1. Aloufi A, Alatawi F, Hakeem FF, Abed H. Factors determining the need for general anesthesia to deliver dental treatment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Saudi journal of anaesthesia. 2022; 16(1): 24-8.

AIM: To investigate factors determining the need for general anesthesia (GA) to deliver dental treatment for adult people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). METHODS: This study involved a retrospective review of medical records of adult patients with IDD who received dental treatment under GA at Tabuk Specialist Dental Center, Saudi Arabia, between 2018 and 2020. Demographic characteristics and dental-related details, level of cooperation, and methods of delivering dental treatment were collected. RESULTS: A total of 86 adult patients with IDD were included. The mean age of the study participants was 34.8 years (standard deviation [SD] 6.5), and the majority were males (n = 47, 54.7%). Eighteen patients had aphasia (20.9%), 16 had epilepsy (18.6%), and 10 had cerebral palsy (11.6%). Most dental treatments delivered were complex dental treatments (n = 39, 45.3%) followed by dental extraction (n = 25, 29.1%), and non-surgical periodontal therapy (n = 22, 25.5%). Females had higher odds of undergoing GA compared to males (Odds ratio (OR) =6.79, 95% Confidence intervals (CI): 1.62-28.41). Furthermore, patients who had aphasia had higher odds of undergoing GA compared to patients who had no medical conditions (OR = 14.03, 95% CI: 1.05-186.7). CONCLUSION: Being female or having aphasia are independent factors related to the need for GA to deliver dental treatment for Saudi adults with IDD.

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2. Ames JL, Mahajan A, Davignon MN, Massolo ML, Croen LA. Opportunities for Inclusion and Engagement in the Transition of Autistic Youth from Pediatric to Adult Healthcare: A Qualitative Study. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2022.

Transitioning autistic youth from pediatric to adult healthcare requires coordination of multiple stakeholders, including youth, caregivers, and pediatric and adult care providers, whose interests at times overlap but often differ. To understand barriers and facilitators to inclusive transition experiences, we conducted thematic analysis of interviews with 39 stakeholders from the same large, integrated healthcare system. We identified three major themes: (1) Navigating the healthcare transition without guidance, (2) Health consequences of a passive healthcare transition, and (3) Strategies for inclusion and continuous engagement. Facilitators included gradual transition planning, a warm handoff between providers, and support of shared healthcare decision-making. Providers also sought clinical tools and logistical supports such as care coordinators and longer transition-specific visit types to enhance patient-centered care.

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3. Bakare MO, Frazier TW, Karpur A, Abubakar A, Nyongesa MK, Mwangi PM, Dixon P, Khaliq I, Gase NK, Sandstrom J, Okidegbe N, Rosanoff M, Munir KM, Shih A. Brief report: Validity and reliability of the Nigerian Autism Screening Questionnaire. Autism : the international journal of research and practice. 2022: 13623613221080250.

Early intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is dependent on reliable methods for early detection. Screening for ASD symptoms is an important strategy in low- and middle-income countries that often lack adequate service infrastructure. This study aims to conduct preliminary evaluation of the psychometric properties of a tool developed and deployed in Nigeria called the Nigerian Autism Screening Questionnaire (NASQ). Results demonstrated that NASQ, when used as a community-based survey, has a clear factor structure with consistent measurement across age and sex, and that scores from below average to well above average are measured reliably. Future research is needed to examine the performance of this tool against confirmatory ASD diagnosis in screening and diagnostic contexts to further understand the utility and applicability of this tool in the resource-limited Nigerian setting.

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4. Beechey T. On Perspective Taking in Conversation and in Research: A Comment on Bambara et al. (2021). Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 2022; 65(4): 1597-9.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this letter is to draw attention to recent literature regarding the communication abilities and experiences of Autistic people and the potential for detrimental effects on mental health and service provision resulting from behavior modification programs. I will argue that viewing Autistic communication as characterized by pragmatic language impairment is inconsistent with evidence of effective and positive communication between Autistic people and with the social model of disability. CONCLUSION: Proposals for interventions targeting Autistic people should carefully weigh the costs and benefits for Autistic people and should integrate the perspectives of Autistic people.

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5. Blackmore CE, Woodhouse EL, Gillan N, Wilson E, Ashwood KL, Stoencheva V, Nolan A, McAlonan GM, Robertson DM, Whitwell S, Deeley Q, Craig MC, Zinkstok J, Wichers R, Spain D, Roberts G, Murphy DG, Murphy CM, Daly E. Adults with autism spectrum disorder and the criminal justice system: An investigation of prevalence of contact with the criminal justice system, risk factors and sex differences in a specialist assessment service. Autism : the international journal of research and practice. 2022: 13623613221081343.

There has been growing interest in offending and contact with the criminal justice system (CJS) by people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is not clear whether people with ASD offend more than those without ASD. Studies have started to look at whether there are particular offences people with ASD are more likely to commit and whether there are any factors that can affect whether someone comes into contact with the CJS as a potential suspect. This study looked at the patients who attended an ASD diagnostic service over a 17-year period to see the rate of contact with the CJS of those who were diagnosed with ASD and whether there were any particular factors that might increase the risk of CJS contact. Nearly a quarter of the ASD group had some contact with the CJS as a potential suspect. Factors that seemed to increase whether someone with ASD was more likely to have contact with the CJS were being male, being diagnosed with ADHD, and being diagnosed with psychosis. This study is one of the largest studies to investigate the rate of CJS contact as a potential suspect in a sample of adults with ASD in an attempt to give a clearer picture of what might influence someone with ASD to engage in offending behaviour in order to try to see what mental health services can offer to reduce the likelihood of someone with ASD coming into contact with the CJS, for example, treatment for another condition or support.

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6. Camarata S. Balancing Respect for Individuals, Human Rights, Neurodiversity, and Positive Behavioral Support in Intervention Research for a Spectrum of Autistic People. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 2022; 65(4): 1607-9.

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7. Granja GL, Lacerda-Santos JT, Firmino RT, Jiao R, Martins CC, Granville-Garcia AF, Vargas-Ferreira F. Occurrence of bruxism in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Special care in dentistry : official publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry. 2022.

AIMS: To investigate bruxism in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and neurotypical individuals. METHODS AND RESULTS: Searches were conducted in the MedLine via Ovid, Embase via Ovid, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, Web of Science, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS), Brazilian Library of Dentistry (BBO) and SciELO databases, grey literature and a hand search up to December 2020 with no restrictions imposed regarding language or year of publication (CRD42020211307). For the meta-analysis, the frequency of bruxism was extracted, with the calculation of odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a random effects model in RevManager. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Seventeen case-control studies were included in the qualitative synthesis and 15 were included in the meta-analysis, totaling a population of 3850 individuals. The ASD group was more likely to develop bruxism than the controls (OR: 3.80; 95% CI: 2.06-7.01). The certainty of the evidence was classified as « very low » for the occurrence of bruxism between ASD and control individuals. CONCLUSION: It is uncertain whether individuals with ASD are more likely to have bruxism than healthy controls.

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8. Guillon Q, Baduel S, Bejarano-Martín Á, Canal-Bedia R, MagÁn-Maganto M, FernÁndez-Álvarez C, Martín-Cilleros MV, SÁnchez-Gómez MC, García-Primo P, Rose-Sweeney M, Boilson A, LinertovÁ R, Roeyers H, Van der Paelt S, Schendel D, Warberg CK, Cramer S, Narzisi A, Muratori F, Scattoni ML, Moilanen I, Yliherva A, Saemundsen E, Jonsdottir SL, Efrim-Budisteanu M, Arghir A, Papuc SM, Vicente A, Rasga C, Xenia Kafka J, Poustka L, Kothgassner OD, Kawa R, Pisula E, Sellers T, Posada de la Paz M, Rogé B. Determinants of satisfaction with the detection process of autism in Europe: Results from the ASDEU study. Autism : the international journal of research and practice. 2022: 13623613221080318.

Professional guidance and support in response to first concerns appears to be an important predictor of the level of satisfaction with the detection process of autism in young children. In this study, we analyzed the views of 1342 family members, including 1278 parents, who completed an online survey form collecting information about their experience and satisfaction with the early detection of autism in their child. Specifically, we were interested in how specific experiences with the detection process relate to the satisfaction with it and whether we could identify important predictors of satisfaction. The detection process is an emotionally charged period for parents, often described as painful, chaotic, and lengthy. A better understanding of their experiences is important to take appropriate action to improve the detection process. In our sample, the level of satisfaction with the detection process varied greatly from one respondent to another. Among the different experiences we considered, whether or not respondents received professional guidance and support in response to first concerns explained most of this variation. We also found that difficulty finding information about detection services, lack of professional guidance and support in response to first concerns, having to find a diagnostic service on one’s own, and longer delays between confirmation of concerns and first appointment with a specialist were experiences associated with a greater likelihood of being unsatisfied. The findings of this study highlight the importance of the parent-professional relationship in the detection process and have important practical implications for health administrations to improve the detection process.

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9. Hassan WM, Al-Dbass A, Al-Ayadhi L, Bhat RS, El-Ansary A. Discriminant analysis and binary logistic regression enable more accurate prediction of autism spectrum disorder than principal component analysis. Scientific reports. 2022; 12(1): 3764.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and restricted, repetitive behavior. Multiple studies have suggested mitochondrial dysfunction, glutamate excitotoxicity, and impaired detoxification mechanism as accepted etiological mechanisms of ASD that can be targeted for therapeutic intervention. In the current study, blood samples were collected from 40 people with autism and 40 control participants after informed consent and full approval from the Institutional Review Board of King Saud University. Sodium (Na(+)), Potassium (K(+)), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), glutathione-s-transferase (GST), and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I (MRC1) were measured in plasma of both groups. Predictive models were established to discriminate individuals with ASD from controls. The predictive power of these five variables, individually and in combination, was compared using the area under a ROC curve (AUC). We compared the performance of principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant analysis (DA), and binary logistic regression (BLR) as ways to combine single variables and create the predictive models. K(+) had the highest AUC (0.801) of any single variable, followed by GST, LDH, Na(+), and MRC1, respectively. Combining the five variables resulted in higher AUCs than those obtained using single variables across all models. Both DA and BLR were superior to PCA and comparable to each other. In our study, the combination of Na(+), K(+), LDH, GST, and MRC1 showed the highest promise in discriminating individuals with autism from controls. These results provide a platform that can potentially be used to verify the efficacy of our models with a larger sample size or evaluate other biomarkers.

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10. Haussmann IU, Wu Y, Nallasivan MP, Archer N, Bodi Z, Hebenstreit D, Waddell S, Fray R, Soller M. CMTr cap-adjacent 2′-O-ribose mRNA methyltransferases are required for reward learning and mRNA localization to synapses. Nature communications. 2022; 13(1): 1209.

Cap-adjacent nucleotides of animal, protist and viral mRNAs can be O-methylated at the 2′ position of the ribose (cOMe). The functions of cOMe in animals, however, remain largely unknown. Here we show that the two cap methyltransferases (CMTr1 and CMTr2) of Drosophila can methylate the ribose of the first nucleotide in mRNA. Double-mutant flies lack cOMe but are viable. Consistent with prominent neuronal expression, they have a reward learning defect that can be rescued by conditional expression in mushroom body neurons before training. Among CMTr targets are cell adhesion and signaling molecules. Many are relevant for learning, and are also targets of Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP). Like FMRP, cOMe is required for localization of untranslated mRNAs to synapses and enhances binding of the cap binding complex in the nucleus. Hence, our study reveals a mechanism to co-transcriptionally prime mRNAs by cOMe for localized protein synthesis at synapses.

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11. James D, Lam VT, Jo B, Fung LK. Region-specific associations between gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor binding and cortical thickness in high-functioning autistic adults. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research. 2022.

The neurobiology of autism has been shown to involve alterations in cortical morphology and gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABA(A) ) receptor density. We hypothesized that GABA(A) receptor binding potential (GABA(A) R BP(ND) ) would correlate with cortical thickness, but their correlations would differ between autistic adults and typically developing (TD) controls. We studied 50 adults (23 autism, 27 TD, mean age of 27 years) using magnetic resonance imaging to measure cortical thickness, and [(18) F]flumazenil positron emission tomography imaging to measure GABA(A) R BP(ND) . We determined the correlations between cortical thickness and GABA(A) R BP(ND) by cortical lobe, region-of-interest, and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We also explored potential sex differences in the relationship between cortical thickness and autism characteristics, as measured by autism spectrum quotient (AQ) scores. Comparing autism and TD groups, no significant differences were found in cortical thickness or GABA(A) R BP(ND) . In both autism and TD groups, a negative relationship between cortical thickness and GABA(A) R BP(ND) was observed in the frontal and occipital cortices, but no relationship was found in the temporal or limbic cortices. A positive correlation was seen in the parietal cortex that was only significant for the autism group. Interestingly, in an exploratory analysis, we found sex differences in the relationships between cortical thickness and GABA(A) R BP(ND) , and cortical thickness and AQ scores in the left postcentral gyrus. LAY SUMMARY: The thickness of the brain cortex and the density of the receptors associated with inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA have been hypothesized to underlie the neurobiology of autism. In this study, we found that these biomarkers correlate positively in the parietal cortex, but negatively in the frontal and occipital cortical regions of the brain. Furthermore, we collected preliminary evidence that the correlations between cortical thickness and GABA receptor density are sexdependent in a brain region where sensory inputs are registered.

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12. Joyce EE, Chavarro JE, Rando J, Song AY, Croen LA, Fallin MD, Hertz-Picciotto I, Schmidt RJ, Volk H, Newschaffer CJ, Lyall K. Prenatal exposure to pesticide residues in the diet in association with child autism-related traits: Results from the EARLI study. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research. 2022.

Prior work has suggested associations between prenatal exposure to several classes of pesticides and child autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We examined a previously developed pesticide residue burden score (PRBS) and intake of high pesticide residue foods in association with ASD-related traits. Participants were drawn from the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI) (n = 256), a cohort following mothers who previously had a child with ASD through a subsequent pregnancy and that child’s development. ASD-related traits were captured according to total Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores at age 3 (mean raw total SRS score = 35.8). Dietary intake was assessed through a food frequency questionnaire collected during pregnancy. We also incorporated organic intake and fatty foods in modified versions of the PRBS. Associations between high-residue fruit and vegetable intake, the overall PRBS and modified versions of it, and SRS scores were assessed using multivariable linear regression. Overall, we did not observe associations between pesticide residues in foods and ASD-related outcomes, and modified versions of the PRBS yielded similar findings. However, reductions in ASD-related traits were observed with higher overall fruit and vegetable intake (adjusted estimates for Q4 vs. Q1: β -12.76, 95%CI -27.8, 2.3). Thus, findings from this high familial probability cohort did not suggest relationships between pesticide residues in the diet according to the PRBS and ASD-related traits. Beneficial effects of fruit and vegetable intake may influence these relationships. Future work should consider fruit and vegetable intake in association with ASD-related outcomes. LAY SUMMARY: Diet is the main source of exposure to most pesticides in use today. In this study, we examined the relationship between pesticide exposure from residues in the diet during pregnancy and child autism-related traits. We found that these pesticide residues from the diet were not related to child autism-related outcomes at age three. However, higher prenatal fruit and vegetable intake was associated with reductions in child autism-related traits.

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13. Keates N. A Letter to the Editor Regarding Bambara et al. (2021), « Using Peer Supports to Encourage Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder to Show Interest in Their Conversation Partners ». Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 2022; 65(4): 1600-3.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this letter is to address interpretations regarding Bambara et al.’s (2021) study and help resolve potential for further missteps within this line of research. CONCLUSION: There is clear value in teaching skills that are wanted by autistic people. The primary issue within the article is that it does not acknowledge the double empathy problem and is constructed based on only a neurotypical system of interpretation or communication style. What is being promoted is to address skills autistic participants request.

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14. Liu J, Hu J, Li Q, Zhao X, Liu Y, Liu S. Atypical processing pattern of gaze cues in dynamic situations in autism spectrum disorders. Scientific reports. 2022; 12(1): 4120.

Psychological studies have generally shown that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have particularity in the processing of social information by using static or abstract images. Yet, a recent study showed that there was no difference in their use of social or non-social cues in dynamic interactive situations. To establish the cause of the inconsistent results, we added gaze cues in different directions to the chase detection paradigm to explore whether they would affect the performance of participants with ASD. Meanwhile, eye-tracking methodology was used to investigate whether the processing patterns of gaze cues were different between individuals with ASD and TD. In this study, unlike typical controls, participants with ASD showed no detection advantage when the direction of gaze was consistent with the direction of movement (oriented condition). The results suggested that individuals with ASD may utilize an atypical processing pattern, which makes it difficult for them to use social information contained in oriented gaze cues in dynamic interactive situations.

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15. Ni Z, Qian Y, Yao Z, Zhang S. Understanding the Adoption of Dietary Interventions Within a Chinese Autism Online Community: A Diffusion of Innovations Perspective. Health communication. 2022: 1-12.

Dietary interventions are common but controversial treatments for autistic people. This study aims to understand the adoption of dietary interventions based on diffusion of innovations theory in the autism online community from four aspects: popularity, adoption process, the influence of opinion leaders, and post-adoption feedback. Our data was extracted from a Chinese autism community named Baidu Tieba autism forum. We applied a mixed-method including four analytical approaches: descriptive statistics for popularity analysis; machine learning models for automatic data classification and topic detection; social network analysis for exploring the influence of opinion leaders on the adoption phase; content analysis for revealing the family caregiver-reported feedback after adoption. Dietary interventions have become increasingly popular in the autism online community since 2018. Analysis of the adoption process revealed that family caregivers at different stages of adoption focused on different topics, and the number of interactions with opinion leaders had a significant effect on the highest level (p < .001) and stage span (p < .001) of health information adoption. According to findings from the feedback of family caregivers, the effects of dietary interventions varied from individuals with autism. Our study revealed the diffusion of unproven interventions, which is of great significance in promoting evidence-based practices.

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16. Sammels O, Karjalainen L, Dahlgren J, Wentz E. Autism spectrum disorder and obesity in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity facts. 2022.

INTRODUCTION: Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) appear to be at greater risk of excess weight gain. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine whether children with ASD have a greater prevalence of obesity and whether the prevalence of ASD is higher in children with obesity. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, Scopus and PsychINFO until May 21, 2021. We used the meta package in the R in order to calculate the pooled prevalence and relative risk of obesity in children with ASD. RESULTS: We found 20 eligible studies investigating the prevalence of obesity in children with ASD, with the prevalence ranging from 7.9 to 31.8% and from 1.4 to 23.6% among controls. All but three studies originated from the US. The proportion of children with obesity in ASD populations was 17% (95 % CI: 13-22). The relative risk of obesity in children with ASD compared with control children was 1.58 (95% CI: 1.34-1.86). There were no controlled studies reporting on the prevalence of ASD in children with obesity. CONCLUSION: Children and adolescents with ASD have a higher prevalence of obesity than healthy controls. There is a need for further prevalence studies of obesity in children with ASD, especially outside the United States, since the few European studies carried out have failed to show a significant difference between obesity prevalence in children with and without ASD. There is no knowledge at all regarding the prevalence of ASD among children with obesity.

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