1. Begeer S, Meerum Terwogt M, Rieffe C, Stegge H, Olthof T, Koot HM. {{Brief report: Understanding emotional transfer in children with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Autism} (Oct 5)
The present study examined the understanding of emotional transfer in 11 children with autism, 20 children with PDD-NOS and 31 typically developing children, aged 6 to 12 years. Children were asked about their emotional responses to successive, conflicting emotional situations. All children reported that preceding emotional situations would influence their emotional response towards a successive situation. Children from the typically developing group reported a stronger influence of preceding negative versus positive emotions. However, children with autism reported equal effects of preceding positive and negative emotions, and children with PDD-NOS were relatively unaffected by the preceding emotions. These findings may indicate a scripted understanding of emotions in children with autism in contrast to a more personalized understanding of typically developing children.
2. Billstedt E, Gillberg IC, Gillberg C. {{Aspects of quality of life in adults diagnosed with autism in childhood: A population-based study}}. {Autism} (Oct 5)
The present study is a long-term prospective follow-up study of a population-based cohort of 120 individuals diagnosed with autism in childhood, followed into late adolescence/early adulthood. Specific aims of the study were to attempt to measure and study social aspects/quality of life in those 108 individuals with autism alive and available for study at the time of follow-up (13-22 years after original diagnosis). A newly constructed scale for rating ‘autism-friendly environment’/quality of life was used alongside a structured parent/carer interview assessing current occupation, educational history, services provided, accommodation type, and recreational activities. The majority of the group with autism remained dependent on parents/caregivers for support in education, accommodation and occupational situations. In spite of this, the estimation of the study group’s general quality of life was encouragingly positive. Nevertheless, there was an obvious need for improvements in the areas of occupation and recreational activities. Future studies need to look in more depth at the concept of an autism-friendly environment and develop more detailed quality of life assessment tools relevant for people in the autism spectrum.
3. Dunst CJ, Trivette CM, Masiello T. {{Influence of the interests of children with autism on everyday learning opportunities}}. {Psychol Rep} (Aug);107(1):281-288.
Findings from a pilot study investigating the influence of the interests of young children with autism on parents’ provision of everyday informal child learning opportunities are described. 17 children (13 boys, 4 girls) were divided into two groups that received everyday learning opportunities of Low interest and High interest, based on parents’ bi-weekly ratings of the interestingness of the opportunities to the children, using an investigator-developed measure. A brief intervention of 12 to 14 weeks showed that the children in the High interest-based group were provided more learning opportunities than were the Low interest-based group, and that the parents indicated that their children benefited more from the learning opportunities. Implications for future research are described.
4. Haglund NG, Kallen KB. {{Risk factors for autism and Asperger syndrome: Perinatal factors and migration}}. {Autism} (Oct 5)
Using the Swedish Medical Birth Registry (MBR), obstetrical and demographic information was retrieved for 250 children with autism or Asperger syndrome who were born in Malmoe, Sweden, and enrolled at the local Child and Youth Habilitation Center. The reference group consisted of all children born in Malmoe during 1980-2005. Obstetric sub-optimality (prematurity, low Apgar scores, growth restriction, or macrosomia) was positively associated with autism but not with Asperger syndrome. Maternal birth outside the Nordic countries was positively associated with autism (adjusted OR: 2.2; 95%CI: 1.6-3.1) and negatively associated with Asperger syndrome (OR: 0.6; 95%CI: 0.3-0.97). The highest risk estimate for autism was found among children to women who were born in sub-Saharan Africa (OR: 7.3), or in East Asia (OR: 3.4).
5. Karkhaneh M, Clark B, Ospina MB, Seida JC, Smith V, Hartling L. {{Social StoriesTM to improve social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review}}. {Autism} (Oct 5)
Over the past 20 years a variety of treatments have been developed to remediate deficits associated with autism. Since the early 1990s, Social Stories have been suggested to positively affect the social development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite much research, there remains uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of this modality. We conducted a systematic review of the literature using pre-defined, rigorous methods. Studies were considered eligible if they were controlled trials evaluating Social Stories among persons with ASD. Two reviewers independently screened articles for inclusion, applied eligibility criteria, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality. A qualitative analysis was conducted on six eligible controlled trials. Five of the six trials showed statistically significant benefits for a variety of outcomes related to social interaction. This review underscores the need for further rigorous research and highlights some outstanding questions regarding maintenance and generalization of the benefits of Social Stories.
6. Lerner MD, Mikami AY, Levine K. {{Socio-Dramatic Affective-Relational Intervention for Adolescents With Asperger Syndrome & High Functioning Autism: Pilot Study}}. {Autism} (Oct 5)
This study examined the effectiveness of a novel intervention called ‘socio-dramatic affective-relational intervention’ (SDARI), intended to improve social skills among adolescents with Asperger syndrome and high functioning autism diagnoses. SDARI adapts dramatic training activities to focus on in vivo practice of areas of social skill deficit among this population. SDARI was administered as a six-week summer program in a community human service agency. Nine SDARI participants and eight age- and diagnosis-group matched adolescents not receiving SDARI were compared on child- and parent-report of social functioning at three week intervals beginning six weeks prior to intervention and ending six weeks post-intervention. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used to estimate growth trends between groups to assess treatment outcomes and post-treatment maintenance. Results indicated significant improvement and post-treatment maintenance among SDARI participants on several measures of child social functioning. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
7. Lin LY. {{Factors associated with caregiving burden and maternal pessimism in mothers of adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder in Taiwan}}. {Occup Ther Int} (Oct 6)
8. Lowenthal R, Mercadante MT, Filho JF, Pilotto RF, de Paula CS. {{Autism Spectrum Disorder in Down Syndrome: Definition of the Cutoff Point for the Autism Screening Questionnaire Screening Instrument}}. {J Dev Behav Pediatr} (Oct);31(8):684.
9. McClure I, Mackay T, Mamdani H, McCaughey R. {{A comparison of a specialist autism spectrum disorder assessment team with local assessment teams}}. {Autism} (Oct 5)
Background: Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is of crucial importance, but lengthy delays are common. We examined whether this issue could be reliably addressed by local teams trained by a specialist ASD assessment team. Method: Four local teams were trained in diagnostic assessment. Their assessments of 38 children and young people using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic (ADOS-G) were video recorded and independently assessed by the specialist team. Results: There was a high level of correspondence between the diagnoses of the local teams and of the specialist team. The number of assessments carried out increased and there was a considerable reduction in waiting times. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated the potential feasibility of creating local, multi-agency ASD assessment teams, which will serve to reduce waiting times, improve clinical skills at a lower level of specialism and thereby improve the overall quality of ASD services.
10. Meirsschaut M, Roeyers H, Warreyn P. {{The social interactive behaviour of young children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers: Is there an effect of familiarity of the interaction partner?}}. {Autism} (Oct 5)
In this study the social behaviour of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their mothers is compared within two different dyads: a dyad consisting of a mother and her own child and a dyad consisting of a mother and an unfamiliar child. Mothers did not change the frequency of their social initiatives and responsiveness with an unfamiliar child, but they became less directive than with their own child. Children with ASD did not show significantly better social behaviour with their own mother than with an unfamiliar mother. The results suggest that the social behaviour of a child with autism is not significantly enhanced by the familiarity of the social partner, but rather by the partner’s autism-adapted interaction style. Clinical implications of these findings have been discussed.
11. Nakano T, Tanaka K, Endo Y, Yamane Y, Yamamoto T, Nakano Y, Ohta H, Kato N, Kitazawa S. {{Atypical gaze patterns in children and adults with autism spectrum disorders dissociated from developmental changes in gaze behaviour}}. {Proc Biol Sci} (Oct 7);277(1696):2935-2943.
Eye tracking has been used to investigate gaze behaviours in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, traditional analysis has yet to find behavioural characteristics shared by both children and adults with ASD. To distinguish core ASD gaze behaviours from those that change with development, we examined temporo-spatial gaze patterns in children and adults with and without ASD while they viewed video clips. We summarized the gaze patterns of 104 participants using multidimensional scaling so that participants with similar gaze patterns would cluster together in a two-dimensional plane. Control participants clustered in the centre, reflecting a standard gaze behaviour, whereas participants with ASD were distributed around the periphery. Moreover, children and adults were separated on the plane, thereby showing a clear effect of development on gaze behaviours. Post hoc frame-by-frame analyses revealed the following findings: (i) both ASD groups shifted their gaze away from a speaker earlier than the control groups; (ii) both ASD groups showed a particular preference for letters; and (iii) typical infants preferred to watch the mouth rather than the eyes during speech, a preference that reversed with development. These results highlight the importance of taking the effect of development into account when addressing gaze behaviours characteristic of ASD.
12. Noterdaeme M, Hutzelmeyer-Nickels A. {{Early symptoms and recognition of pervasive developmental disorders in Germany}}. {Autism} (Oct 5)
Pervasive developmental disorders are characterised by the presence of abnormalities in social interaction and communication as well as repetitive patterns of behaviours. Although early symptoms of the disorder often appear during the first two years of life, its diagnosis is often delayed. The purpose of this study is to analyse the delay between age at first symptoms and age at diagnosis as well as the characteristics of the first symptoms for the different subcategories of pervasive developmental disorders. The sample consists of 601 children with a diagnosis of a pervasive developmental disorder. Age at first symptoms, age at diagnosis and the type of the first problems are registered. The results show that children with autism show first symptoms at a mean age of 15 months whereas diagnosis is made at a mean age of 76 months. Children with Asperger’s syndrome show first symptoms at a mean age of 26 months, while diagnosis is made at the mean age of 110 months. There is still a large delay between the age at which parents first report first symptoms and age at diagnosis. To improve early detection, systematic screening and training of primary care paediatricians should be implemented.
13. Parker-Athill EC, Tan J. {{Maternal Immune Activation and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Interleukin-6 Signaling as a Key Mechanistic Pathway}}. {Neurosignals} (Oct 2)
An emerging area of research in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the role of prenatal exposure to inflammatory mediators during critical developmental periods. Epidemiological data has highlighted this relationship showing significant correlations between prenatal exposure to pathogens, including influenza, and the occurrence of ASD. Although there has not been a definitive molecular mechanism established, researchers have begun to investigate this relationship as animal models of maternal infection have support- ed epidemiological findings. Several groups utilizing these animal models have found that activation of the maternal immune system, termed maternal immune activation (MIA), and more specifically the exposure of the developing fetus to maternal cytokines precipitate the neurological, immunological and behavioral abnormalities observed in the offspring of these animals. These abnormalities have correlated with clinical findings of immune dysregulation, neurological and behavioral abnormalities in some autistic individuals. Additionally, researchers have observed genetic variations in these models in genes which regulate neurological and immunological development, similar to what is observed clinically in ASD. Altogether, the role of MIA and cytokine dysregulation, as a key mediator in the neuropathological, behavioral and possibly genetic irregularities observed clinically in autism are important factors that warrant further investigation.
14. Ramachandran R, Mitchell P, Ropar D. {{Recognizing faces based on inferred traits in autism spectrum disorders}}. {Autism} (Oct 5)
Recent findings indicate that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) could, surprisingly, infer traits from behavioural descriptions. Now we need to know whether or not individuals with ASD are able to use trait information to identify people by their faces. In this study participants with and without ASD were presented with pairs of faces each accompanied by a sentence. One sentence allowed a trait to be inferred (e.g. ‘This is Ross who smiled and said hello to everyone at the party.’) and one allowed a fact to be inferred (e.g. ‘This is Ben who has to bend down to enter most doors.’). Subsequently, the same face stimuli were presented with a single descriptive trait, fact or name cue (e.g. friendly or tall and Ross or Ben respectively in the above examples). Participants had to choose which of the faces best related to the cue word. Participants with ASD performed surprisingly well in associating traits, facts, and names to the appropriate person significantly above what would be expected by chance. Indeed, they performed as well as participants without ASD.
15. Shute N. {{Desperate for an autism cure}}. {Sci Am} (Oct);303(4):80-85.
16. Weissman L, Sices L, Augustyn M. {{« He is just a little shy like me »: screening for autism in a young child}}. {J Dev Behav Pediatr} (Oct);31(8):675-677.
CASE:: Jacob is a 22-month-old wonderful boy, who is being seen a few months late for his 18-month-old visit because of scheduling snafus, as both parents work outside the home. At this visit, it is routine in our practice to administer the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (MCHAT) and the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS). On the PEDS, in response to the question, « Do you have any concerns about how your child talks or makes speech sounds? » the parents respond « He only says 2 words in Hebrew and none in English. » On the MCHAT, they reply « no » to 3 items: (1) « Does your child ever pretend, for example, to talk on the phone or take care of a doll or pretend other things? » (2) « Does your child respond to his/her name when you call? » and (3) « Does your child sometimes stare at nothing or wander with no purpose? » This results in failing 1 critical and 3 total items. Our practice protocol recommends a referral for a diagnostic evaluation.Jacob has been a healthy child, and this is the first time that his parents have fallen behind in routine health care maintenance visits. His medical history is unremarkable. He was born at term, weighing 3.2 kg, without any perinatal complications. His parents had emigrated from the Poland in their teenage years and have been married for 8 years. They also have a 5-year-old daughter. They both report that, in Poland, there are some relatives who were « very late talkers, » but they do not know about any definitive family history of autism.At the 15-month visit, the parents reported that Jacob had expressive jargoning but no recognizable words. They stated then that he was not interested in toys but liked to play with the television remote control. He is in full-time child care-initially with a nanny in their home, but at 15 months started 3 days a week in a center-based childcare with many families from their community, where children speak Polish, English, and Hebrew at home.His mother works full time as an accountant and father as a physicist in a commercial laboratory. Both have graduate degrees and are trilingual. The parents are conflicted in their interpretation of Jacob’s behavior. His father is concerned that he is autistic and his mother feels that « he is just a little shy like me. »His physical examination is normal. He is somewhat inhibited and anxious but will sit still on the examination table and alone during the examination. You update his immunizations and then struggle with where to head next.
17. Whitehouse AJ, Coon H, Miller J, Salisbury B, Bishop D. {{Narrowing the broader autism phenotype: A study using the Communication Checklist – Adult Version (CC-A)}}. {Autism} (Oct 5)
This study investigated whether the Communication Checklist – Adult (CC-A) could identify subtypes of social and communication dysfunction in autism probands and their parents. The CC-A is divided into subscales measuring linguistic ability as well as two aspects of social communication: the Pragmatic Skills subscale assesses the level of pragmatic oddities (e.g. excessive talking), while the Social Engagement subscale picks up on those behaviours that reflect a more passive communication style (e.g. failure to engage in social interactions). CC-A data were collected for 69 autism probands, 238 parents of autism probands and 187 typical participants. The CC-A proved sensitive to the communication difficulties of autism probands and a proportion of their parents. The majority of parents who demonstrated the broader phenotype scored poorly on either the Pragmatic Skills or Social Engagement scale only. The Social Engagement scale was particularly sensitive to the difficulties of the parents, indicating that social-communicative passivity may be an important part of the broader autism phenotype. The findings provide evidence for the existence of more constrained pragmatic phenotypes in autism. Molecular genetic studies in this area may benefit from stratifying samples according to these phenotypes.
18. Yokotani K. {{Educational level signals unobserved abilities of people with high functioning autism spectrum disorders}}. {Psychol Rep} (Aug);107(1):227-235.
The effect of educational level on employment of people with high functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD) was examined. If education augments natural abilities to accomplish tasks in people with HFASD, then those with more education would have comparative advantages in both obtaining and retaining jobs. In contrast, if education did not augment natural abilities and only signaled unobservable abilities, one would expect an advantage only in obtaining a job, but not in retention. 22 people with HFASD replied to questionnaires regarding their history of education and employment. Those with job experience had higher educational levels than those with no job experience, but educational level was not significantly different between groups with and without more than one year of job experience. Educational level seems to be associated with abilities, but probably the unobserved abilities underlie both educational attainment and employment history.
