Alexithymia is related to poor social competence in autistic and nonautistic children / N. E. SCHEERER in Autism Research, 14-6 (June 2021)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 14-6 (June 2021) . - p.1252-1259 Titre : Alexithymia is related to poor social competence in autistic and nonautistic children Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : N. E. SCHEERER, Auteur ; Troy Q. BOUCHER, Auteur ; G. IAROCCI, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1252-1259 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Adolescent  Affective Symptoms/complications  Autism Spectrum Disorder/complications  Autistic Disorder/complications  Child  Emotions  Humans  Social Skills  alexithymia  autism  autism spectrum disorder  emotional processing  social competence Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying and describing one's own emotions and the emotions of others. These challenges with understanding emotions in people with alexithymia may give rise to difficulties with social interactions. Given that alexithymia frequently co-occurs with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and that both populations have difficulties with social interactions, it is of interest to determine whether alexithymia can help to parse some of the heterogeneity in social competence in autistic and nonautistic individuals. The caregivers of 241 children (6-14?years old), including 120 autistic, and 121 nonautistic, rated their child's social competence using the Multidimensional Social Competence Scale (MSCS), autism traits using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and alexithymia traits using the Children's Alexithymia Measure (CAM). Regression analyses indicated that age, IQ, sex, AQ, and CAM scores accounted for 40.2% of the variance in autistic children's, and 68.2% of the variance in nonautistic children's, parent-reported social competence. Importantly, after controlling for age, IQ, sex, and AQ scores, CAM scores alone accounted for an additional 16.2% of the variance in autistic children's, and 17.4% of the variance in nonautistic children's social competence. These results indicate that higher alexithymia traits predict lower levels of social competence, suggesting that increased difficulty in identifying and describing one's own emotions and the emotions of others is associated with poorer social competence. Furthermore, CAM scores were found to partially mediate the relationship between autistic traits and social competence, suggesting that comorbid alexithymia traits may be partially responsible for poor social competence in individuals with high autistic traits. This research contributes to the understanding of the factors associated with the development of social competence and highlights alexithymia as a potential target for identification and intervention to improve social competence. LAY SUMMARY: Alexithymia is a condition where people find it hard to think and talk about their (and others') feelings. About 50% of autistic people have alexithymia. This might be why they have social and emotional difficulties. Parents answered questions about alexithymia and social difficulties their children have. Children with more alexithymia problems had poorer social skills. Thus, alexithymia may be related to social problems faced by autistic and nonautistic children. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2485 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=449 [article] Alexithymia is related to poor social competence in autistic and nonautistic children [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / N. E. SCHEERER, Auteur ; Troy Q. BOUCHER, Auteur ; G. IAROCCI, Auteur . - p.1252-1259. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 14-6 (June 2021) . - p.1252-1259 Mots-clés : Adolescent  Affective Symptoms/complications  Autism Spectrum Disorder/complications  Autistic Disorder/complications  Child  Emotions  Humans  Social Skills  alexithymia  autism  autism spectrum disorder  emotional processing  social competence Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying and describing one's own emotions and the emotions of others. These challenges with understanding emotions in people with alexithymia may give rise to difficulties with social interactions. Given that alexithymia frequently co-occurs with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and that both populations have difficulties with social interactions, it is of interest to determine whether alexithymia can help to parse some of the heterogeneity in social competence in autistic and nonautistic individuals. The caregivers of 241 children (6-14?years old), including 120 autistic, and 121 nonautistic, rated their child's social competence using the Multidimensional Social Competence Scale (MSCS), autism traits using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and alexithymia traits using the Children's Alexithymia Measure (CAM). Regression analyses indicated that age, IQ, sex, AQ, and CAM scores accounted for 40.2% of the variance in autistic children's, and 68.2% of the variance in nonautistic children's, parent-reported social competence. Importantly, after controlling for age, IQ, sex, and AQ scores, CAM scores alone accounted for an additional 16.2% of the variance in autistic children's, and 17.4% of the variance in nonautistic children's social competence. These results indicate that higher alexithymia traits predict lower levels of social competence, suggesting that increased difficulty in identifying and describing one's own emotions and the emotions of others is associated with poorer social competence. Furthermore, CAM scores were found to partially mediate the relationship between autistic traits and social competence, suggesting that comorbid alexithymia traits may be partially responsible for poor social competence in individuals with high autistic traits. This research contributes to the understanding of the factors associated with the development of social competence and highlights alexithymia as a potential target for identification and intervention to improve social competence. LAY SUMMARY: Alexithymia is a condition where people find it hard to think and talk about their (and others') feelings. About 50% of autistic people have alexithymia. This might be why they have social and emotional difficulties. Parents answered questions about alexithymia and social difficulties their children have. Children with more alexithymia problems had poorer social skills. Thus, alexithymia may be related to social problems faced by autistic and nonautistic children. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2485 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=449

Exploring sensory phenotypes in autism spectrum disorder / N. E. SCHEERER in Molecular Autism, 12 (2021)  

Public ISBD [article]  inMolecular Autism > 12 (2021) . - 67 p. Titre : Exploring sensory phenotypes in autism spectrum disorder Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : N. E. SCHEERER, Auteur ; K. CURCIN, Auteur ; B. STOJANOSKI, Auteur ; Evdokia ANAGNOSTOU, Auteur ; R. NICOLSON, Auteur ; E. KELLEY, Auteur ; S. GEORGIADES, Auteur ; X. LIU, Auteur ; R. A. STEVENSON, Auteur Article en page(s) : 67 p. Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : ADHD traits  Adaptive behaviour  Autism spectrum disorder  Cluster analysis  OCD traits  Restrictive and repetitive behaviours  Sensory phenotypes  Sensory processing  Social communication  have no competing interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Atypical reactions to the sensory environment are often reported in autistic individuals, with a high degree of variability across the sensory modalities. These sensory differences have been shown to promote challenging behaviours and distress in autistic individuals and are predictive of other functions including motor, social, and cognitive abilities. Preliminary research suggests that specific sensory differences may cluster together within individuals creating discrete sensory phenotypes. However, the manner in which these sensory differences cluster, and whether the resulting phenotypes are associated with specific cognitive and social challenges is unclear. METHODS: Short sensory profile data from 599 autistic children and adults between the ages of 1 and 21 years were subjected to a K-means cluster analysis. Analysis of variances compared age, adaptive behaviour, and traits associated with autism, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive and compulsive disorder across the resultant clusters. RESULTS: A five-cluster model was found to minimize error variance and produce five sensory phenotypes: (1) sensory adaptive, (2) generalized sensory differences, (3) taste and smell sensitivity, (4) under-responsive and sensation seeking, and (5) movement difficulties with low energy. Age, adaptive behaviour, and traits associated with autism, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive and compulsive disorder were found to differ significantly across the five phenotypes. LIMITATIONS: The results were based on parent-report measures of sensory processing, adaptive behaviour, traits associated with autism, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive and compulsive disorder, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. Further, not all measures are standardized, or psychometrically validated with an autism population. Autistic individuals with an intellectual disability were underrepresented in this sample. Further, as these data were obtained from established records from a large provincial database, not all measures were completed for all individuals. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that sensory difficulties in autistic individuals can be clustered into sensory phenotypes, and that these phenotypes are associated with behavioural differences. Given the large degree of heterogeneity in sensory difficulties seen in the autistic population, these sensory phenotypes represent an effective way to parse that heterogeneity and create phenotypes that may aid in the development of effective treatments and interventions for sensory difficulties. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-021-00471-5 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=459 [article] Exploring sensory phenotypes in autism spectrum disorder [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / N. E. SCHEERER, Auteur ; K. CURCIN, Auteur ; B. STOJANOSKI, Auteur ; Evdokia ANAGNOSTOU, Auteur ; R. NICOLSON, Auteur ; E. KELLEY, Auteur ; S. GEORGIADES, Auteur ; X. LIU, Auteur ; R. A. STEVENSON, Auteur . - 67 p. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Molecular Autism > 12 (2021) . - 67 p. Mots-clés : ADHD traits  Adaptive behaviour  Autism spectrum disorder  Cluster analysis  OCD traits  Restrictive and repetitive behaviours  Sensory phenotypes  Sensory processing  Social communication  have no competing interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Atypical reactions to the sensory environment are often reported in autistic individuals, with a high degree of variability across the sensory modalities. These sensory differences have been shown to promote challenging behaviours and distress in autistic individuals and are predictive of other functions including motor, social, and cognitive abilities. Preliminary research suggests that specific sensory differences may cluster together within individuals creating discrete sensory phenotypes. However, the manner in which these sensory differences cluster, and whether the resulting phenotypes are associated with specific cognitive and social challenges is unclear. METHODS: Short sensory profile data from 599 autistic children and adults between the ages of 1 and 21 years were subjected to a K-means cluster analysis. Analysis of variances compared age, adaptive behaviour, and traits associated with autism, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive and compulsive disorder across the resultant clusters. RESULTS: A five-cluster model was found to minimize error variance and produce five sensory phenotypes: (1) sensory adaptive, (2) generalized sensory differences, (3) taste and smell sensitivity, (4) under-responsive and sensation seeking, and (5) movement difficulties with low energy. Age, adaptive behaviour, and traits associated with autism, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive and compulsive disorder were found to differ significantly across the five phenotypes. LIMITATIONS: The results were based on parent-report measures of sensory processing, adaptive behaviour, traits associated with autism, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive and compulsive disorder, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. Further, not all measures are standardized, or psychometrically validated with an autism population. Autistic individuals with an intellectual disability were underrepresented in this sample. Further, as these data were obtained from established records from a large provincial database, not all measures were completed for all individuals. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that sensory difficulties in autistic individuals can be clustered into sensory phenotypes, and that these phenotypes are associated with behavioural differences. Given the large degree of heterogeneity in sensory difficulties seen in the autistic population, these sensory phenotypes represent an effective way to parse that heterogeneity and create phenotypes that may aid in the development of effective treatments and interventions for sensory difficulties. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-021-00471-5 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=459

Systematic review of factors that may influence the outcomes and generalizability of parent-mediated interventions for young children with autism spectrum disorder / D. TREMBATH in Autism Research, 12-9 (September 2019)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 12-9 (September 2019) . - p.1304-1321 Titre : Systematic review of factors that may influence the outcomes and generalizability of parent-mediated interventions for young children with autism spectrum disorder Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : D. TREMBATH, Auteur ; M. GURM, Auteur ; N. E. SCHEERER, Auteur ; D. A. TREVISAN, Auteur ; J. PAYNTER, Auteur ; Gal BOHADANA, Auteur ; J. ROBERTS, Auteur ; G. IAROCCI, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1304-1321 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : autism spectrum disorder  caregiver-mediated  intervention  parent-mediated Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Parent mediated interventions have the potential to positively influence the interactions and developmental outcomes of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, a range of factors relating to children, parents and caregivers, and study design may impact on outcomes and thus the generalizability of these interventions to the broader community. The objective of this review was to examine factors that may influence the feasibility, appropriateness, effectiveness, and generalizability of parent mediated interventions for children with ASD. We conducted a systematic review, yielding 41 articles. There was substantial variability in the intervention type, intensity, and study quality. Notably, 46 different inclusion/exclusion criteria were reported across studies including factors relating to children's development, access to other services, comorbidities, parental factors, and access to the intervention. Fifteen articles included examination of 45 different factors potentially associated with, or influencing, intervention outcomes including child (e.g., language skills, ASD severity, cognition) and parent (e.g., adherence and fidelity, education) factors. Although there is clear evidence for an increasingly sophisticated (e.g., systematic phased research for some interventions) and diverse (e.g., studies in geographical diverse contexts including low-resource communities) approach to research examining parent mediated interventions, there remains a need for improved study quality and measurement consistency in research, including a detailed examination of factors that may predict, moderate, and mediate intervention effectiveness for children and their parents. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1304-1321. (c) 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Parent mediated interventions-in which parents adapt their own behavior or deliver interventions to help their children learn-appear to be effective for some children with autism spectrum disorder. In this review, we identified a range of child, parent, and study design factors that may influence intervention outcomes and ultimately the uptake of these approaches in the community. We suggest that research in this area could be further improved by ensuring that studies include diverse groups of children and parents, and by using study designs that help to establish not only if interventions work, but for whom they work best and why. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2168 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=406 [article] Systematic review of factors that may influence the outcomes and generalizability of parent-mediated interventions for young children with autism spectrum disorder [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / D. TREMBATH, Auteur ; M. GURM, Auteur ; N. E. SCHEERER, Auteur ; D. A. TREVISAN, Auteur ; J. PAYNTER, Auteur ; Gal BOHADANA, Auteur ; J. ROBERTS, Auteur ; G. IAROCCI, Auteur . - p.1304-1321. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 12-9 (September 2019) . - p.1304-1321 Mots-clés : autism spectrum disorder  caregiver-mediated  intervention  parent-mediated Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Parent mediated interventions have the potential to positively influence the interactions and developmental outcomes of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, a range of factors relating to children, parents and caregivers, and study design may impact on outcomes and thus the generalizability of these interventions to the broader community. The objective of this review was to examine factors that may influence the feasibility, appropriateness, effectiveness, and generalizability of parent mediated interventions for children with ASD. We conducted a systematic review, yielding 41 articles. There was substantial variability in the intervention type, intensity, and study quality. Notably, 46 different inclusion/exclusion criteria were reported across studies including factors relating to children's development, access to other services, comorbidities, parental factors, and access to the intervention. Fifteen articles included examination of 45 different factors potentially associated with, or influencing, intervention outcomes including child (e.g., language skills, ASD severity, cognition) and parent (e.g., adherence and fidelity, education) factors. Although there is clear evidence for an increasingly sophisticated (e.g., systematic phased research for some interventions) and diverse (e.g., studies in geographical diverse contexts including low-resource communities) approach to research examining parent mediated interventions, there remains a need for improved study quality and measurement consistency in research, including a detailed examination of factors that may predict, moderate, and mediate intervention effectiveness for children and their parents. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1304-1321. (c) 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Parent mediated interventions-in which parents adapt their own behavior or deliver interventions to help their children learn-appear to be effective for some children with autism spectrum disorder. In this review, we identified a range of child, parent, and study design factors that may influence intervention outcomes and ultimately the uptake of these approaches in the community. We suggest that research in this area could be further improved by ensuring that studies include diverse groups of children and parents, and by using study designs that help to establish not only if interventions work, but for whom they work best and why. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2168 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=406

---

1 (1 - 3 / 3)