1. Abdelkader A, AlRadini F, Alosaimi A, Abbas A, Judeh Z, Emy Abu Esaid T, Saleh A, Shah J, Amer S. Unveiling the influences of prenatal and maternal factors on the journey of an autistic child. Front Psychiatry;2024;15:1467821.

BACKGROUND: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder with a high and increasing global prevalence. Although the precise causes are unknown, both genetic and environmental factors, including maternal ones during pregnancy, significantly influence its development. Therefore, this study endeavors to explore the potential causes of autism, including maternal and paternal prenatal risk factors, as well as antenatal and natal maternal risk factors, and their associations with the severity of ASD in mothers of children with ASD, from February to May 2024. METHODS: At an autism center in Saudi Arabia, this cross-sectional study enrolled 168 mothers of children diagnosed with ASD. The web-based survey employs a structured questionnaire to gather comprehensive prenatal, natal, and demographic data. The collected data was coded and analyzed using suitable tests. RESULTS: The majority of the surveyed 168 mothers with autistic children reported having autism spectrum disorder (43.8%), moderate autism (31.9%), mild autism (15.6%), and severe autism (8.8%). Most autistic children had a history of one or both maternal and/or paternal antenatal exposures: 79.2% had soft drink consumption, 35.1% smoked, 24.4% had chronic physical diseases, and 20.8% had psychological disease. Regarding maternal antenatal conditions, 37% had a history of recurrent infection, 29.2% had anemia, 15.5% had a history of threatened abortion or bleeding, as well as exposure to air pollution, and 22 (13.1%) had a history of gestational diabetes. Significant (p <0.05) predictors of severe autism were gestational diabetes aOR 4.553 (95% CI: [1.518, 14.25], birth oxygen desaturation 4.142 (95% CI: [1.437, 12.45]. Furthermore, the likelihood of classifying a child's ASD as severe increases by 7.1% with each year of age1.071 (95% CI: [1.002, 1.15]. CONCLUSION: ASD is a prevalent health condition that has many interrelationships with prenatal, maternal (medical, environmental, and psychosocial factors), and natal conditions. Prospective studies are essential for understanding and addressing these ASD risk factors.

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2. Bäckström A, Johansson AM, Rudolfsson T, Rönnqvist L, von Hofsten C, Rosander K, Domellöf E. Atypical development of sequential manual motor planning and visuomotor integration in children with autism at early school-age: A longitudinal kinematic study. Autism;2025 (Jan 6):13623613241311333.

Many children with autism struggle with movement difficulties, yet the causes of these difficulties remain unclear. One possible explanation is atypical motor planning and integration of visual and motoric information. Before performing a goal-directed movement, the brain creates a prediction of the movement based on visual and sensory information and previous experience, forming a « blueprint » of the motor steps needed to achieve the goal. This process is called motor planning. During movement, adjustments to the plan can be made through feedback mechanisms. This longitudinal study aimed to examine the development of motor planning in children with autism and typically developing children over early school-age (7-9 years). The children performed a sequential manual peg-rotation task, which involved grasping, rotating, and placing a peg, while detailed measures of movement were collected. Task end-goal difficulty varied, and the goal was either initially occluded or fully visible. The results revealed that children with autism showed atypical motor planning development compared with typically developing peers, and these differences became more pronounced as the children grew older. As the typically developing children matured, they appeared to rely more on initial visual information, which assisted them in motor planning. However, this facilitation did not occur for children with autism. These findings suggest that the differences in motor planning seen in children with autism may be linked to atypical visuomotor integration, highlighting the need for individualized interventions. Furthermore, it is crucial to consider developmental aspects to fully understand motor planning in children with autism.

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3. da Silva SH, Felippin MR, de Oliveira Medeiros L, Hedin-Pereira C, Nogueira-Campos AA. A scoping review of the motor impairments in autism spectrum disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev;2025 (Jan 3):106002.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder mainly defined by impairments in communication and socialization. Although motor symptoms are not typically considered central to the disease, their high frequency and early onset have been recurrently reported in the literature. Therefore, this scoping review provides a broad description of these motor impairments across all ages, as well as a discussion of their relevance and relation to other clinical aspects of ASD. The scientific search was carried out in Scopus, Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Nineteen studies were selected after applying the eligibility criteria. The studies analyzed 784 participants diagnosed with ASD compared to 540 controls. Motor function was assessed by means of varied kinds of scales and questionnaires. The main motor domains evaluated included features of fine and gross motor skills, manual dexterity, coordination/motor control/praxis, balance, running speed/agility, strength, gait, whole-body movements, aiming and catching (ball skills), and repetitive movements. Motor impairments are consistently observed in ASD from the first years of life, persisting into adulthood. It includes a significant deficit in performance of manual, posture, strength, and gait behavior/skills. The deficits described in ASD comprised impairments in fine and gross motor skills, lower balance, lower cadence, and greater variation of gait control, as well as weakness among other features that leads this population to move in an adaptive way affecting their interactions in real life.

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4. Elsherif R, Mm Abdel-Hafez A, Hussein OA, Sabry D, Abdelzaher LA, Bayoumy AA. The potential ameliorative effect of mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes on cerebellar histopathology and their modifying role on PI3k-mTOR signaling in rat model of autism spectrum disorder. J Mol Histol;2025 (Jan 6);56(1):65.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of severe neurodevelopmental disorders. This study aimed to elucidate the potential ameliorating effect of postnatal administration of MSCs-derived Exo in a rat model of ASD. Male pups were divided into control (Cont), (VPA); pups of pregnant rats injected with VPA subcutaneously (S.C.) at embryonic day (ED) 13, and (VPA + Exo); pups were intravenously (I.V.) injected with MSCs-derived Exo either at postnatal day (P) 21 (adolescent VPA + Exo) or P70 (adult VPA + Exo). They were evaluated for physiological, histopathological and immunohistochemical changes of cerebellar structure, and genetic expression of PI3k and mTOR. The VPA adult group showed increased locomotor activity and impaired social activity, and anxiety. The cerebellar histological structure was disrupted in VPA groups. VPA + Exo groups showed preservation of the normal histological structure of the cerebellum. Immunohistochemical studies revealed enhanced expression of caspase-3, GFAP, Nestin, and VEGF in VPA groups beside modifying PI3K and mTOR genetic expression. MSCs-derived Exo ameliorated most of the rat cerebellar histopathological alterations and behavioral changes. Their mitigating effect could be established through their antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-neurogenesis effect besides modifying PI3k-mTOR signaling.

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5. Ganai UJ, Ratne A, Bhushan B, Venkatesh KS. Early detection of autism spectrum disorder: gait deviations and machine learning. Sci Rep;2025 (Jan 6);15(1):873.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosed by clinicians and experts through questionnaires, observations, and interviews. Current diagnostic practices focus on social and communication impairments, which often emerge later in life. This delay in detection results in missed opportunities for early intervention. Gait, a motor behavior, has been previously shown to be aberrant in children with ASD and may be a biomarker for early detection and diagnosis of ASD. The current study assessed gait in children with ASD using a single RGB camera-based pose estimation method by MediaPipe (MP). Data from 32 children with ASD and 29 typically developing (TD) children were collected. The ASD group exhibited significantly reduced step length and right elbow° and increased right shoulder° relative to TD children. Four machine learning (ML) algorithms were employed to classify the ASD and TD children based on the statistically significant gait parameters. The binomial logistic regression (Logit) performed the best, with an accuracy of 0.82, in classifying the ASD and TD children. The present study demonstrates the use of gait analysis and ML techniques for the early detection of ASD.

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6. Hollingsworth EW, Liu TA, Alcantara JA, Chen CX, Jacinto SH, Kvon EZ. Rapid and quantitative functional interrogation of human enhancer variant activity in live mice. Nat Commun;2025 (Jan 6);16(1):409.

Functional analysis of non-coding variants associated with congenital disorders remains challenging due to the lack of efficient in vivo models. Here we introduce dual-enSERT, a robust Cas9-based two-color fluorescent reporter system which enables rapid, quantitative comparison of enhancer allele activities in live mice in less than two weeks. We use this technology to examine and measure the gain- and loss-of-function effects of enhancer variants previously linked to limb polydactyly, autism spectrum disorder, and craniofacial malformation. By combining dual-enSERT with single-cell transcriptomics, we characterise gene expression in cells where the enhancer is normally and ectopically active, revealing candidate pathways that may lead to enhancer misregulation. Finally, we demonstrate the widespread utility of dual-enSERT by testing the effects of fifteen previously uncharacterised rare and common non-coding variants linked to neurodevelopmental disorders. In doing so we identify variants that reproducibly alter the in vivo activity of OTX2 and MIR9-2 brain enhancers, implicating them in autism. Dual-enSERT thus allows researchers to go from identifying candidate enhancer variants to analysis of comparative enhancer activity in live embryos in under two weeks.

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7. Iftimovici A, Martinez G, Victor J, Bendjemaa N, Jantac C, Danset-Alexandre C, Amado I, Pina-Camacho L, Chaumette B, Fatjó-Vilas M, Fañanás L, Duchesnay E, Krebs MO. Schizophrenia Following Early Adolescence Prodrome: A Neurodevelopmental Subtype With Autism-like Sensorimotor and Social Cognition Deficits. Schizophr Bull;2025 (Jan 5)

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: While age at onset in schizophrenia (SCZ) is usually defined by age at onset of psychosis, the illness actually occurs earlier, with a prodrome often starting in childhood or adolescence. We postulated that SCZ with early-adolescence prodromes (SCZ-eaP) presents with social cognition deficits and sensorimotor impairments more similar to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than SCZ with late-adolescence prodromes (SCZ-laP). STUDY DESIGN: The movie for the assessment of social cognition and neurological soft signs (NSS) were compared between four groups, ASD, SCZ-eaP (<15 years), SCZ-laP (>15 years), and controls (N = 119), while accounting for age, sex, intelligence quotient, education level, and medication effect. Mediation analyses tested the effect of NSS on social cognition, across groups, and local gyrification indices were used to test whether NSS reflected deviations in early neurodevelopmental trajectories. STUDY RESULTS: For social cognition and NSS, subjects with ASD were not different from SCZ-eaP, while they differed from SCZ-laP. Age at onset of prodrome correlated with NSS (r = -0.34, P = .018), and social cognition (r = 0.28, P = .048). Neurological soft signs mediated social cognition impairment across diagnoses (β = -1.24, P < 1e-6), and was explained by hypergyrification in the right fusiform gyrus, right frontal pole gyrus, and left postcentral gyrus. CONCLUSIONS: Earlier age of prodrome in SCZ is associated with impaired social cognition, mediated by neurodevelopmentally-related sensorimotor impairments along the ASD-SCZ spectrum. It suggests age of prodrome, rather than the age at psychosis onset, should be considered to define more homogeneous subgroups in SCZ.

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8. Jalilzadeh Khalet Abad S, Kalashipour Chir G, Heydari P, Fazilat A, Mortazavi Moghadam F, Valilo M. Hormonal disorders in autism spectrum disorders. Horm Mol Biol Clin Investig;2025 (Jan 6)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurobehavioral condition characterized by disruption of behavioral and emotional patterns in individuals with this condition. Given that various environmental and genetic factors play a fundamental role in the pathophysiology of ASD, it can be said that ASD is a multifaceted disease. This study used scientific databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Semantic Scholar. In this review, we aimed to select manuscripts based on our field and relevant to the topic of our article. Emerging studies have shown that many neural, anatomical, and chemical factors play a role in the development of ASD. In this regard, an increasing body of studies has pointed out the relationship between chemical factors, including hormones, which play an important role in ASD. These hormones include melatonin, serotonin, thyroid, oxytocin, vasopressin, insulin-like growth hormone (IGF-1), etc. For instance, IGF-1 levels are low in ASD individuals, or melatonin levels are reduced in ASD individuals. Therefore, with take into account these findings, in this review, we decided to check over the association of these hormones to ASD and have a concise overview of their potential as therapeutic solutions to reduce the effects of ASD.

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9. Jenabi E, Maleki A, Ayubi E, Bashirian S, Seyedi M, Abdoli S. The predictors of sleep quality in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders in the west of Iran: A path analysis. Heliyon;2025 (Jan 15);11(1):e41136.

There is limited data available on the impact of sleep problems in children with ASD on parents’ sleep quality. Due to the lack of research in Iran on factors affecting the sleep quality of mothers of children with ASD, this study was designed to explore predictors of mothers’ sleep quality using path analysis. From October 2022 to May 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted in Hamadan, a city in western Iran, involving 100 mothers of children with ASD. Data were collected using a demographic checklist and four questionnaires were included Perceived social support, Petersburg Sleep Quality Questionnaire (PSQI), Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and Perceived Stress. Data analysis was performed using SPSS Version 16, and path analysis was conducted with LISREL software version 8.5. Statistical significance was determined by P-values less than 0.05. The sleep quality of mothers had no significant relationship with any of the demographic variables (p > 0.05). Correlation bivariate analysis showed that the total score of Sleep Quality of mothers had a positive significant correlation with Perceived Stress (r=0.28) and Sleep Habit of Children (r=0.51) but had a negative significant correlation with Social Support (r=-0.31). Children’s sleep habits, perceived stress, and perceived social support are the main predictors of Sleep Quality in Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders. Our study showed sleep quality in mothers of children with ASD may be the function of the child’s sleep pattern, social support, and stress. We recommended that our hypothesized model should be enriched with more covariates and modifiers and also be tested in further large-scale prospective studies.

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10. Kerebh A, Endalifer ML, Birhanu MY, Telayneh AT, Abate LK, Adissie Z, Negesse A, Alamneh AA. Child developmental delay and its associated factors among children aged 12-59 months in Dembecha district, Northwest Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study. Front Public Health;2024;12:1464121.

BACKGROUND: Developmental delay is a group of disorders that cause common deficits of adaptive and intellectual function in children. It happens when a child fails to achieve one aspect of developmental skills. Limited information is available regarding the prevalence of developmental delay among children aged 12-59 months in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of developmental delay and its associated factors among this population. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Dembecha district among 702 children aged 12-59 months. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews, and by taking anthropometric measurements using a pretested structured questionnaire. Data were entered into Epi Data version 4.2 software and exported into Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 software for analysis. The WHO Anthro software was used to analyze anthropometric-related data. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were done to identify factors associated with developmental delay. The odds ratio with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was estimated to determine the strength of the association. RESULTS: The prevalence of developmental delay among children was 26.7% (95% CI: 23.5, 30.2). Toddler child age (AOR = 2.60; 95% CI: 1.42, 4.87), low birth weight (LBW; AOR =4.90; 95% CI: 2.14, 11.48), cesarean section mode of delivery (AOR = 8.60; 95% CI: 3.93, 18.65), preterm delivery (AOR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.28, 4.74), early initiation of complementary feeding (AOR = 8.40; 95% CI: 3.61, 19.63), stunting (AOR = 2.90; 95% CI: 1.67, 5.22) inadequate meal frequency (AOR = 3.20; 95% CI: 1.74, 5.94), and inadequate dietary diversity (AOR = 3.10; 95% CI: 1.68, 5.85) were significantly associated with child developmental delay. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of developmental delay among children was high in Dembecha district compared to the global prevalence. Child developmental delay was associated with toddler child age, LBW, cesarean section mode of delivery, preterm delivery, initiation of complementary feeding before 6 months, stunting, inadequate meal frequency, and inadequate dietary diversity. Therefore, preventing preterm delivery and LBW, initiating complementary feeding before 6 months, stunting, and achieving the minimum meal frequency, and minimum dietary diversity are recommended to prevent child developmental delay.

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11. Kınacı-Biber E, Yardımcı-Lokmanoğlu BN, Mutlu A. Early Motor Repertoire and Developmental Functioning at Later Age of Children Who Were Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr;2025 (Jan 5):1-15.

AIMS: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may exhibit early motor delay, and long-term motor impairments in addition to social and communicative problems. This pilot study aimed to describe (i) the early motor repertoire using General Movements Assessment (GMA) of infants later diagnosed with ASD, (ii) the developmental outcomes in these children between 24- and 42-months, and (iii) the relationship between GMA and developmental outcomes. METHODS: Ten children diagnosed with ASD were included. All infants were assessed using Motor Optimality Score for 3- to 5-month-old Infants-Revised score sheet for GMA, and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) for developmental functioning aged between 24- and 42-months. RESULTS: The median Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R) was 10 (range: 6-28), considered reduced optimal, and 80% of children had less than optimal MOS-R. 60% of the children had aberrant fidgety movements and abnormal postural patterns, and 80% had abnormal but not cramped-synchronized movement character. The mean composite scores of all subdomains in Bayley-III were below 69 (extremely low) in all children. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the importance of early motor repertoire and longitudinal developmental assessments in children with ASD. Further research is needed to explore the potential of this assessment as a screening tool.

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12. Ma D, Luo H, Wang Y, Zhou W, Lu Y, Lv B, Zhang L, Hua Y. Knowledge, Attitudes and Willingness of Caregivers of Preterm Infants Toward Autism: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int J Dev Neurosci;2025 (Feb);85(1):e10411.

BACKGROUND: To examine the knowledge, attitudes and willingness of caregivers of preterm infants toward autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2022 at the Hospital and enrolled the caregivers of preterm infants. The final questionnaire, developed by the authors, included four dimensions: demographic data, knowledge (16 items), attitudes (10 items) and willingness (seven items). RESULTS: This study included 702 participants (77.21% females). The average knowledge, attitude and willingness scores were 7.75 ± 3.47 (total: 16), 38.54 ± 4.38 (total: 50) and 31.38 ± 3.95 (total: 35), respectively. Female (OR = 1.945, 95% CI: 1.182-2.797, p = 0.003), college or bachelor’s (OR = 4.429, 95% CI: 1.525-9.788, p = 0.006), master or above (OR = 3.864, 95% CI: 1.194-12.500, p = 0.024) and stable work (OR = 2.098, 95% CI: 1.421-3.098, p < 0.001) were independently associated with sufficient knowledge. Age 30-34 (OR = 0.639, 95% CI: 0.423-0.695, p = 0.033), age ≥ 35 (OR = 0.517, 95% CI: 0.334-0.802, p = 0.003) and urban residency (OR = 1.697, 95% CI: 1.118-2.576, p = 0.013) were independently associated with favourable attitudes. The knowledge scores (OR = 1.100, 95% CI: 1.041-1.162, p = 0.001), attitude scores (OR = 1.212, 95% CI: 1.158-1.690, p < 0.001) and a monthly income of 10,000-20,000 RMB (OR = 2.125, 95% CI: 1.208-3.736, p = 0.009) were independently associated with the positive willingness. CONCLUSIONS: This study observed poor knowledge but favourable attitudes and willingness toward ASD among caregivers of preterm infants. More attention should be paid to the education of caregivers to improve the knowledge of autism in the families of premature infants.

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13. Mamat M, Chen Y, Shen W, Li L. Molecular architecture of the altered cortical complexity in autism. Mol Autism;2025 (Jan 6);16(1):1.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication challenges, and repetitive behaviors. Despite extensive research, the molecular mechanisms underlying these neurodevelopmental abnormalities remain elusive. We integrated microscale brain gene expression data with macroscale MRI data from 1829 participants, including individuals with ASD and typically developing controls, from the autism brain imaging data exchange I and II. Using fractal dimension as an index for quantifying cortical complexity, we identified significant regional alterations in ASD, within the left temporoparietal, left peripheral visual, right central visual, left somatomotor (including the insula), and left ventral attention networks. Partial least squares regression analysis revealed gene sets associated with these cortical complexity changes, enriched for biological functions related to synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and chromatin organization. Cell-specific analyses, protein-protein interaction network analysis and gene temporal expression profiling further elucidated the dynamic molecular landscape associated with these alterations. These findings indicate that ASD-related alterations in cortical complexity are closely linked to specific genetic pathways. The combined analysis of neuroimaging and transcriptomic data enhances our understanding of how genetic factors contribute to brain structural changes in ASD.

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14. Medeiros NL, Ferreira FR, Vaz DV, Silva HA, An M, Palisano RJ, Leite HR, Camargos ACR. Family-Professional Collaborative Physical Therapy Intervention via Telehealth for Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Mixed-Method Feasibility Study. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr;2025 (Jan 5):1-14.

AIMS: To evaluate attendance rates, daily therapy engagement, parents’ perceptions regarding feasibility, acceptability, family-centeredness, and individualized outcomes of a collaborative telehealth-based physical therapy intervention for children with disabilities. METHOD: Mixed-method design involving 15 families and 17 children with disabilities (range age 4-90 months). Parents recorded time spent on home activities. Family-centeredness was assessed using the Measure of Processes of Care-20-item (MPOC-20). The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) were used to measure individualized outcomes. Interviews were conducted on families’ perceptions of the telehealth service. RESULTS: Parents attended an average of 8.29 out of 9 scheduled telehealth sessions and spent an average of 1.32 (±0.58) hours per day on therapy activities. Parents rated the services as family-centered « to a fairly great extent » or « to a great extent ». On average, children achieved individualized goals. Parents identified therapists’ collaborative behaviors and information sharing as facilitators, beliefs about their abilities and technical issues as barriers, and empowerment and active engagement as benefits of the telehealth sessions. CONCLUSION: The family-professional collaborative telehealth physical therapy was perceived by parents as acceptable and feasible to address their children needs. Children achieved individualized goals and participating families actively engaged in the intervention process.

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15. Park G, Kim J, Lee T, Kim HW. Clinical Significance of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-II in Children With Developmental Disabilities. Psychiatry Investig;2024 (Dec);21(12):1407-1414.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared adaptive functioning measured by the Korean version of Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition (K-VABS-II), in preschool children with developmental disabilities (DD) and those with typical development (TD). We also examined the correlation of K-VABS-II adaptive profiles with developmental and behavioral assessments. METHODS: Two hundred preschool children (73 females and 127 males, mean age 54.7±9.1 months) were recruited from special educational centers, community-based daycare centers, and kindergartens. Eighty-one with DD comprising 61 with autism spectrum disorder, 63 with intellectual disability, 12 with language disorder, and 119 with TD were included. Their developmental profiles were measured by the Psychoeducational Profile-Revised (PEP-R), Preschool Receptive-Expressive Language Scale (PRES), K-VABS-II, Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and the Korean version of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (K-CARS). The parent completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC). RESULTS: The K-VABS-II Adaptive Behavior Composite and all domain scores of K-VABS-II differed significantly between children with DD and TD (all p<0.001). In most domains, K-VABS-II had moderate-to-strong correlations with PEP-R, PRES, K-CARS, and SRS. The Maladaptive Behavior Index domain of K-VABS-II had moderate correlations with behavioral assessments, including CBCL and ABC. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that K-VABS-II is useful in evaluating developmental levels and adaptive and maladaptive behaviors of preschool children with DD. K-VABS-II also had significant correlations with cognitive, language, social, and behavioral assessments.

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16. Phillips S, Yanchik A, Jung H, Vietze P, Lax LE. Effects of bilingual language exposure on toddlers with autism spectrum disorder. Front Psychol;2024;15:1412339.

Research analyzing the effects of bilingual language exposure on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased in frequency. Utilizing the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition, the current study analyzed the effects of bilingual language exposure and age on language development, cognitive development, and social emotional development in toddlers with ASD. Older children demonstrated higher language scores than younger children. The interaction between ASD and bilingualism did not yield statistical significance for language, cognitive, or social emotional scores; however, the interaction between age and bilingualism was found to be significant. Age may have more of an influence on language development than ASD. Children with ASD can be raised in bilingual homes without affecting long-term development.

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17. Qi J, Peng J, Kang X. Predictive Processing Among Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder During Online Language Comprehension: A Preliminary Systematic Review. J Autism Dev Disord;2025 (Jan 6)

The present study aims to fill the research gap by evaluating published empirical studies and answering the specific research question: Can individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) predict upcoming linguistic information during real-time language comprehension? Following the PRISMA framework, an initial search via PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar yielded a total of 697 records. After screening the abstract and full text, 10 studies, covering 350 children and adolescents with ASD ranging from 2 to 15 years old, were included for analysis. We found that individuals with ASD may predict the upcoming linguistic information by using verb semantics but not pragmatic prosody during language comprehension. Nonetheless, 9 out of 10 studies used short spoken sentences as stimuli, which may not encompass the complexity of language comprehension. Moreover, eye-tracking in the lab setting was the primary data collection technique, which may further limit the generalizability of the research findings. Using a narrative approach to synthesize and evaluate the research findings, we found that individuals with ASD may have the ability to predict the upcoming linguistic information. However, this field of research still calls for more studies that will expand the scope of research topics, utilize more complex linguistic stimuli, and employ more diverse data collection techniques.

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18. Sader M, Weston A, Buchan K, Kerr-Gaffney J, Gillespie-Smith K, Sharpe H, Duffy F. The Co-Occurrence of Autism and Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): A Prevalence-Based Meta-Analysis. Int J Eat Disord;2025 (Jan 6)

OBJECTIVE: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a feeding and eating disorder characterized by extensive avoidance and/or restriction of food. Existing research demonstrates that ARFID is over-represented in Autistic populations and vice-versa, with both groups exhibiting shared characteristics. This meta-analysis investigated the co-occurrence between ARFID and autism via determination of autism prevalence in ARFID populations, and ARFID prevalence in Autistic groups. METHOD: This review systematically identified literature evaluating those with ARFID and Autistic individuals. Literature was searched for using SCOPUS, MEDLINE, and Web of Science. Selected publications included Autistic individuals and those with ARFID who either received a formal diagnosis of autism and/or ARFID or met clinical threshold cut-off scores on validated autism and/or ARFID questionnaires. Prevalence was reported in proportion-based values alongside 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: This meta-analysis identified 21 studies (kARFID = 18 papers; kAutism = 3 papers) comprising of n = 7442 participants (nARFID = 1708; nAutism = 5734). Prevalence of autism diagnoses was 16.27% in those with ARFID (95% CI = 8.64%-28.53%), and ARFID prevalence in Autistic groups was 11.41% (95% CI = 2.89%-35.76%). Gender and ethnicity served as significant sources of heterogeneity in ARFID papers. There was insufficient data to provide comparator values or prevalence across study population and distinct underpinning drivers of ARFID. DISCUSSION: Meta-analytic findings highlight significant rates of co-occurrence between autism and ARFID, suggesting that in clinical settings, it may be beneficial to consider screening Autistic individuals for ARFID and vice-versa. Future research should further investigate co-occurrence across ARFID profiles, gender, and ethnicity.

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19. Schonhaut L, Edwards M, Pardo M, Valdés A. [Properties of the Test of Early Learning and Development, second edition « TADI », in the context of scale validation policies for children under 6 years of age in Chile and Latin America]. Andes Pediatr;2024 (Aug);95(4):353-363.

In Latin America, scales have been built to assess Early Child Development (EChD), most of them for direct evaluations. In Chile, the Psychomotor Development Evaluation Scale (EEDP) and the Test of Psychomotor Development (TEPSI) were developed in the 70’s and 80’s and are still used in different Spanish-speaking countries, but have not been updated or revalidated. In response to the need for a new instrument built in Chile for the evaluation of EChD on a large scale, the Test of Early Learning and Development (TADI-2, for its acronym in Spanish) was built and standardized between 2009 and 2012. This was updated and strengthened between 2018 and 2023 as TADI-2. OBJECTIVE: To describe the main methodological requirements considered in the construction of a health measurement instrument and, in this context, to analyze the validity of the TADI-2. DEVELOPMENT: The rigorous validation process of the TADI-2 stands out, complying with the standards of content selection, standardization, reliability, validity in different sociocultural and ethnic environments, low cost, easy application and open use. Sensitivity for the global score in 4- and 5-year-olds was very good and, in younger children, moderate. CONCLUSIONS: The gathered evidence shows that the TADI-2 may be implemented for EChD screening through direct assessment of children under 6 years of age in Chile and the rest of the continent. It is recommended to continue studying the instrument in larger samples to know the consistency of the results in complementary and population-based studies.

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20. Soto D, Salazar A, Elosegi P, Walter A, Mei N, Rodriguez E, Petrollini V, Vicente A. Correction to: A novel image database for social concepts reveals preference biases in autistic spectrum in adults and children. Psychon Bull Rev;2025 (Jan 6)

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21. Tkach MM, Dunn W, Wolf TJ. The Feasibility of Occupation-Based Coaching for Autistic Children and Primary Caregivers. OTJR (Thorofare N J);2025 (Jan 6):15394492241309322.

Autistic children participate less and have fewer opportunities to develop participation skills than nonautistic peers. The extent to which occupation-based coaching (OBC), a metacognitive strategy training intervention, affects participation in school-age autistic children is unknown. We conducted a single-group pretest-posttest design to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effect of telehealth OBC for autistic children (n = 13) and primary caregivers (n = 12). Participants completed eight telehealth OBC sessions to address activity-based goals; they completed child, caregiver, and family outcomes pre- and post-intervention. Recruitment, retention, caregiver measure completion, and intervention adherence rates exceeded feasibility benchmarks. OBC had large effects on child performance (Hedge’s g = 1.65) and satisfaction (Hedge’s g = 1.89), a moderate effect on child sleep disturbance (Hedge’s g = 0.60), and small effects on child participation (Hedge’s g = 0.23) and family quality of life (Hedge’s g = 0.26). Further research in a large-scale study is warranted with changes to better support child measure completion and enhance the study protocol. Can we use virtual occupation-based coaching with autistic children and primary caregivers?Autistic children participate less than nonautistic peers at home, school, and in the community. As a result, autistic children have fewer chances to learn to start an activity, problem solve challenges, and build relationships needed for participation and life transitions. We completed a research study to learn whether virtual occupation-based coaching (OBC) can be used with school-age autistic children and a caregiver and if it affects participation in this population. Participants completed eight OBC sessions on Zoom to address activity-based goals. Participants also completed questionnaires in an online survey before and after virtual OBC sessions. We were able to recruit and retain an adequate number of participants in the study, and most participants completed all virtual OBC sessions. Caregivers and children had high and low rates of questionnaire completion, respectively. Most autistic children participated in virtual OBC sessions, and parents said virtual OBC with their child was acceptable. After virtual OBC, children performed activity-based goals better (large change), had less sleep disturbance (medium change), and participated more (small change). Caregivers of autistic children reported greater satisfaction with their child’s ability to perform activity-based goals (large change) and the quality time their families spent together (small change). Virtual OBC with autistic children and primary caregivers may be feasible for occupational therapy practice. More research is warranted to better understand how virtual OBC affects child, caregiver, and family outcomes. eng

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22. Vass A, Csukly G, Farkas K. Transdiagnostic conceptualization of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. An integrative framework of minimal self disturbance. Neuropsychopharmacol Hung;2024 (Dec);26(4):218-226.

AIMS: Autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia are traditionally viewed as distinct diagnostic categories. However, evidence increasingly suggests overlapping pathological functioning at various levels, starting from brain circuitry to behaviour. Notably, both disorders are characterized by anomalous minimal self-experience (altered body ownership and agency), which is a trait-like, phenomenological distortion. We propose a conceptual framework that unites multiple levels, from neural mechanisms to cognitive and phenomenological correlates, for understanding minimal self-disturbance across diagnostic boundaries. METHODS: A comprehensive review of existing literature was conducted, examining phenomenological, neurocognitive, and neural correlates of minimal self-disturbance in both schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Assessment tools and scales such as the Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience Scale, as well as experimental neurocognitive paradigms like the Rubber-Hand Illusion and self-relevant stimuli tasks, were examined for their relevance in evaluating self-experience in both conditions. RESULTS: Minimal self-disturbances were found to be a prominent feature of both schizophrenia and autism, albeit with different manifestations. Patients with schizophrenia showed heightened susceptibility to body ownership alterations, while individuals with autism exhibited decreased susceptibility. Neural markers, particularly within the default mode network and thalamocortical connectivity, were implicated in self-disturbance in both disorders, suggesting a shared neurobiological basis. CONCLUSION: The minimal self- disturbance appears to be a transdiagnostic feature of both schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder, indicating that these conditions may represent points along a shared psychopathological continuum. The proposed model integrates neurobiological, cognitive, and phenomenological aspects of self-disturbance, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding and assessing disruptions in self-experience across these conditions. This approach promotes a shift away from rigid diagnostic classifications towards approaches that highlight the importance of atypical self-experience. (Neuropsychopharmacol Hung 2024; 26(4): 218-226)

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23. Volk HE, Fortes D, Musci R, Kim A, Bastain TM, Camargo CA, Jr., Croen LA, Dabelea D, Duarte CS, Dunlop AL, Gachigi K, Ghassabian A, Hertz-Picciotto I, Huddleston KC, Joseph RM, Keating D, Kelly RS, Kim YS, Landa RJ, Leve LD, Lyall K, Northrup JB, O’Connor T, Ozonoff S, Ross A, Schmidt RJ, Schweitzer JB, Shuffrey LC, Shuster C, Vance E, Weiss ST, Wilkening G, Wright RO. Co-occurring Psychopathology in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Differences by Sex in the ECHO Cohorts. J Autism Dev Disord;2025 (Jan 6)

PURPOSE: Our goals were to: 1) examine the occurrence of behavioral and emotional symptoms in children on the autism spectrum in a large national sample, stratifying by sex, and 2) evaluate whether children with increased autism-related social communication deficits also experience more behavioral and emotional problems. METHODS: Participants (n = 7,998) were from 37 cohorts from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Cross-sectional information on demographic factors, parent-report of an ASD diagnosis by clinician, Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores, and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores were obtained for children aged 2.5-18 years by surveys. We examined mean differences in CBCL Total Problems and DSM-oriented subscale scores by autism diagnosis and by child sex. Analyses using logistic regression were conducted to examine whether autism was associated with higher CBCL scores. We further examined if these relationships differed by child age category (< 6 years, 6-11 years, 12 + years). The relationships between SRS score and CBCL total and subscale scores were examined using quantile regression models, with analyses adjusted for child sex and age. RESULTS: In ECHO, 553 youth were reported by a parent to have a clinician diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (432 [78%] boys and 121 [22%] girls). Youth on the spectrum had higher mean CBCL raw scores on Total Problems and all DSM-oriented subscales compared to those not on the spectrum (all p < 0.0001). Analyses adjusted for sex and stratified by age group indicated that higher odds of autism diagnosis were associated with total, depression, anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) scales in the top 30% of the CBCL score distribution. Autistic girls were more likely to have parent-reported depression and anxiety compared to autistic boys. In quantile regression analyses, we observed evidence of stronger associations between SRS and CBCL for those in higher quantiles of CBCL total problems scale score (beta representing 1-unit change in SRS associated with 1-unit increase in CBCL total problems scale score), among children in the 70-90th percentile (β = 1.60, p < 0.01), or top 10th percentile (β = 2.43, p < 0.01) of the CBCL total problems scale score distribution. Similar findings were seen for the DSM-oriented depression, anxiety, and ADHD subscales. CONCLUSION: Results from this large national sample suggest increased behavioral and emotional problems among autistic children compared to non-autistic children throughout early life. Among children on the spectrum this may warrant increased monitoring for co-occurring behavioral and emotional problems.

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24. Zhou Y, Nishimura M, Kawabata H. Gaze behavior when looking at paintings may predict autistic traits. Psych J;2025 (Jan 6)

From infancy, we spend considerable time absorbing social information from the external world. Social information processing, which starts with looking at facial expressions, affects behavior and cognition. Previous research has demonstrated that looking behaviors at social cues such as faces may differ in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by using eye-tracking studies with real photographs and movies. However, mixed results have been reported. In this study, we examined whether autistic traits in adults affected gaze behavior when participants viewed paintings. The eye-tracking results indicate that gaze patterns change over time during a 20-s free-viewing task. Although the fixations were not influenced during the first 10 s of the viewing, autistic tendencies affected gaze behavior after the overview of the painting was completed: the higher the autism-spectrum quotient scores, the shorter the fixation duration and the fewer the fixations on the facial areas of the paintings during the latter 10 s of viewing time. This result indicates that the atypical gaze behavior was more likely to be modulated by a generalized attentional process for endogenous orienting with reduced interest in social cues. Gaze patterns of viewing paintings may be used to predict autistic tendencies among people undiagnosed but suspected of having ASD.

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25. Zou M, Han Y, Jin M, Xie W, Shang C, Li T, Feng L, Sun C, Zhang S, Wu L. Supporting access to comprehensive services: A scoping review of national policies related to autism in mainland China. Autism;2025 (Jan 6):13623613241311736.

Policies have been found to play a crucial role in supporting the health and well-being of individuals with autism. Yet, relatively few policy reviews are related to autism, and the current level of autism-associated policies and potential gaps in comparison with the World Health Organization recommendations remain unclear. Our study reviewed autism-associated policies, described policy characteristics, and determined potential policy gaps in mainland China. We conducted a comprehensive search of autism-associated policies from 15 websites of government agencies and public institutions up to December 2022, where 81 of 2504 were retained. We found that 42 of the 81 policies were issued in 2021 and 2022. Twelve of the 15 included ministries were involved in policymaking and fewer than one third of the policy documents were issued by two or more ministries. With respect to recommendations proposed by the World Health Organization (the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030 and the Six Building Blocks of Health System), several areas received extensive national attention, including leadership and governance, service delivery, and access to medicines and facility, while there was limited policy attention on the other components. Despite these potential gaps, encouragingly, the nation has increasingly focused on autism groups. This study can provide a basis for future policymaking to provide more comprehensive and better services for individuals with autism.

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