1. Berska J, Bugajska J, Wojtyto T, Bik-Multanowski M, Sztefko K. {{The amino acid profile in blood plasma of young boys with autism}}. {Psychiatr Pol}. 2017; 51(2): 359-68.
OBJECTIVES: It has been suggested that some amino acids are involved in the pathogenesis of autistic disorders. The aim of the study was to evaluate the plasma amino acids profile in young males with autism. METHODS: Total of 27 autistic boys (aged 2-10 years, the study group) without any metabolic disorders and 13 healthy boys (aged 2-9 years, control group) were included in the study. In all subjects fasting blood plasma free amino acids (both exogenous and endogenous) were quantitatively measured by high performance liquid chromatography with UV-VIS detection. RESULTS: The mean plasma concentration values of citrulline, .-aminobutyric acid, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and ornithine were significantly lower in boys with autism as compared to the control group (p < 0.03, p < 0.04, p < 0.02, p < 0.02, p < 0.05, p < 0.02, p < 0.05, respectively). The areas under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curves for these amino acids ranged from 0.637 to 0.726. None of the amino acids measured differentiate autistic children from healthy children. The sum of exogenous amino acids was lower in the study group than in the control group but this difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Lower levels of exogenous amino acids confirm the possible role of these amino acids in autism. Determination of exogenous amino acids in plasma, however, cannot be used as a diagnostic test but it can still support autistic patients care. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
2. Chien CW, Rodger S, Copley J. {{Differences in patterns of physical participation in recreational activities between children with and without intellectual and developmental disability}}. {Res Dev Disabil}. 2017; 67: 9-18.
BACKGROUND: Children with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) are at risk of experiencing limited participation in recreational activities, where they may be present but not physically engaged. AIM: To compare patterns of physical engagement in recreational activities between children with and without IDD. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Fifty children with IDD (26 boys, 24 girls; mean age 8.7 years) were matched for age and sex with 50 typically developing children. Parents completed a questionnaire which captured participation in 11 recreational activities involving hand use as an indication of physical engagement. OUTCOME AND RESULTS: More than 80% of children in both groups participated physically in eight recreational activities, but fewer children with IDD participated in six activities when compared with typically developing children. Children with IDD also participated less frequently in five activities and required more assistance to participate in all the 11 activities. Parents wanted their child with IDD to participate in 10 recreational activities with less assistance. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The difference between the groups related to participation frequency, independence, and parents’ desire for changes in their child’s participation. Greater efforts are needed to address these differences and to support recreational participation in children with IDD.
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3. Heijnen-Kohl SMJ, Kok RM, Wilting R, Rossi G, van Alphen SPJ. {{Screening of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Geriatric Psychiatry}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2017.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are difficult to detect in old age. This study examined if ASD symptoms in older adults (age > 60) can be detected with the Dutch informant personality questionnaire, (Hetero-Anamnestische Persoonlijkheidsvragenlijst, HAP) in a mental health setting. Patients with ASD (N = 40) were compared to patients with a different psychiatric diagnosis (N = 43; personality disorders excluded). The ASD group had significant higher scores on the scales ‘Socially avoidant behavior’, ‘Rigid behavior’ and ‘Unpredictable and impulsive behavior’. These scales were able to discriminate between individuals with or without ASD. The HAP can thus be used as a screening instrument for ASD symptoms in elderly patients. Further research is needed to clarify what items have the best predictive validity for ASD symptoms.
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4. Koegel RL, Oliver K, Koegel LK. {{The Impact of Prior Activity History on the Influence of Restricted Repetitive Behaviors on Socialization for Children With High-Functioning Autism}}. {Behav Modif}. 2017: 145445517706346.
Research has demonstrated that incorporating restricted interests of an individual with autism into recess activities is effective at increasing socialization with typically developing peers. However, certain activity contexts may alter the reinforcing influence of the restricted repetitive behaviors (RRBs) depending on an individual’s history in that activity. Using an alternating treatment design, this study examined whether an individual’s history with an activity affected socialization. RRBs were embedded into activities with a reported positive history (i.e., prior history of positive experiences) and activities with a reported negative history (i.e., prior history of aversive experiences) for participants. Data indicated that socialization increased and remained above baseline levels when RRBs were introduced during activities with a positive history, whereas socialization was minimal when RRBs were introduced in activities with a negative history. Social significance and implications for designing activities that incorporate a child’s RRBs are discussed.
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5. MacDonald M, Ross S, McIntyre LL, Tepfer A. {{Relations of Early Motor Skills on Age and Socialization, Communication, and Daily Living in Young Children With Developmental Disabilities}}. {Adapt Phys Activ Q}. 2017; 34(2): 179-94.
Young children with developmental disabilities experience known deficits in salient child behaviors, such as social behaviors, communication, and aspects of daily living, behaviors that generally improve with chronological age. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effects of motor skills on relations of age and salient child behaviors in a group of young children with developmental disabilities, thus tapping into the potential influences of motor skills in the development of salient child behaviors. One hundred thirteen young children with developmental disabilities participated in this study. Independent mediation analysis, with gender as a moderator between the mediating and outcome variable, indicated that motor skills meditated relations between age and socialization, communication, and daily living skills in young male children with developmental disabilities, but not female participants. Findings suggest motor skill content needs to be considered in combination with other child behaviors commonly focused on in early intervention.
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6. Maddox BB, Brodkin ES, Calkins ME, Shea K, Mullan K, Hostager J, Mandell DS, Miller JS. {{The Accuracy of the ADOS-2 in Identifying Autism among Adults with Complex Psychiatric Conditions}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2017.
The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2), Module 4 is considered a « gold-standard » instrument for diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adults. Although the ADOS-2 shows good sensitivity and specificity in lab-based settings, it is unknown whether these results hold in community clinics that serve a more psychiatrically impaired population. This study is the first to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the ADOS-2 among adults in community mental health centers (n = 75). The ADOS-2 accurately identified all adults with ASD; however, it also had a high rate of false positives among adults with psychosis (30%). Findings serve as a reminder that social communication difficulties measured by the ADOS-2 are not specific to ASD, particularly in clinically complex settings.
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7. Nevison CD, Blaxill M. {{Diagnostic Substitution for Intellectual Disability: A Flawed Explanation for the Rise in Autism}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2017.
Time trends in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) prevalence from the United States Individuals with Disabilities Education Act data were computed from 2000 to 2011 for each state and each age from 6 to 17. These trends did not support the hypothesis that diagnostic substitution for ID can explain the ASD rise over recent decades, although the hypothesis appeared more plausible when the data were aggregated across all states and ages. Nationwide ID prevalence declined steeply over the last two decades, but the decline was driven mainly by ~15 states accounting for only one-fourth of the U.S. school population. More commonly, including in the most populous states, ID prevalence stayed relatively constant while ASD prevalence rose sharply.
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8. Rapanelli M, Frick LR, Pittenger C. {{The Role of Interneurons in Autism and Tourette Syndrome}}. {Trends Neurosci}. 2017.
The brain includes multiple types of interconnected excitatory and inhibitory neurons that together allow us to move, think, feel, and interact with the environment. Inhibitory interneurons (INs) comprise a small, heterogeneous fraction, but they exert a powerful and tight control over neuronal activity and consequently modulate the magnitude of neuronal output and, ultimately, information processing. IN abnormalities are linked to two pediatric psychiatric disorders with high comorbidity: autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Tourette syndrome (TS). Studies probing the basis of this link have been contradictory regarding whether the causative mechanism is a reduction in number, dysfunction, or gene aberrant expression (or a combination thereof). Here, we integrate different theories into a more comprehensive view of INs as responsible for the symptomatology observed in these disorders.
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9. Takahashi H, Kamio Y. {{Acoustic startle response and its modulation in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder in Asian subjects}}. {Schizophr Res}. 2017.
The acoustic startle response (ASR) and its modulation, including prepulse inhibition (PPI), are considered to be promising neurophysiological indices for translational research in psychiatry. Impairment of the PPI has been reported in several psychiatric disorders, but particularly in schizophrenia, where PPI is considered to be a candidate endophenotype of the disorder. Although the profiles of the ASR differ between races, recent studies of single ethnicity samples in Asia were in accord with a number of studies from Western countries, in reporting that patients with schizophrenia exhibit impaired PPI. The PPI of the ASR is known to develop before 8years of age, and PPI impairment has only been reported in adults (not children) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which involves atypical features that are present from early development. Recent Asian studies of children with ASD suggest that comprehensive investigation of the ASR and its modulation, including the startle response to weak startle stimuli, peak startle latency, and PPI, may contribute to an understanding of the impairment of the neural circuitry in children with ASD and its comorbid behavioral problems. In this review, we review recent findings on the ASR and its modulation from Asian countries, and discuss its potential use for studying sensorimotor gating and its relationship to schizophrenia and ASD. In conclusion, the ASR and its modulation can provide a well-established global neurophysiological index for translational research in psychiatric disorders. Future studies investigating the development of sensorimotor gating in early development may contribute to prevention of psychiatric disorders.
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10. Tavassoli T, Miller LJ, Schoen SA, Jo Brout J, Sullivan J, Baron-Cohen S. {{Sensory reactivity, empathizing and systemizing in autism spectrum conditions and sensory processing disorder}}. {Dev Cogn Neurosci}. 2017.
Although the DSM-5 added sensory symptoms as a criterion for ASC, there is a group of children who display sensory symptoms but do not have ASC; children with sensory processing disorder (SPD). To be able to differentiate these two disorders, our aim was to evaluate whether children with ASC show more sensory symptomatology and/or different cognitive styles in empathy and systemizing compared to children with SPD and typically developing (TD) children. The study included 210 participants: 68 children with ASC, 79 with SPD and 63 TD children. The Sensory Processing Scale Inventory was used to measure sensory symptoms, the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) to measure autistic traits, and the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and Systemizing Quotient (SQ) to measure cognitive styles. Across groups, a greater sensory symptomatology was associated with lower empathy. Further, both the ASC and SPD groups showed more sensory symptoms than TD children. Children with ASC and SPD only differed on sensory under-reactivity. The ASD group did, however, show lower empathy and higher systemizing scores than the SPD group. Together, this suggest that sensory symptoms alone may not be adequate to differentiate children with ASC and SPD but that cognitive style measures could be used for differential diagnosis.
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11. Wrzesinska M, Kapias J, Nowakowska-Domagala K, Kocur J. {{Visual impairment and traits of autism in children}}. {Psychiatr Pol}. 2017; 51(2): 349-58.
Visual impairment present from birth or from an early childhood may lead to psychosocial and emotional disorders. 11-40% of children in the group with visual impairment show traits of autism. The aim of this paper was to present the selected examples of how visual impairment in children is related to the occurrence of autism and to describe the available tools for diagnosing autism in children with visual impairment. So far the relation between visual impairment in children and autism has not been sufficiently confirmed. Psychiatric and psychological diagnosis of children with visual impairment has some difficulties in differentiating between « blindism » and traits typical for autism resulting from a lack of standardized diagnostic tools used to diagnosing children with visual impairment. Another difficulty in diagnosing autism in children with visual impairment is the coexistence of other disabilities in case of most children with vision impairment. Additionally, apart from difficulties in diagnosing autistic disorders in children with eye dysfunctions there is also a question of what tools should be used in therapy and rehabilitation of patients.
