1. Bos DJ, Silverman MR, Ajodan EL, Martin C, Silver BM, Brouwer GJ, Di Martino A, Jones RM. {{Rigidity coincides with reduced cognitive control to affective cues in children with autism}}. {Journal of abnormal psychology}. 2019.
The present study tested whether salient affective cues would negatively influence cognitive control in children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One hundred children aged 6-12 years who were either typically developing or had ASD performed a novel go/no-go task to cues of their interest versus cues of noninterest. Linear mixed-effects (LME) models for hit rate, false alarms, and the sensitivity index d’ were used to test for group differences. Caregivers completed the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised to test associations between repetitive behaviors and task performance. Children with ASD had reduced cognitive control toward their interests compared with typically developing children. Further, children with ASD showed reduced cognitive control to interests compared with noninterests, a pattern not observed in typically developing children. Decreased cognitive control toward interests was associated with higher insistence on sameness behavior in ASD, but there was no association between sameness behavior and cognitive control for noninterests. Together, children with ASD demonstrated decreased cognitive flexibility in the context of increased affective salience related to interests. These results provide a mechanism for how salient affective cues, such as interests, interfere with daily functioning and social communication in ASD. Further, the findings have broader clinical implications for understanding how affective cues can drive interactions between restricted patterns of behavior and cognitive control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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2. Fida A, Naveed S, Waqas A. {{Non-Specialist Mediated Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Overview}}. {Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services}. 2019; 57(5): 15-9.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interactions and communication and repetitive stereotypical behaviors. Early recognition and treatment are critical to the treatment gains and prognosis of this disorder in children and adolescents. However, there can be several limitations to initiating a timely intervention, including financial constraints, limited resources, lack of trained providers, and lack of access to health care. In this context, non-specialist mediated interventions for ASD can provide an alternative approach to address the treatment gaps and lack of resources. The current article provides an overview of such interventions for children and adolescents with ASD. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 57(5), 15-19.].
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3. Ghanouni P, Jarus T, Zwicker JG, Lucyshyn J, Chauhan S, Moir C. {{Perceived Barriers and Existing Challenges in Participation of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: « He Did Not Understand and No One Else Seemed to Understand Him »}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2019.
Social participation is one of the most important predictors of the children’s physical and mental health. Although it is evidenced that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have restricted social participation, it is unclear which factors play a significant role. This research aimed to uncover perceived barriers of social participation by involving 26 stakeholders including parents of children with ASD, youth with ASD, and clinicians working with individuals with ASD in focus groups and interviews. Using thematic analysis yielded three themes including (a) difficulty understanding social situations; (b) maladaptive behaviours; and (c) conflicting priorities and restricted nature of training. This project was the first study to involve key stakeholders to highlight barriers of social participation among individuals with ASD.
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4. Gunes S, Ekinci O, Feyzioglu A, Ekinci N, Kalinli M. {{Sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder: clinical correlates and the impact of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder}}. {Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat}. 2019; 15: 763-71.
Purpose: High prevalence of sleep problems has been reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there is limited literature about the types and clinical correlates of sleep problems. This study aims to compare sleep disturbances between children with ASD and healthy children and investigate the relationship between sleep difficulties and clinical symptoms of ASD. Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 112 children in ASD patient group and 112 healthy controls, with an age range of 2-18 years. The Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) was used for sleep problems; Turgay DSM-IV Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale parent form (T-DSM-IV-S) was used to assess hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattentiveness; Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Autism Behavior Checklist, and Aberrant Behavior Checklist were used to evaluate the severity of autistic symptoms and behav-ioral problems. Results: Total score, bedtime resistance, and sleep anxiety subscores of CSHQ were significantly higher in children with ASD than the control group. Among ASD children, intellectual capacity was not found to be associated with CSHQ scores. Bedtime resistance and night waking sub-scores of CSHQ were found to be positively correlated with CARS total score. Inattentiveness subscore of Parent T-DSM-IV-S was significantly higher in children with moderate-to-severe sleep problems. Conclusion: Sleep difficulties in ASD patients may occur independently of intellectual disability. Bedtime resistance and night waking appear to be linked with ASD symptoms. Inattentiveness in ASD children may be associated with moderate-to-severe sleep problems.
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5. Heinicke MR, Carr JE, Copsey CJ. {{Assessing preferences of individuals with developmental disabilities using alternative stimulus modalities: A systematic review}}. {Journal of applied behavior analysis}. 2019.
The purpose of this systematic review was to identify investigations comparing the efficacy of alternative modality (e.g., pictorial, verbal, video) stimulus preference assessments for individuals with developmental disabilities. We identified articles by searching peer-reviewed journals using the PsycINFO and ERIC databases, conducting table of contents searches of common behavioral outlets, and conducting ancestral searches of recent reviews and practitioner summaries of preference assessment methodology. A total of 32 articles met our inclusion criteria. These studies were then coded across a variety of features to gain a better understanding of the efficacy of alternative format preference assessments for individuals with developmental disabilities. In addition, we reviewed this literature for the use of prerequisite-skill assessments and contingent-reinforcer access to further investigate the relation between these variables and the accuracy of pictorial, verbal, and video preference assessments. A variety of methodological concerns are discussed as well as suggestions for future research.
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6. Larcombe TJ, Joosten AV, Cordier R, Vaz S. {{Preparing Children with Autism for Transition to Mainstream School and Perspectives on Supporting Positive School Experiences}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2019.
School readiness is important to a positive start and success in school but children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are at risk of not being school-ready. This study aimed to explore parent and therapist perspectives on school readiness skills of children with ASD and factors impacting on a positive mainstream school experience. A mixed methods design was used. Key findings were that school readiness depends on child and school factors, with social skills the most important child factor. The child’s experience was largely reliant on teacher and education assistant attitudes and highlighted a need for further training and support. This study identified areas of focus for early intervention as well as school-aged intervention and the need for collaborative practice.
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7. Simpson K, Adams D, Bruck S, Keen D. {{Investigating the participation of children on the autism spectrum across home, school and community: A longitudinal study}}. {Child Care Health Dev}. 2019.
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organisation recognises that meaningful participation in one’s community empowers individuals. Children and adolescents on the autism spectrum consistently report lower participation than their typical peers in activities and this appears to continue into adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the participation of children on the autism spectrum over a 3-year period across home, school, and community. METHOD: Caregivers of 84 participants aged 9 – 10 years at Year 1 completed the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) at three annual data collection points. The PEM-CY is a 25-question measure of the child’s level of involvement in home, school, and community activities. Distribution frequencies were calculated for each time point. RESULTS: Although participation in the majority of items across home, school and community remained stable, the longitudinal data suggests that children change the types of socialising activities across time. Over the 3 years there was a decline in physical activity (both organised and unstructured) and in participation in school activities. CONCLUSION: This decline in participation as children move into adolescence is concerning. Further, reduced participation at this phase of development may potentially limit future participation opportunities throughout adolescence and into adulthood. Further exploration of the participation trajectories of children on the autism spectrum is needed.
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8. Viljoen M, Mahdi S, Griessel D, Bolte S, de Vries PJ. {{Parent/caregiver perspectives of functioning in autism spectrum disorders: A comparative study in Sweden and South Africa}}. {Autism}. 2019: 1362361319829868.
Functional outcomes in autism spectrum disorder can be highly variable given the heterogeneous nature of autism spectrum disorder and its interaction with environmental factors. We set out to compare parent/caregiver perceptions of functioning in two divergent countries that participated in the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) Core Set for Autism Spectrum Disorder development study. We focused on the frequency and content of items reported, and hypothesized that environmental factors would most frequently be reported as barriers to functioning in low-resource settings. Using frequency and qualitative content analysis, we compared data from South Africa ( n = 22) and Sweden ( n = 13). Frequency agreement was seen in three activities and participation categories, and one environmental factor. Obvious frequency differences were observed in one environmental factors category, six body functions categories and three activities and participation categories. Only three ICF categories (immediate family, attention functions, products and technology for personal use) differed in content. Contrary to our hypotheses, few differences in perspectives about environmental factors emerged. The universality of our findings supports the global usefulness of the recently developed ICF Core Sets for Autism Spectrum Disorder. We recommend that more comparative studies on autism spectrum disorder and functioning should be conducted, and that similar comparisons in other disorders where Core Sets have been developed may be valuable.
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9. Wang C, Pan YH, Wang Y, Blatt G, Yuan XB. {{Segregated expressions of autism risk genes Cdh11 and Cdh9 in autism-relevant regions of developing cerebellum}}. {Molecular brain}. 2019; 12(1): 40.
Results of recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) highlighted type II cadherins as risk genes for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). To determine whether these cadherins may be linked to the morphogenesis of ASD-relevant brain regions, in situ hybridization (ISH) experiments were carried out to examine the mRNA expression profiles of two ASD-associated cadherins, Cdh9 and Cdh11, in the developing cerebellum. During the first postnatal week, both Cdh9 and Cdh11 were expressed at high levels in segregated sub-populations of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum, and the expression of both genes was declined as development proceeded. Developmental expression of Cdh11 was largely confined to dorsal lobules (lobules VI/VII) of the vermis as well as the lateral hemisphere area equivalent to the Crus I and Crus II areas in human brains, areas known to mediate high order cognitive functions in adults. Moreover, in lobules VI/VII of the vermis, Cdh9 and Cdh11 were expressed in a complementary pattern with the Cdh11-expressing areas flanked by Cdh9-expressing areas. Interestingly, the high level of Cdh11 expression in the central domain of lobules VI/VII was correlated with a low level of expression of the Purkinje cell marker calbindin, coinciding with a delayed maturation of Purkinje cells in the same area. These findings suggest that these two ASD-associated cadherins may exert distinct but coordinated functions to regulate the wiring of ASD-relevant circuits in the cerebellum.
