1. Caeyenberghs K, Taymans T, Wilson PH, Vanderstraeten G, Hosseini H, van Waelvelde H. {{Neural signature of developmental coordination disorder in the structural connectome independent of comorbid autism}}. {Dev Sci}. 2016.
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often exhibit motor clumsiness (Developmental Coordination Disorder, DCD), i.e. they struggle with everyday tasks that require motor coordination like dressing, self-care, and participating in sport and leisure activities. Previous studies in these neurodevelopmental disorders have demonstrated functional abnormalities and alterations of white matter microstructural integrity in specific brain regions. These findings suggest that the global organization of brain networks is affected in DCD and ASD and support the hypothesis of a ‘dys-connectivity syndrome’ from a network perspective. No studies have compared the structural covariance networks between ASD and DCD in order to look for the signature of DCD independent of comorbid autism. Here, we aimed to address the question of whether abnormal connectivity in DCD overlaps that seen in autism or comorbid DCD-autism. Using graph theoretical analysis, we investigated differences in global and regional topological properties of structural brain networks in 53 children: 8 ASD children with DCD (DCD+ASD), 15 ASD children without DCD (ASD), 11 with DCD only, and 19 typically developing (TD) children. We constructed separate structural correlation networks based on cortical thickness derived from Freesurfer. The children were assessed on the Movement-ABC and the Beery Test of Visual Motor Integration. Behavioral results demonstrated that the DCD group and DCD+ASD group scored on average poorer than the TD and ASD groups on various motor measures. Furthermore, although the brain networks of all groups exhibited small-world properties, the topological architecture of the networks was significantly altered in children with ASD compared with DCD and TD. ASD children showed increased normalized path length and higher values of clustering coefficient. Also, paralimbic regions exhibited nodal clustering coefficient alterations in singular disorders. These changes were disorder-specific, and included alterations in clustering coefficient in the isthmus of the right cingulate gyrus and the pars orbitalis of the right inferior frontal gyrus in ASD children, and DCD-related increases in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex. Children meeting criteria for both DCD and ASD exhibited topological changes that were more widespread from those seen in children with only DCD, i.e. children with DCD+ASD showed alterations of clustering coefficient in (para)limbic regions, primary areas, and association areas. The DCD+ASD group showed changes in clustering coefficient in the left association cortex relative to the ASD group. Finally, the DCD+ASD group shared ASD-specific abnormalities in the pars orbitalis of right inferior frontal gyrus, which was hypothesized to reflect atypical emotional-cognitive processing. Our results provide evidence that DCD and ASD are neurodevelopmental disorders with a low degree of overlap in abnormalities in connectivity. The co-occurrence of DCD+ASD was also associated with a distinct topological pattern, highlighting the unique neural signature of comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders.
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2. Cascia J, Barr JJ. {{Associations Among Vocabulary, Executive Function Skills and Empathy in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Appl Res Intellect Disabil}. 2016.
BACKGROUND: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been characterized as having deficits in social communication and empathy which present difficulties in the areas of social reciprocity, sharing of emotions and developing and maintaining relationships. This study explores the associations between vocabulary, executive function skills and empathy in individuals with ASD. METHOD: A survey study with a purposive sample was used. Twenty adolescents with ASD completed receptive and expressive vocabulary assessments while their parent and teacher completed executive function and empathy scales. RESULTS: Results indicated that higher vocabulary and executive function skills were associated with higher empathy. Nonparametric analyses also showed that executive function mediated the association between empathy and vocabulary. Differences between parent and teacher responses were also explored. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that targeting vocabulary and executive function skills prior to, or in conjunction with, social skills in educational and therapeutic settings may prove beneficial.
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3. Clarke C, Hill V, Charman T. {{School based cognitive behavioural therapy targeting anxiety in children with autistic spectrum disorder: a quasi-experimental randomised controlled trail incorporating a mixed methods approach}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2016.
Children with a diagnosis of autism are more likely to experience anxiety than their typically developing peers. Research suggests that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) could offer a way to help children with autism manage their anxiety but most evidence is based on clinical trials. This study investigated a school-based CBT programme using a quasi-experimental design incorporating the child and parent versions of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (Spence, J Abnorm Psy 106(2):280-297, 1997) and the Coping Scale for Children and Youth (Brodzinsky et al., J Appl Dev Psychol 13:195-214, 1992). Interview data was incorporated to help understand the process of change further. Children in the experimental condition had lower levels of anxiety, maintained at follow-up and changes were found in coping behaviours such as lower behavioural avoidance strategies but increased problem solving strategies at follow-up. Limitations of the research together with future directions are also discussed.
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4. Fisher AG, Griswold LA, Munkholm M, Kottorp A. {{Evaluating domains of everyday functioning in people with developmental disabilities}}. {Scand J Occup Ther}. 2016: 1-9.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship among (a) quality of activities of daily living (ADL) task performance, (b) quality of social interaction, and (c) the extent of discrepancy between the person’s and the occupational therapist’s perspectives; and explore patterns of strengths and challenges among people with developmental disabilities (DD). METHODS: Fifty-eight adults with different types of DD, living in northern Sweden, were evaluated using the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS), the Evaluation of Social Interaction (ESI) and the Assessment of Compared Qualities – Occupational Performance (ACQ-OP) and Assessment of Compared Qualities – Social Interaction (ACQ-SI). The relationships among assessments were analysed using Pearson correlation analyses. Cluster analysis was used to group participants based on their evaluation results. Results The quality of ADL task performance and the quality of social interaction demonstrated weak to moderate positive relationships while the ACQ-OP and ACQ-SI demonstrated a strong positive relationship. The cluster analysis resulted in identifying three distinct groups that differed significantly from one another. CONCLUSION: The findings support the clinical use of multiple assessment tools, including observation and self-report, to evaluate different aspects of occupational performance. Comprehensive and relevant evaluation supports collaborative goal setting and intervention planning.
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5. Jokiranta-Olkoniemi E, Cheslack-Postava K, Sucksdorff D, Suominen A, Gyllenberg D, Chudal R, Leivonen S, Gissler M, Brown AS, Sourander A. {{Risk of Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Among Siblings of Probands With Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {JAMA Psychiatry}. 2016.
Importance: Previous research has focused on examining the familial clustering of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Little is known about the clustering of other psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders among siblings of persons with ASD. Objective: To examine the risk for psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders among full siblings of probands with ASD. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Finnish Prenatal Study of Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders used a population-based cohort that included children born from January 1, 1987, to December 31, 2005, who received a diagnosis of ASD by December 31, 2007. Each case was individually matched to 4 control participants by sex and date and place of birth. The siblings of the cases and controls were born from January 1, 1977, to December 31, 2005, and received a diagnosis from January 1, 1987, to December 31, 2009. This nested case-control study included 3578 cases with ASD with 6022 full siblings and 11775 controls with 22127 siblings from Finnish national registers. Data were analyzed from March 6, 2014, to February 12, 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures: The adjusted risk ratio (RR) for psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders among siblings of probands with ASD vs siblings of matched controls. Additional analyses were conducted separately for ASD subgroups, including childhood autism, Asperger syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified. Analyses were further stratified by sex and intellectual disability among the probands. Results: Among the 3578 cases with ASD (2841 boys [79.4%]) and 11775 controls (9345 boys [79.4%]), 1319 cases (36.9%) and 2052 controls (17.4%) had at least 1 sibling diagnosed with any psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorder (adjusted RR, 2.5; 95% CI, 2.3-2.6). The largest associations were observed for childhood-onset disorders (1061 cases [29.7%] vs 1362 controls [11.6%]; adjusted RR, 3.0; 95% CI, 2.8-3.3), including ASD (374 cases [10.5%] vs 125 controls [1.1%]; adjusted RR, 11.8; 95% CI, 9.4-14.7), tic disorders (28 cases [0.8%] vs 24 controls [0.2%]; adjusted RR, 4.3; 95% CI, 2.3-8.2), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (189 cases [5.3%] vs 180 controls [1.5%]; adjusted RR, 3.7; 95% CI, 2.9-4.7), learning and coordination disorders (563 cases [15.7%] vs 697 controls [5.9%]; adjusted RR, 3.2; 95% CI, 2.8-3.6), intellectual disability (104 cases [2.9%] vs 137 controls [1.2%]; adjusted RR, 3.1; 95% CI, 2.3-4.2), conduct and oppositional disorders (180 cases [5.0%] vs 221 controls [1.9%]; adjusted RR, 2.8; 95% CI, 2.2-3.5), and emotional disorders with onset specific to childhood (126 cases [3.5%] vs 157 controls [1.3%]; adjusted RR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.9-3.4). Autism spectrum disorders were also associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, and other neurotic and personality disorders among siblings. Conclusions and Relevance: Psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders cluster among siblings of probands with ASD. For etiologic research, these findings provide further evidence that several psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders have common risk factors.
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6. Kalkan Z, Durasi IM, Sezerman U, Atasever-Arslan B. {{Potential of GRID2 receptor gene for preventing TNF-induced neurodegeneration in autism}}. {Neurosci Lett}. 2016; 620: 62-9.
Autism is one of the most common subtypes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Recent studies suggested a relationship between immune-dependent coding genes and ASD, indicating that long term neuroimmunological anomalies affect brain development and synaptic transmission among neural networks. Furthermore, various studies focused on biomarker potential of TNF-alpha in autism. Ionotropic receptors are also studied as potential marker for autism since altered gene expression levels are observed in autistic patients. GRID2 is a candidate ionotropic receptor which is involved glutamate transfer. In this study, to propose TNF-alpha dependent cellular processes involved in autism aetiology in relation to GRID2 we performed a bioinformatic network analysis and identified potential pathways and genes that are involved in TNF-alpha induced changes at GRID2 receptor levels. As a result, we ascertained the GRID2 receptor gene as a candidate gene and further studied the association between GRID2 expression levels and TNF-induced neurodegeneration. Our bioinformatic analyses and experimental results revealed that TNF-alpha regulates GRID2 gene expression by activating Cdc42 and GOPC genes. Moreover, increased TNF-alpha levels leads to increase of caspase-3 protein levels triggering neuronal apoptosis leading to neuronal deficiency, which is one of the major symptoms of autism. The study is the first to show the role of TNF-alpha in regulation of GRID2 gene expression and its signalling pathway. As a result, GRID2 gene can be a suppressor in TNF-induced neurodegeneration which may help to understand the main factors leading to autism.
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7. Michael C. {{Why we need research about autism and ageing}}. {Autism}. 2016.
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8. Tede Z, Ophir Cohen M, Riskin A, Tirosh E. {{The reliability and validity of the Greenspan Social Emotional Growth Chart (GSEGC) in Israeli children with developmental delay and autism-A pilot study}}. {Res Dev Disabil}. 2016; 55: 226-34.
Healthy social-emotional development in early childhood is important as an indicator of general well-being and for positive outcome in later childhood. Therefore, screening for potential social emotional problems is valuable. Accurate, usable, and affordable screening tools have been especially difficult to develop. The cross cultural validity of a screening instrument should be assessed. The aim of the current study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the Greenspan social-emotional growth chart (GSEGC) in Israeli children of three diagnostic groups: (1) Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) (2) Developmental language disorder (DLD) and (3) Developmental motor delay (DMD). An internal reliability of alpha of 0.95 for the GSEGC standardized for age score and of 0.78 for the sensory processing sub scores was found. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using a 5-factor model confirmed an acceptable fit. Positive (62.86%) and negative (94.73%) predictive values also support the clinical usefulness of the GSEGC in identifying children at low risk for ASD. CONCLUSIONS: The GSEGC appears to be a promising tool for the screening of social emotional problems in early childhood. Further studies in different cultures are warranted.
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9. Yau SH, Brock J, McArthur G. {{The relationship between spoken language and speech and nonspeech processing in children with autism: a magnetic event-related field study}}. {Dev Sci}. 2016.
It has been proposed that language impairments in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) stem from atypical neural processing of speech and/or nonspeech sounds. However, the strength of this proposal is compromised by the unreliable outcomes of previous studies of speech and nonspeech processing in ASD. The aim of this study was to determine whether there was an association between poor spoken language and atypical event-related field (ERF) responses to speech and nonspeech sounds in children with ASD (n = 14) and controls (n = 18). Data from this developmental population (ages 6-14) were analysed using a novel combination of methods to maximize the reliability of our findings while taking into consideration the heterogeneity of the ASD population. The results showed that poor spoken language scores were associated with atypical left hemisphere brain responses (200 to 400 ms) to both speech and nonspeech in the ASD group. These data support the idea that some children with ASD may have an immature auditory cortex that affects their ability to process both speech and nonspeech sounds. Their poor speech processing may impair their ability to process the speech of other people, and hence reduce their ability to learn the phonology, syntax, and semantics of their native language.
