyndromic ASD. We summarize the main cellular activity phenotypes and aberrant genetic interaction networks that were found in iPSC-derived neurons of syndromic and nonsyndromic autistic patients. © 2016 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.

  13. Language Impairments in ASD Resulting from a Failed Domestication of the Human Brain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benítez-Burraco, Antonio; Lattanzi, Wanda; Murphy, Elliot

    2016-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive neurodevelopmental disorders entailing social and cognitive deficits, including marked problems with language. Numerous genes have been associated with ASD, but it is unclear how language deficits arise from gene mutation or dysregulation. It is also unclear why ASD shows such high prevalence within human populations. Interestingly, the emergence of a modern faculty of language has been hypothesized to be linked to changes in the human brain/skull, but also to the process of self-domestication of the human species. It is our intention to show that people with ASD exhibit less marked domesticated traits at the morphological, physiological, and behavioral levels. We also discuss many ASD candidates represented among the genes known to be involved in the “domestication syndrome” (the constellation of traits exhibited by domesticated mammals, which seemingly results from the hypofunction of the neural crest) and among the set of genes involved in language function closely connected to them. Moreover, many of these genes show altered expression profiles in the brain of autists. In addition, some candidates for domestication and language-readiness show the same expression profile in people with ASD and chimps in different brain areas involved in language processing. Similarities regarding the brain oscillatory behavior of these areas can be expected too. We conclude that ASD may represent an abnormal ontogenetic itinerary for the human faculty of language resulting in part from changes in genes important for the “domestication syndrome” and, ultimately, from the normal functioning of the neural crest. PMID:27621700

  14. Involving Your Child or Teen with ASD in Integrated Community Activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKee, Rebecca

    2011-01-01

    Participating in outside activities and community-based endeavors can be tricky for people with special needs, like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Families meet more than a few obstacles attempting to integrate their children or teens who have special needs like ASD. Most typical children are highly involved in sports, clubs and camps. If a…

  15. Gray Matter Characteristics in Mid and Old Aged Adults with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koolschijn, P. Cédric M. P.; Geurts, Hilde M.

    2016-01-01

    It is widely acknowledged that the brain anatomy of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) shows a different developmental pattern then typical age-matched peers. There is however, a paucity of studies examining gray matter in mid and late adulthood in ASD. In this cross-sectional neuroimaging study, we, performed vertex-wise…

  16. Hemispheric Coherence in ASD with and without Comorbid ADHD and Anxiety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Saunders

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that altered brain connectivity may be a defining feature of disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD, anxiety, and ADHD. This study investigated whether resting state functional connectivity, measured by 128-channel EEG oscillation coherence, differs between developmental disorders. Analyses were conducted separately on groups with and without comorbid conditions. Analyses revealed increased coherence across central electrodes over the primary motor cortex and decreased coherence in the frontal lobe networks in those with ASD compared to neurotypical controls. There was increased coherence in occipital lobe networks in the ADHD group compared to other groups. Symptoms of generalised anxiety were positively correlated with both frontal-occipital intrahemispheric (alpha only coherence and occipital interhemispheric coherence (alpha, approaching theta band. The patterns of coherence in the ASD pure group were different when comorbid conditions were included in the analyses, suggesting that aberrant coherence in the frontal and central areas of the brain is specifically associated with ASD. Our findings support the idea that comorbid conditions are additive, rather than being symptoms of the same disorder.

  17. Hemispheric Coherence in ASD with and without Comorbid ADHD and Anxiety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, A; Kirk, I J; Waldie, K E

    2016-01-01

    There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that altered brain connectivity may be a defining feature of disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), anxiety, and ADHD. This study investigated whether resting state functional connectivity, measured by 128-channel EEG oscillation coherence, differs between developmental disorders. Analyses were conducted separately on groups with and without comorbid conditions. Analyses revealed increased coherence across central electrodes over the primary motor cortex and decreased coherence in the frontal lobe networks in those with ASD compared to neurotypical controls. There was increased coherence in occipital lobe networks in the ADHD group compared to other groups. Symptoms of generalised anxiety were positively correlated with both frontal-occipital intrahemispheric (alpha only) coherence and occipital interhemispheric coherence (alpha, approaching theta band). The patterns of coherence in the ASD pure group were different when comorbid conditions were included in the analyses, suggesting that aberrant coherence in the frontal and central areas of the brain is specifically associated with ASD. Our findings support the idea that comorbid conditions are additive, rather than being symptoms of the same disorder.

  18. Evaluating and Enhancing Driving Ability among Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-06-01

    hyperactivity disorder (Cox, Merkel, Hill, Kovatchev, Seward, 2000), differentiates drivers with and without Alzheimer’s disease (Cox, Quillian, Thorndike ...placebo (Cox, Merkel, Moore, Thorndike , Muller, Kovatchev, 2006), and as we will see, ASD from healthy controls and novice ASD drivers who did and

  19. Understanding Hong Kong Chinese Families' Experiences of an Autism/ASD Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tait, Kathleen; Fung, Francis; Hu, Aihua; Sweller, Naomi; Wang, Wei

    2016-01-01

    Little is known about the experience of Chinese parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) living in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Seventy-five parents of children (aged 6 months-18 years) with ASD diagnoses completed the Family Quality of Life Scale. Forty-five parents from the original surveyed cohort, also…

  20. Relation of Psychiatric Symptoms with Epilepsy, Asthma, and Allergy in Youth with ASD vs. Psychiatry Referrals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Rebecca J; Gadow, Kenneth D

    2017-08-01

    The present study aimed to characterize the association of psychopathology with the clinical correlates of epilepsy, asthma, and allergy within and between neurobehavioral syndromes. Participants were consecutively evaluated youth (6-18 years, 75 % male) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 589) and non-ASD outpatient psychiatry referrals (n = 653). Informants completed a background questionnaire (parents) and a psychiatric symptom severity rating scale (parents, teachers). Youth with ASD had higher rates of epilepsy and allergy but not asthma than psychiatry referrals, even when analyses were limited to youth with IQ ≥ 70. Somatic conditions evidenced variable associations with medical services utilization, educational interventions, family income, and maternal education. Youth with ASD with versus without epilepsy had more severe ASD social deficits (parents' ratings) and less severe ASD repetitive behaviors (teachers' ratings). Epilepsy was associated with more severe depression, mania, and schizophrenia symptoms in youth with ASD. Youth with allergy (psychiatry referrals only) had more severe anxiety and depression symptoms (parents' ratings) but less severe aggression (teachers' ratings) thus providing evidence of both context- and diagnostic-specificity. Youth with ASD versus non-ASD psychiatry referrals evidence a variable pattern of relations between somatic conditions and a range of clinical correlates, which suggests that the biologic substrates and psychosocial concomitants of neurodevelopmental disorders and their co-occurring somatic conditions may interact to produce unique clinical phenotypes.

  1. Teaching Parents Behavioral Strategies for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Effects on Stress, Strain, and Competence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iadarola, Suzannah; Levato, Lynne; Harrison, Bryan; Smith, Tristram; Lecavalier, Luc; Johnson, Cynthia; Swiezy, Naomi; Bearss, Karen; Scahill, Lawrence

    2018-01-01

    We report on parent outcomes from a randomized clinical trial of parent training (PT) versus psychoeducation (PEP) in 180 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and disruptive behavior. We compare the impact of PT and PEP on parent outcomes: Parenting Stress Index (PSI), Parent Sense of Competence (PSOC), and Caregiver Strain Questionnaire…

  2. Genetic effect of monoamine oxidase B (MAOB gene on ASD associated behavior phenotypes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deepak Verma

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Autism spectrum disorder (ASD is a male predominance, behaviorally defined neurodevelopmental disorder which is characterized by impairment in social communication and restricted and repetitive activities. Abnormalities in serotoninergic function play a major role in ASD pathophysiology. Monoamine oxidases, encoded by two X-chromosomal genes MAOA and MAOB regulate the serotonergic function by the degradation of serotonin and other biological amines. Therefore, the objective of present study is to investigate genetic correlation of MAOB markers with the severity of specific behavioral traits as scored by Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS has been examined as quantitative trait (QT analysis using IBM-SPSS program. A total of 225 ASD patients (190 male and 35 female were recruited after psychometric evaluation done by DSM-IV-TR/DSM-5 criteria and assessment by CARS. Genotyping carried by PCR/RFLP/sequencing methods, and population were found in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The outcome of the QT analysis indicating the increased score in overall CARS were associated with G and C allele of MAOB marker rs3027449 (p-value: 0.03 and rs1040399 (p-value: 0.01, respectively in male ASD children. In addition to this, major alleles of studied polymorphisms of gene were found to be statistically associated with the higher impairment in social communication domain only in male ASD children. Overall outcome of the study suggests likely involvement of MAOB with ASD in a gender-specific manner with the severity in behavior phenotypes. Considering the cumulative impact of these markers in regulating the severity of the behavioral symptoms of ASD, it is likely that MAOB gene is associated with the disorder.

  3. Social communication difficulties and autism in previously institutionalized children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levin, April R; Fox, Nathan A; Zeanah, Charles H; Nelson, Charles A

    2015-02-01

    To determine the risk of difficulties with social communication and restricted/repetitive behaviors as well as the rate of autism in children institutionalized in early infancy and to assess the impact of a foster care intervention on ameliorating this risk. Children abandoned at birth and raised in institutions in Bucharest, Romania were randomly assigned to a care-as-usual group (institutional care, CAUG), or placed in family-centered foster care (FCG) as part of the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP). At approximately 10 years of age, the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) was administered to caregivers of children in both groups as well as to parents of a typically developing community sample (Never-Institutionalized group [NIG]) residing in Bucharest, Romania. Children scoring ≥12 on the SCQ underwent clinical evaluation for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Caregivers of children with a history of institutionalization reported that these children had significantly more deviant behavior than never-institutionalized children on all subdomains of the SCQ (all p communication. Three of 60 CAUG children, 2 of 57 FCG children, and none of the NIG children received a formal ASD diagnosis. Early institutional rearing was associated with an increased risk of social communication difficulties and ASD. A family-centered foster care intervention improved social communication skills. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Depression in Adolescents with ASD: A Pilot RCT of a Group Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santomauro, Damian; Sheffield, Jeanie; Sofronoff, Kate

    2016-01-01

    Depression is a potentially life threatening affective disorder that is highly prevalent in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a cognitive behavioural intervention for depression in adolescents with ASD. Participants were randomly assigned to the…

  5. Supportive Relationships in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Perspectives of Individuals with ASD and Supporters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jodi Robledo

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available This study explored 17 dyads of academically successful people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD and individuals who they identified as supportive. Qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews, participant observations, and document analysis, were used to study these supportive relationships. The purpose of the study was to develop a substantive grounded theory regarding supportive relationships within the lives of individuals with ASD. A dynamic model of supportive relationships emerged, with trust, unity, and support as the three core categories of these relationships. The data suggest that the quality of the relationship between an individual with ASD and the support provider can be a critical factor within effective support. These findings suggest that there is much yet to be learned about the social world of individuals with ASD.

  6. Supportive Relationships in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Perspectives of Individuals with ASD and Supporters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robledo, Jodi; Donnellan, Anne M.

    2016-01-01

    This study explored 17 dyads of academically successful people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and individuals who they identified as supportive. Qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews, participant observations, and document analysis, were used to study these supportive relationships. The purpose of the study was to develop a substantive grounded theory regarding supportive relationships within the lives of individuals with ASD. A dynamic model of supportive relationships emerged, with trust, unity, and support as the three core categories of these relationships. The data suggest that the quality of the relationship between an individual with ASD and the support provider can be a critical factor within effective support. These findings suggest that there is much yet to be learned about the social world of individuals with ASD. PMID:27827873

  7. Parent-delivered early intervention in infants at risk for ASD: Effects on electrophysiological and habituation measures of social attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Emily J H; Dawson, Geraldine; Kelly, Jean; Estes, Annette; Jane Webb, Sara

    2017-05-01

    Prospective longitudinal studies of infants with older siblings with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have indicated that differences in the neurocognitive systems underlying social attention may emerge prior to the child meeting ASD diagnostic criteria. Thus, targeting social attention with early intervention might have the potential to alter developmental trajectories for infants at high risk for ASD. Electrophysiological and habituation measures of social attention were collected at 6, 12, and 18 months in a group of high-risk infant siblings of children with ASD (N = 33). Between 9 and 11 months of age, infant siblings received a parent-delivered intervention, promoting first relationships (PFR), (n = 19) or on-going assessment without intervention (n = 14). PFR has been previously shown to increase parental responsivity to infant social communicative cues and infant contingent responding. Compared to infants who only received assessment and monitoring, infants who received the intervention showed improvements in neurocognitive metrics of social attention, as reflected in a greater reduction in habituation times to face versus object stimuli between 6 and 12 months, maintained at 18 months; a greater increase in frontal EEG theta power between 6 and 12 months; and a more comparable P400 response to faces and objects at 12 months. The high-risk infants who received the intervention showed a pattern of responses that appeared closer to the normative responses of two groups of age-matched low-risk control participants. Though replication is necessary, these results suggest that early parent-mediated intervention has the potential to impact the brain systems underpinning social attention in infants at familial risk for ASD. Autism Res 2017, 10: 961-972. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Brief Report : Influence of gender and age on parent reported subjective well-being in children with and without autism

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Begeer, Sander; Ma, Yujie; Koot, Hans M.; Wierda, Marlies; van Beijsterveldt, C.E.M.; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Bartels, Meike

    2017-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are associated with reduced Subjective well-being (SWB). To examine the influence of gender and age on well-being we collected parent reported SWB in children with or without ASD (total n = 1030), aged 8–14 years. Parents reported lower SWB for children with ASD

  9. Convergent evidence for mGluR5 in synaptic and neuroinflammatory pathways implicated in ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zantomio, Daniela; Chana, Gursharan; Laskaris, Liliana; Testa, Renee; Everall, Ian; Pantelis, Christos; Skafidas, Efstratios

    2015-05-01

    The pathogenesis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a serious neurodevelopmental disorder, is poorly understood. We review evidence for alterations in glutamatergic signalling in the aetiology of ASD, with a focus on the metabotropic glutamate receptor-5 (mGluR5). mGluR5 signalling is important for synapse formation, neuroplasticity and long term potentiation as well as neuroprotection and has been shown to have a regulatory role in neuroinflammation. Evidence for neuroinflammation in ASD is supported by increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and increased number and activation of microglia in postmortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). mGlur5 signalling has also been shown to downregulate microglial activation. Therefore, we focus on mGluR5 as a potential unifying explanation for synapse alteration and neuroinflammation seen in ASD. Data from mGluR5 knockout mouse models, and syndromic and non syndromic forms of ASD are discussed in relation to how alterations in mGluR5 are associated with ASD symptoms. This review supports altered mGluR5 functioning as a convergent point in ASD pathogenesis and indicates more research is warranted into mGluR5 as a potential therapeutic target. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Prenatal Pregnancy Complications and Psychiatric Symptoms: Children with ASD versus Clinic Controls

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tudor, Megan E.; DeVincent, Carla J.; Gadow, Kenneth D.

    2012-01-01

    The current study examined the association between prenatal pregnancy complications (PPC) and childhood psychiatric symptoms in children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and non-ASD children who were referred to a psychiatric clinic (Controls). Parents completed a "DSM-IV"-referenced rating scale and developmental history questionnaire.…

  11. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in children with ASD and their parents: a 3-year follow-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, K; Dougali, A; Sideri, K; Kroupis, C; Vasdekis, V; Dima, K; Douzenis, A

    2018-05-01

    Several lines of evidence point to a probable relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but studies have yielded inconsistent findings on the BDNF serum level in ASD. The study aimed to assess those levels in children with ASD and their families. BDNF serum levels were measured in 45 ASD children without intellectual disability (ID) and allergies, age 30-42 months and age-matched normal controls. BDNF serum levels in the parents of the ASD subjects were compared to normal controls. BDNF serum levels in the ASD subjects were followed up for 3 years and correlated with adaptive functioning changes. BDNF serum levels were measured to be lower in children with ASD and independent of all the major baseline characteristics of the subjects. Having a child with ASD raises the BDNF levels in parents comparing to controls. Prospectively, no correlation between the change of BDNF variables in time and the change of the Vineland scores was found. Our results contradict those from recent published meta-analyses with the age, the presence of ID and allergies being possible contributing factors. The parents' data indeed point to a role of BDNF in the pathophysiology of ASD. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Out of the Mouths of Babes: Vocal Production in Infant Siblings of Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, Rhea; Fuerst, Yael; Ramsay, Gordon; Chawarska, Kasia; Klin, Ami

    2011-01-01

    Background: Younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at higher risk for acquiring these disorders than the general population. Language development is usually delayed in children with ASD. The present study examines the development of pre-speech vocal behavior in infants at risk for ASD due to the presence of an older…

  13. Isolating Visual and Proprioceptive Components of Motor Sequence Learning in ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharer, Elizabeth A; Mostofsky, Stewart H; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro; Oberman, Lindsay M

    2016-05-01

    In addition to defining impairments in social communication skills, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also show impairments in more basic sensory and motor skills. Development of new skills involves integrating information from multiple sensory modalities. This input is then used to form internal models of action that can be accessed when both performing skilled movements, as well as understanding those actions performed by others. Learning skilled gestures is particularly reliant on integration of visual and proprioceptive input. We used a modified serial reaction time task (SRTT) to decompose proprioceptive and visual components and examine whether patterns of implicit motor skill learning differ in ASD participants as compared with healthy controls. While both groups learned the implicit motor sequence during training, healthy controls showed robust generalization whereas ASD participants demonstrated little generalization when visual input was constant. In contrast, no group differences in generalization were observed when proprioceptive input was constant, with both groups showing limited degrees of generalization. The findings suggest, when learning a motor sequence, individuals with ASD tend to rely less on visual feedback than do healthy controls. Visuomotor representations are considered to underlie imitative learning and action understanding and are thereby crucial to social skill and cognitive development. Thus, anomalous patterns of implicit motor learning, with a tendency to discount visual feedback, may be an important contributor in core social communication deficits that characterize ASD. Autism Res 2016, 9: 563-569. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Polygenic risk score and heritability estimates reveals a genetic relationship between ASD and OCD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, W; Samuels, J F; Wang, Y; Cao, H; Ritter, M; Nestadt, P S; Krasnow, J; Greenberg, B D; Fyer, A J; McCracken, J T; Geller, D A; Murphy, D L; Knowles, J A; Grados, M A; Riddle, M A; Rasmussen, S A; McLaughlin, N C; Nurmi, E L; Askland, K D; Cullen, B A; Piacentini, J; Pauls, D L; Bienvenu, O J; Stewart, S E; Goes, F S; Maher, B; Pulver, A E; Valle, D; Mattheisen, M; Qian, J; Nestadt, G; Shugart, Y Y

    2017-07-01

    Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are both highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorders that conceivably share genetic risk factors. However, the underlying genetic determinants remain largely unknown. In this work, the authors describe a combined genome-wide association study (GWAS) of ASD and OCD. The OCD dataset includes 2998 individuals in nuclear families. The ASD dataset includes 6898 individuals in case-parents trios. GWAS summary statistics were examined for potential enrichment of functional variants associated with gene expression levels in brain regions. The top ranked SNP is rs4785741 (chromosome 16) with P value=6.9×10 -7 in our re-analysis. Polygenic risk score analyses were conducted to investigate the genetic relationship within and across the two disorders. These analyses identified a significant polygenic component of ASD, predicting 0.11% of the phenotypic variance in an independent OCD data set. In addition, we examined the genomic architecture of ASD and OCD by estimating heritability on different chromosomes and different allele frequencies, analyzing genome-wide common variant data by using the Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis (GCTA) program. The estimated global heritability of OCD is 0.427 (se=0.093) and 0.174 (se=0.053) for ASD in these imputed data. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  15. Power Factor Correction Capacitors for Multiple Parallel Three-Phase ASD Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yang, Yongheng; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2017-01-01

    Today’s three-phase Adjustable Speed Drive (ASD) systems still employ Diode Rectifiers (DRs) and Silicon-Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs) as the front-end converters due to structural and control simplicity, small volume, low cost, and high reliability. However, the uncontrollable DRs and phase......-controllable SCRs bring side-effects by injecting high harmonics to the grid, which will degrade the system performance in terms of lowering the overall efficiency and overheating the system if remain uncontrolled or unattenuated. For multiple ASD systems, certain harmonics in the entire system can be mitigated...... the power factor, passive capacitors can be installed, which yet can trigger the system resonance. Hence, this paper analyzes the resonant issues in multiple ASD systems with power factor correction capacitors. Potential damping solutions are summarized. Simulations are carried out, while laboratory tests...

  16. Homogeneous Combinations of ASD-ADHD Traits and Their Cognitive and Behavioral Correlates in a Population-Based Sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Meer, Jolanda M J; Lappenschaar, Martijn G A; Hartman, Catharina A; Greven, Corina U; Buitelaar, Jan K; Rommelse, Nanda N J

    2017-07-01

    Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and ADHD are assumed to be the extreme manifestations of continuous heterogeneous traits that frequently co-occur. This study aims to identify subgroups of children with distinct ASD-ADHD trait profiles in the general population, using measures sensitive across both trait continua, and show how these subgroups differ in cognitive functioning. We examined 378 children (6-13 years) from a population-based sample. Latent class analyses (LCA) detected three concordant classes with low (10.1%), medium (54.2%), or high (13.2%) scores on both traits, and two discordant classes with more ADHD than ASD characteristics (ADHD > ASD, 18.3%) and vice versa (ASD > ADHD, 4.2%). Findings suggest that ASD and ADHD traits usually are strongly related in the unaffected population, and that a minority of children displays atypical discordant trait profiles characterized by differential visual-spatial functioning. This dissociation suggests that heterogeneity in ASD and ADHD is rooted in heterogeneity in the lower unaffected end of the distribution.

  17. Maternal Cortisol Levels and Behavior Problems in Adolescents and Adults with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seltzer, Marsha Mailick; Greenberg, Jan S.; Hong, Jinkuk; Smith, Leann E.; Almeida, David M.; Coe, Christopher; Stawski, Robert S.

    2010-01-01

    Using daily diary methods, mothers of adolescents and adults with ASD (n = 86) were contrasted with a nationally representative comparison group of mothers of similarly-aged unaffected children (n = 171) with respect to the diurnal rhythm of cortisol. Mothers of adolescents and adults with ASD were found to have significantly lower levels of…

  18. Linguistic adaptation between mothers and children in ASD

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fusaroli, Riccardo; Weed, Ethan; Fein, Deborah

    We investigate mother-child linguistic adaptation in 33 ASD and 33 matched TD children at two time-scales: conversational match and longitudinal development. We employ a longitudinal corpus (6 visits over 2 years) consisting of controlled playful activities between mothers and their children...... (Goodwin et al. 2012). We quantified amount (number of words and utterances) and complexity (lexical repertoire and utterance length) of linguistic behavior in both mother and child. We used mixed-effects growth curve models to quantify i)match within-conversation and ii)longitudinal impact between visits....... Child and mother are strongly correlated in their linguistic behaviors (R2 between .07 and .62, pMother-child pairs in the ASD group, however, show a shallower increase in match. Amount and complexity...

  19. Systematic Assessment of Research on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Mercury Reveals Conflicts of Interest and the Need for Transparency in Autism Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kern, Janet K; Geier, David A; Deth, Richard C; Sykes, Lisa K; Hooker, Brian S; Love, James M; Bjørklund, Geir; Chaigneau, Carmen G; Haley, Boyd E; Geier, Mark R

    2017-12-01

    Historically, entities with a vested interest in a product that critics have suggested is harmful have consistently used research to back their claims that the product is safe. Prominent examples are: tobacco, lead, bisphenol A, and atrazine. Research literature indicates that about 80-90% of studies with industry affiliation found no harm from the product, while only about 10-20% of studies without industry affiliation found no harm. In parallel to other historical debates, recent studies examining a possible relationship between mercury (Hg) exposure and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show a similar dichotomy. Studies sponsored and supported by industry or entities with an apparent conflict of interest have most often shown no evidence of harm or no "consistent" evidence of harm, while studies without such affiliations report positive evidence of a Hg/autism association. The potentially causal relationship between Hg exposure and ASD differs from other toxic products since there is a broad coalition of entities for whom a conflict of interest arises. These include influential governmental public health entities, the pharmaceutical industry, and even the coal burning industry. This review includes a systematic literature search of original studies on the potential relationship between Hg and ASD from 1999 to August 2015, finding that of the studies with public health and/or industry affiliation, 86% reported no relationship between Hg and ASD. However, among studies without public health and/or industry affiliation, only 21% find no relationship between Hg and ASD. The discrepancy in these results suggests a bias indicative of a conflict of interest.

  20. Need for care and life satisfaction in adult substance use disorder patients with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kronenberg, Linda M; Goossens, Peter J J; van Etten, Derk M; van Achterberg, Theo; van den Brink, Wim

    2015-01-01

    To identify care needs of adult substance use disorder (SUD) patients with and without co-occurring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An exploratory study using the European Addiction Severity Index, the Camberwell Assessment of Needs, and the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life to assess and compare care needs and perceived quality of life. All patients are dissatisfied with parts of their existence. SUD patients have fewer care needs than SUD patients with co-occurring ADHD or ASD. The SUD and SUD + ADHD groups report needs in similar domains. The SUD + ASD group shows a greater number of and more extensive care needs. Differences in the care needs of adult SUD patients with and without ADHD or ASD should be taken into account when developing evidence-based nursing care interventions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Narrative Intervention for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillam, Sandra Laing; Hartzheim, Daphne; Studenka, Breanna; Simonsmeier, Vicki; Gillam, Ronald

    2015-06-01

    This study was conducted to determine whether a narrative intervention program that targeted the use of mental state and causal language resulted in positive gains in narrative production for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Five children (2 girls and 3 boys) who had been diagnosed with ASD participated in the study. Children ranged in age from 8 to 12 years and were recruited through an autism clinic. Intervention was provided for two 50-min individual sessions per week for a total of 21-33 sessions (depending on the student). Children's spontaneous stories, collected weekly, were analyzed for overall story complexity, story structure, and the use of mental state and causal language. Following a multiple-baseline across-participants design, data were collected for lagged baseline and intervention phases over a 6-month period. All of the children made gains on all 3 measures of narration after participating in the instruction, with clear changes in level for all 5 children and changes in trend for 4 of the 5 children. The gains were maintained after intervention was discontinued. The results demonstrate the efficacy of the 3-phase narrative instruction program for improving the fictional narration abilities of children with ASD.

  2. The likely market potential for electricity saving ASD devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sparow, F.T.; McKenzie, L.

    1993-01-01

    Many utility demand-side management (DSM) programs encourage the adoption of adjustable speed drives (ASD) in the industrial and commercial sectors, since such devices save KW and KWh. The term open-quotes adjustable speed drives close-quote is used to refer to any device which allows the speed of the motor to be adjusted to better match process requirements. Thus, motor input control devices, such as electronic adjustable speed drives for AC motors (i.e., adjustable frequency drives (AFD)), voltage controlled DC motors, and the use of floating pressure setpoint controls, or other devices which better control on/off compressor operation, would be considered ASD devices. Also included would be motor technologies, such as multi-speed windings, etc., which allow the synchronous speed of the motor to be altered. Not included in this definition would be mechanical systems such as gear boxes, friction disks, etc., which maintain motor speed, but alter the drive r.p.m. to the equipment. The importance of the distinction is that ASDs, as defined above, have the potential to substantially reduce KW and KWh consumption if the equipment duty cycle is varying, while mechanical drive r.p.m. varying devices don't

  3. Neurofeedback application in the treatment of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zivoder, Ivana; Martic-Biocina, Sanja; Kosic, Ana Vodanovic; Bosak, Josipa

    2015-09-01

    The aim of this paper is to describe neurofeedback (NFB) treatment in Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) children. There is no specific cure for autism and therapeutic guidelines are directed to improve the quality of life of people with autism by reducing the symptoms and by increasing their functioning. Neurofeedback is a computerized method based on tracking electrical activity of the brain (EEG) and giving a feedback about it. The method has been developed in neurophysiological labs of scientific institutes in USA and has been used very successfully for over last 20 years. It has proven its efficacy in practise, but also in scientific and clinical research. During 2010 and 2011 neurofeedback treatment was administered to 10 children (N=10, 7 males and 3 females) age range 4 to 7 years which have been diagnosed as autistic spectrum disorder (highly functional) with an unspecific impairment of speech development and trouble communicating. An evaluation of treatment was done according to estimation of changes in functioning (parents, teachers and therapists' ratings and all other experts that were monitoring the child before, during and after the treatment) and tracking of changes in electrophysiology. The results have shown most changes in behaviour (less aggressive, more cooperation, better communication), attention span and sensory motor skills. According to the assessment of parents, teachers, therapists and other experts all children have accomplished a certain degree of improvement in the level of daily functioning. Our experiences in usage of neurofeedback in Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) children confirmed previous data that this method can be applied to this category of patients.

  4. Association between Air Pollution Exposure, Cognitive and Adaptive Function, and ASD Severity among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerin, Tara; Volk, Heather; Li, Weiyan; Lurmann, Fred; Eckel, Sandrah; McConnell, Rob; Hertz-Picciotto, Irva

    2018-01-01

    Prenatal exposure to air pollution has been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk but no study has examined associations with ASD severity or functioning. Cognitive ability, adaptive functioning, and ASD severity were assessed in 327 children with ASD from the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment study using the…

  5. Epigenetic regulation of RELN and GAD1 in the frontal cortex (FC) of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhubi, Adrian; Chen, Ying; Guidotti, Alessandro; Grayson, Dennis R

    2017-11-01

    Both Reelin (RELN) and glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD1) have been implicated in the pathophysiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We have previously shown that both mRNAs are reduced in the cerebella (CB) of ASD subjects through a mechanism that involves increases in the amounts of MECP2 binding to the corresponding promoters. In the current study, we examined the expression of RELN, GAD1, GAD2, and several other mRNAs implicated in this disorder in the frontal cortices (FC) of ASD and CON subjects. We also focused on the role that epigenetic processes play in the regulation of these genes in ASD brain. Our goal is to better understand the molecular basis for the down-regulation of genes expressed in GABAergic neurons in ASD brains. We measured mRNA levels corresponding to selected GABAergic genes using qRT-PCR in RNA isolated from both ASD and CON groups. We determined the extent of binding of MECP2 and DNMT1 repressor proteins by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. The amount of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) present in the promoters of the target genes was quantified by methyl DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) and hydroxyl MeDIP (hMeDIP). We detected significant reductions in the mRNAs associated with RELN and GAD1 and significant increases in mRNAs encoding the Ten-eleven Translocation (TET) enzymes 1, 2, and 3. We also detected increased MECP2 and DNMT1 binding to the corresponding promoter regions of GAD1, RELN, and GAD2. Interestingly, there were decreased amounts of 5mC at both promoters and little change in 5hmC content in these same DNA fragments. Our data demonstrate that RELN, GAD1, and several other genes selectively expressed in GABAergic neurons, are down-regulated in post-mortem ASD FC. In addition, we observed increased DNMT1 and MECP2 binding at the corresponding promoters of these genes. The finding of increased MECP2 binding to the RELN, GAD1 and GAD2 promoters, with reduced amounts of 5mC and unchanged

  6. Reducing specific phobia/fear in young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs through a virtual reality environment intervention.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morag Maskey

    Full Text Available Anxiety is common in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD, with specific fears and phobias one of the most frequent subtypes. Specific fears and phobias can have a serious impact on young people with ASD and their families. In this study we developed and evaluated a unique treatment combining cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT with graduated exposure in a virtual reality environment (VRE. Nine verbally fluent boys with an ASD diagnosis and no reported learning disability, aged 7 to 13 years old, were recruited. Each had anxiety around a specific situation (e.g. crowded buses or stimulus (e.g. pigeons. An individualised scene was recreated in our 'wrap-around' VRE. In the VRE participants were coached by a psychologist in cognitive and behavioural techniques (e.g. relaxation and breathing exercises while the exposure to the phobia/fear stimulus was gradually increased as the child felt ready. Each child received four 20-30 minute sessions. After participating in the study, eight of the nine children were able to tackle their phobia situation. Four of the participants completely overcame their phobia. Treatment effects were maintained at 12 months. These results provide evidence that CBT with VRE can be a highly effective treatment for specific phobia/fear for some young people with ASD.Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN58483069.

  7. Subjective-personal readiness of correctional teachers to education of ASD children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kateryna Ostrovska

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available ASD teachers require skills that go beyond the realm of most educators including professional competences and high moral qualities. In the work theoretical approaches and experimental research on the problem of subjective personality readiness of correctional teachers in the education of ASD children are carried out. The psychological investigation has been conducted including measurement of psychological indices of 40 teachers of ASD children from the boarding school "Trust" and 40 teachers from mainstream schools of Lviv city aged from 28 to 59 years. The following methods are used: "Questionnaire for the measurement of tolerance" (Magun, Zhamkochyan, Magura, 2000; "Shein’s Career Anchors" method aimed at studying the career orientations of the teachers (Shein, 2010; “Diagnostics of empathy level” (Viktor Boiko, 2001; method of study “Motivation professional activities” by Catelin Zamfir in a modification of Artur Rean (Bordovskaya, & Rean, 2001. Based on the provided studies a program for development of subject-personality readiness of the correctional teacher to work with ASD children is proposed. The program consists of the following components: motivational component (professional competence, self-development, self-determination, self-control; cognitive component (intellectual personality autonomy, self-identification, stability, challenge, integration of lifestyles; emotionally-volitional component (empathy, positive attitude toward a child, intellectual analysis of emotions, self-regulation.

  8. Eye-Gaze Analysis of Facial Emotion Recognition and Expression in Adolescents with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wieckowski, Andrea Trubanova; White, Susan W

    2017-01-01

    Impaired emotion recognition and expression in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may contribute to observed social impairment. The aim of this study was to examine the role of visual attention directed toward nonsocial aspects of a scene as a possible mechanism underlying recognition and expressive ability deficiency in ASD. One recognition and two expression tasks were administered. Recognition was assessed in force-choice paradigm, and expression was assessed during scripted and free-choice response (in response to emotional stimuli) tasks in youth with ASD (n = 20) and an age-matched sample of typically developing youth (n = 20). During stimulus presentation prior to response in each task, participants' eye gaze was tracked. Youth with ASD were less accurate at identifying disgust and sadness in the recognition task. They fixated less to the eye region of stimuli showing surprise. A group difference was found during the free-choice response task, such that those with ASD expressed emotion less clearly but not during the scripted task. Results suggest altered eye gaze to the mouth region but not the eye region as a candidate mechanism for decreased ability to recognize or express emotion. Findings inform our understanding of the association between social attention and emotion recognition and expression deficits.

  9. ASD and schizophrenia show distinct developmental profiles in common genetic overlap with population-based social communication difficulties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    St Pourcain, B; Robinson, E B; Anttila, V; Sullivan, B B; Maller, J; Golding, J; Skuse, D; Ring, S; Evans, D M; Zammit, S; Fisher, S E; Neale, B M; Anney, R J L; Ripke, S; Hollegaard, M V; Werge, T; Ronald, A; Grove, J; Hougaard, D M; Børglum, A D; Mortensen, P B; Daly, M J; Davey Smith, G

    2018-02-01

    Difficulties in social communication are part of the phenotypic overlap between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia. Both conditions follow, however, distinct developmental patterns. Symptoms of ASD typically occur during early childhood, whereas most symptoms characteristic of schizophrenia do not appear before early adulthood. We investigated whether overlap in common genetic influences between these clinical conditions and impairments in social communication depends on the developmental stage of the assessed trait. Social communication difficulties were measured in typically-developing youth (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, N⩽5553, longitudinal assessments at 8, 11, 14 and 17 years) using the Social Communication Disorder Checklist. Data on clinical ASD (PGC-ASD: 5305 cases, 5305 pseudo-controls; iPSYCH-ASD: 7783 cases, 11 359 controls) and schizophrenia (PGC-SCZ2: 34 241 cases, 45 604 controls, 1235 trios) were either obtained through the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) or the Danish iPSYCH project. Overlap in genetic influences between ASD and social communication difficulties during development decreased with age, both in the PGC-ASD and the iPSYCH-ASD sample. Genetic overlap between schizophrenia and social communication difficulties, by contrast, persisted across age, as observed within two independent PGC-SCZ2 subsamples, and showed an increase in magnitude for traits assessed during later adolescence. ASD- and schizophrenia-related polygenic effects were unrelated to each other and changes in trait-disorder links reflect the heterogeneity of genetic factors influencing social communication difficulties during childhood versus later adolescence. Thus, both clinical ASD and schizophrenia share some genetic influences with impairments in social communication, but reveal distinct developmental profiles in their genetic links, consistent with the onset of clinical symptoms.

  10. Protracted dendritic growth in the typically developing human amygdala and increased spine density in young ASD brains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weir, R K; Bauman, M D; Jacobs, B; Schumann, C M

    2018-02-01

    The amygdala is a medial temporal lobe structure implicated in social and emotional regulation. In typical development (TD), the amygdala continues to increase volumetrically throughout childhood and into adulthood, while other brain structures are stable or decreasing in volume. In autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the amygdala undergoes rapid early growth, making it volumetrically larger in children with ASD compared to TD children. Here we explore: (a) if dendritic arborization in the amygdala follows the pattern of protracted growth in TD and early overgrowth in ASD and (b), if spine density in the amygdala in ASD cases differs from TD from youth to adulthood. The amygdala from 32 postmortem human brains (7-46 years of age) were stained using a Golgi-Kopsch impregnation. Ten principal neurons per case were selected in the lateral nucleus and traced using Neurolucida software in their entirety. We found that both ASD and TD individuals show a similar pattern of increasing dendritic length with age well into adulthood. However, spine density is (a) greater in young ASD cases compared to age-matched TD controls (ASD age into adulthood, a phenomenon not found in TD. Therefore, by adulthood, there is no observable difference in spine density in the amygdala between ASD and TD age-matched adults (≥18 years old). Our findings highlight the unique growth trajectory of the amygdala and suggest that spine density may contribute to aberrant development and function of the amygdala in children with ASD. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. [Electronic cigarettes - effects on health. Previous reports].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Napierała, Marta; Kulza, Maksymilian; Wachowiak, Anna; Jabłecka, Katarzyna; Florek, Ewa

    2014-01-01

    Currently very popular in the market of tobacco products have gained electronic cigarettes (ang. E-cigarettes). These products are considered to be potentially less harmful in compared to traditional tobacco products. However, current reports indicate that the statements of the producers regarding to the composition of the e- liquids not always are sufficient, and consumers often do not have reliable information on the quality of the product used by them. This paper contain a review of previous reports on the composition of e-cigarettes and their impact on health. Most of the observed health effects was related to symptoms of the respiratory tract, mouth, throat, neurological complications and sensory organs. Particularly hazardous effects of the e-cigarettes were: pneumonia, congestive heart failure, confusion, convulsions, hypotension, aspiration pneumonia, face second-degree burns, blindness, chest pain and rapid heartbeat. In the literature there is no information relating to passive exposure by the aerosols released during e-cigarette smoking. Furthermore, the information regarding to the use of these products in the long term are not also available.

  12. Genetic Syndromes, Maternal Diseases and Antenatal Factors Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ornoy, Asher; Weinstein-Fudim, Liza; Ergaz, Zivanit

    2016-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affecting about 1% of all children is associated, in addition to complex genetic factors, with a variety of prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal etiologies. In addition, ASD is often an important clinical presentation of some well-known genetic syndromes in human. We discuss these syndromes as well as the role of the more important prenatal factors affecting the fetus throughout pregnancy which may also be associated with ASD. Among the genetic disorders we find Fragile X, Rett syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, Timothy syndrome, Phelan-McDermid syndrome, Hamartoma tumor syndrome, Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes, and a few others. Among the maternal diseases in pregnancy associated with ASD are diabetes mellitus (PGDM and/or GDM), some maternal autoimmune diseases like antiphospholipid syndrome (APLS) with anti-β2GP1 IgG antibodies and thyroid disease with anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies, preeclampsia and some other autoimmune diseases with IgG antibodies that might affect fetal brain development. Other related factors are maternal infections (rubella and CMV with fetal brain injuries, and possibly Influenza with fever), prolonged fever and maternal inflammation, especially with changes in a variety of inflammatory cytokines and antibodies that cross the placenta and affect the fetal brain. Among the drugs are valproic acid, thalidomide, misoprostol, and possibly SSRIs. β2-adrenergic receptor agonists and paracetamol have also lately been associated with increased rate of ASD but the data is too preliminary and inconclusive. Associations were also described with ethanol, cocaine, and possibly heavy metals, heavy smoking, and folic acid deficiency. Recent studies show that heavy exposure to pesticides and air pollution, especially particulate matter ASD. Finally, we have to remember that many of the associations mentioned in this review are only partially proven, and not all are "clean" of different confounding factors. The

  13. The juniper bush of autism spectrum disorder (ASD: metabolomics, microbiomics, acetaminophen. What else?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vassilios Fanos

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available In the United States, a very recent survey performed on children aged 8 years assessed an overall prevalence of 16.8 autistic children every 1,000 non-ASD children (equal to 1 child every 59, with a higher prevalence in boys (26.6 per 1,000 than in girls (6.6 per 1,000.  Actually, very few human diseases like ASD can be considered the result of interplay between a multitude of factors: genetics, epigenetics, environment, socioeconomic status, maternal and neonatal infections, prenatal nutrients (i.e. folic acid, immune system, gut microbiota composition, maternal exposure to potentially toxic drugs (e.g. thalidomide and environmental toxicants, and formula feeding (instead of breastfeeding. Taken individually, each of these factors may be considered a potential risk factor for developing ASD. However, the wide range of symptoms and disabilities depicting ASD as a “galaxy of social and communication difficulties” takes place through the combination of two or more factors cited above; notably, the role of each (e.g. genetics cannot be dissociated from the context of epigenetic mechanisms and specific interactions. Today, we can accurately explore the metabolome and its variations over time in various perinatal conditions involved in ASD etiology, for example perturbations of the gut-brain axis, due to gut dysbiosis, and to the lack of the intestinal mucosal barrier, caused by inflammation. This means a great opportunity to establish an early diagnosis of ASD, to assess the risk of developing postnatal ASD and to search for new highly sensitive and specific biomarkers especially in urine. Most of the performed studies have found abnormalities in gut bacterial-derived compounds, tryptophan, vitamin B6, and purine metabolic pathways, phenylalanine and tyrosine biosynthesis, unbalanced concentration of intermediary compounds of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA, also known as the citric-acid or Krebs cycle, and finally diet-derived metabolites

  14. Medical Conditions in the First Years of Life Associated with Future Diagnosis of ASD in Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexeeff, Stacey E.; Yau, Vincent; Qian, Yinge; Davignon, Meghan; Lynch, Frances; Crawford, Phillip; Davis, Robert; Croen, Lisa A.

    2017-01-01

    This study examines medical conditions diagnosed prior to the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using a matched case control design with 3911 ASD cases and 38,609 controls, we found that 38 out of 79 medical conditions were associated with increased ASD risk. Developmental delay, mental health, and neurology conditions had the strongest…

  15. Increasing Access to an ASD Imitation Intervention via a Telehealth Parent Training Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wainer, Allison L.; Ingersoll, Brooke R.

    2015-01-01

    Systematic research focused on developing and improving strategies for the dissemination and implementation of effective ASD services is essential. An innovative and promising area of research is the use of telehealth programs to train parents of children with ASD in intervention techniques. A hybrid telehealth program, combining self-directed…

  16. Global processing takes time: A meta-analysis on local-global visual processing in ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Hallen, Ruth; Evers, Kris; Brewaeys, Katrien; Van den Noortgate, Wim; Wagemans, Johan

    2015-05-01

    What does an individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) perceive first: the forest or the trees? In spite of 30 years of research and influential theories like the weak central coherence (WCC) theory and the enhanced perceptual functioning (EPF) account, the interplay of local and global visual processing in ASD remains only partly understood. Research findings vary in indicating a local processing bias or a global processing deficit, and often contradict each other. We have applied a formal meta-analytic approach and combined 56 articles that tested about 1,000 ASD participants and used a wide range of stimuli and tasks to investigate local and global visual processing in ASD. Overall, results show no enhanced local visual processing nor a deficit in global visual processing. Detailed analysis reveals a difference in the temporal pattern of the local-global balance, that is, slow global processing in individuals with ASD. Whereas task-dependent interaction effects are obtained, gender, age, and IQ of either participant groups seem to have no direct influence on performance. Based on the overview of the literature, suggestions are made for future research. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  17. The Early Intervention Readiness Program (EIRP): A Post-ASD Diagnosis Family Support Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tolmie, Rhiannon S.; Bruck, Susan; Kerslake, Rachel

    2017-01-01

    A child's diagnosis with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be an extremely stressful time for families. Researchers suggest that the period immediately following ASD diagnosis is a key time for professionals to guide families by providing appropriate information about support options. This article describes a family support program, developed by…

  18. Lexical Processing in Toddlers with ASD: Does Weak Central Coherence Play a Role?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis Weismer, Susan; Haebig, Eileen; Edwards, Jan; Saffran, Jenny; Venker, Courtney E.

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated whether vocabulary delays in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can be explained by a cognitive style that prioritizes processing of detailed, local features of input over global contextual integration--as claimed by the weak central coherence (WCC) theory. Thirty toddlers with ASD and 30 younger,…

  19. Testing the specificity of executive functioning impairments in adolescents with ADHD, ODD/CD and ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter Leno, Virginia; Chandler, Susie; White, Pippa; Pickles, Andrew; Baird, Gillian; Hobson, Chris; Smith, Anna B; Charman, Tony; Rubia, Katya; Simonoff, Emily

    2017-12-09

    Current diagnostic systems conceptualise attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant/conduct disorder (ODD/CD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as separate diagnoses. However, all three demonstrate executive functioning (EF) impairments. Whether these impairments are trans-diagnostic or disorder-specific remains relatively unexplored. Four groups of 10-16 year-olds [typically developing (TD; N = 43), individuals clinically diagnosed with ADHD (N = 21), ODD/CD (N = 26) and ASD (N = 41)] completed Go/NoGo and Switch tasks. Group differences were tested using analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA) including age, IQ, sex, conduct problems and ADHD symptoms as co-variates. Results indicated some disorder-specificity as only the ASD group demonstrated decreased probability of inhibition in the Go/NoGo task compared to all other groups. However, shared impairments were also found; all three diagnostic groups demonstrated increased reaction time variability (RTV) compared to the TD group, and both the ODD/CD and the ASD group demonstrated increased premature responses. When controlling for ADHD symptoms and conduct problems, group differences in RTV were no longer significant; however, the ASD group continued to demonstrate increased premature responses. No group differences were found in cognitive flexibility in the Switch task. A more varied response style was present across all clinical groups, although this appeared to be accounted for by sub-threshold ODD/CD and ADHD symptoms. Only the ASD group was impaired in response inhibition and premature responsiveness relative to TD adolescents. The findings suggest that some EF impairments typically associated with ADHD may also be found in individuals with ASD.

  20. ASD-1000: High-resolution, high-temperature acetylene spectroscopic databank

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyulin, O. M.; Perevalov, V. I.

    2017-11-01

    We present a high-resolution, high-temperature version of the Acetylene Spectroscopic Databank called ASD-1000. The databank contains the line parameters (position, intensity, Einstein coefficient for spontaneous emission, term value of the lower states, self- and air-broadening coefficients, temperature dependence exponents of the self- and air-broadening coefficients) of the principal isotopologue of C2H2. The reference temperature for line intensity is 296 K and the intensity cutoff is 10-27 cm-1/(molecule cm-2) at 1000 K. The databank has 33,890,981 entries and covers the 3-10,000 cm-1 spectral range. The databank is based on the global modeling of the line positions and intensities performed within the framework of the method of effective operators. The parameters of the effective Hamiltonian and the effective dipole moment operator have been fitted to the observed values of the line positions and intensities collected from the literature. The broadening coefficients as well as their temperature dependence exponents were calculated using the empirical equations. The databank is useful for studying high-temperature radiative properties of C2H2. ASD-1000 is freely accessible via the Internet site of V.E. Zuev Institute of Atmospheric Optics SB RAS ftp://ftp.iao.ru/pub/ASD1000/.

  1. Brief Report: Chimpanzee Social Responsiveness Scale (CSRS) Detects Individual Variation in Social Responsiveness for Captive Chimpanzees

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faughn, Carley; Marrus, Natasha; Shuman, Jeremy; Ross, Stephen R.; Constantino, John N.; Pruett, John R., Jr.; Povinelli, Daniel J.

    2015-01-01

    Comparative studies of social responsiveness, a core impairment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), will enhance our understanding of typical and atypical social behavior. We previously reported a quantitative, cross-species (human-chimpanzee) social responsiveness measure, which included the development of the Chimpanzee Social Responsiveness…

  2. Television, video game and social media use among children with ASD and typically developing siblings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazurek, Micah O; Wenstrup, Colleen

    2013-06-01

    This study examined the nature of television, video game, and social media use in children (ages 8-18) with autism spectrum disorders (ASD, n = 202) compared to typically developing siblings (TD, n = 179), and relative to other activities. Parents completed measures assessing children's screen-based and other extracurricular activities. Children with ASD spent approximately 62% more time watching television and playing video games than in all non-screen activities combined. Compared with TD siblings, children with ASD spent more hours per day playing video games (2.4 vs. 1.6 for boys, and 1.8 vs. 0.8 for girls), and had higher levels of problematic video game use. In contrast, children with ASD spent little time using social media or socially interactive video games.

  3. Who Is He? Children with ASD and ADHD Take the Listener into Account in Their Production of Ambiguous Pronouns.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanne J M Kuijper

    Full Text Available During conversation, speakers constantly make choices about how specific they wish to be in their use of referring expressions. In the present study we investigate whether speakers take the listener into account or whether they base their referential choices solely on their own representation of the discourse. We do this by examining the cognitive mechanisms that underlie the choice of referring expression at different discourse moments. Furthermore, we provide insights into how children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD use referring expressions and whether their use differs from that of typically developing (TD children. Children between 6 and 12 years old (ASD: n=46; ADHD: n=37; TD: n=38 were tested on their production of referring expressions and on Theory of Mind, response inhibition and working memory. We found support for the view that speakers take the listener into account when choosing a referring expression: Theory of Mind was related to referential choice only at those moments when speakers could not solely base their choice on their own discourse representation to be understood. Working memory appeared to be involved in keeping track of the different referents in the discourse. Furthermore, we found that TD children as well as children with ASD and children with ADHD took the listener into account in their choice of referring expression. In addition, children with ADHD were less specific than TD children in contexts with more than one referent. The previously observed problems with referential choice in children with ASD may lie in difficulties in keeping track of longer and more complex discourses, rather than in problems with taking into account the listener.

  4. Structural brain imaging correlates of ASD and ADHD across the lifespan: a hypothesis-generating review on developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rommelse, N.N.J.; Buitelaar, J.K.; Hartman, C.A.

    2017-01-01

    We hypothesize that it is plausible that biologically distinct developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes are present, each characterized by a distinct time of onset of symptoms, progression and combination of symptoms. The aim of the present narrative review was to explore if structural brain imaging studies

  5. Structural brain imaging correlates of ASD and ADHD across the lifespan : A hypothesis-generating review on developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rommelse, Nanda; Buitelaar, Jan K.; Hartman, Catharina A.

    We hypothesize that it is plausible that biologically distinct developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes are present, each characterized by a distinct time of onset of symptoms, progression and combination of symptoms. The aim of the present narrative review was to explore if structural brain imaging studies

  6. Postural orientation and equilibrium processes associated with increased postural sway in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zheng; Hallac, Rami R; Conroy, Kaitlin C; White, Stormi P; Kane, Alex A; Collinsworth, Amy L; Sweeney, John A; Mosconi, Matthew W

    2016-01-01

    Increased postural sway has been repeatedly documented in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Characterizing the control processes underlying this deficit, including postural orientation and equilibrium, may provide key insights into neurophysiological mechanisms associated with ASD. Postural orientation refers to children's ability to actively align their trunk and head with respect to their base of support, while postural equilibrium is an active process whereby children coordinate ankle dorsi-/plantar-flexion and hip abduction/adduction movements to stabilize their upper body. Dynamic engagement of each of these control processes is important for maintaining postural stability, though neither postural orientation nor equilibrium has been studied in ASD. Twenty-two children with ASD and 21 age and performance IQ-matched typically developing (TD) controls completed three standing tests. During static stance, participants were instructed to stand as still as possible. During dynamic stances, participants swayed at a comfortable speed and magnitude in either anterior-posterior (AP) or mediolateral (ML) directions. The center of pressure (COP) standard deviation and trajectory length were examined to determine if children with ASD showed increased postural sway. Postural orientation was assessed using a novel virtual time-to-contact (VTC) approach that characterized spatiotemporal dimensions of children's postural sway (i.e., body alignment) relative to their postural limitation boundary, defined as the maximum extent to which each child could sway in each direction. Postural equilibrium was quantified by evaluating the amount of shared or mutual information of COP time series measured along the AP and ML directions. Consistent with prior studies, children with ASD showed increased postural sway during both static and dynamic stances relative to TD children. In regard to postural orientation processes, children with ASD demonstrated reduced spatial

  7. Cellphone with Dial and Call Feature Design Prototype for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bayu D. Wicaksono

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD is a term that used to explain neurological problems which affect mind, perception and concentration. The unfortunate condition of children with ASD lead more difficult to do long-distance communication, not only because of the lack of device that can be used exclusively by children with ASD (the physical as well as its interface, but also because of their general habits tends to destroy something in this case is a commercial cellphone. Identification of ASD children’s habit will be conducted by distributing questionnaires and interviews of the parties which are well acquainted with their daily activities such as parents and school teachers. To validate the questionnaire, has also been conducted ethnographic video capture. The design of cell phone’s prototype and dial & call software/application interface in it is done using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD method as the results have been obtained from the collection of data on the habits of ASD children. In addition, there is also made a sound maker app.

  8. Age-dependent atypicalities in body- and face-sensitive activation of the EBA and FFA in individuals with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okamoto, Yuko; Kosaka, Hirotaka; Kitada, Ryo; Seki, Ayumi; Tanabe, Hiroki C; Hayashi, Masamichi J; Kochiyama, Takanori; Saito, Daisuke N; Yanaka, Hisakazu T; Munesue, Toshio; Ishitobi, Makoto; Omori, Masao; Wada, Yuji; Okazawa, Hidehiko; Koeda, Tatsuya; Sadato, Norihiro

    2017-06-01

    Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficuly in recognizing bodies and faces, which are more pronounced in children than adults. If such difficulties originate from dysfunction of the extrastriate body area (EBA) and the fusiform face area (FFA), activation in these regions might be more atypical in children than in adults. We preformed functional magnetic resonance imaging while children and adults with ASD and age-matched typically developed (TD) individuals observed face, body, car, and scene. To examine various aspects, we performed individual region of interest (ROI) analysis, as well as conventional random effect group analysis. At individual ROI analysis, we examined the ratio of participants showing a category-sensitive response, the size of regions, location and activation patterns among the four object categories. Adults with ASD showed no atypicalities in activation of the EBA and FFA, whereas children with ASD showed atypical activation in these regions. Specifically, a smaller percentage of children with ASD showed face-sensitive activation of the FFA than TD children. Moreover, the size of the EBA was smaller in children with ASD than in TD children. Our results revealed atypicalities in both the FFA and EBA in children with ASD but not in adults with ASD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

  9. Human movement stochastic variability leads to diagnostic biomarkers In Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Di; Torres, Elizabeth B.; Jose, Jorge V.

    2015-03-01

    ASD is a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders. The high heterogeneity of the symptoms associated with the disorder impedes efficient diagnoses based on human observations. Recent advances with high-resolution MEM wearable sensors enable accurate movement measurements that may escape the naked eye. It calls for objective metrics to extract physiological relevant information from the rapidly accumulating data. In this talk we'll discuss the statistical analysis of movement data continuously collected with high-resolution sensors at 240Hz. We calculated statistical properties of speed fluctuations within the millisecond time range that closely correlate with the subjects' cognitive abilities. We computed the periodicity and synchronicity of the speed fluctuations' from their power spectrum and ensemble averaged two-point cross-correlation function. We built a two-parameter phase space from the temporal statistical analyses of the nearest neighbor fluctuations that provided a quantitative biomarker for ASD and adult normal subjects and further classified ASD severity. We also found age related developmental statistical signatures and potential ASD parental links in our movement dynamical studies. Our results may have direct clinical applications.

  10. Team collaboration: The use of behavior principles for serving students with ASD

    OpenAIRE

    Donaldson, AL; Stahmer, AC; Stahmer, AC; Stahmer, AC

    2014-01-01

    © American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Purpose: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and behavior analysts are key members of school-based teams that serve children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Behavior analysts approach assessment and intervention through the lens of applied behavior analysis (ABA). ABA-based interventions have been found effective for targeting skills across multiple domains for children with ASD. However, some SLPs may be unfamiliar with the breadth of ABA...

  11. Understanding the Self in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD: A Review of Literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ann X. Huang

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available When the system of self is explored in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs, it is important to measure it via both their own perceptions of the self and their understanding of others’ perceptions on themselves at a multidimensional level. This paper reviews existing research in this area using a three-dimension approach. Researchers have found that impairments in the self-system are usually correlated with these individuals’ social and cognitive functioning levels: high functioning individuals with ASD who have higher IQ are found to have better awareness of their limitations in social and communication domains than those with lower IQ. Many researchers believe that there are impairments in the psychological (but not physical self in individuals with ASD, such as theory of mind deficits due to social and communicative impairments. On the other hand, some researchers argue that individuals with ASD have selective rather than global impairments in the self. In other words, the impairment usually lies in a specific aspect of functioning in individuals with ASD. Insights from the review of existing literature on this topic may be able to shed some lights on the development of effective intervention programs to improve social communication deficits in this population.

  12. Employment Interventions for Individuals with ASD: The Relative Efficacy of Supported Employment With or Without Prior Project SEARCH Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schall, Carol M; Wehman, Paul; Brooke, Valerie; Graham, Carolyn; McDonough, Jennifer; Brooke, Alissa; Ham, Whitney; Rounds, Rachael; Lau, Stephanie; Allen, Jaclyn

    2015-12-01

    This paper presents findings from a retrospective observational records review study that compares the outcomes associated with implementation of supported employment (SE) with and without prior Project SEARCH with ASD Supports (PS-ASD) on wages earned, time spent in intervention, and job retention. Results suggest that SE resulted in competitive employment for 45 adults with ASD. Twenty-five individuals received prior intervention through PS-ASD while the other 20 individuals received SE only. Individuals in this sample who received PS-ASD required fewer hours of intervention. Additionally, individuals in the PS-ASD group achieved a mean higher wage and had higher retention rates than their peers who received SE only. Further research with a larger sample is needed to confirm these findings.

  13. Everyday life consequences of substance use in adult patients with a substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD): a patient's perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kronenberg, Linda M; Slager-Visscher, Karin; Goossens, Peter J J; van den Brink, Wim; van Achterberg, Theo

    2014-09-19

    Although the prevalence of substance use disorder (SUD) with co-occurring attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is relatively high in adult patients, there is hardly any knowledge about these dual diagnoses. A recent study reported met- and unmet needs for several life domains regarding these patient groups. To improve treatment, it is necessary to identify the everyday life consequences of SUD and co-occurring ADHD or ASD in adult patients. Qualitative study using in-depth interviews. 11 SUD + ADHD and 12 SUD + ASD patients participated in the study. The interview transcripts were coded and analysed according to the seven steps for descriptive phenomenology by Colaizzi. Both patients with ADHD and patients with ASD can get caught in a jumble of thoughts and emotions which can often lead to agitation and impulsivity in the case of ADHD or passivity and melancholia in the case of ASD with co-occurring SUD in both cases. Initially substance use ameliorates the symptoms and related problems, but both patient groups can later experience even greater problems: difficulties with the structuring of daily life due to a lack of planning (SUD + ADHD) or due to a lack of initiative (SUD + ASD). Both groups indicate that structure helps them function better. They also recognize that substance use disorganizes their lives and that an absence of structure contributes to substance use in what becomes a vicious circle which needs to be broken for effective treatment and care. This study provides insight into the daily life consequences of SUD with a co-occurring ADHD or ASD. Substance use is reported to solve some ADHD- or ASD-related problems in the short run but have negative consequences in the long run (i.e., contribute to already impaired cognitive functioning). Insight is provided into what clinicians can do to break this vicious circle and thus help ADHD patients to refrain from action and ASD patients to take

  14. Percutaneous ASD and VSD closure of 4-month-old infant in the same session

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nazmi Narin

    2015-09-01

    In conclusion, percutaneous ASD, VSD closure is being done safely in children, but for the first time, percutaneous VSD closure was done in an infant with low body weight in the same session with ASD closure successfully. This case will be an encouraging example for the future.

  15. Clinical Trial of a Comprehensive Treatment for High Functioning Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-07-01

    prior to the initiation of actual coding and each remained naïve to the treatment condition of the children in the recordings. Per the SOW, the...communication skills and ASD symptoms of children with HFASD may impact future adaptive functioning, and allow career- and vocational- development programs...Skillstreaming Checklist for high- functioning children with ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi: 10.1007/s10803-017-3189-y 1 23 Journal

  16. Coparenting Competence in Parents of Children with ASD: A Marker of Coparenting Quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, Chris D; St George, Jennifer M; Fletcher, Richard J; Dempsey, Ian; Newman, Louise K

    2017-10-01

    The coparenting relationship has been linked to parenting stress, parenting self-efficacy and many other concerns associated with the development of children with ASD. Parents of children with ASD (N = 22) were interviewed to explore three domains of their coparenting relationship; (1) adaptation to the emergence of their child's autism, (2) parenting their child with ASD, (3) expectations for their child's developmental outcomes. The concept of coparenting competence, developed during analysis, describes collective perceptions of parenting efficacy. Parents linked perceptions of coparenting competence to their, ability to cope with diagnosis and parenting, motivation to do what they could for their child, and hopes for their child's development. The concept of coparenting competence could play an important role in future research and intervention.

  17. Minimal 20% less fuel consumption and emission of the ASD Tug 2810 Hybrid; Minimaal 20% minder brandstofverbruik en emissie bij de ASD Tug 2810 Hybrid

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2012-07-01

    Damen Shipyards has introduced its first hybrid tug: the ASD Tug 2810 Hybrid. Depending on how and where the boat is used, fuel consumption (with a combination of diesel-direct with diesel-electric propulsion) will on average be 10% to 30% less. The average local emission is 20% to 60% lower than with conventional tugs [Dutch] Damen Shipyards heeft haar allereerste hybride sleepboot geintroduceerd: de ASD Tug 2810 Hybrid. Afhankelijk van hoe en waar de boot wordt ingezet, is het brandstofverbruik (met een combinatie van 'diesel-direct' en diesel-elektrische voortstuwing) gemiddeld 10% tot 30% minder. De gemiddelde lokale emissie is 20% tot 60% lager dan bij conventionele sleepboten.

  18. Cardiac support device (ASD) delivers bone marrow stem cells repetitively to epicardium has promising curative effects in advanced heart failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yue, Shizhong; Naveed, Muhammad; Gang, Wang; Chen, Dingding; Wang, Zhijie; Yu, Feng; Zhou, Xiaohui

    2018-05-12

    Ventricular restraint therapy is a non-transplant surgical option for the management of advanced heart failure (HF). To augment the therapeutic applications, it is hypothesized that ASD shows remarkable capabilities not only in delivering stem cells but also in dilated ventricles. Male SD rats were divided into four groups (n = 6): normal, HF, HF + ASD, and HF + ASD-BMSCs respectively. HF was developed by left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation in all groups except normal group. Post-infarcted electrocardiography (ECG) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) showed abnormal heart function in all model groups and HF + ASD-BMSCs group showed significant improvement as compared to other HF, HF + ASD groups on day 30. Masson's trichrome staining was used to study the histology, and a large blue fibrotic area has been observed in HF and HF + ASD groups and quantification of fibrosis was assessed. ASD-treated rats showed normal heart rhythm, demonstrated by smooth -ST and asymmetrical T-wave. The mechanical function of the heart such as left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and heart rate was brought to normal when treated with ASD-BMSCs. This effect was more prominent than that of ASD therapy alone. In comparison to HF group, the SD rats in HF + ASD-BMBCs group showed a significant decline in BNP levels. So ASD can deliver BMSCs to the cardiomyocytes successfully and broaden the therapeutic efficacy, in comparison to the restraint device alone. An effective methodology to manage the end-stage HF has been proved.

  19. [Formula: see text]Current knowledge on motor disorders in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paquet, A; Olliac, B; Golse, B; Vaivre-Douret, L

    2016-01-01

    Motor symptomatology in autism is currently poorly understood, and still not included in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnostic criteria, although some studies suggest the presence of motor disturbances in this syndrome. We provide here a literature review on early motor symptoms in autism, focusing on studies on psychomotor issues (tone, postural control, manual dexterity, handedness, praxis). The approach adopted in research to study altered motor behaviors is generally global and there is no detailed semiology of the motor or neuromotor disorders observed in people with ASD. This global approach does not enable understanding of the neuro-developmental mechanisms involved in ASD. Identification of clinical neuro-psychomotor profiles in reference to a standard would help to better understand the origin and the nature of the disorders encountered in ASD, and would thus give new directions for treatment.

  20. Brief Report: Whole Blood Serotonin Levels and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marler, Sarah; Ferguson, Bradley J.; Lee, Evon Batey; Peters, Brittany; Williams, Kent C.; McDonnell, Erin; Macklin, Eric A.; Levitt, Pat; Gillespie, Catherine Hagan; Anderson, George M.; Margolis, Kara Gross; Beversdorf, David Q.; Veenstra-VanderWeele, Jeremy

    2016-01-01

    Elevated whole blood serotonin levels are observed in more than 25% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Co-occurring gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are also common in ASD but have not previously been examined in relationship with hyperserotonemia, despite the synthesis of serotonin in the gut. In 82 children and adolescents with ASD,…

  1. Simplex and Multiplex Stratification in ASD and ADHD Families: A Promising Approach for Identifying Overlapping and Unique Underpinnings of ASD and ADHD?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oerlemans, A.M.; Hartman, C.A.; Bruijn, Y.G.E. de; Steijn, D.J. Van; Franke, B.; Buitelaar, J.K.; Rommelse, N.N.J.

    2015-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are highly heterogeneous neuropsychiatric disorders, that frequently co-occur. This study examined whether stratification into single-incidence (SPX) and multi-incidence (MPX) is helpful in (a) parsing heterogeneity

  2. Simplex and Multiplex Stratification in ASD and ADHD Families : A Promising Approach for Identifying Overlapping and Unique Underpinnings of ASD and ADHD?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oerlemans, Anoek M.; Hartman, Catharina A.; De Bruijn, Yvette G. E.; Van Steijn, Daphne J.; Franke, Barbara; Buitelaar, Jan K.; Rommelse, Nanda N. J.

    Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are highly heterogeneous neuropsychiatric disorders, that frequently co-occur. This study examined whether stratification into single-incidence (SPX) and multi-incidence (MPX) is helpful in (a) parsing heterogeneity

  3. Emotion Dysregulation and Anxiety in Adults with ASD: Does Social Motivation Play a Role?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swain, Deanna; Scarpa, Angela; White, Susan; Laugeson, Elizabeth

    2015-01-01

    Young adults with ASD and no intellectual impairment are more likely to exhibit clinical levels of anxiety than typically developing peers (DSM-5, American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This study tests a mechanistic model in which anxiety culminates via emotion dysregulation and social motivation. Adults with ASD (49 males, 20 females)…

  4. Experiences of Parents Whose Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Are Starting Primary School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Connolly, Micaela; Gersch, Irvine

    2016-01-01

    Starting school is a critical event in a child's life and successful transitions to school have been posited as key indicators for future academic achievement. For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the process is complicated by difficulties in social communication and social interaction. Parents of children with ASD can experience…

  5. Design and Use of Interactive Social Stories for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sani-Bozkurt, Sunagul; Vuran, Sezgin; Akbulut, Yavuz

    2017-01-01

    The current study aimed to design technology-supported interactive social stories to teach social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A design-based research was implemented with children with ASD along with the participation of their mothers, teachers, peers and field experts. An iterative remediation process was followed…

  6. A novel ventricular restraint device (ASD) repetitively deliver Salvia miltiorrhiza to epicardium have good curative effects in heart failure management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naveed, Muhammad; Wenhua, Li; Gang, Wang; Mohammad, Imran Shair; Abbas, Muhammad; Liao, Xiaoqian; Yang, Mengqi; Zhang, Li; Liu, Xiaolin; Qi, Xiaoming; Chen, Yineng; Jiadi, Lv; Ye, Linlan; Zhijie, Wang; Ding, Chen Ding; Feng, Yu; Xiaohui, Zhou

    2017-11-01

    A novel ventricular restraint is the non-transplant surgical option for the management of an end-stage dilated heart failure (HF). To expand the therapeutic techniques we design a novel ventricular restraint device (ASD) which has the ability to deliver a therapeutic drug directly to the heart. We deliver a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen Zhusheye) through active hydraulic ventricular support drug delivery system (ASD) and we hypothesize that it will show better results in HF management than the restraint device and drug alone. SD rats were selected and divided into five groups (n=6), Normal, HF, HF+SM (IV), HF+ASD, HF+ASD+SM groups respectively. Post myocardial infarction (MI), electrocardiography (ECG) showed abnormal heart function in all groups and HF+ASD+SM group showed a significant therapeutic improvement with respect to other treatment HF, HF+ASD, and HF+SM (IV) groups on day 30. The mechanical functions of the heart such as heart rate, LVEDP, and LVSP were brought to normal when treated with ASD+SM and show significant (P valueASD+SM group animals compared with other treatment groups. Masson's Trichrome staining was used to study histopathology of cardiac myocytes and quantification of fibrosis was assessed. The large blue fibrotic area was observed in HF, HF+ASD, and HF+SM (IV) groups while HF+ASD+SM showed negligible fibrotic myocyte at the end of study period (30days). This study proves that novel ASD device augments the therapeutic effect of the drug and delivers Salvia miltiorrhiza to the cardiomyocytes significantly as well as provides additional support to the dilated ventricle by the heart failure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  7. Support Needs of Fathers of Children with ASD: Individual, Family, Community and Ideological Influences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shave, Kassi; Lashewicz, Bonnie

    2016-01-01

    Introduction: Fathers are increasingly involved in caring for children, and involvement by fathers of children with ASD is distinctly impacted by added demands of their child's diagnosis. Yet supports for families of children with ASD are not tailored to needs of fathers. We use an ecological framework to examine how fathers' needs are influenced…

  8. Assessing theory of mind nonverbally in those with intellectual disability and ASD: the penny hiding game.

    Science.gov (United States)

    San José Cáceres, Antonia; Keren, Noa; Booth, Rhonda; Happé, Francesca

    2014-10-01

    Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and low intellectual/language abilities are often omitted from experimental studies because of the challenges of testing these individuals. It is vital to develop appropriate and accessible tasks so that this significant part of the spectrum is not neglected. The theory of mind (ToM) has been extensively assessed in ASD, predominantly in relatively high-functioning individuals with reasonable language skills. This study aims to assess the ToM abilities of a sample of 132 participants with intellectual disability (ID) with and without ASD, matched in verbal mental age (VMA) and chronological age, using a naturalistic and nonverbal deception task: the Penny Hiding Game (PHG). The relationship between performance on the PHG and everyday adaptation was also studied. The PHG proved accessible to most participants, suggesting its suitability for use with individuals with low cognitive skills, attentional problems, and limited language. The ASD + ID group showed significantly more PHG errors, and fewer tricks, than the ID group. PHG performance correlated with Vineland adaptation scores for both groups. VMA was a major predictor of passing the task in both groups, and participants with ASD + ID required, on average, 2 years higher VMA than those with ID only, to achieve the same level of PHG success. VMA moderated the association between PHG performance and real-life social skills for the ASD + ID more than the ID group, suggesting that severely impaired individuals with ASD may rely on verbal ability to overcome their social difficulties, whereas individuals with ID alone may use more intuitive social understanding both in the PHG and everyday situations. © 2014 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. MAIN CAREGIVER’S EXPERIENCE IN MEETING SELF-CARE NEEDS AMONG ADOLESCENTS WITH ASD IN PONTIANAK MUNICIPALITY, WEST BORNEO, INDONESIA: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lilis Lestari

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD is a complex developmental disorder, increasing in number, faster than that of other developmental disorders in the world. This complex disorder affects a child’s self-autonomy, which is important for individual self-care. Objective : This study is to explore main caregivers’ experience to meet self-care needs among adolescents with ASD in Pontianak, West Borneo, Indonesia. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured in-depth interviews were done with 7 main caregivers that have lived together and taken care of the adolescents with ASD in Pontianak Municipality, West Borneo Province. Sampling was taken with purposive sampling (maximum variation. Source (interviews and method (observations of self-care activities and documents like photos, learning reports and field notes triangulations were taken on 1 participant and 7 autistic adolescents. Participants’ statements were recorded by using a voice recorder, and then transcribed, coded, interpreted, and categorized in order that sub-topics and main topics could be formed. Results: The study identified five main topics: i.e., 1 Autonomy in self-care; 2 Care effort; 3 Feelings, support, and expectations. Three findings of the study emphasize the potentials of children with autism to be autonomous in daily self-care. Conclusions: Adolescents with ASD can potentially meet the needs of their daily care independently.

  10. Brief Report: The Dopamine-3-Receptor Gene ("DRD3") Is Associated with Specific Repetitive Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staal, Wouter G.; de Krom, Mariken; de Jonge, Maretha V.

    2012-01-01

    Recently the "DRD3" gene has been associated with ASD in two independent samples. Follow up analysis of the risk allele of the SNP rs167771 in 91 subjects revealed a significant association with a specific type of repetitive behavior: the factor "insistence on sameness" (IS) derived from the Autism Diagnostic Interview. This risk allele was…

  11. Perception-Action in children with ASD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claes eVon Hofsten

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available How do disturbances to perception and action relate to the deficiencies expressed by children with autism? The ability to predict what is going to happen next is crucial for the construction of all actions and children develop these predictive abilities early in development. Children with autism, however, are deficient in the ability to foresee future events and to plan movements and movement sequences. They are also deficient in the understanding of other people’s actions. This includes communicative actions as they are ultimately based on movements. Today there are two promising neurobiological interpretation of ASD. First, there is strong evidence that the Mirror Neuron System (MNS is impaired. As stated by this hypothesis, action production and action understanding are intimately related. Both these functions rely on predictive models of the sensory consequences of actions and depend on connectivity between the parietal and pre-motor areas. Secondly, action prediction is accomplished through a system that includes a loop from the posterior parietal cortex through the cerebellum and back to the premotor and motor areas of the brain. Impairment of this loop is probably also part of the explanation of the prediction problems in children with ASD. Both the cortico-cerebellar loop and the MNS rely on distant neural connections. There are multiple evidence that such connections are weak in children with autism.

  12. Genetic and Diagnostic Biomarker Development in ASD Toddlers Using Resting State Functional MRI

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-11-01

    typically- developing toddlers who were younger siblings of children already diagnosed with ASD (TD ASDSib, 8 male, 8 female, mean scan age = 26.74, SD... development of the project? Our initial intrinsic connectivity analyses of ASD at the age of first clinical diagnosis provides evidence of significant...cause a cascade in early development leading towards the ultimate initiation of atypical social orienting behaviors. The emergence of early social

  13. Novel Genetic Variants of Sporadic Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) in a Chinese Population Identified by Whole-Exome Sequencing (WES).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yong; Cao, Yu; Li, Yaxiong; Lei, Dongyun; Li, Lin; Hou, Zong Liu; Han, Shen; Meng, Mingyao; Shi, Jianlin; Zhang, Yayong; Wang, Yi; Niu, Zhaoyi; Xie, Yanhua; Xiao, Benshan; Wang, Yuanfei; Li, Xiao; Yang, Lirong; Wang, Wenju; Jiang, Lihong

    2018-03-05

    BACKGROUND Recently, mutations in several genes have been described to be associated with sporadic ASD, but some genetic variants remain to be identified. The aim of this study was to use whole-exome sequencing (WES) combined with bioinformatics analysis to identify novel genetic variants in cases of sporadic congenital ASD, followed by validation by Sanger sequencing. MATERIAL AND METHODS Five Han patients with secundum ASD were recruited, and their tissue samples were analyzed by WES, followed by verification by Sanger sequencing of tissue and blood samples. Further evaluation using blood samples included 452 additional patients with sporadic secundum ASD (212 male and 240 female patients) and 519 healthy subjects (252 male and 267 female subjects) for further verification by a multiplexed MassARRAY system. Bioinformatic analyses were performed to identify novel genetic variants associated with sporadic ASD. RESULTS From five patients with sporadic ASD, a total of 181,762 genomic variants in 33 exon loci, validated by Sanger sequencing, were selected and underwent MassARRAY analysis in 452 patients with ASD and 519 healthy subjects. Three loci with high mutation frequencies, the 138665410 FOXL2 gene variant, the 23862952 MYH6 gene variant, and the 71098693 HYDIN gene variant were found to be significantly associated with sporadic ASD (PASD (PASD, and supported the use of WES and bioinformatics analysis to identify disease-associated mutations.

  14. ASD Transition to Mainstream Secondary: A Positive Experience?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neal, Sinead; Frederickson, Norah

    2016-01-01

    The transition to secondary school is considered difficult for children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), yet there has been little strength-based investigation of positive experiences of this population and the types of support they value most in managing anxiety about transition. The current article presents a qualitative exploration of the…

  15. Staff views on supporting evidence based practice for children with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trembath, David; Sulek, Rhylee; Paynter, Jessica; Simpson, Kate; Keen, Deb

    2017-11-22

    A variety of empirically supported interventions are available for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but previous research suggests that their selection and use within an evidence-based practice (EBP) framework in clinical settings is challenging. To date, research has primarily focused on identifying individual, organisational, and contextual barriers to EBP rather than identifying collaborative solutions to these barriers through consultation with staff. The aim of our study was to explore staff views on supporting EBP in their work with children with ASD. We conducted five focus groups involving 29 professional (e.g., speech pathologists, teachers), paraprofessional (e.g., childcare workers), and managerial staff to explore their views. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Two central themes, comprising six categories, emerged to account for the participants' views. Initiative and Effort accounted for the range of creative strategies staff had developed to support their engagement in EBP. They also expressed the need for A Better Way involving organisational-wide support such as this engagement, including peer-to-peer mentoring. The findings suggest that an organisational-wide model to support engagement in EBP, with peer-to-peer mentoring at its foundation, may provide a desirable, ecologically valid, and acceptable model. Implications for Rehabilitation Clinicians and educators recognise the importance of evidence-based practice. Efforts to support evidence-based practice have focused mostly on access to research evidence. Clinicians and educators in this study were developing their own strategies based on intuition. They identified a need for organisation-wide approaches to supporting evidence-based practice. Peer-to-peer mentoring appears to be an acceptable and viable strategy.

  16. Imitation (Rather than Core Language) Predicts Pragmatic Development in Young Children with ASD: A Preliminary Longitudinal Study Using CDI Parental Reports

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miniscalco, Carmela; Rudling, Maja; Råstam, Maria; Gillberg, Christopher; Johnels, Jakob Åsberg

    2014-01-01

    Background: Research in the last decades has clearly pointed to the important role of language and communicative level when trying to understand developmental trajectories in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Aims: The purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate whether (1) "core language skills", measured as…

  17. Testing a mobile digital cognitive support system for high functioning adolescents with ASD

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gyori, Miklos; Aagaard, Morten; Kanizsai-Nagy, Ildiko

    HANDS Project is aimed at developing a cognitive support system for high functioning (HF) adolescents with ASD, running on smartphones and PDAs, complemented by a webbased management system. It is designed to teach/facilitate adaptive social behaviours and daily living skills, and is based...... on a detailed understanding of the cognitiveprofile of ASD, and on evidence‐based intervention techniques. Development of the system was based on recurrent interactions of expert groups from persuasive design, child psychiatry,cognitive psychology, (special) education, software development, and intended users...... clinical trial, with a total sample of 54 HF adolescents with ASD (27 test & 27 matched control subjects) in 4 test‐sites, internationally. Results In preliminary analysis, SRS measurements did not yield overall conclusive results on the efficiency of the system. E‐T testing was done and analysed on a semi...

  18. Simplex and Multiplex Stratification in ASD and ADHD Families: A Promising Approach for Identifying Overlapping and Unique Underpinnings of ASD and ADHD?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oerlemans, Anoek M.; Hartman, Catharina A.; De Bruijn, Yvette G. E.; Van Steijn, Daphne J.; Franke, Barbara; Buitelaar, Jan K.; Rommelse, Nanda N. J.

    2015-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are highly heterogeneous neuropsychiatric disorders, that frequently co-occur. This study examined whether stratification into single-incidence (SPX) and multi-incidence (MPX) is helpful in (a) parsing heterogeneity and (b) detecting overlapping and unique…

  19. Techniques for trans-catheter retrieval of embolized Nit-Occlud® PDA-R and ASD-R devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinha, Sanjay; Levi, Daniel; Peirone, Alejandro; Pedra, Carlos

    2018-02-15

    Nit-Occlud ® (atrial septal defect) ASD-R and (patent ductus arteriosus) PDA-R devices are used outside the United States for percutaneous closure of the patent ductus arteriosus and atrial septal defects. When embolization occurs, these devices have been difficult to retrieve. Bench simulations of retrieval of PDA-R and ASD-R devices were performed in a vascular model. Retrieval of each device was attempted using snare techniques or with bioptome forceps with a range of devices. The same devices were then intentionally embolized in an animal model. Retrieval methods were systematically tested in a range of sheath sizes, and graded in terms of difficulty and retrieval time. Devices that were grasped by the bioptome in the center of the proximal part of the devices were easily retrieved in both models. Bench studies determined the minimum sheath sizes needed for retrieval of each device with this method. In general sheathes two french sizes greater than the delivery sheath were successful with this technique. Three out of the four PDA-R devices were successfully retrieved in vivo. Two were retrieved by grasping the middle of the PA end of the PDA-R device with a Maslanka bioptome and one small PDA-R device was retrieved using a 10 mm Snare. Four of the five ASD-R devices were retrieved successfully grasping the right atrial ASD-R disc or by passing a wire through the device and snaring this loop. For ASD-R 28 and 30 mm devices, a double bioptome technique was needed to retrieve the device. ASD-R and PDA-R devices can be successfully retrieved in the catheterization lab. It is critical to grab the center portion of the right atrial disc of the ASD-R device or pulmonary portion of the PDA-R device and to use adequately sized sheathes. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. DSM-5 ASD Moves Forward into the Past

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Luke Y.; Ghaziuddin, Mohammad

    2014-01-01

    The fifth edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) (APA in diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, Author, Washington, 2013) has decided to merge the subtypes of pervasive developmental disorders into a single category of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on the assumption that they cannot be…

  1. Genetic and Diagnostic Biomarker Development in ASD Toddlers Using Resting State Functional MRI

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-09-01

    temporal lobe and partial volumes of sulcal CSF at this early stage in brain development when white matter tracts are not yet robust enough to be...ages 3 to 4 years. 2. KEYWORDS Autism spectrum disorder, ASD, early brain development , intrinsic functional brain networks, fMRI, infants, toddlers...TD in bottom left triangle and ASD in top right triangle. Figure 4. Within-network ( left ) and Between-Network (Out-of-Network) ( right ) connectivity

  2. A Causal and Mediation Analysis of the Comorbidity Between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sokolova, Elena; Oerlemans, Anoek M.; Rommelse, Nanda; Groot, Perry; Hartman, Catharina A.; Glennon, Jeffrey C; Claassen, Tom; Heskes, Tom; Buitelaar, Jan K.

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often comorbid. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between ASD and ADHD symptoms by applying causal modeling. We used a large phenotypic data set of 417 children with ASD and/or ADHD, 562

  3. A Causal and Mediation Analysis of the Comorbidity Between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sokolova, Elena; Oerlemans, Anoek M; Rommelse, Nanda N; Groot, Perry; Hartman, Catharina A; Glennon, Jeffrey C; Claassen, Tom; Heskes, Tom; Buitelaar, Jan K

    2017-06-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often comorbid. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between ASD and ADHD symptoms by applying causal modeling. We used a large phenotypic data set of 417 children with ASD and/or ADHD, 562 affected and unaffected siblings, and 414 controls, to infer a structural equation model using a causal discovery algorithm. Three distinct pathways between ASD and ADHD were identified: (1) from impulsivity to difficulties with understanding social information, (2) from hyperactivity to stereotypic, repetitive behavior, (3) a pairwise pathway between inattention, difficulties with understanding social information, and verbal IQ. These findings may inform future studies on understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms behind the overlap between ASD and ADHD.

  4. Atypical processing of gaze cues and faces explains comorbidity between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

    OpenAIRE

    Groom, Madeleine J.; Kochhar, Puja; Hamilton, Antonia; Liddle, Elizabeth B.; Simeou, Marina; Hollis, Chris

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated the neurobiological basis of comorbidity between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We compared children with ASD, ADHD or ADHD+ASD and typically developing controls (CTRL) on behavioural and electrophysiological correlates of gaze cue and face processing. We measured effects of ASD, ADHD and their interaction on the EDAN, an ERP marker of orienting visual attention towards a spatially cued location and the N170, a right...

  5. Literacy Based Behavioral Interventions and Video Self-Modeling with Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leach, Debra; Rodecki, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    Educators are continually seeking effective, research-based strategies to address the unique needs of their students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It is well documented that students with ASD benefit from direct instruction and visual supports when learning new skills. This article provides step-by-step procedures for using a tiered…

  6. A retrospective chart study: The pathway to a diagnosis for adults referred for ASD assessment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geurts, H.M.; Jansen, M.D.

    2012-01-01

    Charts of 125 adults (18 to 82 years), referred to an autism expert team for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessment, were reviewed to explore the pathway to an adulthood ASD diagnosis. The participants first contacted the mental health care clinic at a median age of 19 years (range 2 to 78

  7. Improving social and communication skills of adult Arabs with ASD through the use of social media technologies

    OpenAIRE

    Mashat, Alaa; Wald, Mike; Parsons, Sarah

    2014-01-01

    People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) find it hard to communicate and interact with other people. Although technology has been involved in sup-porting people with ASD in developed countries, research on such technologies has been mainly related to Western culture. Arab adults with ASD require sup-port for improving their social skills. However, cultural differences could limit the usability of existing technologies. The proposed study aims to investigate the use of social networks for su...

  8. Brief Report: Impaired Flexible Item Selection Task (FIST) in School-Age Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yerys, Benjamin E.; Wolff, Brian C.; Moody, Eric; Pennington, Bruce F.; Hepburn, Susan L.

    2012-01-01

    Cognitive flexibility has been measured with inductive reasoning or explicit rule tasks in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The "Flexible Item Selection Task" (FIST) differs from previous cognitive flexibility tasks in ASD research by giving children an abstract, ambiguous rule to switch. The ASD group (N = 22; Mean age = 8.28…

  9. Early developed ASD (adjacent segmental disease) in patients after surgical treatment of the spine due to cancer metastases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guzik, Grzegorz

    2017-05-12

    The causes of ASD are still relatively unknown. Correlation between clinical status of patients and radiological MRI findings is of primary importance. The radiological classifications proposed by Pfirmann and Oner are most commonly used to assess intradiscal degenerative changes. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of the extension of spine fixation on the risk of developing ASD in a short time after surgery. A total of 332 patients with spinal tumors were treated in our hospital between 2010 and 2013. Of these patients, 287 underwent surgeries. A follow-up MRI examination was performed 12 months after surgical treatment. The study population comprised of 194 patients. Among metastases, breast cancer was predominant (29%); neurological deficits were detected in 76 patients. Metastases were seen in the thoracic (45%) and lumbar (30%) spine; in 25% of cases, they were of multisegmental character. Pathological fractures concerned 88% of the patients. Statistical calculations were made using the χ2 test. Statistical analysis was done using the Statistica v. 10 software. A p value ASD were noted in only seven patients. Two patients had symptoms of nerve root irritation in the lumbar spine. Twenty-two patients (11%) were diagnosed with ASD according to the MRI classifications by Oner, Rijt, and Ramos, while the more sensitive Pfirmann classification allowed to detect the disease in 46 patients (24%). Healthy or almost healthy discs of Oner type I correlated with the criteria of Pfirmann types II and III. The percentage of the incidence of ASD diagnosed 1 year after the surgery using the Pfirmann classifications was significantly higher than diagnosed according to the clinical examination. The incidence of ASD in patients after spine surgeries due to cancer metastases does not differ between the study groups. ASD detectability based on clinical signs is significantly lower than ASD detectability based on MR images according to the system by Pfirrmann et

  10. Reaction to diagnosis and parenting styles among mothers of young children with ASDs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wachtel, Karen; Carter, Alice S

    2008-09-01

    When a child is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) parents often experience a range of difficult feelings, which typically are not addressed in child-focused interventions. This study examined the relationship between a mother's acceptance of and sense of resolution regarding her child's diagnosis of an ASD and maternal interaction style, controlling for child competence, autism symptoms and maternal depression. Participants included 63 children with an ASD between 20 and 50 months of age and their mothers. Mothers who were more emotionally resolved were rated as higher in Cognitive Engagement and Supportive Engagement in play interactions, reflecting greater verbal and nonverbal scaffolding to enhance the child's play and attention to activities and greater reciprocity and mutual enjoyment. This study highlights the importance of considering a mother's resolution about her child's diagnosis, suggesting that maternal emotions and cognitions associated with the diagnosis may be potential targets for intervention.

  11. Autism Spectrum Disorders and Self-Reports: Testing Validity and Reliability Using the NEO-PI-R

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hesselmark, Eva; Eriksson, Jonna M.; Westerlund, Joakim; Bejerot, Susanne

    2015-01-01

    Although self-reported measures are frequently used to assess adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the validity of self-reports is under-researched in ASD. The core symptoms of ASD may negatively affect the psychometric properties of self-reported measures. The aim of the present study was to test the validity and reliability of…

  12. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Africa: a perspective | Bakare ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Methods: Literature cited in Pubmed over the last decade on aspects of epidemiology, diagnosis, aetiology and knowledge of ASD in the African context were assessed. Keywords: autism, diagnosis, aetiology, knowledge and Africa were variously combined in the literature search. Results: No study specifically addressed ...

  13. Comparing motor performance, praxis, coordination, and interpersonal synchrony between children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaur, Maninderjit; M Srinivasan, Sudha; N Bhat, Anjana

    2018-01-01

    Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have basic motor impairments in balance, gait, and coordination as well as autism-specific impairments in praxis/motor planning and interpersonal synchrony. Majority of the current literature focuses on isolated motor behaviors or domains. Additionally, the relationship between cognition, symptom severity, and motor performance in ASD is unclear. We used a comprehensive set of measures to compare gross and fine motor, praxis/imitation, motor coordination, and interpersonal synchrony skills across three groups of children between 5 and 12 years of age: children with ASD with high IQ (HASD), children with ASD with low IQ (LASD), and typically developing (TD) children. We used the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and the Bilateral Motor Coordination subtest of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests to assess motor performance and praxis skills respectively. Children were also examined while performing simple and complex rhythmic upper and lower limb actions on their own (solo context) and with a social partner (social context). Both ASD groups had lower gross and fine motor scores, greater praxis errors in total and within various error types, lower movement rates, greater movement variability, and weaker interpersonal synchrony compared to the TD group. In addition, the LASD group had lower gross motor scores and greater mirroring errors compared to the HASD group. Overall, a variety of motor impairments are present across the entire spectrum of children with ASD, regardless of their IQ scores. Both, fine and gross motor performance significantly correlated with IQ but not with autism severity; however, praxis errors (mainly, total, overflow, and rhythmicity) strongly correlated with autism severity and not IQ. Our study findings highlight the need for clinicians and therapists to include motor evaluations and interventions in the standard-of-care of children with ASD and for the broader autism community to

  14. Effects of a leisure programme on quality of life and stress of individuals with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Villamisar, D A; Dattilo, J

    2010-07-01

    Even though there is research demonstrating a positive relationship between leisure participation and the two constructs of quality of life and stress reduction, current conceptualisation of leisure as a contributor to quality of life is limited. In addition, in spite of improvements in accurate diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at increasingly earlier ages and proliferation of interventions, research associated with leisure and quality of life for people with ASD is lacking. Therefore, a study using a repeated measures design was used to measure effects of a 1-year group leisure programme intended to facilitate interaction with media, engagement in exercise, playing games and doing crafts, attending events, and participating in other recreation activities on quality of life and stress of 37 participants (22 male, 15 female), ages 17-39 (M = 31.49) years at the beginning of the programme) diagnosed with an ASD and a group of 34 adults with ASD as control group (waiting list) (19 male, 15 female), ages 24-38 (M = 30 at programme initiation) years. There was a significant decrease in overall scores of stress levels for participants over the course of the study and there was a significant increase in the four factors of quality of life that were measured (satisfaction, independence, competence and social interaction) as well as the total score for quality of life from baseline to the end of the intervention 12 months later. In contrast, the control group demonstrated no significant improvements related to stress or quality of life. Implications of these findings to leisure services and the quality of life of individuals with ASD are discussed. Findings support the contention that participation in recreation activities positively influenced the stress and quality of life of adults with ASD.

  15. A Causal and Mediation Analysis of the Comorbidity between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sokolova, Elena; Oerlemans, Anoek M.; Rommelse, Nanda N.; Groot, Perry; Hartman, Catharina A.; Glennon, Jeffrey C.; Claassen, Tom; Heskes, Tom; Buitelaar, Jan K.

    2017-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often comorbid. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between ASD and ADHD symptoms by applying causal modeling. We used a large phenotypic data set of 417 children with ASD and/or ADHD, 562 affected and unaffected siblings, and 414 controls,…

  16. Language Development in Context: A Longitudinal Study of Typically-Developing Children and Children with ASD

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fusaroli, Riccardo; Weed, Ethan; Fein, Deborah

    Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often display distinctive language development trajectories (Tek et al., 2013). Because language-learning is a social endeavor, these trajectories could be partially grounded in the dynamics that characterize the children's social and lingu......Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often display distinctive language development trajectories (Tek et al., 2013). Because language-learning is a social endeavor, these trajectories could be partially grounded in the dynamics that characterize the children's social...... and linguistic interactions (Waurlamont et al., 2014). Objectives: We investigate language development trajectories and interpersonal linguistic adaptation over time in a longitudinal corpus of parent-child interactions. Methods: Participants included 66 children, 33 with ASD (MA=33 months at visit 1) and 33 TD...... (linear β: -160, -39; quadratic: 22.92, 5.32), group (β: 332, 100.16), severity (β: -27, -8) and Mullen (β: -6, -1.6). Time significantly interacts with Mullen scores (linear β: 7.4, 1.92; quadratic β: -0.84, -0.2). Children with ASD showed shallower trajectories; higher Mullen scores were associated...

  17. Atypical Processing of Gaze Cues and Faces Explains Comorbidity between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groom, Madeleine J.; Kochhar, Puja; Hamilton, Antonia; Liddle, Elizabeth B.; Simeou, Marina; Hollis, Chris

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated the neurobiological basis of comorbidity between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We compared children with ASD, ADHD or ADHD+ASD and typically developing controls (CTRL) on behavioural and electrophysiological correlates of gaze cue and face processing. We measured effects…

  18. Feasibility Exploration of Electrodermal Response to Food in Children with ASD Compared to Typically Developing Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle A. Suarez

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD frequently have food selectivity that causes additional health and quality of life stressors for the child and the family. The causes of food selectivity are currently unknown but may be linked, at least in part, to sensory processing problems. Method: The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of using electrodermal activity (EDA measurement in response to food to gain insight into the physiological processes associated with eating for children with ASD compared to typically developing children. In addition, differences in food acceptance and the relationship between food acceptance and sensory over-responsivity were explored. Results: Children with ASD had significantly different EDA during food presentation compared to typically developing controls. In addition, children with ASD accepted significantly fewer foods as part of their regular diet, and the number of foods accepts was significantly related to a measure of SOR. Discussion: This information has the potential to inform research and treatment for food selectivity

  19. Variants in adjacent oxytocin/vasopressin gene region and associations with ASD diagnosis and other autism related endophenotypes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunday M. Francis

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: There has been increasing interest in oxytocin (peptide: OT, gene: OXT as a treatment pathway for neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD. Neurodevelopmental disorders affect functional, social, and intellectual abilities. With advances in molecular biology, research has connected multiple gene regions to the clinical presentation of ASD. Studies have also shown that the neuropeptide hormones OT and arginine vasopressin (AVP influence mammalian social and territorial behaviors and may have treatment potential for neurodevelopmental disorders. Published data examining molecular and phenotypic variation in ASD, such as cognitive abilities, are limited. Since most studies have focused on the receptors in the OT-AVP system, we investigated genetic variation within peptide genes for association with phenotypic ASD features that help identify subgroups within the spectrum.Methods: In this study, TDT analysis was carried out utilizing FBAT in 207 probands (156 trios and a European Ancestry (EA subsample (108 trios. The evolutionarily related and adjacent genes of OXT and AVP were studied for associations between the tagged single nucleotide polymorphisms and ASD diagnosis, social abilities, restrictive and repetitive behaviors, and IQ for cognitive abilities. Additionally, relationships with whole blood serotonin (WB5HT were explored because of the developmental relationships connecting plasma levels of OT and WB5HT within ASD.Results: Results indicate significant association between OXT rs6084258 (p=0.001 and ASD. Associations with several intermediate phenotypes were also noted: OXT rs6133010 was associated with IQ (full scale IQ, p=0.008; nonverbal IQ, p=0.010, verbal IQ, p=0.006; and OXT rs4813625 and OXT rs877172 were associated with WB5HT levels (EA, p=0.027 and p=0.033, respectively. Additionally, we measured plasma OT (pOT levels in a subsample (N=54. Results show the three polymorphisms, OXT rs6084258

  20. Variants in Adjacent Oxytocin/Vasopressin Gene Region and Associations with ASD Diagnosis and Other Autism Related Endophenotypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Sunday M; Kistner-Griffin, Emily; Yan, Zhongyu; Guter, Stephen; Cook, Edwin H; Jacob, Suma

    2016-01-01

    There has been increasing interest in oxytocin (peptide: OT, gene: OXT) as a treatment pathway for neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Neurodevelopmental disorders affect functional, social, and intellectual abilities. With advances in molecular biology, research has connected multiple gene regions to the clinical presentation of ASD. Studies have also shown that the neuropeptide hormones OT and arginine vasopressin (AVP) influence mammalian social and territorial behaviors and may have treatment potential for neurodevelopmental disorders. Published data examining molecular and phenotypic variation in ASD, such as cognitive abilities, are limited. Since most studies have focused on the receptors in the OT-AVP system, we investigated genetic variation within peptide genes for association with phenotypic ASD features that help identify subgroups within the spectrum. In this study, TDT analysis was carried out utilizing FBAT in 207 probands (156 trios) and a European Ancestry (EA) subsample (108 trios).The evolutionarily related and adjacent genes of OXT and AVP were studied for associations between the tagged single nucleotide polymorphisms and ASD diagnosis, social abilities, restrictive and repetitive behaviors, and IQ for cognitive abilities. Additionally, relationships with whole blood serotonin (WB5HT) were explored because of the developmental relationships connecting plasma levels of OT and WB5HT within ASD. RESULTS indicate significant association between OXT rs6084258 (p = 0.001) and ASD. Associations with several endophenotypes were also noted: OXT rs6133010 was associated with IQ (full scale IQ, p = 0.008; nonverbal IQ, p = 0.010, verbal IQ, p = 0.006); and OXT rs4813625 and OXT rs877172 were associated with WB5HT levels (EA, p = 0.027 and p = 0.033, respectively). Additionally, we measured plasma OT (pOT) levels in a subsample (N = 54). RESULTS show the three polymorphisms, OXT rs6084258, OXT rs11697250, and OXT rs877172

  1. Fenestrated Transcatheter ASD Closure in Adults with Diastolic Dysfunction and/or Pulmonary Hypertension: Case Series and Review of the Literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelkarim, Ayman; Levi, Daniel S; Tran, Bao; Ghobrial, Joanna; Aboulhosn, Jamil

    2016-12-01

    This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter fenestrated ASD closure and to summarize the literature regarding the published techniques and outcomes of transcatheter partial ASD closure. Patients with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) or right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and/or pulmonary hypertension (PHT) may suffer untoward consequences of complete closure of an ostium secundum atrial septal defect (ASD). Therefore, for patients that fall under these categories we suggest partial occlusion of the defect, which may be better tolerated than complete defect closure. After obtaining IRB approval, a search for patients that have undergone percutaneous ASD closure was performed in the Ahmanson/UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center database to identify which patients received a fenestrated ASD closure device. Eight consecutive patients ranging between 22 and 83 years of age (mean 48 years) with PHT and/or LVDD or RV dysfunction who underwent fenestrated transcatheter ASD closure at UCLA were identified. None of the subjects experienced complications related to the procedure. Postprocedure clinical evaluation showed improvement in symptoms and exercise capacity. Available follow-up transthoracic echocardiography data (mean 4 months, range 0-20 months) demonstrated patent fenestrations in four of eight patients. None of the patients had thromboembolic or infectious complications and there were no device migrations, erosions or embolizations. Partial ASD occlusion in patients with diastolic dysfunction or RV dysfunction and/or PHT is safe and may be better tolerated than complete ASD closure in selected patients. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. VISUAL PERCEPTION SPECIFICS OF CHILDREN WITH ASD AS A DETERMINANT FOR EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT OUTLINETIMES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiana Bystrova

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The idea of inclusive education raises the question of security of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD. It is the imperative of the time to create teaching materials that promote the effective implementation of educational curriculum. However, we have to stress the fact that most of the evaluable nowadays teaching materials have been created spontaneously, without any reliable criteria. Our primary hypothesis is that children with ASD have specific features of visual perception that do not depend on the state of their intelligence, which is confirmed by empirical data obtained by the authors. Our secondary hypothesis, specified in the process of research, stipulates that children with ASD will differently perceive different graphic images executed in different styles. These findings are further confirmed by empirical data collected by the authors in the study of perception and understanding of different graphic images by children with ASD and mental retardation. On the basis of theoretical and empirical data we specified the criteria for graphic design products which play a pivotal role in the formation of school educational environment. In this respect we focus on the criteria for design materials (including design criteria provisions, formulated by Norman, which he addressed to practicing designers.

  3. Implications of comorbid ADHD in ASD interventions and outcome: Results from a naturalistic follow up study from south India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manohar, Harshini; Kuppili, Pooja Patnaik; Kandasamy, Preeti; Chandrasekaran, Venkatesh; Rajkumar, Ravi Philip

    2018-03-01

    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder commonly associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the prevalence ranging from 14-70%. The current study attempted to assess the impact of comorbid ADHD in children with ASD, in terms of challenges in diagnosis, treatment, intervention outcomes and parental stress and coping through a naturalistic design. Fifty children aged 2-6 years with ASD were recruited, assessed and followed up for six months. Twenty children were found to have comorbid ADHD. Severity of ASD and ADHD was assessed by Childhood Autism rating scale and Connor's abbreviated rating scale respectively. Parental stress and coping was assessed by Family Interview for stress and coping. The diagnosis of ASD was apparently obscured by ADHD symptoms in about 22% of cases, as only diagnosis of ADHD was made at the time of referral to our centre. ADHD was the most common comorbidity followed by intellectual disability and seizure disorder. About 66% of children received combination of pharmacological and behavioral interventions. Clonidine was the most common medication to be used and was well tolerated. The improvement in ADHD symptomatology showed positive correlation with improvement with ASD-specific interventions as reflected by change in severity scores. Severity of ADHD significantly also predicted parental stress and coping, and thereby engagement in ASD-specific interventions. The current study highlights the need for screening and early diagnosis of comorbid ADHD in children with ASD and vice versa considering the management challenges. In case of multiple comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders, early interventions for one disorder can improve the outcome of the other. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in individuals with Mucopolysaccharide Disease Type III (Sanfilippo Syndrome): a systematic review

    OpenAIRE

    Wolfenden, C.; Wittkowski, A.; Hare, Dougal

    2017-01-01

    The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in many genetic disorders is well documented but not as yet in Mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III). MPS III is a recessively inherited metabolic disorder and evidence suggests that symptoms of ASD present in MPS III. This systematic review examined the extant literature on the symptoms of ASD in MPS III and quality assessed a total of 16 studies. Results indicated that difficulties within speech, language and communication consistent with ...

  5. A Pilot Study Assessing Performance and Visual Attention of Teenagers with ASD in a Novel Adaptive Driving Simulator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wade, Joshua; Weitlauf, Amy; Broderick, Neill; Swanson, Amy; Zhang, Lian; Bian, Dayi; Sarkar, Medha; Warren, Zachary; Sarkar, Nilanjan

    2017-11-01

    Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), compared to typically-developed peers, may demonstrate behaviors that are counter to safe driving. The current work examines the use of a novel simulator in two separate studies. Study 1 demonstrates statistically significant performance differences between individuals with (N = 7) and without ASD (N = 7) with regards to the number of turning-related driving errors (p training (p attention of drivers and an adaptive driving intervention for individuals with ASD.

  6. Experiences of facilitators or barriers in driving education from learner and novice drivers with ADHD or ASD and their driving instructors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almberg, Maria; Selander, Helena; Falkmer, Marita; Vaz, Sharmila; Ciccarelli, Marina; Falkmer, Torbjörn

    2017-02-01

    Little is known about whether individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) experience any specific facilitators or barriers to driving education. To explore the facilitators or barriers to driving education experienced by individuals with ASD or ADHD who obtained a learner's permit, from the perspective of the learner drivers and their driving instructors. Data were collected from 33 participants with ASD or ADHD, and nine of their driving instructors. Participants with ASD required twice as many driving lessons and more on-road tests than those with ADHD. Participants with ADHD repeated the written tests more than those with ASD. Driving license theory was more challenging for individuals with ADHD, whilst individuals with ASD found translating theory into practice and adjusting to "unfamiliar" driving situations to be the greatest challenges. Obtaining a driving license was associated with stressful training experience.

  7. Using Parents and Teachers to Monitor Progress among Children with ASD: A Review of Intervention Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Witmer, Sara E.; Nasamran, Amy; Parikh, Purvi J.; Schmitt, Heather A.; Clinton, Marianne C.

    2015-01-01

    Despite growing knowledge of the effectiveness of various interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), it is never clear whether a particular intervention will be effective for a specific child with ASD. Careful monitoring of an individual child's progress is necessary to know whether an intervention is effective. In this…

  8. PERUKAH MEMBEDAKAN?” PENGALAMAN PENGASUHAN DALAM KELUARGA YANG MEMILIKI ANAK AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD DAN TIPIKAL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ika Febrian Kristiana

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Caring for typical and atypical (especially autism spectrum disorder children is not an easy task for parents. Different approaches were required to meet these two children who have differences in the characteristic of development. This was a phenomenological qualitative study aimed to describe the experience of parents caring of two children (typical and ASD. Data collection was conducted through in-depth interviews and was analyzed using data explication as one of descriptive analysis model in qualitative approach. Subjects consisted of four parents of children with typical and ASD (range from 8-12 years old. The result showed that parents provide a different approach to care for their children were typical and ASD. The decision to give a differential in parenting based on different needs and characteristics of child’s development and the exsistence of supporting system (support from extended family, ex: grandmother. The examples of the differential parenting were 1 dividing the proportion of the role between fathers and mothers, where mothers concentrated on child care for ASD while fathers are more concentrated on typically child assisted by a grandmother or aunty, 2. involving typical children as siblings for ASD children in teaching a variety of developmental tasks to minimize sibling rivalry. Another interesting finding was the family's financial determine the effort of parents in providing education as part of the discharge of duties of care.

  9. Brief Report: Whole Blood Serotonin Levels and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder

    OpenAIRE

    Marler, Sarah; Ferguson, Bradley J.; Lee, Evon Batey; Peters, Brittany; Williams, Kent C.; McDonnell, Erin; Macklin, Eric A.; Levitt, Pat; Gillespie, Catherine Hagan; Anderson, George M.; Margolis, Kara Gross; Beversdorf, David Q.; Veenstra-VanderWeele, Jeremy

    2016-01-01

    Elevated whole blood serotonin levels are observed in more than 25 % of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Co-occurring gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are also common in ASD but have not previously been examined in relationship with hyperserotonemia, despite the synthesis of serotonin in the gut. In 82 children and adolescents with ASD, we observed a correlation between a quantitative measure of lower GI symptoms and whole blood serotonin levels. No significant association was seen...

  10. Assessment of students with (suspicion of) Intellectual Giftedness in co-occurrence with ASD : The S&W Heuristic

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Burger-Veltmeijer, Agnes; Minnaert, Alexander

    2015-01-01

    Traits of Giftedness and symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) show overlap, which may cause camouflage of either condition. Moreover, professionals are often experienced either in ASD or in Giftedness. This may result in mis-, missed and biased diagnoses, and “consequently“ inappropriate

  11. S-adenosyl methionine prevents ASD like behaviors triggered by early postnatal valproic acid exposure in very young mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ornoy, Asher; Weinstein-Fudim, Liza; Tfilin, Matanel; Ergaz, Zivanit; Yanai, Joseph; Szyf, Moshe; Turgeman, Gadi

    2018-01-16

    A common animal model of ASD is the one induced by valproic acid (VPA), inducing epigenetic changes and oxidative stress. We studied the possible preventive effect of the methyl donor for epigenetic enzymatic reactions, S-adenosine methionine (SAM), on ASD like behavioral changes and on redox potential in the brain and liver in this model. ICR albino mice were injected on postnatal day 4 with one dose of 300 mg/kg of VPA, with normal saline (controls) or with VPA and SAM that was given orally for 3 days at the dose of 30 mg/kg body weight. From day 50, we carried out neurobehavioral tests and assessment of the antioxidant status of the prefrontal cerebral cortex, liver assessing SOD and CAT activity, lipid peroxidation and the expression of antioxidant genes. Mice injected with VPA exhibited neurobehavioral deficits typical of ASD that were more prominent in males. Changes in the activity of SOD and CAT increased lipid peroxidation and changes in the expression of antioxidant genes were observed in the prefrontal cortex of VPA treated mice, more prominent in females, while ASD like behavior was more prominent in males. There were no changes in the redox potential of the liver. The co-administration of VPA and SAM alleviated most ASD like neurobehavioral symptoms and normalized the redox potential in the prefrontal cortex. Early postnatal VPA administration induces ASD like behavior that is more severe in males, while the redox status changes are more severe in females; SAM corrects both. VPA-induced ASD seems to result from epigenetic changes, while the redox status changes may be secondary. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  12. Living with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Parental Experiences of Raising a Child with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glazzard, Jonathan; Overall, Katy

    2012-01-01

    The focus of the study was to explore parental experiences of raising a child with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). A mixed-method approach consisting of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews was used in order to elicit parental perspectives of raising a child with ASD. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of…

  13. Global processing takes time: A meta-analysis on local-global visual processing in ASD

    OpenAIRE

    Van der Hallen, Ruth; Evers, Kris; Brewaeys, K.; Van Den Noortgate, Wim; Wagemans, Johan

    2015-01-01

    What does an individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) perceive first: the forest or the trees? In spite of 30 years of research and influential theories like the weak central coherence (WCC) theory and the enhanced perceptual functioning (EPF) account, the interplay of local and global visual processing in ASD remains only partly understood. Research findings vary in indicating a local processing bias or a global processing deficit, and often contradict each other. We have applied a for...

  14. Self-reported previous knee injury and low knee function increase knee injury risk in adolescent female football.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clausen, M B; Tang, L; Zebis, M K; Krustrup, P; Hölmich, P; Wedderkopp, N; Andersen, L L; Christensen, K B; Møller, M; Thorborg, K

    2016-08-01

    Knee injuries are common in adolescent female football. Self-reported previous knee injury and low Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) are proposed to predict future knee injuries, but evidence regarding this in adolescent female football is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate self-reported previous knee injury and low KOOS subscale score as risk factors for future knee injuries in adolescent female football. A sample of 326 adolescent female football players, aged 15-18, without knee injury at baseline, were included. Data on self-reported previous knee injury and KOOS questionnaires were collected at baseline. Time-loss knee injuries and football exposures were reported weekly by answers to standardized text-message questions, followed by injury telephone interviews. A priori, self-reported previous knee injury and low KOOS subscale scores (female football. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Brief report: effects of solution-focused brief therapy group-work on promoting post-traumatic growth of mothers who have a child with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wei; Yan, Ting-ting; Du, Ya-song; Liu, Xiao-hong

    2014-08-01

    The study evaluated the impact of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) group-work on the post-traumatic growth (PTG) of mothers who have a child with ASD. A quasi-experimental design was used in which 43 mothers participated. 18 mothers in 2 SFBT groups (n = 9 in each group) received a 6-session SFBT group therapy while 25 mothers in a control group received no treatment. The Post-traumatic Growth Inventory was used to measure the PTG levels of the participants at baseline, post-treatment and 6-month follow-up assessments. Mothers who attended SFBT group-work reported higher PTG scores both at post-treatment (t = 4.065, p = .001) and 6-month follow-up (t = 2.980, p = .006) assessments. Further investigations to prove whether SFBT in groups can increase the positivity of clients would promote the use of SFBT.

  16. Biological Motion induced mu suppression is reduced in Early Psychosis (EP) patients with active negative symptoms and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minichino, Amedeo; Singh, Fiza; Pineda, Jaime; Friederich, Elisabeth; Cadenhead, Kristin S

    2016-04-30

    There is evidence of genetic and neural system overlap in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Early Psychosis (EP). Five datasets were pooled to compare mu suppression index (MSI), a proxy of mirror neuron activity, in EP, high functioning ASD, and healthy subjects (HS). ASDs and EPs with "active" negative symptoms showed significant differences in mu suppression, in response to Biological Motion/point-light display animation, compared to HS. Preliminary findings suggest that similar neural network deficits in ASD and EP could be driven by the expression of negative symptoms in the latter group of patients. These findings may aid future studies on EP and ASD and facilitate the formulation of new hypotheses regarding their pathophysiology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Understanding the brain-behaviour relationship in persons with ASD: implications for PECS as a treatment choice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogletree, Billy T; Morrow-Odom, K Leigh; Westling, David

    2015-04-01

    This article presents emerging neurological findings in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with particular attention to how this information might inform treatment practices addressing communication impairments. The article begins with a general discussion of the brain-behaviour relationship and moves to the presentation of recent research findings related to ASD. There is particular attention to individuals with autism who are either non-verbal or present emergent verbal abilities. A specific communication treatment, the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), is presented as an example of an intervention that addresses the learner needs of many individuals with ASD. The success of PECS is discussed within the context of its fit with brain-based learner characteristics.

  18. The Co-Occurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Parents of Children with ASD or ASD with ADHD

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Steijn, Daphne J.; Richards, Jennifer S.; Oerlemans, Anoek M.; de Ruiter, Saskia W.; van Aken, Marcel A. G.; Franke, Barbara; Buitelaar, Jan. K.; Rommelse, Nanda N. J.

    2012-01-01

    Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) share about 50-72% of their genetic factors, which is the most likely explanation for their frequent co-occurrence within the same patient or family. An additional or alternative explanation for the co-occurrence may be (cross-)assortative mating, e.g.,…

  19. Immunological characterization and transcription profiling of peripheral blood (PB monocytes in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD and specific polysaccharide antibody deficiency (SPAD: case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jyonouchi Harumi

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction There exists a small subset of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD characterized by fluctuating behavioral symptoms and cognitive skills following immune insults. Some of these children also exhibit specific polysaccharide antibody deficiency (SPAD, resulting in frequent infection caused by encapsulated organisms, and they often require supplemental intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG (ASD/SPAD. This study assessed whether these ASD/SPAD children have distinct immunological findings in comparison with ASD/non-SPAD or non-ASD/SPAD children. Case description We describe 8 ASD/SPAD children with worsening behavioral symptoms/cognitive skills that are triggered by immune insults. These ASD/SPAD children exhibited delayed type food allergy (5/8, treatment-resistant seizure disorders (4/8, and chronic gastrointestinal (GI symptoms (5/8 at high frequencies. Control subjects included ASD children without SPAD (N = 39, normal controls (N = 37, and non-ASD children with SPAD (N = 12. Discussion and Evaluation We assessed their innate and adaptive immune responses, by measuring the production of pro-inflammatory and counter-regulatory cytokines by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs in responses to agonists of toll like receptors (TLR, stimuli of innate immunity, and T cell stimulants. Transcription profiling of PB monocytes was also assessed. ASD/SPAD PBMCs produced less proinflammatory cytokines with agonists of TLR7/8 (IL-6, IL-23, TLR2/6 (IL-6, TLR4 (IL-12p40, and without stimuli (IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α than normal controls. In addition, cytokine production of ASD/SPAD PBMCs in response to T cell mitogens (IFN-γ, IL-17, and IL-12p40 and candida antigen (Ag (IL-10, IL-12p40 were less than normal controls. ASD/non-SPAD PBMDs revealed similar results as normal controls, while non-ASD/SPAD PBMCs revealed lower production of IL-6, IL-10 and IL-23 with a TLR4 agonist. Only common features observed between ASD/SPAD and non-ASD

  20. Sensitivity to audio-visual synchrony and its relation to language abilities in children with and without ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Righi, Giulia; Tenenbaum, Elena J; McCormick, Carolyn; Blossom, Megan; Amso, Dima; Sheinkopf, Stephen J

    2018-04-01

    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often accompanied by deficits in speech and language processing. Speech processing relies heavily on the integration of auditory and visual information, and it has been suggested that the ability to detect correspondence between auditory and visual signals helps to lay the foundation for successful language development. The goal of the present study was to examine whether young children with ASD show reduced sensitivity to temporal asynchronies in a speech processing task when compared to typically developing controls, and to examine how this sensitivity might relate to language proficiency. Using automated eye tracking methods, we found that children with ASD failed to demonstrate sensitivity to asynchronies of 0.3s, 0.6s, or 1.0s between a video of a woman speaking and the corresponding audio track. In contrast, typically developing children who were language-matched to the ASD group, were sensitive to both 0.6s and 1.0s asynchronies. We also demonstrated that individual differences in sensitivity to audiovisual asynchronies and individual differences in orientation to relevant facial features were both correlated with scores on a standardized measure of language abilities. Results are discussed in the context of attention to visual language and audio-visual processing as potential precursors to language impairment in ASD. Autism Res 2018, 11: 645-653. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Speech processing relies heavily on the integration of auditory and visual information, and it has been suggested that the ability to detect correspondence between auditory and visual signals helps to lay the foundation for successful language development. The goal of the present study was to explore whether children with ASD process audio-visual synchrony in ways comparable to their typically developing peers, and the relationship between preference for synchrony and language ability. Results showed that

  1. A systematic review and meta-analysis of comprehensive interventions for pre-school children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tachibana, Yoshiyuki; Miyazaki, Celine; Ota, Erika; Mori, Rintaro; Hwang, Yeonhee; Kobayashi, Eriko; Terasaka, Akiko; Tang, Julian; Kamio, Yoko

    2017-01-01

    There has an increasing number of published trials on psychosocial intervention programmes for pre-school children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To achieve better quality of unbiased evidence for the effectiveness of ASD interventions, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive review that covers studies with adequate quality standards, such as randomised controlled trials (RCTs), and different types of intervention In this study, we categorize interventions for ASD as behavioural, social-communication focused, and multimodal developmental based on Howlin's classification of early interventions for children with ASD. The aim of this study was to compare these three models and investigate the strengths and weaknesses of each type of intervention and to identify the approaches that contribute to a successful outcome for children with autism. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis. We included RCTs targeting children with ASD 6 years old or younger. A random effects model was used to present the effect estimate for the outcomes. This study also performed combined meta-analyses of all the three models to investigate the overall effectiveness of the intervention programmes. 32 randomized controlled studies were found to be eligible for inclusion. The synthesized data included 594 children from 14 RCTs. There was no statistically significant difference in the effects on autism general symptoms between the social-communication-focused model and the multimodal developmental model (p = 0.83). The results suggest that there is evidence of an effect on 'reciprocity of social interaction towards others' (standard mean difference [95% confidential interval] = 0.53[0.29,0.78], pASD have significant effects on a generalized skill to engage in reciprocal interactions with others. However, the outcomes of 'reciprocity of social interaction towards others' and 'parental synchrony' may be promising targets for interventions involving pre-school children with ASD

  2. Increased Force Variability Is Associated with Altered Modulation of the Motorneuron Pool Activity in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zheng; Kwon, Minhyuk; Mohanty, Suman; Schmitt, Lauren M; White, Stormi P; Christou, Evangelos A; Mosconi, Matthew W

    2017-03-25

    Force control deficits have been repeatedly documented in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They are associated with worse social and daily living skill impairments in patients suggesting that developing a more mechanistic understanding of the central and peripheral processes that cause them may help guide the development of treatments that improve multiple outcomes in ASD. The neuromuscular mechanisms underlying force control deficits are not yet understood. Seventeen individuals with ASD and 14 matched healthy controls completed an isometric index finger abduction test at 60% of their maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) during recording of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle to determine the neuromuscular processes associated with sustained force variability. Central modulation of the motorneuron pool activation of the FDI muscle was evaluated at delta (0-4 Hz), alpha (4-10 Hz), beta (10-35 Hz) and gamma (35-60 Hz) frequency bands. ASD patients showed greater force variability than controls when attempting to maintain a constant force. Relative to controls, patients also showed increased central modulation of the motorneuron pool at beta and gamma bands. For controls, reduced force variability was associated with reduced delta frequency modulation of the motorneuron pool activity of the FDI muscle and increased modulation at beta and gamma bands. In contrast, delta, beta, and gamma frequency oscillations were not associated with force variability in ASD. These findings suggest that alterations of central mechanisms that control motorneuron pool firing may underlie the common and often impairing symptoms of ASD.

  3. Correlation between EEG abnormalities and symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yasuhara, Akihiro

    2010-11-01

    Children with ASD often suffer from epilepsy and paroxysmal EEG abnormality. Purposes of this study are the confirmation of incidence of epileptic seizures and EEG abnormalities in children with autism using a high performance digital EEG, to examine the nature of EEG abnormalities such as locus or modality, and to determine if the development of children with ASD, who have experienced developmental delay, improves when their epilepsy has been treated and maintained under control. A total of 1014 autistic children that have been treated and followed-up for more than 3 years at Yasuhara Children's Clinic in Osaka, Japan, were included in this study. Each participant's EEG had been recorded approximately every 6 months under sleep conditions. Epilepsy was diagnosed in 37% (375/1014) of the study participants. Almost all patients diagnosed with epilepsy presented with symptomatic epilepsy. The data showed that the participants with lower IQ had a higher incidence of epileptic seizures. Epileptic EEG discharges occurred in 85.8% (870/1014) of the patients. There was also a very high incidence of spike discharges in participants whose intellectual quotient was very low or low. Epileptic seizure waves most frequently developed from the frontal lobe (65.6%), including the front pole (Fp1 and Fp2), frontal part (F3, F4, F7 and F8) and central part (C3, Cz and C4). The occurrence rate of spike discharges in other locations, including temporal lobe (T3, T4, T5, T6), parietal lobe (P3, Pz, P4), occipital lobe (O1, O2) and multifocal spikes was less than 10%. These results support the notion that there is a relationship between ASD and dysfunction of the mirror neuron system. The management of seizure waves in children diagnosed with ASD may result in improves function and reduction of autistic symptoms. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Hormone disorder and vitamin deficiency in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bala, Keziban Aslı; Doğan, Murat; Kaba, Sultan; Mutluer, Tuba; Aslan, Oktay; Doğan, Sekibe Zehra

    2016-09-01

    The aim of this study was to analyze thyroid hormones and antibodies, ferritin, vitamins B12 and D, adrenal and gonadal steroid levels, and celiac antibodies in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Between February 2014 and July 2014, a total of 77 children and adolescents (31 girls, 46 boys) who were admitted to the Van Training and Research Hospital were included in the study. The study population was divided into three groups including ADHD (n=34), ASD (n=16), and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n=27). The diagnosis of ADHD was made on the basis of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and DSM-4 Turkish version with the diagnostic interview and Disruptive Behavior Disorder Rating Scale (DBDRS). The diagnosis of ASD was based on the DSM-4 and DSM-5 Turkish version with the diagnostic interview and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). The blood samples were obtained between 8:00 and 9:00 A.M. There was a statistically significant difference in vitamin B12 and D levels and ferritin values among the three groups. The ASD group had the highest ferritin and the lowest vitamins B12 and D levels. Vitamin D levels of the ADHD group were significantly lower compared to the healthy controls. Our study results highlight the importance of supplementation of vitamins B12 and D in the ASD and ADHD patients.

  5. Atypical prefrontal cortical responses to joint/non-joint attention in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Huilin; Li, Jun; Fan, Yuebo; Li, Xinge; Huang, Dan; He, Sailing

    2015-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder, characterized by impairments in one’s capacity for joint attention. In this study, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was applied to study the differences in activation and functional connectivity in the prefrontal cortex between children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children. 21 ASD and 20 TD children were recruited to perform joint and non-joint attention tasks. Compared with TD children, children with ASD showed reduced activation and atypical functional connectivity pattern in the prefrontal cortex during joint attention. The atypical development of left prefrontal cortex might play an important role in social cognition defects of children with ASD. PMID:25798296

  6. Acute stress responses: A review and synthesis of ASD, ASR, and CSR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isserlin, Leanna; Zerach, Gadi; Solomon, Zahava

    2008-10-01

    Toward the development of a unifying diagnosis for acute stress responses this article attempts to find a place for combat stress reaction (CSR) within the spectrum of other defined acute stress responses. This article critically compares the diagnostic criteria of acute stress disorder (ASD), acute stress reaction (ASR), and CSR. Prospective studies concerning the predictive value of ASD, ASR, and CSR are reviewed. Questions, recommendations, and implications for clinical practice are raised concerning the completeness of the current acute stress response diagnoses, the heterogeneity of different stressors, the scope of expected outcomes, and the importance of decline in function as an indicator of future psychological, psychiatric, and somatic distress. PsycINFO Database Record 2009 APA.

  7. Modelling of V-Hz and vector controlled ASDs in PSCAD/EMTDC for voltage sag studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vegunta, S.C. [TNEI Services Ltd, Manchester M1 2PW (United Kingdom); Milanovic, J.V. [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of The University of Manchester, PO Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD (United Kingdom); Djokic, S.Z. [School of Engineering of The University of Edinburgh, The King' s Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JL (United Kingdom)

    2010-01-15

    This paper deals with modelling and performance of adjustable speed drives (ASDs) subjected to voltage disturbances in electric supply. The aim of this study was to develop appropriate models of typical ASD and investigate their sensitivity to voltage disturbances under various practical modes of operation and control. Accordingly, scalar controlled open and closed loop volts-hertz (V-Hz) and vector controlled closed loop ASDs are modelled in PSCAD/EMTDC environment, and their performance in the presence of voltage disturbances is investigated under typical operating and loading conditions. The drive sensitivity to three-phase, two-phase and single-phase voltage sags and short interruptions was assessed, and the findings are discussed in the paper. Depending on the type of drive control, type of voltage sag, applied load torque and adjusted speed, various sensitivity curves were established and analyzed. (author)

  8. Using Multimedia to Reveal the Hidden Code of Everyday Behaviour to Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doyle, Theresa; Arnedillo-Sanchez, Inmaculada

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes a framework which was developed for carers (teachers and parents) to help them create personalised social stories for children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs). It explores the social challenges experienced by individuals with ASDs and outlines an intervention aimed at revealing the hidden code that underpins social…

  9. COMPASS for Hope: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Parent Training and Support Program for Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuravackel, Grace M.; Ruble, Lisa A.; Reese, Robert J.; Ables, Amanda P.; Rodgers, Alexis D.; Toland, Michael D.

    2018-01-01

    Despite the growing number of studies that demonstrate the importance of empowering parents with knowledge and skills to act as intervention agents for their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there are limited examples of parent-mediated interventions that focus on problem behaviors. Additionally, access to ASD-trained clinicians and…

  10. Effect of different Gramineae carbon inputs on efficacy of ASD for control of Macrophomina phaseolina in strawberry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD), using either orchard grass (GR) or wheat shoots (WH) as the carbon input, was examined for the control of M. phaseolina in strawberry. The pathogen was artificially infested at a density of 2.5 sclerotia g-1 soil. Treatments included in the study were ASD with or...

  11. Performance of motor sequences in children at heightened vs. low risk for ASD: A longitudinal study from 18 to 36 months of age

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    VALENTINA eFOCAROLI

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Recent research shows that motor difficulties are a prominent component of the behavioral profile of autism spectrum disorder (ASD and are also apparent from early in development in infants who have an older sibling with ASD (High Risk; HR. Delays have been reported for HR infants who do and who do not receive an eventual diagnosis of ASD. A growing body of prospective studies has focused on the emergence of early motor skills primarily during the first year of life. To date, however, relatively little work has examined motor skills in the second and third years. Thus, the present research was designed to investigate motor performance in object transport tasks longitudinally in HR and LR (Low Risk children between the ages of 18 and 36 months. Participants (15 HR children and 14 LR children were observed at 18, 24, and 36 months. Children completed two motor tasks, the Ball Task and the Block Task, each of which included two conditions that varied in terms of the precision demands of the goal action. Kinematic data were acquired via two magneto inertial sensors worn on each wrist. In the Block Task, HR children reached more slowly (i.e., mean acceleration was lower compared to LR children. This finding is in line with growing evidence of early delays in fine motor skills in HR children and suggests that vulnerabilities in motor performance may persist into the preschool years in children at risk for ASD.

  12. Self-reported behaviour problems and sibling relationship quality by siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hastings, R P; Petalas, M A

    2014-11-01

    There are few published research studies in which siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) provide self-reports about their own behavioural and emotional problems and their sibling relationships. Reliance on parent reports may lead to incomplete conclusions about the experiences of siblings themselves. Siblings 7-17 years and their mothers from 94 families of children with ASD were recruited. Mothers reported on family demographics, the behavioural and emotional problems of their child with ASD, and on their own symptoms of depression. Siblings reported on their relationship with their brother or sister with ASD, and siblings 11+ years of age also self-reported on their behavioural and emotional problems. Compared with normative British data, siblings reported very slightly elevated levels of behavioural and emotional problems. However, none of the mean differences were statistically significant and all group differences were associated with small or very small effect sizes - the largest being for peer problems (effect size = 0.31). Regression analysis was used to explore family systems relationships, with sibling self-reports predicted by the behaviour problems scores for the child with ASD and by maternal depression. Maternal depression did not emerge as a predictor of siblings' self-reported sibling relationships or their behavioural and emotional problems. Higher levels of behaviour problems in the child with ASD predicted decreased warmth/closeness and increased conflict in the sibling relationship. These data support the general findings of recent research in that there was little indication of clinically meaningful elevations in behavioural and emotional problems in siblings of children with ASD. Although further research replication is required, there was some indication that sibling relationships may be at risk where the child with ASD has significant behaviour problems. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Self-Reported Empathy in Adult Women with Autism Spectrum Disorders - A Systematic Mini Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kok, Francien M; Groen, Yvonne; Becke, Miriam; Fuermaier, Anselm B M; Tucha, Oliver

    2016-01-01

    There is limited research on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in females. Although the empathy construct has been examined thoroughly in autism, little attention has been paid to empathy in adult women with this condition or to gender differences within the disorder. Self-reported empathy in adult women with ASD was examined and compared to that of typically developed men and women as well as to men with this condition. Online databases were searched for articles investigating self-reported empathy among adult women with ASD. Only six studies comparing women to men were identified. All studies found women with an ASD to report lower levels of empathy than typically developed women, and typically developed men, but similar levels to men with this condition. The self-reported empathic ability of women diagnosed with ASD resembles that of their male counterparts most closely; they show a hypermasculinisation in empathy. This is particularly surprising considering the large gender difference in empathy in the general population. One of the limitations of this review is that the current diagnostic criteria for ASD are oriented towards male-specific behaviour and fail to integrate gender specific characteristics. Hence, women diagnosed with ASD are likely to be at the male end of the continuum. The suggested hypermasculinisation of women on the spectrum, as evident from this review, may therefore be exaggerated due to a selection bias.

  14. Brief Report: Autistic Features in Children and Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skagerberg, Elin; Di Ceglie, Domenico; Carmichael, Polly

    2015-08-01

    This paper looks at the association between gender dysphoria (GD), scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and reported diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents of 166 young people presenting with GD (Mean age = 14.26, SD = 2.68) completed the SRS. Information concerning an ASD diagnosis was also extracted from the patient files. 45.8% fell within the normal range on the SRS and of those 2.8% had an ASD diagnosis. 27.1% fell within the mild/moderate range and of those 15.6% had an ASD diagnosis and 6.7% an ASD query. 27.1% fell within the severe range and of those 24.4% had an ASD diagnosis and 26.7% an ASD query. No difference was found in autistic features between the natal females and males.

  15. MDT-ASD, CMOS front-end for ATLAS MDT

    CERN Document Server

    Posch, C; Oliver, J

    2007-01-01

    This document serves as the main reference and user`s manual for the read-out chip of the Monitored Drift Tubes in the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer. The eight-channel front-end ASIC is referred to as MDT-ASD. The document contains the requirements and complete specifications, a detailed description of the design with characteristics of all sub-circuits and building blocks, a comprehensive section on functionality and performance test results, and a complete bibliography.

  16. Psycho-Cognitive Intervention for ASD from Cross-Species Behavioral Analyses of Infants, Chicks and Common Marmosets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koshiba, Mamiko; Karino, Genta; Mimura, Koki; Nakamura, Shun; Yui, Kunio; Kunikata, Tetsuya; Yamanouchi, Hideo

    2016-01-01

    Educational treatment to support social development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an important topic in developmental psychiatry. However, it remains difficult to objectively quantify the socio-emotional development of ASD children. To address this problem, we developed a novel analytical method that assesses subjects' complex behaviors using multivariate analysis, 'Behavior Output analysis for Quantitative Emotional State Translation' (BOUQUET). Here, we examine the potential for psycho-cognitive ASD therapy based on comparative evaluations of clinical (human) and experimental (animal) models. Our observations of ASD children (vs. their normally developing siblings) and the domestic chick in socio-sensory deprivation models show the importance of unimodal sensory stimulation, particularly important for tactile- and auditory-biased socialization. Identifying psycho-cognitive elements in early neural development, human newborn infants in neonatal intensive care unit as well as a New World monkey, the common marmoset, also prompted us to focus on the development of voluntary movement against gravity. In summary, striking behavioral similarities between children with ASD and domestic chicks' socio-sensory deprivation models support the role of multimodal sensory-motor integration as a prerequisite step for normal development of socio-emotional and psycho-cognitive functions. Data obtained in the common marmoset model also suggest that switching from primitive anti-gravity reflexes to complex voluntary movement may be a critical milestone for psycho-cognitive development. Combining clinical findings with these animal models, and using multivariate integrative analyses may facilitate the development of effective interventions to improve social functions in infants and in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

  17. Identifying Unique Versus Shared Pre- and Perinatal Risk Factors for ASD and ADHD Using a Simplex-Multiplex Stratification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oerlemans, Anoek M.; Burmanje, Marlot J.; Franke, Barbara; Buitelaar, Jan K.; Hartman, Catharina A.; Rommelse, Nanda N. J.

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently co-occur. Besides shared genetic factors, pre- and perinatal risk factors (PPFs) may determine if ASD, ADHD, or the combination of both disorders becomes manifest. This study aimed to test shared and unique

  18. The Efficiency of Peer Teaching of Developing Non Verbal Communication to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alshurman, Wael; Alsreaa, Ihsani

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed at identifying the efficiency of peer teaching of developing non-verbal communication to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study was carried out on a sample of (10) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), diagnosed according to basics and criteria adopted at Al-taif qualification center at (2013) in The…

  19. Dog-Assisted Therapy (DAT Applied to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD in School Age

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Dolores Jara-Gil

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available With this study and through an extensive literature review, firstly, it tries to bring the reader to the field of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD and the Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT, which are novel therapeutic alternative very effective and applicable to both children, young people and adults, whether in the academic, social as in the clinical field. Secondly, this work goes after to demonstrate the therapeutic effects that are obtained when we applying a AAT, in this case, a Dog-Assisted Therapy (DAT on children with ASD, and to demonstrate that it can be used as a complement to any type of treatment, be outlined the great and unknown importance in the lives of whom suffer from this disorder, besides to improve the different areas of the ASD and to demonstrate the extensive benefits, contributions and improvements that dogs are capable to produce.

  20. Severity of ASD symptoms and their correlation with the presence of copy number variations and exposure to first trimester ultrasound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webb, Sara Jane; Garrison, Michelle M; Bernier, Raphael; McClintic, Abbi M; King, Bryan H; Mourad, Pierre D

    2017-03-01

    Current research suggests that incidence and heterogeneity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms may arise through a variety of exogenous and/or endogenous factors. While subject to routine clinical practice and generally considered safe, there exists speculation, though no human data, that diagnostic ultrasound may also contribute to ASD severity, supported by experimental evidence that exposure to ultrasound early in gestation could perturb brain development and alter behavior. Here we explored a modified triple hit hypothesis [Williams & Casanova, ] to assay for a possible relationship between the severity of ASD symptoms and (1) ultrasound exposure (2) during the first trimester of pregnancy in fetuses with a (3) genetic predisposition to ASD. We did so using retrospective analysis of data from the SSC (Simon's Simplex Collection) autism genetic repository funded by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. We found that male children with ASD, copy number variations (CNVs), and exposure to first trimester ultrasound had significantly decreased non-verbal IQ and increased repetitive behaviors relative to male children with ASD, with CNVs, and no ultrasound. These data suggest that heterogeneity in ASD symptoms may result, at least in part, from exposure to diagnostic ultrasound during early prenatal development of children with specific genetic vulnerabilities. These results also add weight to on-going concerns expressed by the FDA about non-medical use of diagnostic ultrasound during pregnancy. Autism Res 2017, 10: 472-484. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Use of the Amplatzer ASD Occluder for Closing a Persistent Left Vertical Vein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zanchetta, Mario; Zennaro, Marco; Zecchel, Roberto; Mancuso, Daniela; Pedon, Luigi

    2009-01-01

    We report the case of a very large anomalous connection of the veins draining the upper lobe of the left lung to both the left-sided vertical vein and the left atrium, associated with mild rheumatic mitral valve stenosis, in which the atrial septum was intact and the remaining venous system, including the coronary sinus, was otherwise normal (a variant of Lutembacher's syndrome). In order to abolish the left-to-right shunting, a transcatheter approach to close this venous structure was successfully attempted using an Amplatzer ASD Occluder device. The technical aspects and the alternative options of performing a procedure with a device for a purpose outside the scope of its approved label are discussed.

  2. The Social Responsiveness Scale in relation to DSM IV and DSM5 ASD in Korean Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheon, Keun-Ah; Park, Jee-In; Koh, Yun-Joo; Song, Jungeun; Hong, Hyun-Joo; Kim, Young-Kee; Lim, Eun-Chung; Kwon, Hojang; Ha, Mina; Lim, Myung-Ho; Paik, Ki-Chung; Constantino, John N.; Leventhal, Bennett; Kim, Young Shin

    2017-01-01

    LAY ABSTRACT The Social Responsiveness Scale(SRS) is an autism rating scales in widespread use, with over 20 official foreign language translations. It has proven highly feasible for quantitative ascertainment of autistic social impairment in public health settings, however, little is known about the validity of the reinforcement in Asia populations or in references to DSM5. The current study aims to evaluate psychometric properties and cross-cultural aspects of the SRS-Korean version (K-SRS). Our results indicate that the K-SRS exhibits adequate reliability and validity for measuring Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms in Korean children with DSM IV PDD and DSM5 ASD. Our findings further suggest that it is difficult to distinguish Social Communication Disorder (SCD) from other child psychiatric conditions using the K-SRS. This is the first study to examine the relationship between the SRS subscales and DSM5 based clinical diagnosis. This study provides cross-cultural confirmation of the factor structure of ASD symptoms and traits measured by the SRS. SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT The Social Responsiveness Scale(SRS) is an autism rating scales in widespread use, with over 20 official foreign language translations. It has proven highly feasible for quantitative ascertainment of autistic social impairment in public health settings, however, little is known about the validity of the reinforcement in Asia populations or in references to DSM5. The current study aims to evaluate psychometric properties and cross-cultural aspects of the SRS-Korean version(K-SRS). The study subjects were ascertained from three samples: a general sample from 3 regular education elementary schools(n=790), a clinical sample(n=154) of 6–12-year-olds from four psychiatric clinics, and an epidemiological sample of children with ASD, diagnosed using both DSM IV PDD, DSM5 ASD and SCD criteria(n=151). Their parents completed the K-SRS and the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire(ASSQ). Descriptive

  3. Specific Patterns of Emotion Recognition from Faces in Children with ASD: Results of a Cross-Modal Matching Paradigm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golan, Ofer; Gordon, Ilanit; Fichman, Keren; Keinan, Giora

    2018-01-01

    Children with ASD show emotion recognition difficulties, as part of their social communication deficits. We examined facial emotion recognition (FER) in intellectually disabled children with ASD and in younger typically developing (TD) controls, matched on mental age. Our emotion-matching paradigm employed three different modalities: facial, vocal…

  4. Family-Centered Services for Children with ASD and Limited Speech: The Experiences of Parents and Speech-Language Pathologists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandak, Kelsey; Light, Janice

    2018-01-01

    Although family-centered services have long been discussed as essential in providing successful services to families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ideal implementation is often lacking. This study aimed to increase understanding of how families with children with ASD and limited speech receive services from speech-language…

  5. Internet Safety for Teens with ASD. Autism at-a-Glance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clinard, A.

    2016-01-01

    "Autism at-a-Glance" is a series of practitioner and family-friendly documents created by the Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (CSESA) designed for high school staff members supporting students on the autism spectrum, as well as family members of adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The…

  6. Accommodations and Support Services for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A National Survey of Disability Resource Providers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Kirsten R.

    2017-01-01

    Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are participating in postsecondary education at an increasing rate. Yet, we know little about what types of accommodations or services disability resource providers employ to support students with ASD. The purpose of this study was to examine how postsecondary institutions are fostering the academic…

  7. Validation of the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition in Adolescents with ASD: Fixation Duration and Pupil Dilation as Predictors of Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Nico; Baumeister, Sarah; Dziobek, Isabel; Banaschewski, Tobias; Poustka, Luise

    2016-09-01

    Impaired social cognition is one of the core characteristics of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Appropriate measures of social cognition for high-functioning adolescents with ASD are, however, lacking. The Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) uses dynamic social stimuli, ensuring ecological validity, and has proven to be a sensitive measure in adulthood. In the current study, 33 adolescents with ASD and 23 controls were administered the MASC, while concurrent eye tracking was used to relate gaze behavior to performance levels. The ASD group exhibited reduced MASC scores, with social cognition performance being explained by shorter fixation duration on eyes and decreased pupil dilation. These potential diagnostic markers are discussed as indicators of different processing of social information in ASD.

  8. DUKUNGAN KELUARGA, PENGETAHUAN, DAN PERSEPSI IBU SERTA HUBUNGANNYA DENGAN STRATEGI KOPING IBU PADA ANAK DENGAN GANGGUAN Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lia Milyawati

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available The objective of study was to understand family support, mother’s knowledge and perception of ASD and its association with coping strategy of mothers with ASD children. The study used a cross-sectional study design and conducted at Sekolah Khusus AL-IHSAN in Tangerang and in Cilegon, Banten. The samples of the study were 31 mothers with ASD children who were participated at AL-IHSAN and were available to be interviewed. The study conducted at February until May 2008 which included data collecting, data processing, and data analyzing. Instrumen used in the study was a modification of Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP by McCubbin and Patterson (1987. Data analyzing used was descriptive statistics, paired sample T-test, Rank-Spearman correlation, and Chi-Square. Result of the study showed that family support was considered as low (45,2% and high or very high (54,8%. Mother’s knowledge mostly good, which classified as moderate and high (93,5%, while those classified as low was only 6,5%. In term of mother’s perception there were 45,2% mothers who still had negative perception toward ASD child. There was differences in term of coping mechanism strategy which was mostly to maintain family stability, optimism and cooperation at present, while before were mostly to seek assistance for medical treatment. The younger age of mothers and fathers, the stronger family support they received. Mother’s perception of ASD children tend to be positive when the age of ASD children is younger and the length of therapy is shorter. The characteristics of family, family support, mother’s knowledge, and perception of ASD children had no significant correlation with coping strategy used by mothers as their effort to reduce some pressures in taking care of ASD children.

  9. Severe Multisensory Speech Integration Deficits in High-Functioning School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Their Resolution During Early Adolescence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foxe, John J.; Molholm, Sophie; Del Bene, Victor A.; Frey, Hans-Peter; Russo, Natalie N.; Blanco, Daniella; Saint-Amour, Dave; Ross, Lars A.

    2015-01-01

    Under noisy listening conditions, visualizing a speaker's articulations substantially improves speech intelligibility. This multisensory speech integration ability is crucial to effective communication, and the appropriate development of this capacity greatly impacts a child's ability to successfully navigate educational and social settings. Research shows that multisensory integration abilities continue developing late into childhood. The primary aim here was to track the development of these abilities in children with autism, since multisensory deficits are increasingly recognized as a component of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) phenotype. The abilities of high-functioning ASD children (n = 84) to integrate seen and heard speech were assessed cross-sectionally, while environmental noise levels were systematically manipulated, comparing them with age-matched neurotypical children (n = 142). Severe integration deficits were uncovered in ASD, which were increasingly pronounced as background noise increased. These deficits were evident in school-aged ASD children (5–12 year olds), but were fully ameliorated in ASD children entering adolescence (13–15 year olds). The severity of multisensory deficits uncovered has important implications for educators and clinicians working in ASD. We consider the observation that the multisensory speech system recovers substantially in adolescence as an indication that it is likely amenable to intervention during earlier childhood, with potentially profound implications for the development of social communication abilities in ASD children. PMID:23985136

  10. [Support for Adult ASD in Medical Rework Program: Mutual Communication Program and Psychodrama].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokoyama, Motonori

    2015-01-01

    While carrying out the Medical Rework Program, we realized the necessity for a supplementary medical treatment program aimed at adult ASD. Consequently, we started the Mutual Communication Program, which consists of standard SST and the new element of psychodrama. As a result, 32 participants have returned to their workplace in the three-year period, and the rate of successfully continuing to work was 93.8% at the time of the investigation. Various psychological tests also indicated significant improvement. In this article, we present a case study, explain psychodrama techniques employed in the program, and discuss their usefulness. The results suggest that psychodrama is a very effective assistive technique when the characteristics of ASD are taken into consideration.

  11. Does the cognitive architecture of simplex and multiplex ASD families differ?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oerlemans, Anoek M.; Hartman, Catharina A.; Franke, Barbara; Buitelaar, Jan K.; Rommelse, Nanda N. J.

    Children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their unaffected siblings from 54 simplex (SPX, one individual in the family affected) and 59 multiplex (MPX, two or more individuals affected) families, and 124 controls were assessed on intelligence, social cognition and executive functions. SPX

  12. Does the cognitive architecture of simplex and multiplex ASD families differ?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oerlemans, A.M.; Hartman, C.A.; Franke, B.; Buitelaar, J.K.; Rommelse, N.N.J.

    2016-01-01

    Children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their unaffected siblings from 54 simplex (SPX, one individual in the family affected) and 59 multiplex (MPX, two or more individuals affected) families, and 124 controls were assessed on intelligence, social cognition and executive functions. SPX

  13. Fabrication and characterization of chitosan nanoparticles and collagen-loaded polyurethane nanocomposite membrane coated with heparin for atrial septal defect (ASD) closure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaiser, Eva; Jaganathan, Saravana Kumar; Supriyanto, Eko; Ayyar, Manikandan

    2017-07-01

    Atrial septal defect (ASD) constitutes 30-40% of all congenital heart diseases in adults. The most common complications in the treatment of ASD are embolization of the device and thrombosis formation. In this research, an occluding patch was developed for ASD treatment using a well-known textile technology called electrospinning. For the first time, a cardiovascular occluding patch was fabricated using medical grade polyurethane (PU) loaded with bioactive agents namely chitosan nanoparticles (Cn) and collagen (Co) which is then coated with heparin (Hp). Fourier transform infrared spectrum showed characteristic vibrations of several active constituents and changes in the absorbance due to the inclusion of active ingredients in the patch. The contact angle analysis demonstrated no significant decrease in contact angle compared to the control and the composite patches. The structure of the electrospun nanocomposite (PUCnCoHp) was examined through scanning electron microscopy. A decrease in nanofiber diameter between control PU and PUCnCoHp nanocomposite was observed. Water uptake was found to be decreased for the PUCnCoHp nanocomposite against the control. The hemocompatibility properties of the PUCnCoHp ASD occluding patch was inferred through in vitro hemocompatibility tests like activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT) and hemolysis assay. It was found that the PT and APTT time was significantly prolonged for the fabricated PUCnCoHp ASD occluding patch compared to the control. Likewise, the hemolysis percentage was also decreased for the PUCnCoHp ASD patch against the control. In conclusion, the developed PUCnCoHp patch demonstrates potential properties to be used for ASD occlusion.

  14. Radiation induced Single Event Effects in the ATLAS MDT-ASD front-end chip

    CERN Document Server

    Posch, C

    2002-01-01

    Single Event Effect (SEE) tests of the MDT-ASD, the ATLAS MDT front-end chip have been performed at the Harvard Cyclotron Lab. The MDT-ASD is an 8-channel drift tube read-out ASIC fabricated in a commercial 0.5um CMOS process (AMOS14TB). The chip contains a 53 bit register which holds the setup information and an associated shift register of the same length plus some additional control logic. 10 test devices were exposed to a 160 MeV proton beam with a fluence of 1.05E9 p.cm-2.s-1 up to >4.4E p.cm-2 per device. After a total fluence of 4.46E13 p.cm-2, 7 soft SEEs (non-permanent bit flips in the registers) and 0 hard/destructive SEE (e.g. latch-ups, SEL) had occurred. The simulated fluence for 10 years of LHC operation at nominal luminosity for worst case location MDT components is 2.67E11 h.cm-2. The rate of SEUs in the ASD setup register for all of ATLAS, derived from these numbers, is 2.4 per day. It is foreseen to update the active registers of the on-detector electronics at regular intervals. Depending on...

  15. A clinician-administered observation and corresponding caregiver interview capturing DSM-5 sensory reactivity symptoms in children with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siper, Paige M; Kolevzon, Alexander; Wang, A Ting; Buxbaum, Joseph D; Tavassoli, Teresa

    2017-06-01

    Sensory reactivity is a new criterion for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). However, there is no consensus on how to reliably measure sensory reactivity, particularly in minimally verbal individuals. The current study is an initial validation of the Sensory Assessment for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (SAND), a novel clinician-administered observation and corresponding caregiver interview that captures sensory symptoms based on DSM-5 criteria for ASD. Eighty children between the ages of 2 and 12 participated in this study; 44 children with ASD and 36 typically developing (TD) children. Sensory reactivity symptoms were measured using the SAND and the already validated Short Sensory Profile (SSP). Initial psychometric properties of the SAND were examined including reliability, validity, sensitivity and specificity. Children with ASD showed significantly more sensory reactivity symptoms compared to TD children across sensory domains (visual, tactile, and auditory) and within sensory subtypes (hyperreactivity, hyporeactivity and seeking). The SAND showed strong internal consistency, inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability, high sensitivity (95.5%) and specificity (91.7%), and strong convergent validity with the SSP. The SAND provides a novel method to characterize sensory reactivity symptoms based on DSM-5 criteria for ASD. This is the first known sensory assessment that combines a clinician-administered observation and caregiver interview to optimally capture sensory phenotypes characteristic of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. The SAND offers a beneficial new tool for both research and clinical purposes and has the potential to meaningfully enhance gold-standard assessment of ASD. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1133-1140. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Logic of Accounting: The Case of Reporting Previous Options in Norwegian Activation Encounters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solberg, Janne

    2017-01-01

    The article deals with the enactment of client resistance in Norwegian vocational rehabilitation encounters. More specific, a practice here called "reporting previous options" is analyzed by using the resources of ethnomethodological conversation analysis (CA) in five instances as doing some sort of accounting. In response to the…

  17. Effects of Parent Implemented Visual Schedule Routines for African American Children with ASD in Low-Income Home Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldman, Samantha E.; Glover, Carrie A.; Lloyd, Blair P.; Barton, Erin E.; Mello, Maria P.

    2018-01-01

    Low-income, minority families are underrepresented in the literature on parent training for school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although the use of visual supports, such as visual schedules, is considered to be an evidence-based practice for children with ASD in school, it is not known whether this strategy is effective for…

  18. They're Doing What? A Brief Paper on Service Use and Attitudes in ASD Community-Based Agencies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pickard, Katherine; Meza, Rosemary; Drahota, Amy; Brikho, Brigitte

    2018-01-01

    This brief article examines the community services delivered to youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a Southern Californian city as a way to better understand ASD service provision and service attitudes. Specific goals of the study were to identify the services being delivered within the area, and how the use, perceived evidence, and value…

  19. Granulomatous lobular mastitis: report of a case with previously undescribed histopathological abnormalities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Axelsen, R A; Reasbeck, P

    1988-10-01

    A 41-yr-old multiparous woman presented with a discrete breast lump which proved histologically to be an example of granulomatous lobular mastitis. The clinical and histological features were similar to those noted in previous reports. Additional histological features in the present case were an intense mononuclear cell infiltration of lobular and ductal epithelium, associated with nuclear fragments morphologically suggestive of apoptosis. These appearances, which have not previously been described, are illustrated, together with the more classical features of the condition well demonstrated by the present case. The novel histological features noted here suggest that the development of granulomatous lobular mastitis may be at least in part immunologically mediated, and that the cellular infiltrates seen may be a manifestation of cell-mediated destruction of mammary epithelium.

  20. ASD and schizophrenia show distinct developmental profiles in common genetic overlap with population-based social-communication difficulties

    OpenAIRE

    St Pourcain, B.; Robinson, E.; Anttila, V.; Sullivan, B.; Maller, J.; Golding, J.; Skuse, D.; Ring, S.; Evans, D.; Zammit, S.; Fisher, S.; Neale, B.; Anney, R.; Ripke, S.; Hollegaard, M.

    2017-01-01

    Difficulties in social communication are part of the phenotypic overlap between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and\\ud schizophrenia. Both conditions follow, however, distinct developmental patterns. Symptoms of ASD typically occur during early\\ud childhood, whereas most symptoms characteristic of schizophrenia do not appear before early adulthood. We investigated whether\\ud overlap in common genetic influences between these clinical conditions and impairments in social communication depends ...

  1. The Roles and Needs of Families of Adolescents with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Leann E.; Anderson, Kristy A.

    2014-01-01

    The transition of a student out of high school and into the adult world can be a stressful time for many families of high school students. This major life transition can be particularly challenging for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. In this article, we first discuss the roles of families in the transition process…

  2. The Right to Appropriate and Meaningful Education for Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marshall, David; Goodall, Craig

    2015-01-01

    This paper will explore from a "child's rights perspective" the "right" of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) to appropriate and meaningful education. Human "rights" principles within international law will be evaluated in relation to how they have been interpreted and applied in relation to achieving this…

  3. Family Generated and Delivered Social Story Intervention: Acquisition, Maintenance, and Generalization of Social Skills in Youths with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olcay-Gül, Seray; Tekin-Iftar, Elif

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine whether (a) family members were able to learn to write a social story and deliver social story intervention to teach social skills to their children (age 12 to 16) with ASD, (b) youths with ASD acquired and maintained the targeted social skills and generalized these skills across novel situations. Multiple…

  4. The right to appropriate and meaningful education for children with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marshall, David; Goodall, Craig

    2015-10-01

    This paper will explore from a 'child's rights perspective' the 'right' of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) to appropriate and meaningful education. Human 'rights' principles within international law will be evaluated in relation to how they have been interpreted and applied in relation to achieving this 'right'. The International Convention of the Rights of the Child (United Nations in Convention on the rights of the child, office of the high commissioner, United Nations, Geneva, 1989) and the convention on the rights of the person with disability (United Nations in Convention on the rights of person's with disabilities and optional protocol, office of the high commissioner, United Nations, Geneva, 2006) amongst others will be utilised to argue the case for 'inclusive' educational opportunities to be a 'right' of every child on the autistic spectrum. The efficacy of mainstream inclusion is explored, identifying the position that a 'one size fits all' model of education is not appropriate for all children with ASD.

  5. A global model of stress in parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pilar Pozo

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This research sought to analyse stress among mothers and fathers of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD to determine the relevant variables for its explanation and the possible gender differences. To examine parents' stress, we propose a multidimensional model based on the Double ABCX theoretical model. We argue that the result of stress depends on the following four interrelated factors: the characteristics of the individual with ASD (the severity of the disorder and behaviour problems, the social supports, the parents' perception of the situation (evaluated by sense of coherence and the coping strategies. Fiftynine sets of parents (59 mothers and 59 fathers of individuals diagnosed with ASD participated in the study. The data were analysed using a path analysis through the LISREL 8.80 program. We obtained two empirical models of stress: one model for mothers and one for fathers. In both models, the severity of the disorder and the behaviour problems had a direct and positive effect on stress. The sense of coherence (SOC and active avoidance coping strategies had a mediating role in models. Social support was relevant only for mothers. Finally, the results offer some guidelines for professionals working with families.

  6. Nonmedical interventions for children with ASD: recommended guidelines and further research needs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maglione, Margaret A; Gans, Daphna; Das, Lopamudra; Timbie, Justin; Kasari, Connie

    2012-11-01

    To use the findings of a systematic review of scientific evidence to develop consensus guidelines on nonmedical interventions that address cognitive function and core deficits in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and to recommend priorities for future research. The guidelines were developed by a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) consisting of practitioners, researchers, and parents. A systematic overview of research findings was presented to the TEP; guideline statements were drafted, discussed, debated, edited, reassessed, and presented for formal voting. The strength of evidence of efficacy varied by intervention type from insufficient to moderate. There was some evidence that greater intensity of treatment (hours per week) and greater duration (in months) led to better outcomes. The TEP agreed that children with ASD should have access to at least 25 hours per week of comprehensive intervention to address social communication, language, play skills, and maladaptive behavior. They agreed that applied behavioral analysis, integrated behavioral/developmental programs, the Picture Exchange Communication System, and various social skills interventions have shown efficacy. Based on identified gaps, they recommend that future research focus on assessment and monitoring of outcomes, addressing the needs of pre/nonverbal children and adolescents, and identifying the most effective strategies, dose, and duration to improve specific core deficits. The creation of treatment guidelines and recommendations for future research represents an effort by leading experts to improve access to services for children with ASDs while acknowledging that the research evidence has many gaps.

  7. Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD) Combined with Soil Solarization for Root-Knot Nematode Control in Vegetable and Ornamental Crops in Florida

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) combined with soil solarization continues to be evaluated for management of plant-parasitic nematodes in vegetable and ornamental crops in Florida. ASD combines organic amendments and soil saturation to stimulate microbial activity and create anaerobic conditions...

  8. A new wire chamber front-end system, based on the ASD-8 B chip

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kruesemann, B.A.M.; Bassini, R.; Ellinghaus, F.; Frekers, D.; Hagemann, M.; Hannen, V.M.; Heynitz, H. von; Heyse, J.; Rakers, S.; Sohlbach, H.; Woertche, H.J.

    1999-01-01

    The Focal-Plane Polarimeter (FPP) for the Big-Bite Spectrometer van den Berg (Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B 99 (1995) 637ff) at the KVI requires the read-out of four large-area MWPCs and two VDCs with 3872 wires in total. The EUROSUPERNOVA collaboration (SNOVA) developed a digital 16 channel preamplifier front-end board, housing two amplifier-shaper-discriminatorchips ASD-8 B. The main features of this board are a fast single-wire readout, a high integration density, a low power consumption and compatibility to common instrumentation standards. The board represents the first successfully running application of the ASD-8 for wire chamber readout. (author)

  9. Cortical and Subcortical Brain Morphometry Differences Between Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Healthy Individuals Across the Lifespan: Results From the ENIGMA ASD Working Group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Rooij, Daan; Anagnostou, Evdokia; Arango, Celso; Auzias, Guillaume; Behrmann, Marlene; Busatto, Geraldo F; Calderoni, Sara; Daly, Eileen; Deruelle, Christine; Di Martino, Adriana; Dinstein, Ilan; Duran, Fabio Luis Souza; Durston, Sarah; Ecker, Christine; Fair, Damien; Fedor, Jennifer; Fitzgerald, Jackie; Freitag, Christine M; Gallagher, Louise; Gori, Ilaria; Haar, Shlomi; Hoekstra, Liesbeth; Jahanshad, Neda; Jalbrzikowski, Maria; Janssen, Joost; Lerch, Jason; Luna, Beatriz; Martinho, Mauricio Moller; McGrath, Jane; Muratori, Filippo; Murphy, Clodagh M; Murphy, Declan G M; O'Hearn, Kirsten; Oranje, Bob; Parellada, Mara; Retico, Alessandra; Rosa, Pedro; Rubia, Katya; Shook, Devon; Taylor, Margot; Thompson, Paul M; Tosetti, Michela; Wallace, Gregory L; Zhou, Fengfeng; Buitelaar, Jan K

    2018-04-01

    Neuroimaging studies show structural differences in both cortical and subcortical brain regions in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with healthy subjects. Findings are inconsistent, however, and it is unclear how differences develop across the lifespan. The authors investigated brain morphometry differences between individuals with ASD and healthy subjects, cross-sectionally across the lifespan, in a large multinational sample from the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics Through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) ASD working group. The sample comprised 1,571 patients with ASD and 1,651 healthy control subjects (age range, 2-64 years) from 49 participating sites. MRI scans were preprocessed at individual sites with a harmonized protocol based on a validated automated-segmentation software program. Mega-analyses were used to test for case-control differences in subcortical volumes, cortical thickness, and surface area. Development of brain morphometry over the lifespan was modeled using a fractional polynomial approach. The case-control mega-analysis demonstrated that ASD was associated with smaller subcortical volumes of the pallidum, putamen, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens (effect sizes [Cohen's d], 0.13 to -0.13), as well as increased cortical thickness in the frontal cortex and decreased thickness in the temporal cortex (effect sizes, -0.21 to 0.20). Analyses of age effects indicate that the development of cortical thickness is altered in ASD, with the largest differences occurring around adolescence. No age-by-ASD interactions were observed in the subcortical partitions. The ENIGMA ASD working group provides the largest study of brain morphometry differences in ASD to date, using a well-established, validated, publicly available analysis pipeline. ASD patients showed altered morphometry in the cognitive and affective parts of the striatum, frontal cortex, and temporal cortex. Complex developmental trajectories were observed for the different

  10. Distinct effects of ASD and ADHD symptoms on reward anticipation in participants with ADHD, their unaffected siblings and healthy controls: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Dongen, Eelco V; von Rhein, Daniel; O'Dwyer, Laurence; Franke, Barbara; Hartman, Catharina A; Heslenfeld, Dirk J; Hoekstra, Pieter J; Oosterlaan, Jaap; Rommelse, Nanda; Buitelaar, Jan

    2015-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits are continuously distributed throughout the population, and ASD symptoms are also frequently observed in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Both ASD and ADHD have been linked to alterations in reward-related neural processing. However, whether both symptom domains interact and/or have distinct effects on reward processing in healthy and ADHD populations is currently unknown. We examined how variance in ASD and ADHD symptoms in individuals with ADHD and healthy participants was related to the behavioural and neural response to reward during a monetary incentive delay (MID) task. Participants (mean age: 17.7 years, range: 10-28 years) from the NeuroIMAGE study with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD (n = 136), their unaffected siblings (n = 83), as well as healthy controls (n = 105) performed an MID task in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. ASD and ADHD symptom scores were used as predictors of the neural response to reward anticipation and reward receipt. Behavioural responses were modeled using linear mixed models; neural responses were analysed using FMRIB's Software Library (FSL) proprietary mixed effects analysis (FLAMEO). ASD and ADHD symptoms were associated with alterations in BOLD activity during reward anticipation, but not reward receipt. Specifically, ASD scores were related to increased insular activity during reward anticipation across the sample. No interaction was found between this effect and the presence of ADHD, suggesting that ASD symptoms had no differential effect in ADHD and healthy populations. ADHD symptom scores were associated with reduced dorsolateral prefrontal activity during reward anticipation. No interactions were found between the effects of ASD and ADHD symptoms on reward processing. Variance in ASD and ADHD symptoms separately influence neural processing during reward anticipation in both individuals with (an increased risk of) ADHD and healthy

  11. How Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Spontaneously Attend to Real-World Scenes: Use of a Change Blindness Paradigm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hochhauser, Michal; Aran, Adi; Grynszpan, Ouriel

    2018-01-01

    Visual attention of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was assessed using a change blindness paradigm. Twenty-five adolescents with ASD aged 12-18 years and 25 matched typically developing (TD) adolescents viewed 36 pairs of digitized real-world images. Each pair of images was displayed in a "flicker paradigm" whereby a…

  12. Visual Scanning Patterns during the Dimensional Change Card Sorting Task in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Yi

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Impaired cognitive flexibility in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD has been reported in previous literature. The present study explored ASD children’s visual scanning patterns during the Dimensional Change Card Sorting (DCCS task using eye-tracking technique. ASD and typical developing (TD children completed the standardized DCCS procedure on the computer while their eye movements were tracked. Behavioral results confirmed previous findings on ASD children’s deficits in executive function. ASD children’s visual scanning patterns also showed some specific underlying processes in the DCCS task compared to TD children. For example, ASD children looked shorter at the correct card in the postswitch phase and spent longer time at blank areas than TD children did. ASD children did not show a bias to the color dimension as TD children did. The correlations between the behavioral performance and eye moments were also discussed.

  13. Convergence of circuit dysfunction in ASD: a common bridge between diverse genetic and environmental risk factors and common clinical electrophysiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Port, Russell G; Gandal, Michael J; Roberts, Timothy P L; Siegel, Steven J; Carlson, Gregory C

    2014-01-01

    Most recent estimates indicate that 1 in 68 children are affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Though decades of research have uncovered much about these disorders, the pathological mechanism remains unknown. Hampering efforts is the seeming inability to integrate findings over the micro to macro scales of study, from changes in molecular, synaptic and cellular function to large-scale brain dysfunction impacting sensory, communicative, motor and cognitive activity. In this review, we describe how studies focusing on neuronal circuit function provide unique context for identifying common neurobiological disease mechanisms of ASD. We discuss how recent EEG and MEG studies in subjects with ASD have repeatedly shown alterations in ensemble population recordings (both in simple evoked related potential latencies and specific frequency subcomponents). Because these disease-associated electrophysiological abnormalities have been recapitulated in rodent models, studying circuit differences in these models may provide access to abnormal circuit function found in ASD. We then identify emerging in vivo and ex vivo techniques, focusing on how these assays can characterize circuit level dysfunction and determine if these abnormalities underlie abnormal clinical electrophysiology. Such circuit level study in animal models may help us understand how diverse genetic and environmental risks can produce a common set of EEG, MEG and anatomical abnormalities found in ASD.

  14. Convergence of Circuit Dysfunction in ASD: A common bridge between diverse genetic and environmental risk factors and common clinical neurophysiology.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Russell G Port

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Most recent estimates indicate that 1 in 68 children are affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD. Though decades of research have uncovered much about these disorders, the pathological mechanism remains unknown. Hampering efforts is the seeming inability to integrate findings over the micro to macro scales of study, from changes in molecular, synaptic and cellular function to large-scale brain dysfunction impacting sensory, communicative, motor and cognitive activity. In this review, we describe how studies focusing on neuronal circuit function provide unique context for identifying common neurobiological disease mechanisms of ASD. We discuss how recent EEG and MEG studies in subjects with ASD have repeatedly shown alterations in ensemble population recordings (both in simple evoked related potential latencies and specific frequency subcomponents. Because these disease-associated electrophysiological abnormalities have been recapitulated in rodent models, studying circuit differences in these models may provide access to abnormal circuit function found in ASD. We then identify emerging in-vivo and ex-vivo techniques, focusing on how these assays can characterize circuit level dysfunction and determine if these abnormalities underlie abnormal clinical electrophysiology. Such circuit level study in animal models may help us understand how diverse genetic and environmental risks can produce a common set of EEG, MEG and anatomical abnormalities found in ASD.

  15. Convergence of circuit dysfunction in ASD: a common bridge between diverse genetic and environmental risk factors and common clinical electrophysiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Port, Russell G.; Gandal, Michael J.; Roberts, Timothy P. L.; Siegel, Steven J.; Carlson, Gregory C.

    2014-01-01

    Most recent estimates indicate that 1 in 68 children are affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Though decades of research have uncovered much about these disorders, the pathological mechanism remains unknown. Hampering efforts is the seeming inability to integrate findings over the micro to macro scales of study, from changes in molecular, synaptic and cellular function to large-scale brain dysfunction impacting sensory, communicative, motor and cognitive activity. In this review, we describe how studies focusing on neuronal circuit function provide unique context for identifying common neurobiological disease mechanisms of ASD. We discuss how recent EEG and MEG studies in subjects with ASD have repeatedly shown alterations in ensemble population recordings (both in simple evoked related potential latencies and specific frequency subcomponents). Because these disease-associated electrophysiological abnormalities have been recapitulated in rodent models, studying circuit differences in these models may provide access to abnormal circuit function found in ASD. We then identify emerging in vivo and ex vivo techniques, focusing on how these assays can characterize circuit level dysfunction and determine if these abnormalities underlie abnormal clinical electrophysiology. Such circuit level study in animal models may help us understand how diverse genetic and environmental risks can produce a common set of EEG, MEG and anatomical abnormalities found in ASD. PMID:25538564

  16. Callous-unemotional traits moderate executive function in children with ASD and ADHD: A pilot event-related potential study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Tye

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD are associated with varied executive function (EF difficulties. Callous-unemotional (CU traits, a proposed antecedent of adult psychopathy, are often associated with intact or enhanced EF. Here we test whether CU traits may therefore modulate EF in ASD and ADHD, in which EF is typically impaired. We collected CU traits and measured event-related potentials (ERPs that index EF during a cued-continuous performance test (CPT-OX in boys with ASD, ADHD, comorbid ASD + ADHD and typical controls. We examined attentional orienting at cues (Cue-P3, inhibitory processing at non-targets (NoGo-P3 and conflict monitoring between target and non-target trials (Go-N2 vs. NoGo-N2. In children with ASD, higher CU traits were associated with an enhanced increase in N2 amplitude in NoGo trials compared to Go trials, which suggests relatively superior conflict monitoring and a potential cognitive strength associated with CU traits. The results emphasise the importance of considering the effects of co-occurring traits in the assessment of heterogeneity of EF profiles in neurodevelopmental disorders.

  17. Children with ASD Can Use Gaze in Support of Word Recognition and Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGregor, Karla K.; Rost, Gwyneth; Arenas, Rick; Farris-Trimble, Ashley; Stiles, Derek

    2013-01-01

    Background: Many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle to understand familiar words and learn unfamiliar words. We explored the extent to which these problems reflect deficient use of probabilistic gaze in the

  18. The Effectiveness of Holistic Multi-dimensional Treatment Model (HMTM in the Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Hojati

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD belong to the pervasive neurodevelopmental disorders. The prevalence of ASD has increased significantly throughout recent decades, bringing the overall estimated prevalence to 11.3 per 1000 children. ASD is characterized by severe difficulties in reciprocal social interaction, stereotyped patterns of behavior and profound impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication. Materials and Method: In this experimental study, 150 children with ASD, who referred to psychiatry clinics of children in two Mashhad academic Hospitals-Iran, were enrolled. At the first, they divided into 3 groups (N=50 patients in each group. All groups were educated and treated with Holistic Multidimensional Treatment Model (HMTM method but for different periods: one, two, and three years. Data analysis was done using ANOVA and ANCOVA test. Results: 78% of participants were boys. According to the results, 26% of participants after one year treatment, 44% after two years and 52% after three years treatment improved. The participants’ symptoms of behavioral, cognitive and physical function declined in 3 groups significantly (p

  19. Tulip deformity with Cera atrial septal defect devices: a report of 3 cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohli, Vikas

    2015-02-01

    Device closure of secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) is the treatment of choice when anatomy is favourable. Amplatzer device has remained the gold standard for closure of ASD. Cobra deformity is a well-reported problem with devices. Recently, Tulip deformity has been reported in a single case. We report a series of cases where we noted Tulip deformity along with inability to retract the device in the sheath in Cera Lifetech devices. This resulted in prolongation of procedure, excessive fluoroscopic exposure and additional interventional procedures not usually anticipated in ASD device closure. We believe that the problem is due to the stiffness of the device resulting in its inability to be retracted into the sheath. We also report a unique way of retrieving the device.

  20. Context and Communication Strategies in Naturalistic Behavioural Intervention: A Framework for Understanding How Practitioners Facilitate Communication in Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sowden, Hannah; Perkins, Mick; Clegg, Judy

    2011-01-01

    There are many different approaches to intervention aimed at facilitating the social and communicative abilities of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Behavioural interventions seek to improve the social and communicative abilities of children with ASD through interaction. Recently there has been a move towards naturalistic…

  1. Sibling Influences on Theory of Mind Development for Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, Karen; Slaughter, Virginia; Peterson, Candida C.

    2011-01-01

    Background: Research indicates that having child siblings is positively associated with theory of mind (ToM) in typically developing children. As ToM is important to everyday social behaviours it is important to extend this research to examine whether there are similar sibling effects for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Methods:…

  2. Social Competence Intervention in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDS) - A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amin, Noor A.; Oweini, Ahmad

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this case study was to determine the effectiveness of a combined intervention in remediating the social skills in a first-grader with a disorder from the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The researcher also aimed to identify the changes observed during the intervention period. The combined intervention consisted of reading…

  3. ASD IC for the thin gap chambers in the LHC Atlas experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasaki, Osamu; Yoshida, Mitsuhiro

    1999-01-01

    An amplifier-shaper-discriminator (ASD) chip was designed and built for Thin Gap Chambers in the forward muon trigger system of the LHC Atlas experiment. The ASD IC uses SONY Analog Master Slice bipolar technology. The IC contains 4 channels in a QFP48 package. The gain of its first stage (preamplifier) is approximately 0.8V/pC and output from the preamplifier is received by a shaper (main-amplifier) with a gain of 7. The baseline restoration circuit is incorporated in the main-amplifier. The threshold voltage for discriminator section is common to the 4 channels and their digital output level is LVDS-compatible. The IC also has analog output of the preamplifier. The equivalent noise charge at input capacitance of 150 pF is around 7,500 electrons. The power dissipation with LDVS outputs (100 Omega load) is 59mW/ch

  4. ASD IC for the thin gap chambers in the LHC ATLAS experiment

    CERN Document Server

    Sasaki, O

    1998-01-01

    An amplifier-shaper-discriminator (ASD) chip was designed and built for Thin Gap Chambers in the forward muon trigger system of the LHC ATLAS experiment. The ASD IC uses SONY Analog Master Slice bipolar technology. The IC contains 4 $9 channels in a QFP48 package. The gain of its first stage (preamplifier) is approximately 0.8 V/pC and output from the preamplifier is received by a shaper (main-amplifier) with a gain of 7. The baseline restoration circuit is $9 incorporated in the main-amplifier. The threshold voltage for the discriminator section is common to the 4 channels and their digital output level is LVDS-compatible. The IC also has analog output for the preamplifier. The equivalent $9 noise charge at input capacitance of 150 pF is around 7500 electrons. The power dissipation with LDVS outputs (100 Omega load) is 59 mW/ch. (8 refs).

  5. ASD IC for the thin gap chambers in the LHC ATLAS Experiment

    CERN Document Server

    Sasaki, O

    1999-01-01

    An amplifier-shaper-discriminator (ASD) chip was designed and built for Thin Gap Chambers in the forward muon trigger system of the LHC Atlas experiment. The ASD IC uses SONY Analog Master Slice bipolar technology. The IC contains 4 channels in a QFP48 package. The gain of its first stage (preamplifier) is approximately 0.8 V/pC and output from the preamplifier is received by a shaper (main-amplifier) with a gain of 7. The baseline restoration circuit is incorporated in the main-amplifier. The threshold voltage for discriminator section is common to the 4 channels and their digital output level is LVDS- compatible. The IC also has analog output of the preamplifier. The equivalent noise charge at input capacitance of 150 pF is around 7500 electrons. The power dissipation with LDVS outputs (100 Omega load) is 59 mW/ch.

  6. Muscle-specific splicing factors ASD-2 and SUP-12 cooperatively switch alternative pre-mRNA processing patterns of the ADF/cofilin gene in Caenorhabditis elegans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Genta Ohno

    Full Text Available Pre-mRNAs are often processed in complex patterns in tissue-specific manners to produce a variety of protein isoforms from single genes. However, mechanisms orchestrating the processing of the entire transcript are not well understood. Muscle-specific alternative pre-mRNA processing of the unc-60 gene in Caenorhabditis elegans, encoding two tissue-specific isoforms of ADF/cofilin with distinct biochemical properties in regulating actin organization, provides an excellent in vivo model of complex and tissue-specific pre-mRNA processing; it consists of a single first exon and two separate series of downstream exons. Here we visualize the complex muscle-specific processing pattern of the unc-60 pre-mRNA with asymmetric fluorescence reporter minigenes. By disrupting juxtaposed CUAAC repeats and UGUGUG stretch in intron 1A, we demonstrate that these elements are required for retaining intron 1A, as well as for switching the processing patterns of the entire pre-mRNA from non-muscle-type to muscle-type. Mutations in genes encoding muscle-specific RNA-binding proteins ASD-2 and SUP-12 turned the colour of the unc-60 reporter worms. ASD-2 and SUP-12 proteins specifically and cooperatively bind to CUAAC repeats and UGUGUG stretch in intron 1A, respectively, to form a ternary complex in vitro. Immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR analyses demonstrate that ASD-2 and SUP-12 are also required for switching the processing patterns of the endogenous unc-60 pre-mRNA from UNC-60A to UNC-60B in muscles. Furthermore, systematic analyses of partially spliced RNAs reveal the actual orders of intron removal for distinct mRNA isoforms. Taken together, our results demonstrate that muscle-specific splicing factors ASD-2 and SUP-12 cooperatively promote muscle-specific processing of the unc-60 gene, and provide insight into the mechanisms of complex pre-mRNA processing; combinatorial regulation of a single splice site by two tissue-specific splicing regulators

  7. A systematic review and meta-analysis of comprehensive interventions for pre-school children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoshiyuki Tachibana

    Full Text Available There has an increasing number of published trials on psychosocial intervention programmes for pre-school children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD. To achieve better quality of unbiased evidence for the effectiveness of ASD interventions, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive review that covers studies with adequate quality standards, such as randomised controlled trials (RCTs, and different types of intervention In this study, we categorize interventions for ASD as behavioural, social-communication focused, and multimodal developmental based on Howlin's classification of early interventions for children with ASD. The aim of this study was to compare these three models and investigate the strengths and weaknesses of each type of intervention and to identify the approaches that contribute to a successful outcome for children with autism.We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis. We included RCTs targeting children with ASD 6 years old or younger. A random effects model was used to present the effect estimate for the outcomes. This study also performed combined meta-analyses of all the three models to investigate the overall effectiveness of the intervention programmes.32 randomized controlled studies were found to be eligible for inclusion. The synthesized data included 594 children from 14 RCTs. There was no statistically significant difference in the effects on autism general symptoms between the social-communication-focused model and the multimodal developmental model (p = 0.83. The results suggest that there is evidence of an effect on 'reciprocity of social interaction towards others' (standard mean difference [95% confidential interval] = 0.53[0.29,0.78], p<0.01 and 'parental synchrony' (SMD = 0.99[0.70,1.29], p<0.01.The small number of studies included in the present study limited the ability to make inferences when comparing the three models and investigating the strengths and weaknesses of each type of intervention with

  8. Factors Affecting Age at ASD Diagnosis in UK: No Evidence That Diagnosis Age Has Decreased between 2004 and 2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brett, Denise; Warnell, Frances; McConachie, Helen; Parr, Jeremy R.

    2016-01-01

    Clinical initiatives have aimed to reduce the age at ASD diagnosis in the UK. This study investigated whether the median age at diagnosis in childhood has reduced in recent years, and identified the factors associated with earlier diagnosis in the UK. Data on 2,134 children with ASD came from two large family databases. Results showed that the age…

  9. [A therapeutic education program for parents of children with ASD: Preliminary results about the effectiveness of the ETAP program].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Derguy, C; Poumeyreau, M; Pingault, S; M'bailara, K

    2017-11-24

    Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by particularities of cognitive and socio-adaptive functioning. Daily, they require specific interventions for the disabled person as well as support for parents who often report deterioration in their physical and mental health. To this end, the latest Autism Plan 2013-2017 highlights the need "to help families to be present and active alongside their loved ones, to avoid situations of exhaustion and stress and to enable them to play their role fully in the long term". The support devices must therefore be based on an analysis of the parents' needs and propose multiple intervention modalities, which respond to the complexity of the caregiving mission. Therapeutic education (TE) seems to answer to these different elements by proposing a global approach improving the development of child-centered skills and the educational challenges (self-care skills) but also of skills centered on the projects and the fulfillment of the parent (psychosocial skills). The ETAP (Therapeutic Education Autism and Parenting) program is an initial TE offer intended for parents of children with ASD aged between 3 and 10years. It consists of seven group sessions and two semi-structured interviews, called educational diagnosis. A booster session is also proposed three months after the last session. It was developed following rigorously the guidelines on program construction, published by the High Authority of Health. In addition, it is based on an assessment of the needs of the parents, an in-depth analysis of the literature and the opinion of nine experts in this area. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the ETAP program on the quality of life and anxio-depressive symptoms of parents of a child with ASD. To our knowledge, the ETAP program is the first TE program in France for parents of children with an ASD that has been evaluated. Our sample is composed of 40 participants, including 30 parents who participated

  10. Study on transcatheter ASD occlusion using modified atrial septal defect occluder with no stainless steel screw in canine model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xuan Bin; Qin Yongwen; Hu Jianqiang; Wu Hong

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the safety, biocompatibility and efficacy of transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) with no stainless-steel-screw occluder in canine model. Methods: The device was constructed from superelastic Nitinol wires tightly woven into two flat disks and sewed with polyester fibers inside, with a pliable loop on the right-atrial-disk of the device, connecting to the delivery cable. ASD was created by transcatheter puncture and balloon dilatation and then closed by occluder under fluoroscopy in the catheterization laboratory. the location and the influence of the implanted device on function of tricuspid valve and mitral valve were evaluated by echocardiography. At 1, 2, 3 and 6 months after the operation, the animals were killed and autopsy was conducted. Results: Eight dogs with puncture-produced ASD underwent ASD closing procedure successfully. the occluder showed no influence on the function of MV and AV demonstrated by echocardiogram. The two disks of the implanted device were covered with a smooth intact neogenesis layer in all dogs. Endocardial cells fully covered the surface of the two disk without inflammating reaction 3 months later. There was no evidence of corrosion on the surface of the nitinol wire removed from the dog after 6 months. Light microscopic examination of the liver, kidney, lung and spleen showed no evidence of embolization and inflammation. Conclusion: Transcatheter ASD occlusion with new-type occluder is safe, feasible, effective and good biocompatibility with a good prospective clinical application. (authors)

  11. Conversational Behaviors in Youth with High-Functioning ASD and Asperger Syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, Rhea; Orlovski, Stephanie Miles; Marcinko, Hillary Chuba; Volkmar, Fred

    2009-01-01

    Twenty-nine youth with autism spectrum disorders and 26 with typical development between 12 and 18 years of age were engaged in structured interviews (ADOS). The interviews were videotaped and rated for atypical conversational behaviors by trained raters, using the Pragmatic Rating Scale (Landa et al. "Psychol Med" 22:245-254, 1992). The ASD group…

  12. Eden Institute: Using Health Games for ASD Student and Staff Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferguson, Moderator Bill; McCool, Participants Thomas; Gasdia, Dominique; Sharp, Tim; Breeman, Lisa; Parikh, Nish; Taub, Bob; Finkler, Nina

    2013-02-01

    Eden Autism Services is a leading-edge resource for children and adults suffering from more severe effects of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The strategic use of games in the development of students, staff, teachers, parents, friends, and employers has advanced the quality of life of Eden's students and, consequently, their relationships, productivity, and happiness.

  13. The Inclusion of Children with ASD: Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a Theoretical Framework to Explore Peer Attitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freitag, Sara; Dunsmuir, Sandra

    2015-01-01

    This study used the Theory of Planned Behaviour to explore the attitudes, behavioural intentions and behaviour of 318 mainstream primary school children in an urban East London borough towards peers with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Pupils were presented with a vignette about a hypothetical peer with ASD then completed self-report…

  14. Self-reported previous knee injury and low knee function increase knee injury risk in adolescent female football

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clausen, Mikkel Bek; Tang, L; Zebis, M K

    2016-01-01

    with low KOOS subscale scores (Sport/Recreational (RR: 2.2) and Quality of Life (RR: 3.0) (P time-loss knee...... questionnaires were collected at baseline. Time-loss knee injuries and football exposures were reported weekly by answers to standardized text-message questions, followed by injury telephone interviews. A priori, self-reported previous knee injury and low KOOS subscale scores (... as independent variables in the risk factor analyses. The study showed that self-reported previous knee injury significantly increased the risk of time-loss knee injury [relative risk (RR): 3.65, 95% confidence (CI) 1.73-7.68; P time-loss knee injury was also significantly increased in players...

  15. The Physiological and Psychological Effects of Ostracism in Adults with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trimmer, Emily; McDonald, Skye; Kelly, Michelle; Rushby, Jacqueline Ann

    2017-01-01

    Whilst some form of ostracism is experienced by most people at some point in their lives, it is experienced far more often in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Little is known about how this social exclusion is interpreted, experienced or managed. This study aimed to explore the psychological (mood and social needs) as well as the…

  16. Tutorial: Teaching Verbal Behavior to Children with ASD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Einar T. INGVARSSON

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Early and intensive behavioral intervention has been shown to result in favorable outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder. Procedures and practices based on and influenced by B. F. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior (VB have been increasingly integrated into EIBI curricula in recent years. In this article, I give an overview of some basic tenets of VB as they pertain to behavioral interventions for children with ASD, with a special emphasis on the relevance of basic behavioral principles to verbal operants. Additionally, I provide a few examples of practical recommendations derived from VB.

  17. A Review of the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xiang; Allison, Carrie

    2010-01-01

    Electronic databases and bibliographies were searched for English language articles on the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Asia over time to estimate prevalence. The overall reported prevalence of ASD in recent studies was higher than the previously reported in Asia. The average prevalence of ASD before 1980 was around 1.9/10,000 while…

  18. The effects of video modeling in teaching functional living skills to persons with ASD: A meta-analysis of single-case studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Ee Rea; Ganz, Jennifer B; Mason, Rose; Morin, Kristi; Davis, John L; Ninci, Jennifer; Neely, Leslie C; Boles, Margot B; Gilliland, Whitney D

    2016-10-01

    Many individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show deficits in functional living skills, leading to low independence, limited community involvement, and poor quality of life. With development of mobile devices, utilizing video modeling has become more feasible for educators to promote functional living skills of individuals with ASD. This article aims to review the single-case experimental literature and aggregate results across studies involving the use of video modeling to improve functional living skills of individuals with ASD. The authors extracted data from single-case experimental studies and evaluated them using the Tau-U effect size measure. Effects were also differentiated by categories of potential moderators and other variables, including age of participants, concomitant diagnoses, types of video modeling, and outcome measures. Results indicate that video modeling interventions are overall moderately effective with this population and dependent measures. While significant differences were not found between categories of moderators and other variables, effects were found to be at least moderate for most of them. It is apparent that more single-case experiments are needed in this area, particularly with preschool and secondary-school aged participants, participants with ASD-only and those with high-functioning ASD, and for video modeling interventions addressing community access skills. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Activating KIR molecules and their cognate ligands prevail in children with a diagnosis of ASD and in their mothers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerini, Franca R; Bolognesi, Elisabetta; Chiappedi, Matteo; Manca, Salvatorica; Ghezzo, Alessandro; Agliardi, Cristina; Zanette, Michela; Littera, Roberto; Carcassi, Carlo; Sotgiu, Stefano; Clerici, Mario

    2014-02-01

    The activity of natural killer (NK) cells is modulated by the interaction between killer-cell immune globulin-like receptor (KIR) proteins and their cognate HLA ligands; activated NK cells produce inflammatory cytokines and mediate innate immune responses. Activating KIR/HLA complexes (aKIR/HLA) were recently suggested to prevail in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a neurodevelopmental syndrome characterized by brain and behavioral abnormalities and associated with a degree of inflammation. We verified whether such findings could be confirmed by analyzing two sample cohorts of Sardinian and continental Italian ASD children and their mothers. Results showed that aKIR/HLA are increased whereas inhibitory KIR/HLA complexes are reduced in ASD children; notably this skewing was even more significant in their mothers. KIR and HLA molecules are expressed by placental cells and by the trophoblast and their interactions result in immune activation and influence fetal, as well as central nervous system development and plasticity. Data herein suggest that in utero KIR/HLA immune interactions favor immune activation in ASD; this may play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Educational Interventions for Children with ASD: A Systematic Literature Review 2008-2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bond, Caroline; Symes, Wendy; Hebron, Judith; Humphrey, Neil; Morewood, Gareth; Woods, Kevin

    2016-01-01

    Systematic literature reviews can play a key role in underpinning evidence-based practice. To date, large-scale reviews of interventions for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have focused primarily on research quality. To assist practitioners, the current review adopted a broader framework which allowed for greater consideration of…

  1. Team Collaboration: The Use of Behavior Principles for Serving Students with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donaldson, Amy L.; Stahmer, Aubyn C.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and behavior analysts are key members of school-based teams that serve children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Behavior analysts approach assessment and intervention through the lens of applied behavior analysis (ABA). ABA-based interventions have been found effective for targeting skills across…

  2. Applying an ESSENCE Framework to Understanding Adult Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD: Retrospective Parent Reports of Childhood Problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephanie Plenty

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD are increasingly being made in adulthood. However, assessments can fail to address the diverse range of problems that patients have experienced. The current study applied an early symptomatic syndromes eliciting neurodevelopmental clinical examinations (ESSENCE framework to explore retrospectively reported childhood developmental and behavioral problems. It examined if adult ASD and ADHD patients would show problems outside those reflected in the respective diagnostic criteria, and also if these patient groups would show more extensive childhood problems than other psychiatric patients. Parents of adults with ADHD (n = 130, ASD (n = 57, coexisting ADHD and ASD (n = 38, and other psychiatric disorders (n = 56 reported on a range of childhood problems. Descriptions of the ADHD, ASD, and ADHD+ASD groups reflected greater impairment than descriptions for patients with other psychiatric disorders in most problem areas. Although differences were observed between ADHD and ASD patients in the core diagnostic areas, these syndromes also shared a number of childhood difficulties. The ESSENCE approach can assist in understanding the symptom history of adult ADHD and ASD patients and can be helpful to distinguish their childhood experiences from other psychiatric patients' experiences.

  3. Communication growth in minimally verbal children with ASD: The importance of interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiStefano, Charlotte; Shih, Wendy; Kaiser, Ann; Landa, Rebecca; Kasari, Connie

    2016-10-01

    Little is known about language development in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) who remain minimally verbal past age 5. While there is evidence that children can develop language after age 5, we lack detailed information. Studies of this population generally focus on discrete language skills without addressing broader social-communication abilities. As communication and social deficits are both inherent to ASD, an examination of not only what language skills are acquired, but how those skills are used in interactions is relevant. Research in typical development has examined how communication interchanges (unbroken back-and-forth exchanges around a unified purpose) develop, which can be used as a framework for studying minimally verbal children. This study examined the interchange use by 55 children with ASD over the course of a 6-month play and engagement-based communication intervention. Half of the children received intervention sessions that also incorporated a speech-generating device (SGD). Interchanges were coded by: frequency, length, function, and initiator (child or adult). Results indicated that children initiated a large proportion of interchanges and this proportion increased over time. The average length and number of interchanges increased over time, with children in the SGD group showing even greater growth. Finally, children's total number of interchanges at baseline was positively associated with their spoken language gains over the course of intervention. This study supports the crucial relationship between social engagement and expressive language development, and highlights the need to include sustained communication interchanges as a target for intervention with this population. Autism Res 2016, 9: 1093-1102. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. "Set in Stone" or "Ray of Hope": Parents' Beliefs about Cause and Prognosis after Genomic Testing of Children Diagnosed with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reiff, Marian; Bugos, Eva; Giarelli, Ellen; Bernhardt, Barbara A.; Spinner, Nancy B.; Sankar, Pamela L.; Mulchandani, Surabhi

    2017-01-01

    Despite increasing utilization of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), limited information exists about how results influence parents' beliefs about etiology and prognosis. We conducted in-depth interviews and surveys with 57 parents of children with ASD who received CMA results categorized as pathogenic,…

  5. ASD Is Not DLI: Individuals With Autism and Individuals With Syntactic DLI Show Similar Performance Level in Syntactic Tasks, but Different Error Patterns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nufar Sukenik

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Do individuals with autism have a developmental syntactic impairment, DLI (formerly known as SLI? In this study we directly compared the performance of 18 individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD aged 9;0–18;0 years with that of 93 individuals with Syntactic-Developmental Language Impairment (SyDLI aged 8;8–14;6 (and with 166 typically-developing children aged 5;2–18;1. We tested them using three syntactic tests assessing the comprehension and production of syntactic structures that are known to be sensitive to syntactic impairment: elicitation of subject and object relative clauses, reading and paraphrasing of object relatives, and repetition of complex syntactic structures including Wh questions, relative clauses, topicalized sentences, sentences with verb movement, sentences with A-movement, and embedded sentences. The results were consistent across the three tasks: the overall rate of correct performance on the syntactic tasks is similar for the children with ASD and those with SyDLI. However, once we look closer, they are very different. The types of errors of the ASD group differ from those of the SyDLI group—the children with ASD provide various types of pragmatically infelicitous responses that are not evinced in the SyDLI or in the age equivalent typically-developing groups. The two groups (ASD and SyDLI also differ in the pattern of performance—the children with SyDLI show a syntactically-principled pattern of impairment, with selective difficulty in specific sentence types (such as sentences derived by movement of the object across the subject, and normal performance on other structures (such as simple sentences. In contrast, the ASD participants showed generalized low performance on the various sentence structures. Syntactic performance was far from consistent within the ASD group. Whereas all ASD participants had errors that can originate in pragmatic/discourse difficulties, seven of them had completely normal syntax

  6. ASD Is Not DLI: Individuals With Autism and Individuals With Syntactic DLI Show Similar Performance Level in Syntactic Tasks, but Different Error Patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sukenik, Nufar; Friedmann, Naama

    2018-01-01

    Do individuals with autism have a developmental syntactic impairment, DLI (formerly known as SLI)? In this study we directly compared the performance of 18 individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) aged 9;0-18;0 years with that of 93 individuals with Syntactic-Developmental Language Impairment (SyDLI) aged 8;8-14;6 (and with 166 typically-developing children aged 5;2-18;1). We tested them using three syntactic tests assessing the comprehension and production of syntactic structures that are known to be sensitive to syntactic impairment: elicitation of subject and object relative clauses, reading and paraphrasing of object relatives, and repetition of complex syntactic structures including Wh questions, relative clauses, topicalized sentences, sentences with verb movement, sentences with A-movement, and embedded sentences. The results were consistent across the three tasks: the overall rate of correct performance on the syntactic tasks is similar for the children with ASD and those with SyDLI. However, once we look closer, they are very different. The types of errors of the ASD group differ from those of the SyDLI group-the children with ASD provide various types of pragmatically infelicitous responses that are not evinced in the SyDLI or in the age equivalent typically-developing groups. The two groups (ASD and SyDLI) also differ in the pattern of performance-the children with SyDLI show a syntactically-principled pattern of impairment, with selective difficulty in specific sentence types (such as sentences derived by movement of the object across the subject), and normal performance on other structures (such as simple sentences). In contrast, the ASD participants showed generalized low performance on the various sentence structures. Syntactic performance was far from consistent within the ASD group. Whereas all ASD participants had errors that can originate in pragmatic/discourse difficulties, seven of them had completely normal syntax in the structures we

  7. [Formula: see text]Executive functioning and its relation to ASD and ADHD symptomatology in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Sonneville, Leo M J; Hidding, Elske; van Engeland, Herman; Vorstman, Jacob A S; Sijmens-Morcus, Monique E J; Swaab, Hanna

    2018-01-01

    Children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS; velo-cardio-facial-syndrome) are at risk for the developmental disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, the relation between executive functioning (EF) and the severity of ADHD and ASD symptoms is examined, since EF is known to be important in relation to emotional and behavioral problems. The participants consist of 58 children (38 females) with a mean age of 13.5 years (SD 2.6). Standardized assessment was used to evaluate the severity of ASD and ADHD symptomatology. The major aspects of EF, i.e., cognitive flexibility, inhibition, sustained attention, distractibility, working memory and reaction speed, were evaluated. The profile of EF in 22q11DS was found to be characterized by weaker performance compared to the norms on all subdomains of EF. Poor cognitive flexibility and inhibition, as well as high distractibility, were found to be related to more severe ASD symptoms, while poor quality of sustained attention and high distractibility were found to be related to more severe ADHD symptoms. It is concluded that children with 22q11DS experience impairments in EF, and that the degree of impairment on specific EF subdomains is related to the severity of ASD and/or ADHD symptomatology. These results may help in defining the mediating role of neurocognitive dysfunctions in the development of social and behavioral problems in 22q11DS.

  8. Aging and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Naturalistic, Longitudinal Study of the Comorbidities and Behavioral and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Adults with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wise, Elizabeth A; Smith, Marcia D; Rabins, Peter V

    2017-06-01

    Little is known about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in persons over age 50. In a retrospective, naturalistic review of 74 individuals aged 30 and older meeting DSM-5 criteria for ASD, the point prevalence of behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms (BNPS) declined significantly for 12 of 13 BNPS over a mean of 25 years while many other features of ASD remained stable. GI disorders (68.9%) and seizure disorders (23%) were common, and 25.7% of the sample had a BMI >30. Females were more likely to engage in screaming (p < 0.05) and oppositional behavior (p < 0.05). Current age did not have a significant effect on BNPS prevalence.

  9. Teaching a Child with ASD to Approach Communication Partners and Use a Speech-Generating Device across Settings: Clinic, School, and Home

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waddington, Hannah; van der Meer, Larah; Carnett, Amarie; Sigafoos, Jeff

    2017-01-01

    Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulty generalizing newly acquired communication skills to different contexts. In this study, a multiple baseline across settings (clinic, school, and home) design was used to determine whether an 8-year-old boy with ASD could learn to approach communication partners to request…

  10. Implementing a Manualized, Classroom Transition Intervention for Students With ASD in Underresourced Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iadarola, Suzannah; Shih, Wendy; Dean, Michelle; Blanch, Erica; Harwood, Robin; Hetherington, Susan; Mandell, David; Kasari, Connie; Smith, Tristram

    2018-01-01

    Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in public education settings experience difficulties with transitions during classroom routines, which can result in challenging behavior. Single-subject research supports techniques for transitions, but school-based approaches often require resources and training unavailable in low-resource districts, limiting implementation. We developed and evaluated the Schedules, Tools, and Activities for Transitions (STAT) program, a short-term, manualized intervention of behavioral supports to support daily routine transitions for students with ASD (K-5) in underresourced districts. We utilized a multisite, cluster-randomized, group comparison design (immediate treatment versus waitlist) with matched pairs ( n = 150 students, 57 educators). Data indicated (a) no group differences for academic engagement or classroom independence, and (b) an advantage for STAT in reducing challenging behavior and increasing teacher fidelity. Results show preliminary support for an intervention that is feasible and perceived as sustainable in real-world settings.

  11. Do Parents and Clinicians Agree on Ratings of Autism-Related Behaviors at 12 Months of Age? A Study of Infants at High and Low Risk for ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macari, Suzanne L.; Wu, Grace C.; Powell, Kelly K.; Fontenelle, Scuddy, IV; Macris, Deanna M.; Chawarska, Katarzyna

    2018-01-01

    Given the emphasis on early screening for ASD, it is crucial to examine the concordance between parent report and clinician observation of autism-related behaviors. Similar items were compared from the First Year Inventory (Baranek et al. "First-Year Inventory (FYI) 2.0." University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2003), a parent…

  12. Reliability of the Autism Spectrum Disorder-Behavior Problems for Children (ASD-BPC)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matson, Johnny L.; Gonzalez, Melissa L.; Rivet, Tessa T.

    2008-01-01

    A considerable amount of attention has occurred with respect to the diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) of children and youth. Furthermore, the rationale for using the most restrictive of the applied behavior analysis methods and medication has been largely based on the presence of severe challenging behaviors such as…

  13. DSM-5 Changes and the Prevalence of Parent-Reported Autism Spectrum Symptoms in Fragile X Syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wheeler, Anne C.; Mussey, Joanna; Villagomez, Adrienne; Bishop, Ellen; Raspa, Melissa; Edwards, Anne; Bodfish, James; Bann, Carla; Bailey, Donald B.

    2015-01-01

    We used survey methodology to assess parent-reported autism symptomology in 758 individuals (639 males; 119 females) with fragile X syndrome (FXS). Caregivers reported whether their child with FXS had been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and endorsed symptoms based on a list of observable behaviors related to ASD diagnoses.…

  14. Feasibility, Acceptability and Preliminary Treatment Outcomes in a School-Based CBT Intervention Program for Adolescents with ASD and Anxiety in Singapore

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drmic, Irene E.; Aljunied, Mariam; Reaven, Judy

    2017-01-01

    Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at high risk for anxiety difficulties and disorders. Clinic-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective; however, few published school-based CBT programs for youth with ASD exist. In this study, the Facing Your Fears CBT protocol was adapted for delivery and piloted within a school…

  15. A randomized controlled trial of the Korean version of the PEERS(®) parent-assisted social skills training program for teens with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Hee-Jeong; Bahn, Geonho; Cho, In-Hee; Kim, Eun-Kyung; Kim, Joo-Hyun; Min, Jung-Won; Lee, Won-Hye; Seo, Jun-Seong; Jun, Sang-Shin; Bong, Guiyoung; Cho, Soochurl; Shin, Min-Sup; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Kim, Jae-Won; Park, Subin; Laugeson, Elizabeth A

    2014-02-01

    Impaired social functioning is a hallmark feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), often requiring treatment throughout the life span. PEERS(®) (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) is a parent-assisted social skills training for teens with ASD. Although PEERS(®) has an established evidence base in improving the social skills of adolescents and young adults with ASD in North America, the efficacy of this treatment has yet to be established in cross-cultural validation trials. The objective of this study is to examine the feasibility and treatment efficacy of a Korean version of PEERS(®) for enhancing social skills through a randomized controlled trial (RCT).The English version of the PEERS(®) Treatment Manual (Laugeson & Frankel, 2010) was translated into Korean and reviewed by 21 child mental health professionals. Items identified as culturally sensitive were surveyed by 447 middle school students, and material was modified accordingly. Participants included 47 teens between 12 and 18 years of age with a diagnosis of ASD and a verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) ≥ 65. Eligible teens were randomly assigned to a treatment group (TG) or delayed treatment control group (CG). Primary outcome measures included questionnaires and direct observations quantifying social ability and problems directly related to ASD. Secondary outcome measures included scales for depressive symptoms, anxiety, and other behavioral problems. Rating scales for parental depressive symptoms and anxiety were examined to detect changes in parental psychosocial functioning throughout the PEERS(®) treatment. Independent samples t-tests revealed no significant differences at baseline across the TG and CG conditions with regard to age (14.04 ± 1.64 and 13.54 ± 1.50 years), IQ (99.39 ± 18.09 & 100.67 ± 16.97), parental education, socioeconomic status, or ASD symptoms (p social interaction domain scores on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, interpersonal

  16. Brief Report: Diminished Gaze Preference for Dynamic Social Interaction Scenes in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaffer, Rebecca C; Pedapati, Ernest V; Shic, Frederick; Gaietto, Kristina; Bowers, Katherine; Wink, Logan K; Erickson, Craig A

    2017-02-01

    In this study, we present an eye-tracking paradigm, adapted from previous work with toddlers, for assessing social-interaction looking preferences in youth ages 5-17 with ASD and typically-developing controls (TDC). Videos of children playing together (Social Scenes, SS) were presented side-by-side with animated geometric shapes (GS). Participants with ASD demonstrated reduced SS preferences compared to TDC, results also represented continuously by associations between higher SS preferences and fewer social difficulties across the combined sample. Exploratory analyses identified associations between increased SS preferences and higher Vineland Daily Living Skills in ASD and suggested SS preferences in TDC females might drive ASD versus TDC between-group differences. These findings describe potentially sex-linked couplings between preferences for social information and social functioning in school-aged children.

  17. Effectiveness of the gluten-free, casein-free diet for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: based on parental report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pennesi, Christine M; Klein, Laura Cousino

    2012-03-01

    Studies on the gluten-free and/or casein-free (GFCF) dietary intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) suggest that some children may positively respond to implementation of the dietary intervention. Other research suggests that children diagnosed with ASD can be classified into subpopulations based on various factors, including gastrointestinal (GI) abnormalities and immune function. This study analyzes parental report data collected using a 90-item online questionnaire from 387 parents or primary caregivers of children diagnosed with ASD on the efficacy of the GFCF diet. Parents reported on their child's GI symptoms, food allergy diagnoses, and suspected food sensitivities, as well as the degree and length of their diet implementation. Overall, diet efficacy among children whose parents reported the presence of GI symptoms, food allergy diagnoses, and suspected food sensitivities included greater improvement in ASD behaviors, physiological symptoms, and social behaviors compared with children whose parents reported none of these symptoms, diagnoses, or sensitivities (P diet implementation, indicated by complete gluten/casein elimination and infrequent diet errors during and outside of parental care, also corresponded to improvement in ASD behaviors, physiological symptoms, and social behaviors (P diet implementation and GI and immune factors may play a role in differentiating diet responders from diet non-responders and substantiate the importance of further investigations into the various, nuanced factors that influence efficacy of the intervention among children with ASDs.

  18. Deciphering potential mechanisms of anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD)-mediated control of Pratylenchus penetrans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pratylenchus penetrans is a component of the apple replant disease (ARD) causal pathogen complex. The potential role for biological mechanisms contributing to ASD-mediated suppression of P. penetrans was examined in greenhouse study using orchard soil with a history of ARD. Populations of P. penetra...

  19. How Anxious Do You Think I Am? Relationship between State and Trait Anxiety in Children with and without ASD during Social Tasks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mertens, J.; Zane, E. R.; Neumeyer, K.; Grossman, R. B.

    2017-01-01

    Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit increased anxiety, even in non-stressful situations. We investigate general anxiousness (anxiety trait) and responses to stressful situations (anxiety state) in 22 adolescents with ASD and 32 typically developing controls. We measured trait anxiety with standardized self- and…

  20. Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ASD and ADHD): DSM-5, ICD-10, and ICD-11.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doernberg, Ellen; Hollander, Eric

    2016-08-01

    Neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have undergone considerable diagnostic evolution in the past decade. In the United States, the current system in place is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), whereas worldwide, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) serves as a general medical system. This review will examine the differences in neurodevelopmental disorders between these two systems. First, we will review the important revisions made from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) to the DSM-5, with respect to ASD and ADHD. Next, we will cover the similarities and differences between ASD and ADHD classification in the DSM-5 and the ICD-10, and how these differences may have an effect on neurodevelopmental disorder diagnostics and classification. By examining the changes made for the DSM-5 in 2013, and critiquing the current ICD-10 system, we can help to anticipate and advise on the upcoming ICD-11, due to come online in 2017. Overall, this review serves to highlight the importance of progress towards complementary diagnostic classification systems, keeping in mind the difference in tradition and purpose of the DSM and the ICD, and that these systems are dynamic and changing as more is learned about neurodevelopmental disorders and their underlying etiology. Finally this review will discuss alternative diagnostic approaches, such as the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative, which links symptom domains to underlying biological and neurological mechanisms. The incorporation of new diagnostic directions could have a great effect on treatment development and insurance coverage for neurodevelopmental disorders worldwide.

  1. Variations of the candidate SEZ6L2 gene on Chromosome 16p11.2 in patients with autism spectrum disorders and in human populations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina Konyukh

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD are a group of severe childhood neurodevelopmental disorders with still unknown etiology. One of the most frequently reported associations is the presence of recurrent de novo or inherited microdeletions and microduplications on chromosome 16p11.2. The analysis of rare variations of 8 candidate genes among the 27 genes located in this region suggested SEZ6L2 as a compelling candidate. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We further explored the role of SEZ6L2 variations by screening its coding part in a group of 452 individuals, including 170 patients with ASD and 282 individuals from different ethnic backgrounds of the Human Genome Diversity Panel (HGDP, complementing the previously reported screening. We detected 7 previously unidentified non-synonymous variations of SEZ6L2 in ASD patients. We also identified 6 non-synonymous variations present only in HGDP. When we merged our results with the previously published, no enrichment of non-synonymous variation in SEZ6L2 was observed in the ASD group compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results provide an extensive ascertainment of the genetic variability of SEZ6L2 in human populations and do not support a major role for SEZ6L2 sequence variations in the susceptibility to ASD.

  2. Parental Stress and ASD: Relationship with Autism Symptom Severity, IQ, and Resilience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pastor-Cerezuela, Gemma; Fernández-Andrés, M. Inmaculada; Tárraga-Mínguez, Raúl; Navarro-Peña, J. Miguel

    2016-01-01

    The objectives of this study were (a) to evaluate parental stress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD group) and compare it with the stress in parents of children with typical development (comparison group); (b) to study the relationship between parental stress, autism severity, and both verbal and performance IQ; and (c) to…

  3. The Asd+-DadB+ Dual-Plasmid System Offers a Novel Means To Deliver Multiple Protective Antigens by a Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xin, Wei; Wanda, Soo-Young; Zhang, Xiangmin; Santander, Javier; Scarpellini, Giorgio; Ellis, Karen; Alamuri, Praveen

    2012-01-01

    We developed means to deliver multiple heterologous antigens on dual plasmids with non-antibiotic-resistance markers in a single recombinant attenuated vaccine strain of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium. The first component of this delivery system is a strain of S. Typhimurium carrying genomic deletions in alr, dadB, and asd, resulting in obligate requirements for diaminopimelic acid (DAP) and d-alanine for growth. The second component is the Asd+-DadB+ plasmid pair carrying wild-type copies of asdA and dadB, respectively, to complement the mutations. To evaluate the protection efficacy of the dual-plasmid vaccine, S. Typhimurium strain χ9760 (a strain with multiple attenuating mutations: Δasd Δalr ΔdadB ΔrecF) was transformed with Asd+ and DadB+ plasmids specifying pneumococcal antigens PspA and PspC, respectively. Both plasmids were stable in χ9760 for 50 generations when grown in nonselective medium. This was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than the stability seen in its recF+ counterpart χ9590 and could be attributed to reduced interplasmid recombination in χ9760. Oral immunization of BALB/c mice with 1 × 109 CFU of χ9760 (carrying Asd+-PspA and DadB+-PspC plasmids) elicited a dominant Th1-type serum IgG response against both antigens and protected mice against intraperitoneal challenge with 200 50% lethal doses (LD50s) of virulent Streptococcus pneumoniae strain WU2 or intravenous challenge with 100 LD50s of virulent S. pneumoniae strain L81905 or intranasal challenge with a lethal dose of S. pneumoniae A66.1 in a pneumonia model. Protection offered by χ9760 was superior to that offered by the mixture of two strains, χ9828 (Asd+-PspA) and χ11026 (DadB+-PspC). This novel dual-plasmid system marks a remarkable improvement in the development of live bacterial vaccines. PMID:22868499

  4. The Asd(+)-DadB(+) dual-plasmid system offers a novel means to deliver multiple protective antigens by a recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xin, Wei; Wanda, Soo-Young; Zhang, Xiangmin; Santander, Javier; Scarpellini, Giorgio; Ellis, Karen; Alamuri, Praveen; Curtiss, Roy

    2012-10-01

    We developed means to deliver multiple heterologous antigens on dual plasmids with non-antibiotic-resistance markers in a single recombinant attenuated vaccine strain of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium. The first component of this delivery system is a strain of S. Typhimurium carrying genomic deletions in alr, dadB, and asd, resulting in obligate requirements for diaminopimelic acid (DAP) and d-alanine for growth. The second component is the Asd(+)-DadB(+) plasmid pair carrying wild-type copies of asdA and dadB, respectively, to complement the mutations. To evaluate the protection efficacy of the dual-plasmid vaccine, S. Typhimurium strain χ9760 (a strain with multiple attenuating mutations: Δasd Δalr ΔdadB ΔrecF) was transformed with Asd(+) and DadB(+) plasmids specifying pneumococcal antigens PspA and PspC, respectively. Both plasmids were stable in χ9760 for 50 generations when grown in nonselective medium. This was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than the stability seen in its recF(+) counterpart χ9590 and could be attributed to reduced interplasmid recombination in χ9760. Oral immunization of BALB/c mice with 1 × 10(9) CFU of χ9760 (carrying Asd(+)-PspA and DadB(+)-PspC plasmids) elicited a dominant Th1-type serum IgG response against both antigens and protected mice against intraperitoneal challenge with 200 50% lethal doses (LD(50)s) of virulent Streptococcus pneumoniae strain WU2 or intravenous challenge with 100 LD(50)s of virulent S. pneumoniae strain L81905 or intranasal challenge with a lethal dose of S. pneumoniae A66.1 in a pneumonia model. Protection offered by χ9760 was superior to that offered by the mixture of two strains, χ9828 (Asd(+)-PspA) and χ11026 (DadB(+)-PspC). This novel dual-plasmid system marks a remarkable improvement in the development of live bacterial vaccines.

  5. Impaired prefrontal hemodynamic maturation in autism and unaffected siblings.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuki Kawakubo

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Dysfunctions of the prefrontal cortex have been previously reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD. Previous studies reported that first-degree relatives of individuals with ASD show atypical brain activity during tasks associated with social function. However, developmental changes in prefrontal dysfunction in ASD and genetic influences on the phenomena remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the change in hemoglobin concentration in the prefrontal cortex as measured with near-infrared spectroscopy, in children and adults with ASD during the letter fluency test. Moreover, to clarify the genetic influences on developmental changes in the prefrontal dysfunction in ASD, unaffected siblings of the ASD participants were also assessed. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Study participants included 27 individuals with high-functioning ASD, age- and IQ-matched 24 healthy non-affected siblings, and 27 unrelated healthy controls aged 5 to 39 years. The relative concentration of hemoglobin ([Hb] in the prefrontal cortex was measured during the letter fluency task. For children, neither the [oxy-Hb] change during the task nor task performances differed significantly among three groups. For adults, the [oxy-Hb] increases during the task were significantly smaller in the bilateral prefrontal cortex in ASD than those in control subjects, although task performances were similar. In the adult siblings the [oxy-Hb] change was intermediate between those in controls and ASDs. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Although indirectly due to a cross-sectional design, the results of this study indicate altered age-related change of prefrontal activity during executive processing in ASD. This is a first near-infrared spectroscopy study that implies alteration in the age-related changes of prefrontal activity in ASD and genetic influences on the phenomena.

  6. Changing ASD-ADHD symptom co-occurrence across the lifespan with adolescence as crucial time window : Illustrating the need to go beyond childhood

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hartman, Catharina A.; Geurts, Hilde M.; Franke, Barbara; Buitelaar, Jan K.; Rommelse, Nanda N. J.

    2016-01-01

    Literature on the co-occurrence between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is strongly biased by a focus on childhood age. A review of the adolescent and adult literature was made on core and related symptoms of ADHD and ASD. In addition, an empirical

  7. Self-Reported Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms Among Adults Referred to a Gender Identity Clinic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermaat, Lieke E W; van der Miesen, Anna I R; de Vries, Annelou L C; Steensma, Thomas D; Popma, Arne; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T; Kreukels, Baudewijntje P C

    The purpose of this study was to (1) investigate autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms in a sample of adults referred for gender dysphoria (GD) compared to typically developing (TD) populations, (2) see whether males assigned at birth with GD (MaB GD s) and females assigned at birth with GD (FaB GD s) differ in ASD symptom levels, (3) study the role of sexual orientation, and (4) investigate ASD symptoms' correlation with GD symptoms. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) was used to measure ASD symptoms, and the Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale (UGDS) was used to measure the intensity of GD. Mean AQ scores of adults referred for GD (n = 326; 191 MaB GD and 135 FaB GD ) were compared to three TD populations taken from the literature (n = 1316; 667 male and 644 female, 5 birth-assigned sex unknown). The mean AQ score in individuals referred for GD was similar to the TD samples. FaB GD s showed higher mean AQ scores than MaB GD s, and they had mean scores similar to TD individuals of the same experienced gender (TD males). After selecting individuals with an UGDS score indicative of GD, a positive association between ASD and GD symptoms was found. The co-occurrence of GD and ASD in adults may not be as prevalent as previously suggested. Attenuation of sex differences in ASD might explain FaB GD s' and MaB GD s' ASD symptoms' similarity to those of TD individuals of the same experienced gender. Intensity of ASD symptoms might be correlated with intensity of GD symptoms, warranting further studies to elaborate on their potential co-occurrence.

  8. Aging and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Naturalistic, Longitudinal Study of the Comorbidities and Behavioral and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Adults with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wise, Elizabeth A.; Smith, Marcia D.; Rabins, Peter V.

    2017-01-01

    Little is known about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in persons over age 50. In a retrospective, naturalistic review of 74 individuals aged 30 and older meeting DSM-5 criteria for ASD, the point prevalence of behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms (BNPS) declined significantly for 12 of 13 BNPS over a mean of 25 years while many other features…

  9. Long-Term Effects of CBT on Social Impairment in Adolescents with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maddox, Brenna B.; Miyazaki, Yasuo; White, Susan W.

    2017-01-01

    Anxiety interventions involving social skills training and CBT for youth with ASD have shown promise, but few studies have examined the effects on social functioning or the maintenance of treatment gains. This study evaluated change in social skills during a randomized controlled trial of CBT and during the 1-year follow-up for 25 adolescents with…

  10. Stress among Parents of Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comparison Involving Physiological Indicators and Parent Self-Reports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Padden, Ciara; James, Jack E

    2017-01-01

    Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been reported as experiencing higher levels of stress and poorer physical health than parents of typically developing children. However, most of the relevant literature has been based on parental self-reports of stress and health. While research on physiological outcomes has grown in recent years, gaps still exist in our understanding of the physiological effects, if any, of stress related to parenting a child with ASD. The present study compared parent-reported stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as selected physiological measures of stress (i.e., cortisol, alpha-amylase, and ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate) between matched groups of parents of children with ( N =  38) and without ( N  = 38) ASD. Participants completed questionnaires, collected saliva samples for the purpose of measuring cortisol and alpha-amylase, and wore an ambulatory blood pressure monitor for 24 h. Parents of children with ASD reported significantly higher levels of parental distress, anxiety, and depression than parents of typically developing children. Parent-reported distress, anxiety, depression, and health were not correlated with physiological measures. With the exception that parents of children with ASD had significantly lower cortisol levels 30 min after waking, no other significant group differences were found for physiological measures. Parents of children with ASD reported significantly higher use of a number of adaptive coping strategies (e.g., emotional support) in comparison to parents of typically developing children. Results are discussed in the context of implications for future research directions, stress research, and practical implications for parental support.

  11. Specific Regional and Age-Related Small Noncoding RNA Expression Patterns Within Superior Temporal Gyrus of Typical Human Brains Are Less Distinct in Autism Brains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stamova, Boryana; Ander, Bradley P; Barger, Nicole; Sharp, Frank R; Schumann, Cynthia M

    2015-12-01

    Small noncoding RNAs play a critical role in regulating messenger RNA throughout brain development and when altered could have profound effects leading to disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We assessed small noncoding RNAs, including microRNA and small nucleolar RNA, in superior temporal sulcus association cortex and primary auditory cortex in typical and ASD brains from early childhood to adulthood. Typical small noncoding RNA expression profiles were less distinct in ASD, both between regions and changes with age. Typical micro-RNA coexpression associations were absent in ASD brains. miR-132, miR-103, and miR-320 micro-RNAs were dysregulated in ASD and have previously been associated with autism spectrum disorders. These diminished region- and age-related micro-RNA expression profiles are in line with previously reported findings of attenuated messenger RNA and long noncoding RNA in ASD brain. This study demonstrates alterations in superior temporal sulcus in ASD, a region implicated in social impairment, and is the first to demonstrate molecular alterations in the primary auditory cortex. © The Author(s) 2015.

  12. Functional but Inefficient Kinesthetic Motor Imagery in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ya-Ting; Tsou, Kuo-Su; Chen, Hao-Ling; Wong, Ching-Ching; Fan, Yang-Teng; Wu, Chien-Te

    2018-01-01

    Whether action representation in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is deficient remains controversial, as previous studies of action observation or imitation report conflicting results. Here we investigated the characteristics of action representation in adolescents with ASD through motor imagery (MI) using a hand rotation and an…

  13. Hemispheric Coherence in ASD with and without Comorbid ADHD and Anxiety

    OpenAIRE

    Saunders, A.; Kirk, I. J.; Waldie, K. E.

    2016-01-01

    There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that altered brain connectivity may be a defining feature of disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), anxiety, and ADHD. This study investigated whether resting state functional connectivity, measured by 128-channel EEG oscillation coherence, differs between developmental disorders. Analyses were conducted separately on groups with and without comorbid conditions. Analyses revealed increased coherence across central electrodes over the p...

  14. Educational Supports for High Functioning Youth with ASD: The Postsecondary Pathway to College

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeedyk, Sasha M.; Tipton, Leigh Ann; Blacher, Jan

    2016-01-01

    This article provides direction for educational decision making specifically for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who have the cognitive and adaptive capabilities required to pursue postsecondary college education. The purpose is to draw attention to the available postsecondary pathways, 2- and 4-year college options, by addressing…

  15. Parenting Stress and Resilience in Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilias, Kartini; Cornish, Kim; Kummar, Auretta S.; Park, Miriam Sang-Ah; Golden, Karen J.

    2018-01-01

    Background: This paper aimed to review the literature on the factors associated with parenting stress and resilience among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the South East Asia (SEA) region. Methods: An extensive search of articles in multiple online databases (PsycNET, ProQuest, PudMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) resulted in 28 papers that met the inclusion criteria (i.e., conducted in the SEA region, specific to ASD only, published in a peer-reviewed journal, full text in English). Studies found were conducted in the following countries: Brunei, n = 1; Indonesia, n = 2; Malaysia, n = 12; Philippines, n = 5; Singapore, n = 5, Thailand, n = 2; and Vietnam, n = 1, but none from Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, and Myanmar were identified. Results: Across the studies, six main factors were found to be associated with parenting stress: social support, severity of autism symptoms, financial difficulty, parents' perception and understanding toward ASD, parents' anxiety and worries about their child's future, and religious beliefs. These six factors could also be categorized as either a source of parenting stress or a coping strategy/resilience mechanism that may attenuate parenting stress. Conclusion: The findings suggest that greater support services in Western countries may underlie the cultural differences observed in the SEA region. Limitations in the current review were identified. The limited number of studies yielded from the search suggests a need for expanded research on ASD and parenting stress, coping, and resilience in the SEA region especially in Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, and Myanmar. The identified stress and resilience factors may serve as sociocultural markers for clinicians, psychologists, and other professionals to consider when supporting parents of children with ASD. PMID:29686632

  16. Parenting Stress and Resilience in Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilias, Kartini; Cornish, Kim; Kummar, Auretta S; Park, Miriam Sang-Ah; Golden, Karen J

    2018-01-01

    Background: This paper aimed to review the literature on the factors associated with parenting stress and resilience among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the South East Asia (SEA) region. Methods: An extensive search of articles in multiple online databases (PsycNET, ProQuest, PudMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) resulted in 28 papers that met the inclusion criteria (i.e., conducted in the SEA region, specific to ASD only, published in a peer-reviewed journal, full text in English). Studies found were conducted in the following countries: Brunei, n = 1; Indonesia, n = 2; Malaysia, n = 12; Philippines, n = 5; Singapore, n = 5, Thailand, n = 2; and Vietnam, n = 1, but none from Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, and Myanmar were identified. Results: Across the studies, six main factors were found to be associated with parenting stress: social support, severity of autism symptoms, financial difficulty, parents' perception and understanding toward ASD, parents' anxiety and worries about their child's future, and religious beliefs. These six factors could also be categorized as either a source of parenting stress or a coping strategy/resilience mechanism that may attenuate parenting stress. Conclusion: The findings suggest that greater support services in Western countries may underlie the cultural differences observed in the SEA region. Limitations in the current review were identified. The limited number of studies yielded from the search suggests a need for expanded research on ASD and parenting stress, coping, and resilience in the SEA region especially in Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, and Myanmar. The identified stress and resilience factors may serve as sociocultural markers for clinicians, psychologists, and other professionals to consider when supporting parents of children with ASD.

  17. Parenting Stress and Resilience in Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kartini Ilias

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: This paper aimed to review the literature on the factors associated with parenting stress and resilience among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD in the South East Asia (SEA region.Methods: An extensive search of articles in multiple online databases (PsycNET, ProQuest, PudMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar resulted in 28 papers that met the inclusion criteria (i.e., conducted in the SEA region, specific to ASD only, published in a peer-reviewed journal, full text in English. Studies found were conducted in the following countries: Brunei, n = 1; Indonesia, n = 2; Malaysia, n = 12; Philippines, n = 5; Singapore, n = 5, Thailand, n = 2; and Vietnam, n = 1, but none from Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, and Myanmar were identified.Results: Across the studies, six main factors were found to be associated with parenting stress: social support, severity of autism symptoms, financial difficulty, parents' perception and understanding toward ASD, parents' anxiety and worries about their child's future, and religious beliefs. These six factors could also be categorized as either a source of parenting stress or a coping strategy/resilience mechanism that may attenuate parenting stress.Conclusion: The findings suggest that greater support services in Western countries may underlie the cultural differences observed in the SEA region. Limitations in the current review were identified. The limited number of studies yielded from the search suggests a need for expanded research on ASD and parenting stress, coping, and resilience in the SEA region especially in Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, and Myanmar. The identified stress and resilience factors may serve as sociocultural markers for clinicians, psychologists, and other professionals to consider when supporting parents of children with ASD.

  18. All ASD complex and real 4-dimensional Einstein spaces with Λ≠0 admitting a nonnull Killing vector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chudecki, Adam

    2016-12-01

    Anti-self-dual (ASD) 4-dimensional complex Einstein spaces with nonzero cosmological constant Λ equipped with a nonnull Killing vector are considered. It is shown that any conformally nonflat metric of such spaces can be always brought to a special form and the Einstein field equations can be reduced to the Boyer-Finley-Plebański equation (Toda field equation). Some alternative forms of the metric are discussed. All possible real slices (neutral, Euclidean and Lorentzian) of ASD complex Einstein spaces with Λ≠0 admitting a nonnull Killing vector are found.

  19. Early Predictors of ASD in Young Children Using a Nationally Representative Data Set

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeans, Laurie M.; Santos, Rosa Milagros; Laxman, Daniel J.; McBride, Brent A.; Dyer, W. Justin

    2013-01-01

    Current clinical diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) occurs between 3 and 4 years of age, but increasing evidence indicates that intervention begun earlier may improve outcomes. Using secondary analysis of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort data set, the current study identifies early predictors prior to the diagnosis of…

  20. Reduced Reliance on Optimal Facial Information for Identity Recognition in Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonard, Hayley C.; Annaz, Dagmara; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette; Johnson, Mark H.

    2013-01-01

    Previous research into face processing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has revealed atypical biases toward particular facial information during identity recognition. Specifically, a focus on features (or high spatial frequencies [HSFs]) has been reported for both face and nonface processing in ASD. The current study investigated the development…

  1. Neural Basis of Empathy and Its Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-01

    by inactivating these neuronal populations using the GABA agonist muscimol. Our preliminary data (Figure 2) show that reversible pharmacological...conditions marked by social deficits, such as ASD, antisocial personality disorder, and schizophrenia . Notably, the nebulization method we developed...tism, fragile X syndrome, and schizophrenia (19–22). Notably, OT treatment improves social skills in individuals with autism (21, 23, 24), a spectrum

  2. Parents' and professionals' perceptions on causes and treatment options for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD in a multicultural context on the Kenyan Coast.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph K Gona

    Full Text Available To explore parents' and professionals' perceived causes and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD on the Kenyan Coast.In-depth interviews and focus group discussions using guiding questions were utilized in data collection. One hundred and three participants, who included parents of children with ASD, special needs teachers, clinicians, and social workers from diverse cultural background, participated in this study. The interviews and focus groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim and then translated to English. Themes were generated using content analysis.Preternatural causes were mentioned and included evil spirits, witchcraft, and curses. Biomedical causes comprised infections, drug abuse, birth complications, malnutrition, and genetic related problems. Treatment varied from traditional and spiritual healing to modern treatment in health facilities, and included consultations with traditional healers, offering prayers to God, and visits to hospitals.The results suggest that regardless of cultural backgrounds, people on the Kenyan Coast have similar views on perceived causes and treatment of ASD. These findings provide valuable conceptual understanding for professionals when planning and implementing community based rehabilitation interventions targeting children with ASD within a local context.

  3. DSM-5 changes and the prevalence of parent-reported autism spectrum symptoms in Fragile X syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wheeler, Anne C; Mussey, Joanna; Villagomez, Adrienne; Bishop, Ellen; Raspa, Melissa; Edwards, Anne; Bodfish, James; Bann, Carla; Bailey, Donald B

    2015-03-01

    We used survey methodology to assess parent-reported autism symptomology in 758 individuals (639 males; 119 females) with fragile X syndrome (FXS). Caregivers reported whether their child with FXS had been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and endorsed symptoms based on a list of observable behaviors related to ASD diagnoses. Symptom counts were categorized based on DSM-IV-TR and DSM-5 criteria. Based on behavioral symptoms endorsed by caregivers, 38.7 % of males and 24.7 % of females met criteria for DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of autistic disorder. Significantly fewer males (27.8 %) and females (11.3 %) met criteria for ASD based on DSM-5 criteria. Although 86.4 % of males and 61.7 % of females met criteria for the restricted and repetitive behavior domain for DSM-5, only 29.4 % of males and 13.0 % of females met criteria for the social communication and interaction (SCI) domain. Relaxing the social communication criteria by one symptom count led to a threefold increase in those meeting criteria for ASD, suggesting the importance of subthreshold SCI symptoms for individuals with FXS in ASD diagnoses. Findings suggest important differences in the way ASD may be conceptualized in FXS based on the new DSM-5 criteria.

  4. ASD Symptom Severity in Adolescence of Individuals Diagnosed with PDD-NOS in Childhood: Stability and the Relation with Psychiatric Comorbidity and Societal Participation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louwerse, A.; Eussen, M. L. J. M.; Van der Ende, J.; de Nijs, P. F. A.; Van Gool, A. R.; Dekker, L. P.; Verheij, C.; Verheij, F.; Verhulst, F. C.; Greaves-Lord, K.

    2015-01-01

    The current 7-year follow-up study investigated: (1) the stability of ASD severity, and (2) associations of ASD severity in adolescence with (a) childhood and concurrent psychiatric comorbidity, and (b) concurrent societal functioning. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children were…

  5. Sexuality in Adolescent Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Self-Reported Behaviours and Attitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewinter, Jeroen; Vermeiren, Robert; Vanwesenbeeck, Ine; Lobbestael, Jill; Van Nieuwenhuizen, Chijs

    2015-01-01

    Differences in sexual functioning of adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are understudied. In the current study, self-reported sexual behaviours, interests and attitudes of 50 adolescent boys, aged 15-18, with at least average intelligence and diagnosed with ASD, were compared with a matched general population control group…

  6. Predicting Caregiver and Family Quality of Life for Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): An Application of the Disability Centrality Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Kerry

    2017-01-01

    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is expressed quite differently from person to person due to the spectrum of symptoms an individual may experience. Developmentally, children who have ASD manage issues with communication and restricted or repetitive behaviors that impact their activities of daily living and/or…

  7. Mental Health Aspects of Autistic Spectrum Disorders in Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skokauskas, N.; Gallagher, L.

    2012-01-01

    Background: Previous studies have reported variable and at times opposite findings on comorbid psychiatric problems in children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Aims: This study aimed to examine patterns of comorbid psychiatric problems in children with ASD and their parents compared with IQ matched controls and their parents. Methods:…

  8. Spectrum of congenital heart diseases in children with Down

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ABEOLUGBENGAS

    septal defect (ASD) while one (3.1%) patient each had isolated ASD and Fallot's tetralogy respectively. Only three (9.4%) patients had surgical closure abroad, with good postoperative outcome in two of the patients. Conclusion: AVSD is the commonest CHD in our series, which is similar to previous reports. Increased.

  9. A POSITIVE SOCIALIZATION MODEL FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS: COMPREHENSIVE AND INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES. Part 2. Russian experience in social-psychological support of children with asd and their families

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Albina A. Nesterova

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. The second part of the article aims to analyze domestic experience in support of children with autism; to show the complex model of support of positive socialization of children with ASD and severe defects; to justify the necessity of creating a scientifically validated complex model of support of children with ASD. Methods. The methods involve theoretical analysis and summarization of scientific and methodical publications on the issue of socialization of children with ASD; modeling method. Results. Scientific approaches to socialization and social integration of children with ASD are analyzed, summarized and systematized. The most efficient empirically validated methods and techniques that may be included in the process of social-psychological support of children with ASD and their families are indentified. Regional experience of the Russian Federation in solving the issue of socialization of children with ASD and their families is uncovered, the most effective programs and developments of domestic specialists are highlighted. The model of support of the positive socialization of children with ASD is developed and validated. Scientific novelty. The proposed model is developed on the basis of the principles of multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity in the process of interaction between specialists of support, aimed at solving socialization problems of children with ASD and their families. The model incorporates such basic conditions of positive socialization of a child with ASD as: a state of mental health of a child; creation of conditions for successful process of socialization of a child, in particular, for the formation of basic social skills; provision of close interaction of children, psychologists, teachers, parents, social partners; monitoring of dynamics of total indicators of social competence and development of children. Practical significance. The model is supposed to be the basis while creating support for

  10. Autism Spectrum Disorder in Anorexia Nervosa: An Updated Literature Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westwood, Heather; Tchanturia, Kate

    2017-07-01

    There is growing interest in the relationship between anorexia nervosa (AN) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This review aimed to synthesise the most recent research on this topic to identify gaps in current knowledge, directions for future research and reflect on implications for treatment. Eight studies assessing the presence of ASD in AN were identified in the literature along with three studies examining the impact of symptoms of ASD on treatment outcome. Research with young people and using parental-report measures suggest lower rates of co-morbidity than previous adult studies. The wide range of diagnostic tools, methodologies and populations studied make it difficult to determine the prevalence of ASD in AN. Despite this, studies consistently report over-representation of symptoms of ASD in AN. Co-morbid AN and ASD may require more intensive treatment or specifically tailored interventions. Future longitudinal research and female-specific diagnostic tools would help elucidate the relationship between these two disorders.

  11. The Validity of the Autism Spectrum Disorders-Diagnosis for Intellectually Disabled Adults (ASD-DA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matson, Johnny L.; Wilkins, Jonathan; Boisjoli, Jessica A.; Smith, Kimberly R.

    2008-01-01

    Psychologists interviewed direct-care staff using a battery of assessment measures including the autism spectrum disorders-diagnosis for intellectually disabled adults (ASD-DA), the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II (DASH-II), the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for Individuals with Severe Retardation (MESSIER), the…

  12. Development and Evaluation of an Educational Initiative to Improve Hospital Personnel Preparedness to Care for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucarelli, Jennifer; Welchons, Leah; Sideridis, Georgios; Sullivan, Nancy R; Chan, Eugenia; Weissman, Laura

    2018-06-01

    To evaluate the effectiveness of a multimodal educational curriculum on increasing hospital personnel's awareness of successful strategies and comfort in caring for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We developed a 3-part training for front-line staff (i.e., front desk, clinical assistants, and phlebotomists) in 8 outpatient hospital departments frequented by patients with ASD. Following a needs assessment, participants completed an online educational module and then attended an in-person seminar tailored to each department. To evaluate training effectiveness, we administered pre-, immediate post-, and 1 month post-training surveys assessing personnel attitudes, comfort, perceived knowledge, and behaviors around caring for patients with ASD. We trained 168 staff members from 8 departments. On the needs assessment, participants (N = 129) reported a mean 2.5 behavioral incidents involving patients with ASD over the previous 3 months; 92% believed that the training would be helpful for their work. Across pre-, immediate- and 1-month post-training surveys, scores improved on all questions related to personnel attitudes about the importance of ASD-friendly care, comfort interacting with patients with ASD, perceived knowledge about ASD, and self-reported frequency of behaviors intended to help children with ASD adjust to the hospital setting (p initiative led to improvement in attitudes, comfort level, perceived knowledge, and self-reported behaviors of hospital personnel working with patients with ASD, which was maintained over 1 month.

  13. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Fragile X Syndrome (FXS): Two Overlapping Disorders Reviewed through Electroencephalography—What Can be Interpreted from the Available Information?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mc Devitt, Niamh; Gallagher, Louise; Reilly, Richard B.

    2015-01-01

    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Fragile X syndrome (FXS) are neurodevelopmental disorders with different but potentially related neurobiological underpinnings, which exhibit significant overlap in their behavioural symptoms. FXS is a neurogenetic disorder of known cause whereas ASD is a complex genetic disorder, with both rare and common genetic risk factors and likely genetic and environmental interaction effects. A comparison of the phenotypic presentation of the two disorders may highlight those symptoms that are more likely to be under direct genetic control, for example in FXS as opposed to shared symptoms that are likely to be under the control of multiple mechanisms. This review is focused on the application and analysis of electroencephalography data (EEG) in ASD and FXS. Specifically, Event Related Potentials (ERP) and resting state studies (rEEG) studies investigating ASD and FXS cohorts are compared. This review explores the electrophysiological similarities and differences between the two disorders in addition to the potentially associated neurobiological mechanisms at play. A series of pertinent research questions which are suggested in the literature are also posed within the review. PMID:25826237

  14. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD and Fragile X Syndrome (FXS: Two Overlapping Disorders Reviewed through Electroencephalography—What Can be Interpreted from the Available Information?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niamh Mc Devitt

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD and Fragile X syndrome (FXS are neurodevelopmental disorders with different but potentially related neurobiological underpinnings, which exhibit significant overlap in their behavioural symptoms. FXS is a neurogenetic disorder of known cause whereas ASD is a complex genetic disorder, with both rare and common genetic risk factors and likely genetic and environmental interaction effects. A comparison of the phenotypic presentation of the two disorders may highlight those symptoms that are more likely to be under direct genetic control, for example in FXS as opposed to shared symptoms that are likely to be under the control of multiple mechanisms. This review is focused on the application and analysis of electroencephalography data (EEG in ASD and FXS. Specifically, Event Related Potentials (ERP and resting state studies (rEEG studies investigating ASD and FXS cohorts are compared. This review explores the electrophysiological similarities and differences between the two disorders in addition to the potentially associated neurobiological mechanisms at play. A series of pertinent research questions which are suggested in the literature are also posed within the review.

  15. Brief Report

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    LaBianca, S; Pagsberg, A K; Jakobsen, K D

    2018-01-01

    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) frequently co-occur and show high genetic correlation. With the introduction of DSM-5, there is a new concept of an ASD and/or ADHD spectrum (ASD/ADHD). This study aimed to identify predictors of severity and need...... of healthcare within this spectrum. 39 families with multiple individuals affected by ASD/ADHD were recruited from a psychiatric clinic. Diagnoses, functional and demographic characteristics were retrieved from journals while hospital admissions were identified in the Danish health register. An estimated...

  16. Parents’ and Professionals’ Perceptions on Causes and Treatment Options for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in a Multicultural Context on the Kenyan Coast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gona, Joseph K.; Rimba, Kenneth; Mapenzi, Rachel; Kihara, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Objective To explore parents’ and professionals’ perceived causes and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) on the Kenyan Coast. Methods In-depth interviews and focus group discussions using guiding questions were utilized in data collection. One hundred and three participants, who included parents of children with ASD, special needs teachers, clinicians, and social workers from diverse cultural background, participated in this study. The interviews and focus groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim and then translated to English. Themes were generated using content analysis. Results Preternatural causes were mentioned and included evil spirits, witchcraft, and curses. Biomedical causes comprised infections, drug abuse, birth complications, malnutrition, and genetic related problems. Treatment varied from traditional and spiritual healing to modern treatment in health facilities, and included consultations with traditional healers, offering prayers to God, and visits to hospitals. Conclusions The results suggest that regardless of cultural backgrounds, people on the Kenyan Coast have similar views on perceived causes and treatment of ASD. These findings provide valuable conceptual understanding for professionals when planning and implementing community based rehabilitation interventions targeting children with ASD within a local context. PMID:26267668

  17. EEG theta and beta power spectra in adolescents with ADHD versus adolescents with ASD + ADHD.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bink, M.; van Boxtel, G.J.M.; Popma, A.; Bongers, I.L.; Denissen, A.J.; van Nieuwenhuizen, Ch.

    2015-01-01

    Attention problems are common in youngsters with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as in adolescents with combined autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD. However, it is unknown whether there is psychophysiological overlap and/or a difference in electroencephalogram (EEG)

  18. Clinical Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Israel: Impact of Ethnic and Social Diversities

    OpenAIRE

    Mahajnah, Muhammad; Sharkia, Rajech; Shalabe, Haitham; Terkel-Dawer, Ruth; Akawi, Ashraf; Zelnik, Nathanel

    2015-01-01

    Despite the increased global prevalence and recognition of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), it is still scarcely reported in the Arab world. Though Israel has a higher prevalence of ASD, a previous national survey of patients diagnosed between 1972 and 2004, demonstrated that 98% of them were of Jewish ancestry. The disproportional low number of Arab children with ASD in Israel is unclear but may reflect lower awareness and cultural bias. In the present study we collected clinical and demogr...

  19. How Slow Can We Go? 4 Frames Per Second (fps) Versus 7.5 fps Fluoroscopy for Atrial Septal Defects (ASDs) Device Closure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiremath, Gurumurthy; Meadows, Jeffery; Moore, Phillip

    2015-06-01

    Radiation exposure remains a significant concern for ASD device closure. In an effort to reduce radiation exposure, the default fluoroscopy frame rate in our Siemens biplane pediatric catheterization laboratory was reduced to 4 fps in November 2013 from an earlier 7.5 fps fluoro rate. This study aims to evaluate the components contributing to total radiation exposure and compare the procedural success and radiation exposure during ASD device closure using 4 versus 7.5 fps fluoroscopy rates. Twenty ASD device closures performed using 4 fps fluoro rate were weight-matched to 20 ASD closure procedures using 7.5 fps fluoro rate. Baseline characteristics, procedure times and case times were similar in the two groups. Device closure was successful in all but one case in the 4 fps group. The dose area product (DAP), normalized DAP to body weight, total radiation time and fluoro time were lower in the 4 fps group but not statistically different than the 7.5 fps. The number of cine images and cine times were identical in both groups. Fluoroscopy and cineangiography contributed equally to radiation exposure. Fluoroscopy at 4 fps can be safe and effective for ASD device closure in children and adults. There was no increase in procedure time, cine time, fluoro time or complications at this slow fluoro rate. There was a trend toward decreased radiation exposure as measured by indexed DAP although not statistically significant in this small study. Further study with multiple operators using 4 fps fluoroscopy for simple interventional procedures is recommended.

  20. Development of an Internet-Based Parent Training Intervention for Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-10-01

    eHealth . Invited talk at the DOCTRID Conference, Dublin, Ireland. Ingersoll, B. (2014, May) Efficacy of an eHealth -based parent-mediated intervention...PM 40    Appendix C Efficacy of an eHealth -based parent-mediated intervention for young children with ASD: Comparison of two delivery approaches...parent-mediated intervention services is often limited in rural and under-resourced areas. eHealth , the delivery of health information over the

  1. Autism-specific copy number variants further implicate the phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway and the glutamatergic synapse in the etiology of the disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuscó, Ivon; Medrano, Andrés; Gener, Blanca; Vilardell, Mireia; Gallastegui, Fátima; Villa, Olaya; González, Eva; Rodríguez-Santiago, Benjamín; Vilella, Elisabet; Del Campo, Miguel; Pérez-Jurado, Luis A

    2009-05-15

    Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) constitute a group of severe neurodevelopmental conditions with complex multifactorial etiology. In order to explore the hypothesis that submicroscopic genomic rearrangements underlie some ASD cases, we have analyzed 96 Spanish patients with idiopathic ASD after extensive clinical and laboratory screening, by array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) using a homemade bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) array. Only 13 of the 238 detected copy number alterations, ranging in size from 89 kb to 2.4 Mb, were present specifically in the autistic population (12 out of 96 individuals, 12.5%). Following validation by additional molecular techniques, we have characterized these novel candidate regions containing 24 different genes including alterations in two previously reported regions of chromosome 7 associated with the ASD phenotype. Some of the genes located in ASD-specific copy number variants act in common pathways, most notably the phosphatidylinositol signaling and the glutamatergic synapse, both known to be affected in several genetic syndromes related with autism and previously associated with ASD. Our work supports the idea that the functional alteration of genes in related neuronal networks is involved in the etiology of the ASD phenotype and confirms a significant diagnostic yield for aCGH, which should probably be included in the diagnostic workup of idiopathic ASD.

  2. Eikenella corrodens endocarditis and liver abscess in a previously healthy male, a case report

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nordholm, Anne Christine; Vøgg, Ruth Ottilia Birgitta; Permin, Henrik

    2018-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Eikenella corrodens is one of the HACEK bacteria constituting part of the normal flora of the oropharynx, however, still an uncommon pathogen. We report a case of a large Eikenella corrodens liver abscess with simultaneously endocarditis in a previously healthy male. CASE PRESENTATION...... on pneumonia treatment, a PET-CT scan was performed, which showed a large multiloculated abscess in the liver. The abscess was drained using ultrasound guidance. Culture demonstrated Eikenella corrodens. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed aortic endocarditis. The patient was treated with antibiotics...... corrodens concurrent liver abscess and endocarditis. The case report highlights that Eikenella corrodens should be considered as a cause of liver abscess. Empirical treatment of pyogenic liver abscess will most often cover Eikenella corrodens, but the recommended treatment is a third generation...

  3. Total ionizing dose radiation hardness of the ATLAS MDT-ASD and the HP-Agilent 0.5 um CMOS process

    CERN Document Server

    Posch, C

    2002-01-01

    A total ionizing dose (TID) test of the MDT-ASD, the ATLAS MDT front-end chip has been performed at the Harvard Cyclotron Lab. The MDT-ASD is an 8-channel drift tube read-out ASIC fabricated in a commercial 0.5 um CMOS process (AMOS14TB). The accumulated TID at the end of the test was 300 krad, delivered by 160 MeV protons at a rate of approximately 70 rad/sec. All 10 irradiated chips retained their full functionality and performance and showed only irrelevantly small changes in device parameters. As the total accumulated dose is substantially higher than the relevant ATLAS Radiation Tolerance Criteria (RTCtid), the results of this test indicate that MDT-ASD meets the ATLAS TID radiation hardness requirements. In addition, the results of this test correspond well with results of a 30 keV gamma TID irradiation test performed by us on an earlier prototype at the CERN x-ray facility as well as with results of other irradiation test on this process found in literature.

  4. Tracking the Sensory Environment: An ERP Study of Probability and Context Updating in ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westerfield, Marissa A.; Zinni, Marla; Vo, Khang; Townsend, Jeanne

    2015-01-01

    We recorded visual event-related brain potentials from 32 adult male participants (16 high-functioning participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 16 control participants, ranging in age from 18 to 53 years) during a three-stimulus oddball paradigm. Target and non-target stimulus probability was varied across three probability…

  5. Ultra-Rapid Categorization of Meaningful Real-Life Scenes in Adults with and without ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanmarcke, Steven; Van Der Hallen, Ruth; Evers, Kris; Noens, Ilse; Steyaert, Jean; Wagemans, Johan

    2016-01-01

    In comparison to typically developing (TD) individuals, people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) appear to be worse in the fast extraction of the global meaning of a situation or picture. Ultra-rapid categorization [paradigm developed by Thorpe et al. ("Nature" 381:520-522, 1996)] involves such global information processing. We…

  6. Social Communication Questionnaire scoring procedures for autism spectrum disorder and the prevalence of potential social communication disorder in ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnard-Brak, Lucy; Richman, David M; Chesnut, Steven Randall; Little, Todd D

    2016-12-01

    In analyzing data from the National Database for Autism Research, we utilized Mokken scaling techniques as a means of creating a more effective and efficient screening procedure for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) via the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). With a sample of 1,040, approximately 80% (n = 827) of the sample were males while approximately 20% (n = 213) were females. In regard to ethnicity, approximately 68% of the sample were White/Caucasian, while 7% were African American, 16% were Hispanic, 4% were Asian, and 1% were Native American or American Indian. As the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) states that, "individuals with a well-established DSM-IV diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified should be given the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder," (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 51), the primary labeling difference between the DSM-IV and the DSM-5 would appear to be in identifying social communication disorder as a newly introduced disorder in the DSM-5, which we discuss. Though school psychologists are not dependent on the DSM to the same extent as clinical psychologists to provide services, school psychology is invested in the effective and efficient assessment of ASD. The current study demonstrates how Mokken scaling procedures may be utilized with respect to ASD identification via the SCQ as well as providing information regarding the prevalence of potential social communication disorder as a new disorder and its discrimination with ASD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Modified CBT using visualization for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), anxiety and avoidance behavior--a quasi-experimental open pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekman, Elizabeth; Hiltunen, Arto J

    2015-12-01

    In recent studies it has been suggested that Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is beneficial to people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but that the method needs to be modified in relation to their cognitive profile. The aim of this study is to measure the effect of modified CBT, that is, using visualized language throughout the entire session for clients with ASD and anxiety and avoidance behavior. The modification of CBT in this study consists of focusing on CBT protocols for anxiety disorders and depression, while visualizing and systematizing "the invisible" in the conversation, in order for the clients to understand the social, cognitive and emotional context of self and others and how they should interact to avoid misunderstandings. ASD clients may need help to detect the invisible code of social interaction and communication. The level of anxiety and the frequency of target behavior were measured. Four assessments were made, two at the pre-assessment, and one in mid-therapy and end of therapy respectively. Generally, results suggest no improvement during pre-treatment period but a significant improvement during treatment. The values of the clients' psychological, social and occupational ability to function improved on the Global Function Rating scale. The preliminary conclusion of this pilot study indicates that the use of visualized language throughout the CBT therapy sessions is a promising modification of current CBT protocols for individuals with ASD. After manualization, larger studies with randomized controlled study designs can replicate or challenge these results. © 2015 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology published by Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Brief Report: Autism Spectrum Disorder and Substance Use Disorder: A Review and Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rengit, Ashy C.; McKowen, James W.; O'Brien, Julie; Howe, Yamini J.; McDougle, Christopher J.

    2016-01-01

    There is limited literature available on the comorbidity between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and substance use disorder (SUD). This paper reviews existing literature and exemplifies the challenges of treating this population with a case report of an adult male with ASD and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder. This review and case study seeks to…

  9. Factors Associated with Subjective Quality of Life of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Self-Report versus Maternal Reports

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Jinkuk; Bishop-Fitzpatrick, Lauren; Smith, Leann E.; Greenberg, Jan S.; Mailick, Marsha R.

    2016-01-01

    We examined factors related to subjective quality of life (QoL) of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 25-55 (n = 60), using the World Health Organization Quality of Life measure (WHOQOL-BREF). We used three different assessment methods: adult self-report, maternal proxy-report, and maternal report. Reliability analysis showed that…

  10. Prevalence, Diagnosis, Treatment and Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Singapore and Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neik, Tina Ting Xiang; Lee, Lay Wah; Low, Hui Min; Chia, Noel Kok Hwee; Chua, Arnold Chee Keong

    2014-01-01

    The prevalence of autism is increasing globally. While most of the published works are done in the Western and European countries, the trend in autism research is shifting towards the Asian continent recently. In this review, we aimed to highlight the current prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and research on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in…

  11. Clinical Overlap and Psychiatric Comorbidity in Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adulthood: A Case Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Picoito

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD is an early neurodevelopmental disorder that accompanies the individual throughout life. There is a significant clinical overlap of ASD with other psychiatric disorders including personality disorders, psychotic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. Additionally, the presence of high rates of psychiatric comorbidity, often with atypical presentations, delays the ASD diagnosis and makes it more difficult to manage. Aims: To illustrate the complexity of ASD diagnosis and approach in adults. Methods: Report of a clinical case and review of the literature. Results and Conclusion: This paper presents the case of a 46-year-old patient, with ASD, with a long history of interpersonal difficulties and psychiatric symptomatology. Over the years, different diagnoses have been made, particularly schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders, psychosis not otherwise specified and paranoid schizophrenia, which led to poor adherence to treatment, and prevented a full understanding of the patient’s clinical presentation and lifelong struggles.

  12. Erysipelothrix endocarditis with previous cutaneous lesion: report of a case and review of the literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marion P. Rocha

    1989-08-01

    Full Text Available This report describes the first documented case of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae endocarditis in Latin America. The patient was a 51-years-old male, moderate alcoholic, with a previous history of aortic failure. He was used to fishing and cooking as a hobby and had his left hand wounded by a fish-bone. The disease began with erysipeloid form and developed to septicemia and endocarditis. He was treated with antibiotics and surgery for aortic valve replacement. There are only 46 cases of E. rhusiopathiae endocarditis reported to date. The authors wonder if several other cases might go unreported for lack of microbiological laboratorial diagnosis.

  13. Technology as a tool in autism spectrum disorder (ASD): an overview

    OpenAIRE

    Rasmussen, Tarje Evenssønn

    2016-01-01

    AIM: The aim of this thesis is to provide an overview of modern technology as a tool in diagnostics and treatment for children and adolescents with ASD. METHOD: A literature review was performed during early 2016, based on results from PubMed searches with MESH-tags “Autism” or “Autism Spectrum Disorder” and one of the following: “Technology”, “Robotics”, “Video Games”, “Video”, “Video Modeling”, “Diagnostics”, “Radiology” and “Virtual Reality”. RESULTS: Both studies about the use of technolo...

  14. Study protocol of the ASD-Net, the German research consortium for the study of Autism Spectrum Disorder across the lifespan: from a better etiological understanding, through valid diagnosis, to more effective health care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamp-Becker, Inge; Poustka, Luise; Bachmann, Christian; Ehrlich, Stefan; Hoffmann, Falk; Kanske, Philipp; Kirsch, Peter; Krach, Sören; Paulus, Frieder Michel; Rietschel, Marcella; Roepke, Stefan; Roessner, Veit; Schad-Hansjosten, Tanja; Singer, Tania; Stroth, Sanna; Witt, Stephanie; Wermter, Anne-Kathrin

    2017-06-02

    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a severe, lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder with early onset that places a heavy burden on affected individuals and their families. Due to the need for highly specialized health, educational and vocational services, ASD is a cost-intensive disorder, and strain on health care systems increases with increasing age of the affected individual. The ASD-Net will study Germany's largest cohort of patients with ASD over the lifespan. By combining methodological expertise from all levels of clinical research, the ASD-Net will follow a translational approach necessary to identify neurobiological pathways of different phenotypes and their appropriate identification and treatment. The work of the ASD-Net will be organized into three clusters concentrating on diagnostics, therapy and health economics. In the diagnostic cluster, data from a large, well-characterized sample (N = 2568) will be analyzed to improve the efficiency of diagnostic procedures. Pattern classification methods (machine learning) will be used to identify algorithms for screening purposes. In a second step, the developed algorithm will be tested in an independent sample. In the therapy cluster, we will unravel how an ASD-specific social skills training with concomitant oxytocin administration can modulate behavior through neurobiological pathways. For the first time, we will characterize long-term effects of a social skills training combined with oxytocin treatment on behavioral and neurobiological phenotypes. Also acute effects of oxytocin will be investigated to delineate general and specific effects of additional oxytocin treatment in order to develop biologically plausible models for symptoms and successful therapeutic interventions in ASD. Finally, in the health economics cluster, we will assess service utilization and ASD-related costs in order to identify potential needs and cost savings specifically tailored to Germany. The ASD-Net has been established as part of

  15. A meta-analysis of imitation abilities in individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Laura A

    2014-06-01

    Although imitation impairments are often reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), previous work has not yet determined whether these impairments are significant, specific to ASD, and present across the entire spectrum. This report of 53 studies on imitation in ASD seeks to determine whether individuals with ASD show significant imitation deficits, the magnitude of these deficits, and whether they are specific to ASD. Using standard meta-analytic techniques in a random-effects model, the data reviewed suggest that individuals with ASD show deficits in imitation, performing on average 0.81 SDs below individuals without ASD on imitation tasks. This deficit was specific to the condition of having ASD. Moderator analyses revealed that the average Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) scores of groups of ASD participants were significantly and strongly negatively associated with the imitation abilities of these subjects, but average participant IQ was not associated with imitation abilities. Study setting, novelty of actions, format of imitation tasks (live vs. not), number of actions to imitate, or verbal prompts were not found to significantly affect the sizes of the imitation differences between individuals with and without ASD. The manner in which imitation was operationalized, however, had significant effects on whether imitation deficits were found between individuals with and without ASD. In tests that measured imitation of both form and end points, participants with ASD showed significant deficits compared with those without ASD; on tests of end point emulation only, individuals with ASD showed no deficits. © 2014 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Preschoolers' Social Interest toward a Child with ASD and Their Theory of Mind Abilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakai-Mashiach, Mati; Ziv, Margalit; Dromi, Esther

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities of typically developing preschoolers in three age groups: three- to four-, four- to five- and five- to six-years-old (n = 110), who differed in their spontaneous social interest toward included children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Social interest was assessed by administering a…

  17. Predictors of Mental Health in Chinese Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Xueyun; Cai, Ru Ying; Uljarevic, Mirko

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this study was to explore the influence of parental intolerance of Uncertainty (IU), sensory sensitivity (SS) and Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP), as well as the severity of their children's autism symptoms and co-morbid symptoms, on the mental health of Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One hundred and…

  18. Interaction of Participant Characteristics and Type of AAC with Individuals with ASD: A Meta-Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganz, Jennifer B.; Mason, Rose A.; Goodwyn, Fara D.; Boles, Margot B.; Heath, Amy K.; Davis, John L.

    2014-01-01

    Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and complex communication needs often rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) as a means of functional communication. This meta-analysis investigated how individual characteristics moderate effectiveness of three types of aided AAC: the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS),…

  19. Consonant Differentiation Mediates the Discrepancy between Non-verbal and Verbal Abilities in Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Key, A. P.; Yoder, P. J.; Stone, W. L.

    2016-01-01

    Background: Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate verbal communication disorders reflected in lower verbal than non-verbal abilities. The present study examined the extent to which this discrepancy is associated with atypical speech sound differentiation. Methods: Differences in the amplitude of auditory event-related…

  20. A comprehensive survey of current and former college students with autism spectrum disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelbar, Nicholas W; Shefyck, Allison; Reichow, Brian

    2015-03-01

    There is a paucity of research concerning individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) pursuing higher education. This study sought to augment this gap in the literature by surveying individuals with ASD who are currently college students or who have previously attended college. Thirty-five individuals completed an online survey. These individuals reported receiving extensive academic supports that enabled their academic success. Their reported difficulties in the social and emotional domains received less support. In addition, not all areas of campus life were supportive, as study abroad and career service offices were reported to not understand individuals with ASD. Overall, the results of this survey indicate the importance of self-advocacy and the need for institutions of higher education to provide comprehensive supports for individuals with ASD in the academic, social, and emotional domains in order to effectively integrate this group into the campus environment.

  1. The relationship between carers' report of autistic traits and clinical diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders in adults with intellectual disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhaumik, Sabyasachi; Tyrer, Freya; Barrett, Mary; Tin, Nyunt; McGrother, Catherine W; Kiani, Reza

    2010-01-01

    It is often difficult to determine the triad of impairments and whether autistic features are the consequence of intellectual impairment or autism spectrum disorders in people with intellectual disability (ID). The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between carer-reported autistic traits and independent diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Data were collected on carers' subjective report of autistic traits and clinical diagnoses of ASD. Of 1145 adults with ID identified, 220 (19%) individuals had a diagnosis of ASD, and 778 (68%) individuals had at least one autistic trait. Optimal sensitivity and specificity were achieved with two or more autistic traits (sensitivity 63%; specificity 79%) and the positive predictive value increased substantially as the number of autistic traits increased. However, a significant proportion of individuals with ID who did not have a diagnosis of ASD also displayed autistic traits. Our findings suggest that in the absence of other measures, the presence of autistic traits can serve as a useful proxy measure for ASD in research (and/or clinical settings). However, although information on autistic traits may help healthcare practitioners to identify people with possible ASD, it cannot be used alone to make a formal diagnosis. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Theory of mind in SLI revisited: links with syntax, comparisons with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durrleman, Stephanie; Burnel, Morgane; Reboul, Anne

    2017-11-01

    According to the linguistic determinism approach, knowledge of sentential complements such as: John says that the earth is flat plays a crucial role in theory of mind (ToM) development by providing a means to represent explicitly people's mental attitudes and beliefs. This approach predicts that mastery of complements determines successful belief reasoning across explicit ToM tasks, even low-verbal ones, and across populations. (1) To investigate the link between a low-verbal ToM-task and complements in Specific Language Impairment (SLI), (2) To determine whether this population shows similar ToM performance to that of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or those with Typical Development (TD) once these groups are matched on competency for complements, (3) To explore whether complements conveying a falsehood without jeopardizing the veracity of the entire sentence, such as complements of verbs of communication, are more crucial for belief attribution than complements which do not have this property, namely complements of verbs of perception, (?John sees that the earth is flat). Children with SLI (n = 20), with ASD (n = 34) and TD (n = 30) completed sentence-picture-matching tasks assessing complementation with communication and perception verbs, as well as a picture-sequencing task assessing ToM. Children were furthermore evaluated for general grammatical and lexical abilities and non-verbal IQ. Results reveal that competency on complements relates to ToM performance with a low-verbal task in SLI, and that SLI, ASD and TD groups of equivalent performance on complements also perform similarly for ToM. Results further suggest that complements with an independent truth-value are the only ones to show a significant relation to ToM performance after teasing out the impact of non-verbal reasoning. This study suggests that clinical groups of different aetiologies as well as TD children perform comparably for ToM once they have similar complementation skills

  3. EEG theta and beta power spectra in adolescents with ADHD versus adolescents with ASD plus ADHD

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bink, M.; van Boxtel, G.J.M.; Popma, A.; Bongers, I.L.; Denissen, A.J.M.; van Nieuwenhuizen, Ch.

    2015-01-01

    Attention problems are common in youngsters with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as in adolescents with combined autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD. However, it is unknown whether there is psychophysiological overlap and/or a difference in electroencephalogram (EEG)

  4. Can PEP-3 Provide a Cognitive Profile in Children with ASD? A Comparison between the Developmental Ages of PEP-3 and IQ of Leiter-R

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Giacomo, Andrea; Craig, Francesco; Cristella, Arcangelo; Terenzio, Vanessa; Buttiglione, Maura; Margari, Lucia

    2016-01-01

    Background: The assessment of the intelligence quotient (IQ) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is important to plan a detailed therapeutic-educative programme. The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of the Psychoeducational Profile-third edition (PEP-3) to estimate the general cognitive development of children with ASD.…

  5. Peer Interaction Patterns among Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) in Mainstream School Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humphrey, Neil; Symes, Wendy

    2011-01-01

    The aim of the current study was to document the peer interaction patterns of students with autistic spectrum disorders in mainstream settings. Structured observations of a group of 38 adolescents with ASD drawn from 12 mainstream secondary schools were conducted over a two-day period and data compared with those of school, age, and gender matched…

  6. Verification of Parent-Report of Child Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis to a Web-Based Autism Registry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniels, Amy M.; Rosenberg, Rebecca E.; Anderson, Connie; Law, J. Kiely; Marvin, Alison R.; Law, Paul A.

    2012-01-01

    Growing interest in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research requires increasingly large samples to uncover epidemiologic trends; such a large dataset is available in a national, web-based autism registry, the Interactive Autism Network (IAN). The objective of this study was to verify parent-report of professional ASD diagnosis to the registry's…

  7. Optimizing the phenotyping of rodent ASD models: enrichment analysis of mouse and human neurobiological phenotypes associated with high-risk autism genes identifies morphological, electrophysiological, neurological, and behavioral features

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Buxbaum Joseph D

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background There is interest in defining mouse neurobiological phenotypes useful for studying autism spectrum disorders (ASD in both forward and reverse genetic approaches. A recurrent focus has been on high-order behavioral analyses, including learning and memory paradigms and social paradigms. However, well-studied mouse models, including for example Fmr1 knockout mice, do not show dramatic deficits in such high-order phenotypes, raising a question as to what constitutes useful phenotypes in ASD models. Methods To address this, we made use of a list of 112 disease genes etiologically involved in ASD to survey, on a large scale and with unbiased methods as well as expert review, phenotypes associated with a targeted disruption of these genes in mice, using the Mammalian Phenotype Ontology database. In addition, we compared the results with similar analyses for human phenotypes. Findings We observed four classes of neurobiological phenotypes associated with disruption of a large proportion of ASD genes, including: (1 Changes in brain and neuronal morphology; (2 electrophysiological changes; (3 neurological changes; and (4 higher-order behavioral changes. Alterations in brain and neuronal morphology represent quantitative measures that can be more widely adopted in models of ASD to understand cellular and network changes. Interestingly, the electrophysiological changes differed across different genes, indicating that excitation/inhibition imbalance hypotheses for ASD would either have to be so non-specific as to be not falsifiable, or, if specific, would not be supported by the data. Finally, it was significant that in analyses of both mouse and human databases, many of the behavioral alterations were neurological changes, encompassing sensory alterations, motor abnormalities, and seizures, as opposed to higher-order behavioral changes in learning and memory and social behavior paradigms. Conclusions The results indicated that mutations

  8. Disparity of care for children with parent-reported autism spectrum disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harstad, Elizabeth; Huntington, Noelle; Bacic, Janine; Barbaresi, William

    2013-01-01

    Although children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are eligible to receive special education services via an individualized education program (IEP), approximately 12% to 20% do not. Our objective was to determine which clinical and demographic characteristics are associated with IEP receipt among a nationally representative sample of children with ASD. Using data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, we determined which clinical and demographic covariates are associated with IEP receipt for children ages 6 to 17 years with a current, parent-reported ASD diagnosis (n = 759). Logistic regression models were used to assess the association of covariates with IEP receipt. Application of weighting techniques made the findings representative of the noninstitutionalized population of US children 6 to 17 years old. In the weighted model, 90% of children with ASD receive an IEP. Maternal education level above high school (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.08, P = .01) and presence of perceived need for coordination of care (aOR 3.62, P = .02) were associated with IEP receipt, while Hispanic children were less likely to receive an IEP compared with white children (aOR 0.12, P = .001). The following factors were not associated with IEP receipt: severity of ASD, speech, and behavior problems. For children with ASD in the United States, socioeconomic factors, not disability severity, are associated with IEP receipt. Future research should address methods to overcome this disparity in care. Health care providers may help to advocate for appropriate educational services for patients with ASD. Copyright © 2013 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Lack of Cetuximab induced skin toxicity in a previously irradiated field: case report and review of the literature

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Introduction Mutation, amplification or dysregulation of the EGFR family leads to uncontrolled division and predisposes to cancer. Inhibiting the EGFR represents a form of targeted cancer therapy. Case report We report the case of 79 year old gentlemen with a history of skin cancer involving the left ear who had radiation and surgical excision. He had presented with recurrent lymph node in the left upper neck. We treated him with radiation therapy concurrently with Cetuximab. He developed a skin rash over the face and neck area two weeks after starting Cetuximab, which however spared the previously irradiated area. Conclusion The etiology underlying the sparing of the previously irradiated skin maybe due to either decrease in the population of EGFR expressing cells or decrease in the EGFR expression. We raised the question that "Is it justifiable to use EGFR inhibitors for patients having recurrence in the previously irradiated field?" We may need further research to answer this question which may guide the physicians in choosing appropriate drug in this scenario. PMID:20478052

  10. The Effectiveness of a Psychoeducation Intervention delivered via WhatsApp for mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hemdi, A; Daley, D

    2017-11-01

    Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report high levels of stress and lower levels of well-being than parents of typically developing children. Current interventions for ASD typically focus on working with the child rather than delivering strategies to help support parents. To evaluate the effectiveness of a psychoeducation intervention developed to support mothers of children with ASD in Saudi Arabia. Sixty-two mothers (23-52 years) of children (26-78 months) were recruited to a multisite randomized controlled trials of the intervention. The intervention consisted of one face-to-face session (60 min) and four virtual sessions (30 min each) delivered using WhatsApp. Parenting stress was the primary outcome, with secondary outcomes focusing on maternal depression, anxiety, and happiness, and child behaviour problems and ASD symptoms. Data were collected at baseline T1, immediately postintervention T2 and 8-week follow-up T3. One-way analysis of covariance was used at T2 and T3 with T1 scores entered as a covariate. Improvements were found at T2 for stress (F = 234.34, p = .00, and d = -1.52) and depression (F = 195.70, p = .00, and d = -2.14) but not anxiety, and these results were maintained at T3. Changes in child behaviour problems were limited to improvements in hyperactivity at T2 (F = 133.66, p = .00, and d = -1.54). Although changes in stress and depression were statistically significant, change to clinically normal levels was limited to depression. None of the participants had recovered after the intervention (Parent Stress Index Short Form stress scores), whereas 23 mothers (71.87%) in the intervention group had recovered at T2 and 22 (68.75%) at T3 (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression scores). This intervention with WhatsApp support is beneficial but may need to be augmented with other forms of support for mothers of children with ASD including more condensed sessions on stress and interventions

  11. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Comparing Pre-diagnosis Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)-Targeted Intervention with Ontario's Autism Intervention Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penner, Melanie; Rayar, Meera; Bashir, Naazish; Roberts, S Wendy; Hancock-Howard, Rebecca L; Coyte, Peter C

    2015-09-01

    Novel management strategies for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) propose providing interventions before diagnosis. We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing the costs and dependency-free life years (DFLYs) generated by pre-diagnosis intensive Early Start Denver Model (ESDM-I); pre-diagnosis parent-delivered ESDM (ESDM-PD); and the Ontario Status Quo (SQ). The analyses took government and societal perspectives to age 65. We assigned probabilities of Independent, Semi-dependent or Dependent living based on projected IQ. Costs per person (in Canadian dollars) were ascribed to each living setting. From a government perspective, the ESDM-PD produced an additional 0.17 DFLYs for $8600 less than SQ. From a societal perspective, the ESDM-I produced an additional 0.53 DFLYs for $45,000 less than SQ. Pre-diagnosis interventions targeting ASD symptoms warrant further investigation.

  12. The Effect of Parenting Style on Social Smiling in Infants at High and Low Risk for ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harker, Colleen M; Ibañez, Lisa V; Nguyen, Thanh P; Messinger, Daniel S; Stone, Wendy L

    2016-07-01

    This study examined how parenting style at 9 months predicts growth in infant social engagement (i.e., social smiling) between 9 and 18 months during a free-play interaction in infants at high (HR-infants) and low (LR-infants) familial risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Results indicated that across all infants, higher levels of maternal responsiveness were concurrently associated with higher levels of social smiling, while higher levels of maternal directiveness predicted slower growth in social smiling. When accounting for maternal directiveness, which was higher in mothers of HR-infants, HR-infants exhibited greater growth in social smiling than LR-infants. Overall, each parenting style appears to make a unique contribution to the development of social engagement in infants at high- and low-risk for ASD.

  13. The Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC) Conceptual Model to Promote Mental Health for Adolescents with ASD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shochet, Ian M; Saggers, Beth R; Carrington, Suzanne B; Orr, Jayne A; Wurfl, Astrid M; Duncan, Bonnie M; Smith, Coral L

    2016-06-01

    Despite an increased risk of mental health problems in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is limited research on effective prevention approaches for this population. Funded by the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism, a theoretically and empirically supported school-based preventative model has been developed to alter the negative trajectory and promote wellbeing and positive mental health in adolescents with ASD. This conceptual paper provides the rationale, theoretical, empirical and methodological framework of a multilayered intervention targeting the school, parents and adolescents on the spectrum. Two important interrelated protective factors have been identified in community adolescent samples, namely the sense of belonging (connectedness) to school and the capacity for self and affect regulation in the face of stress (i.e. resilience). We describe how a confluence of theories from social psychology, developmental psychology and family systems theory, along with empirical evidence (including emerging neurobiological evidence), supports the interrelationships between these protective factors and many indices of wellbeing. However, the characteristics of ASD (including social and communication difficulties, and frequently difficulties with changes and transitions, and diminished optimism and self-esteem) impair access to these vital protective factors. The paper describes how evidence-based interventions at the school level for promoting inclusive schools (using the Index for Inclusion) and interventions for adolescents and parents to promote resilience and belonging [using the Resourceful Adolescent Program (RAP)] are adapted and integrated for adolescents with ASD. This multisite proof-of-concept study will confirm whether this multilevel school-based intervention is promising, feasible and sustainable.

  14. Anvendelse af computere som terapeutisk værktøj i arbejdet med teenagere med ASD -  et praktisk eksperiment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aagaard, Morten

    Much theory and pedagogical work has been devoted to improve the social competences of the individuals who suffer from ASD. The main activity has been human social interaction. B.J. Fogg has in his book, “Persuasive Technology” has proved, that technology can be used under certain conditions...... to change attitude or behavior for individuels. The experiments goal is to verify, how the kombination of a Personal Digital Assistents and the Persuasive functional role, social actors can be a valuable pedagogical tool when improving individuals, who suffers from ASD in a mild degree, social skills...

  15. Commentary on Social Skills Training Curricula for Individuals with ASD: Social Interaction, Authenticity, and Stigma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bottema-Beutel, Kristen; Park, Haerin; Kim, So Yoon

    2018-01-01

    By teaching social rules thought to be necessary for social competence, social skills training (SST) curricula aim to improve indicators of well-being for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as the attainment of meaningful friendships. However, several recent meta-analyses indicate that SST curricula may fall short of these…

  16. Television, Video Game and Social Media Use among Children with ASD and Typically Developing Siblings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazurek, Micah O.; Wenstrup, Colleen

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the nature of television, video game, and social media use in children (ages 8-18) with autism spectrum disorders (ASD, n = 202) compared to typically developing siblings (TD, n = 179), and relative to other activities. Parents completed measures assessing children's screen-based and other extracurricular activities. Children…

  17. Avatar Assistant: Improving Social Skills in Students with an ASD through a Computer-Based Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopkins, Ingrid Maria; Gower, Michael W.; Perez, Trista A.; Smith, Dana S.; Amthor, Franklin R.; Wimsatt, F. Casey; Biasini, Fred J.

    2011-01-01

    This study assessed the efficacy of "FaceSay," a computer-based social skills training program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This randomized controlled study (N = 49) indicates that providing children with low-functioning autism (LFA) and high functioning autism (HFA) opportunities to practice attending to eye gaze,…

  18. Improving Healthcare Transition Planning and Health-Related Independence for Youth with ASD and their Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-10-01

    disorders (such as social phobia, panic disorder , etc.) Asthma Attention - deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) Behavior or conduct disorder Bipolar... Attention - deficit hyperactivity disorder Behavior or conduct disorder Bipolar disorder Depression (such as major depressive disorder , seasonal... Disorders (ASD) diagnosis, the vast majority of whom are 18 years of age or younger,

  19. Bringing ABA into Early Childhood Routines to Meet the Needs of Young Children with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leach, Debra

    2014-01-01

    It is well documented that applied behavior analysis (ABA) approaches to intervention for young children with ASD have a strong evidence-base. Although federal special education law mandates that early intervention services and supports be implemented within the natural environment to the maximum extent appropriate, many young children with ASD…

  20. Quality Matters! Differences between Expressive and Receptive Non-Verbal Communication Skills in Adolescents with ASD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grossman, Ruth B.; Tager-Flusberg, Helen

    2012-01-01

    We analyzed several studies of non-verbal communication (prosody and facial expressions) completed in our lab and conducted a secondary analysis to compare performance on receptive vs. expressive tasks by adolescents with ASD and their typically developing peers. Results show a significant between-group difference for the aggregate score of…