1. Abdullah MM, Ly AR, Goldberg WA, Clarke-Stewart KA, Dudgeon JV, Mull CG, Chan TJ, Kent EE, Mason AZ, Ericson JE. {{Heavy Metal in Children’s Tooth Enamel: Related to Autism and Disruptive Behaviors?}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2011 (Jul 7)
To examine possible links between neurotoxicant exposure and neuropsychological disorders and child behavior, relative concentrations of lead, mercury, and manganese were examined in prenatal and postnatal enamel regions of deciduous teeth from children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), high levels of disruptive behavior (HDB), and typically developing (TD) children. Using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we found no significant differences in levels of these neurotoxicants for children with ASDs compared with TD children, but there was marginal significance indicating that children with ASDs have lower manganese levels. No significant differences emerged between children with HDB and TD children. The current findings challenge the notion that perinatal heavy metal exposure is a major contributor to the development of ASDs and HDB.
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2. Foldi CJ, Eyles DW, Flatscher-Bader T, McGrath JJ, Burne TH. {{New perspectives on rodent models of advanced paternal age: relevance to autism}}. {Front Behav Neurosci};2011;5:32.
Offspring of older fathers have an increased risk of various adverse health outcomes, including autism and schizophrenia. With respect to biological mechanisms for this association, there are many more germline cell divisions in the life history of a sperm relative to that of an oocyte. This leads to more opportunities for copy error mutations in germ cells from older fathers. Evidence also suggests that epigenetic patterning in the sperm from older men is altered. Rodent models provide an experimental platform to examine the association between paternal age and brain development. Several rodent models of advanced paternal age (APA) have been published with relevance to intermediate phenotypes related to autism. All four published APA models vary in key features creating a lack of consistency with respect to behavioral phenotypes. A consideration of common phenotypes that emerge from these APA-related mouse models may be informative in the exploration of the molecular and neurobiological correlates of APA.
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3. Fragala-Pinkham MA, Haley SM, O’Neil ME. {{Group swimming and aquatic exercise programme for children with autism spectrum disorders: A pilot study}}. {Dev Neurorehabil};2011;14(4):230-241.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a 14-week aquatic exercise programme for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Design: Non-randomized control trial. Methods: Twelve children participated in this pilot study with seven participants in the aquatic exercise group and five in the control group. The programme was held twice per week for 40 minutes per session. Swimming skills, cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular endurance, mobility skills and participant and parent satisfaction were measured before and after the intervention. Results: No significant between-group changes were found. Within-group improvements for swimming skills were found for the intervention group. Programme attendance was high. Parents and children were very satisfied with the programme activities and instructors. Conclusions: This pilot programme was feasible and showed potential for improving swimming ability in children with ASD. Exercise intensity was low for some participants, most likely contributing to a lack of significant findings on fitness outcomes.
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4. Gillis RF, Rouleau GA. {{The ongoing dissection of the genetic architecture of Autistic Spectrum Disorder}}. {Mol Autism};2011 (Jul 8);2(1):12.
ABSTRACT: The development of robust, non-hypothesis based case/control studies has led to a large push forward towards identifying common genetic variants that contribute to complex traits. However, despite many attempts, the search for common disease-predisposing variants in childhood developmental disorders has largely failed. Recently, a role for rare causal variants and de novo mutations is emerging in the genetic architecture of some of these disorders, particularly those which incur a large degree of selection against the phenotype. Here we examine these data as well as use classic genetic epidemiological approaches to gain insights into the genetic architecture of ASD. Future studies using next generation sequencing should elucidate the precise role de novo mutations play in disorders traditionally thought to have resulted from polygenic or common disease, common variants inheritance.
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5. Hattier MA, Matson JL, Belva BC, Horovitz M. {{The occurrence of challenging behaviours in children with autism spectrum disorders and atypical development}}. {Dev Neurorehabil};2011;14(4):221-229.
Objective: This study examines the occurrence of challenging behaviours in children with ASDs and atypical development. Design: This study is a descriptive non-experimental design that inspects the frequencies of challenging behaviours among two diagnostic groups. This type of methodology is important since research in this area is still in the beginning stages of development. Methods: The sample consisted of 2131 children, with 633 having an ASD and 1498 having atypical development. The Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits-Part 3 (BISCUIT-Part 3) assesses problematic behaviours within this population. The frequencies of challenging behaviours were examined along with an inspection of the co-occurring items. Results: Greater percentages of problematic behaviours were found in the ASD group as compared to the group with atypical development. Conclusion: Challenging behaviours are variables affecting the behavioural presentation of those with ASDs and may be considered into the treatment plans for these children.
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6. Hemsley B, Balandin S, Worrall L. {{Nursing the Patient With Developmental Disability in Hospital: Roles of Paid Carers}}. {Qual Health Res};2011 (Jul 6)
Our aim in this narrative inquiry was to understand the roles of paid carers supporting adults with developmental disability and complex communication needs in hospital, from the perspectives of 15 paid carers, 15 adults with developmental disability, and 15 hospital nurses. Results demonstrated that paid carers have an important role in supporting the adult with disability, providing information, delivering basic care, and facilitating communication. Stories reflected paid carer volunteerism; lack of orientation of carers and hospital staff to the paid carers’ roles; blurred role boundaries between paid carers, family carers, and nurses; and paid carers being uncertain about their own responsibilities for staff and patient safety. New policies and practice guidelines are needed to guide both health and disability services in clarifying paid carer roles and role boundaries, and to enable paid carers and hospital staff to work together effectively on the ward in the care of adults with developmental disability.
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7. Horovitz M, Matson JL, Rieske RD, Kozlowski AM, Sipes M. {{The relationship between race and challenging behaviours in infants and toddlers with autistic disorder and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified}}. {Dev Neurorehabil};2011;14(4):208-214.
Objective: To examine the contributions of race and diagnostic category to endorsement rates of challenging behaviours in infants and toddlers with autism, PDD-NOS and atypical development without ASD, using the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits, Part-3 (BISCUIT Part-3). Design: Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) on each sub-scale of the BISCUIT Part-3. Follow-up univariate analyses and post-hoc tests as needed. Methods: Scores on the BISCUIT Part-3 were compared for 453 Caucasian and 409 African-American infants and toddlers, grouped by race and diagnosis. Results: Significant differences between races were found on five out of 10 aggressive behaviours, while no significant differences were found on self-injurious or stereotypic behaviours. Significant differences between diagnostic groups were found on all behaviours. Conclusion: Cultural factors should be taken into account when examining challenging behaviours in infants and toddlers with ASD.
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8. Mizuno A, Liu Y, Williams DL, Keller TA, Minshew NJ, Just MA. {{The neural basis of deictic shifting in linguistic perspective-taking in high-functioning autism}}. {Brain};2011 (Jul 6)
Personal pronouns, such as ‘I’ and ‘you’, require a speaker/listener to continuously re-map their reciprocal relation to their referent, depending on who is saying the pronoun. This process, called ‘deictic shifting’, may underlie the incorrect production of these pronouns, or ‘pronoun reversals’, such as referring to oneself with the pronoun ‘you’, which has been reported in children with autism. The underlying neural basis of deictic shifting, however, is not understood, nor has the processing of pronouns been studied in adults with autism. The present study compared the brain activation pattern and functional connectivity (synchronization of activation across brain areas) of adults with high-functioning autism and control participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging in a linguistic perspective-taking task that required deictic shifting. The results revealed significantly diminished frontal (right anterior insula) to posterior (precuneus) functional connectivity during deictic shifting in the autism group, as well as reliably slower and less accurate behavioural responses. A comparison of two types of deictic shifting revealed that the functional connectivity between the right anterior insula and precuneus was lower in autism while answering a question that contained the pronoun ‘you’, querying something about the participant’s view, but not when answering a query about someone else’s view. In addition to the functional connectivity between the right anterior insula and precuneus being lower in autism, activation in each region was atypical, suggesting over reliance on individual regions as a potential compensation for the lower level of collaborative interregional processing. These findings indicate that deictic shifting constitutes a challenge for adults with high-functioning autism, particularly when reference to one’s self is involved, and that the functional collaboration of two critical nodes, right anterior insula and precuneus, may play a critical role for deictic shifting by supporting an attention shift between oneself and others.
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9. Rieffe C, Oosterveld P, Meerum Terwogt M, Mootz S, Van Leeuwen E, Stockmann L. {{Emotion regulation and internalizing symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Autism};2011 (Jul 6)
The aim of this study was to examine the unique contribution of two aspects of emotion regulation (awareness and coping) to the development of internalizing problems in 11-year-old high-functioning children with an autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) and a control group, and the moderating effect of group membership on this. The results revealed overlap between the two groups, but also significant differences, suggesting a more fragmented emotion regulation pattern in children with HFASD, especially related to worry and rumination. Moreover, in children with HFASD, symptoms of depression were unrelated to positive mental coping strategies and the conviction that the emotion experience helps in dealing with the problem, suggesting that a positive approach to the problem and its subsequent emotion experience are less effective in the HFASD group.
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10. van Steensel FJ, Bogels SM, Perrin S. {{Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analysis}}. {Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev};2011 (Jul 7)
There is considerable evidence that children and adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are at increased risk of anxiety and anxiety disorders. However, it is less clear which of the specific DSM-IV anxiety disorders occur most in this population. The present study used meta-analytic techniques to help clarify this issue. A systematic review of the literature identified 31 studies involving 2,121 young people (aged <18 years) with ASD, and where the presence of anxiety disorder was assessed using standardized questionnaires or diagnostic interviews. Across studies, 39.6% of young people with ASD had at least one comorbid DSM-IV anxiety disorder, the most frequent being specific phobia (29.8%) followed by OCD (17.4%) and social anxiety disorder (16.6%). Associations were found between the specific anxiety disorders and ASD subtype, age, IQ, and assessment method (questionnaire versus interview). Implications for the identification and treatment of anxiety in young people with ASD are discussed.
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11. Veness C, Prior MR, Bavin E, Eadie P, Cini E, Reilly S. {{Early indicators of autism spectrum disorders at 12 and 24 months of age: A prospective, longitudinal comparative study}}. {Autism};2011 (Jul 6)
Prospective questionnaire data from a longitudinal population sample on children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), developmental delay, specific language impairment, or typical development (TD), were collected at ages eight, 12 and 24 months, via the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scale Developmental Profile (CSBS) – Infant Toddler Checklist, and the Actions and Gesture section of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI): Words and Gestures. The four groups were compared at four years of age to identify whether any early behaviours differentiated the groups. While children with ASD differed from TD children on most social communicative measures by 12 months of age, the only social communication characteristic which could differentiate the children with ASD from the other groups were gesture scores on the CDI at 12 months and the CSBS at 24 months. Significant markers of ASD were identifiable in this community sample at an early age, although discrimination between clinical groups was rarely evident.
