1. {{[Features of the spectral power of the EEG rhythms in autistic children and their relation with the progress of different symptoms in schizophrenia]}}. {Zh Vyssh Nerv Deiat Im I P Pavlova};2011 (Sep-Oct);61(5):545-552.
Right hemispheric dominance of the baseline alpha-band spectral power was revealed in 5-7 years boys with autism. This feature persisted during performance of a cognitive task (counting). Also, boys with autism showed lowered level of the alpha spectral power as compared with healthy children. In healthy children, the gamma spectral power increased during performance of the cognitive task as compared to baseline state. Autistic persons showed higher values of the gamma spectral power as compared with normal boys. Boys with autism showed less expressed changes in the gamma spectral power during the cognitive task than healthy children. The reduced spectral power of the alpha band in autistic boys may serve as a precursor of conversion from autism to schizophrenia. Higher level of the gamma spectral power in autistic boys is characteristic also of schizophrenic patients with positive symptoms. Lowered levels of fast rhythms reactivity revealed in autistic boys and the same effect earlier described in schizophrenic adults probably have the similar nature.
2. Ingersoll B. {{Brief Report: Effect of a Focused Imitation Intervention on Social Functioning in Children with Autism}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2011 (Dec 7)
Imitation is an early skill thought to play a role in social development, leading some to suggest that teaching imitation to children with autism should lead to improvements in social functioning. This study used a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of a focused imitation intervention on initiation of joint attention and social-emotional functioning in 27 young children with autism. Results indicated the treatment group made significantly more gains in joint attention initiations at post-treatment and follow-up and social-emotional functioning at follow-up than the control group. Although gains in social functioning were associated with treatment, a mediation analysis did not support imitation as the mechanism of action. These findings suggest the intervention improves social functioning in children with ASD.
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3. Knott M, Leonard H, Downs J. {{The diagnostic odyssey to Rett syndrome: The experience of an Australian family}}. {Am J Med Genet A};2011 (Dec 6)
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4. Markoulakis R, Fletcher P, Bryden P. {{Seeing the glass half full: benefits to the lived experiences of female primary caregivers of children with autism}}. {Clin Nurse Spec};2012 (Jan);26(1):48-56.
PURPOSE: : Autism spectrum disorders are the most common developmental disorders, affecting 1 in 165 Canadian children. Although the experiences of the caregivers of children with autism have been examined to some extent, a thorough investigation of the benefits of this experience is warranted. METHODS: : The lived experiences of 8 married female primary caregivers of children with autism were assessed through a phenomenological study involving background questionnaires and one-on-one, semistructured interviews. All recruited participants completed the study. RESULTS: : Benefits were found in all areas of questioning, including financial, social, familial, health, and employment implications, in addition to benefits arising from activities and involvements taken on as a result of raising a child with autism. The findings shed light on an unconventional aspect of the effects of raising a child with autism. CONCLUSIONS: : Costs to these women’s experiences were not predominant, and benefits arising from the caregiving role lead to positive accounts of their lived experiences. Results have broader implications for the understanding of the primary caregiver situation and the improvement of interactions with individuals with these lived experiences. In this way, clinical nurse specialists may encourage and contribute to support systems that foster a positive experience for caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder, the children they care for, and their families.
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5. Matsuzaki J, Kagitani-Shimono K, Goto T, Sanefuji W, Yamamoto T, Sakai S, Uchida H, Hirata M, Mohri I, Yorifuji S, Taniike M. {{Differential responses of primary auditory cortex in autistic spectrum disorder with auditory hypersensitivity}}. {Neuroreport};2011 (Dec 5)
The aim of this study was to investigate the differential responses of the primary auditory cortex to auditory stimuli in autistic spectrum disorder with or without auditory hypersensitivity. Auditory-evoked field values were obtained from 18 boys (nine with and nine without auditory hypersensitivity) with autistic spectrum disorder and 12 age-matched controls. Autistic disorder with hypersensitivity showed significantly more delayed M50/M100 peak latencies than autistic disorder without hypersensitivity or the control. M50 dipole moments in the hypersensitivity group were statistically larger than those in the other two groups. M50/M100 peak latencies were correlated with the severity of auditory hypersensitivity; furthermore, severe hypersensitivity induced more behavioral problems. This study indicates auditory hypersensitivity in autistic spectrum disorder as a characteristic response of the primary auditory cortex, possibly resulting from neurological immaturity or functional abnormalities in it.
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6. Nho JS, Shin DS, Moon JY, Yi JW, Kang JM, Lee BJ, Kim DO, Chung JY. {{Anesthetic management of an adult patient with Rett syndrome and limited mouth opening -A case report}}. {Korean J Anesthesiol};2011 (Nov);61(5):428-430.
Rett syndrome is a neurological disease that occurs only in females and it manifests with mental retardation, seizures, movement disorders, autistic behavior and abnormal breathing. A 19-year-old female with Rett syndrome underwent ophthalmologic surgery under general anesthesia at our institution. Airway control was difficult due to her limited mouth opening. We recommend that anesthesiologists should have proper knowledge about this disease and the patients to avoid the complications and problems that can be encountered during the perioperative period.
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7. Ververi A, Vargiami E, Papadopoulou V, Tryfonas D, Zafeiriou DI. {{Clinical and Laboratory Data in a Sample of Greek Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2011 (Dec 7)
The purpose of this study is to describe clinical and laboratory data, as well as comorbid disorders in Greek children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Data were retrospectively collected for 222 children aged 1.5-9 years. The mean age at diagnosis was 43.7 +/- 17.6 months. Significantly earlier diagnoses were noted in children with comorbid disorders (epilepsy, hearing deficits, genetic/metabolic disorders), mental retardation and a large head circumference (HC). Macrocephaly (HC >/= 97th percentile) was found in 21.2% of children, genetic and metabolic disorders in 11.7% and 2.7% respectively and mental retardation in 23%. Patients with certain clinical features (i.e. syndromic) are earlier diagnosed. It is of ultimate importance to promptly identify all children with ASD, probably through the appliance of screening and surveillance programs in the Greek population.
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8. Wild KS, Poliakoff E, Jerrison A, Gowen E. {{Goal-Directed and Goal-Less Imitation in Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2011 (Dec 7)
To investigate how people with Autism are affected by the presence of goals during imitation, we conducted a study to measure movement kinematics and eye movements during the imitation of goal-directed and goal-less hand movements. Our results showed that a control group imitated changes in movement kinematics and increased the level that they tracked the hand with their eyes, in the goal-less compared to goal-direction condition. In contrast, the ASD group exhibited more goal-directed eye movements, and failed to modulate the observed movement kinematics successfully in either condition. These results increase the evidence for impaired goal-less imitation in ASD, and suggest that there is a reliance on goal-directed strategies for imitation in ASD, even in the absence of visual goals.
