1. Chiu M, Watson S. {{Xerophthalmia and vitamin A deficiency in an autistic child with a restricted diet}}. {BMJ Case Rep};2015;2015
We report the ocular and systemic manifestations of vitamin A deficiency in a child with a complicated medical history including autism and a restricted diet, living in a developed country. This child had significant vitamin A deficiency despite being under long-term medical care, yet the diagnosis was not considered until he had an ophthalmology review for visual deterioration.
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2. Conti E, Pannek K, Calderoni S, Gaglianese A, Fiori S, Brovedani P, Scelfo D, Rose S, Tosetti M, Cioni G, Guzzetta A. {{High angular resolution diffusion imaging in a child with autism spectrum disorder and comparison with his unaffected identical twin}}. {Funct Neurol};2015 (Oct 5):1-6.
In recent years, the use of brain diffusion MRI has led to the hypothesis that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show abnormally connected brains. We used the model of disease-discordant identical twins to test the hypothesis that higher-order diffusion MRI protocols are able to detect abnormal connectivity in a single subject. We studied the structural connectivity of the brain of a child with ASD, and of that of his unaffected identical twin, using high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) probabilistic tractography. Cortical regions were automatically parcellated from high-resolution structural images, and HARDI-based connection matrices were produced for statistical comparison. Differences in diffusion indexes between subjects were tested by Wilcoxon signed rank test. Tracts were defined as discordant when they showed a between-subject difference of 10 percent or more. Around 11 percent of the discordant intra-hemispheric tracts showed lower fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the ASD twin, while only 1 percent showed higher values. This difference was significant. Our findings in a disease-discordant identical twin pair confirm previous literature consistently reporting lower FA values in children with ASD.
3. Du RY, Yiu CK, Wong VC, McGrath CP. {{Erratum to: Autism Developmental Profiles and Cooperation with Oral Health Screening}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Oct 5)
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4. Harris H, Israeli D, Minshew N, Bonneh Y, Heeger DJ, Behrmann M, Sagi D. {{Perceptual learning in autism: over-specificity and possible remedies}}. {Nat Neurosci};2015 (Oct 5)
Inflexible behavior is a core characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but its underlying cause is unknown. Using a perceptual learning protocol, we observed initially efficient learning in ASD that was followed by anomalously poor learning when the location of the target was changed (over-specificity). Reducing stimulus repetition eliminated over-specificity. Our results indicate that inflexible behavior may be evident ubiquitously in ASD, even in sensory learning, but can be circumvented by specifically designed stimulation protocols.
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5. Kauschke C, van der Beek B, Kamp-Becker I. {{Narratives of Girls and Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Gender Differences in Narrative Competence and Internal State Language}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Oct 5)
Since gender differences in the symptomatology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not well understood, the current study examines the communicative skills of males and females with ASD. Narrative competence and internal state language (ISL) was investigated using narrations elicited by a wordless picture book. 11 girls and 11 boys with ASD and 11 typically developing girls were individually matched. Although results demonstrate largely comparable narrative skills across groups, the groups differed with respect to the size and use of ISL: Girls with ASD verbalized and motivated internal states more often than boys, and both groups with ASD fell behind typically developing children in production of affective words. Implications for the clinical presentation of males and females with ASD are discussed.
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6. Khadem A, Hossein-Zadeh GA, Khorrami A. {{Long-Range Reduced Predictive Information Transfers of Autistic Youths in EEG Sensor-Space During Face Processing}}. {Brain Topogr};2015 (Oct 3)
The majority of previous functional/effective connectivity studies conducted on the autistic patients converged to the underconnectivity theory of ASD: « long-range underconnectivity and sometimes short-rang overconnectivity ». However, to the best of our knowledge the total (linear and nonlinear) predictive information transfers (PITs) of autistic patients have not been investigated yet. Also, EEG data have rarely been used for exploring the information processing deficits in autistic subjects. This study is aimed at comparing the total (linear and nonlinear) PITs of autistic and typically developing healthy youths during human face processing by using EEG data. The ERPs of 12 autistic youths and 19 age-matched healthy control (HC) subjects were recorded while they were watching upright and inverted human face images. The PITs among EEG channels were quantified using two measures separately: transfer entropy with self-prediction optimality (TESPO), and modified transfer entropy with self-prediction optimality (MTESPO). Afterwards, the directed differential connectivity graphs (dDCGs) were constructed to characterize the significant changes in the estimated PITs of autistic subjects compared with HC ones. By using both TESPO and MTESPO, long-range reduction of PITs of ASD group during face processing was revealed (particularly from frontal channels to right temporal channels). Also, it seemed the orientation of face images (upright or upside down) did not modulate the binary pattern of PIT-based dDCGs, significantly. Moreover, compared with TESPO, the results of MTESPO were more compatible with the underconnectivity theory of ASD in the sense that MTESPO showed no long-range increase in PIT. It is also noteworthy that to the best of our knowledge it is the first time that a version of MTE is applied for patients (here ASD) and it is also its first use for EEG data analysis.
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7. Oien R, Eisemann MR. {{Brief Report: Parent-Reported Problems Related to Communication, Behavior and Interests in Children with Autistic Disorder and Their Impact on Quality of Life}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Oct 5)
Parents of children with Autism spectrum disorders often report elevated levels of stress, depression and anxiety compared to parents of children with other developmental disorders. The present study investigated experiences of mothers of children with autistic disorder, both boys and girls. The results show that mothers report problems related to communication, behavior and interests of their child, which impact their quality of life. There were also differences between boys and girls.
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8. Oswald TM, Winter-Messiers MA, Gibson B, Schmidt AM, Herr CM, Solomon M. {{Sex Differences in Internalizing Problems During Adolescence in Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Oct 5)
We hypothesized that the double hit conferred by sex and diagnosis increases the risk for internalizing disorders in adolescent females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In a sample of 32 adolescents with ASD and 32 controls, we examined the effects of sex, diagnostic factors, and developmental stages on depression and anxiety. A 3-way interaction revealed that females with ASD exhibited greater depressive symptoms than males with ASD and female controls particularly during early adolescence; therefore, females with ASD might have a unique combination of genetic, hormonal, and psychosocial vulnerabilities that heighten their risk for depression during early adolescence. Additionally, the ASD group reported high levels of separation anxiety and panic in late adolescence, possibly indicating atypical development of independence.
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9. Skorich DP, May AR, Talipski LA, Hall MH, Dolstra AJ, Gash TB, Gunningham BH. {{Is Social Categorization the Missing Link Between Weak Central Coherence and Mental State Inference Abilities in Autism? Preliminary Evidence from a General Population Sample}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Oct 5)
We explore the relationship between the ‘theory of mind’ (ToM) and ‘central coherence’ difficulties of autism. We introduce covariation between hierarchically-embedded categories and social information-at the local level, the global level, or at both levels simultaneously-within a category confusion task. We then ask participants to infer the mental state of novel category members, and measure participants’ autism-spectrum quotient (AQ). Results reveal a positive relationship between AQ and the degree of local/global social categorization, which in turn predicts the pattern of mental state inferences. These results provide preliminary evidence for a causal relationship between central coherence and ToM abilities. Implications with regard to ToM processes, social categorization, intervention, and the development of a unified account of autism are discussed.
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10. Sparapani N, Morgan L, Reinhardt VP, Schatschneider C, Wetherby AM. {{Evaluation of Classroom Active Engagement in Elementary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Oct 3)
This study evaluated the classroom measure of active engagement (CMAE), an observational tool designed to measure active engagement in students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants included 196 students with ASD and their educators (n = 126) who were video-recorded at the beginning of the school year. Findings documented limited active engagement overall, with students spending less than half of the observation well-regulated, productive, or independent and infrequently directing eye gaze and communicating. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the structure of the CMAE was represented by a 5-factor model. These findings underscore the need for improved active engagement in students with ASD and show promise for a tool to measure behaviors associated with positive educational outcomes in students with ASD.
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11. VanBergeijk E. {{Dave Kot and Angela Kot: Face Value Comics, No. 1 : East Berlin, PA, Autism at Face Value, 2013, 31 pp. $5.00 (paper)}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Sep);45(9):3067-3068.
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12. Young HE, Falco RA, Hanita M. {{Randomized, Controlled Trial of a Comprehensive Program for Young Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Oct 5)
This randomized, controlled trial, comparing the Comprehensive Autism Program (CAP) and business as usual programs, studied outcomes for 3-5 year old students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants included 84 teachers and 302 students with ASD and their parents. CAP utilized specialized curricula and training components to implement specific evidence-based practices both at school and home. A comprehensive set of outcome areas was studied. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to estimate the treatment impact. CAP had small positive impacts on the students’ receptive language (effect size of .13) and on their social skills as rated by teachers (effect size of .19). Treatment effects were moderated by severity of ASD.
