1. Bakhshipour A, Mahmood Aliloo M, Shahrokhi H, Hashemi T, Amiri S, Mehdizadeh Fanid L, Yadegari N, Hagnazari F. {{Sequences of mind development in boys with autism spectrum disorder}}. {ISRN neurology}. 2012;2012:637453.
Autism is a pervasive neurodevelopment disorder, primarily encompassing difficulties in the social, language, and communicative domains. One of the most common social cognitive theories of autism is based on theory of mind (ToM), the « mentalizing » ability needed to infer that others have their own beliefs and desires in order to understand their behavior. In the current study, this hypothesis was tested using Wellman and Liu’s scaled ToM tasks. These were employed in the assessment of ToM development of verbal, school-aged high-functioning boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The results indicated that children with ASD performed significantly worse than normal children on ToM tasks (Z = 4.7; P < 0 .001). However, it was shown that some of the ASD children were able to pass desire and false-belief tasks whereas none of them could succeed in knowledge and real-apparent emotion tasks.
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2. Carter EW, Lane KL, Cooney M, Weir K, Moss CK, Machalicek W. {{Parent Assessments of Self-determination Importance and Performance for Students with Autism or Intellectual Disability}}. {American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities}. 2013 Jan;118(1):16-31.
Abstract Fostering student self-determination is now considered an essential element of special education and transition services for children and youth with intellectual disability and/or autism. Yet, little is known about the pivotal role parents might play beyond the school campus in fostering self-determination among their children with developmental disabilities. We examined how 627 parents of children with intellectual disability or autism attending one of 34 randomly selected school districts (a) rated the importance of 7 component skills associated with self-determination, (b) assessed their children’s performance in relation to those 7 skills, and (c) evaluated the overall self-determination capacities of their children. Although parents highly valued all of the self-determination skills, the degree to which their children were reported to perform the skills well was fairly low. Several factors predicted higher levels of self-determination, including educational setting, the presence of challenging behaviors, and perceived disability severity. We conclude by offering recommendations for equipping parents to better support their children’s self-determination development.
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3. Christie L, Wotton T, Bennetts B, Wiley V, Wilcken B, Rogers C, Boyle J, Turner C, Hansen J, Hunter M, Goel H, Field M. {{Maternal attitudes to newborn screening for fragile X syndrome}}. {Am J Med Genet A}. 2013 Jan 9.
Although fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the commonest cause of inherited intellectual disability the mean age of diagnosis in Australia is 5.5 years. Newborn screening for FXS can provide an early diagnosis, preventing the « diagnostic odyssey », allowing access to early interventions, and providing reproductive information for parents. Parents of affected children support newborn screening, but few clinical studies have evaluated community attitudes. A pilot study in 2009-2010 was performed in a tertiary hospital to explore feasibility and maternal attitudes. FXS testing of male and female newborns was offered to mothers in addition to routine newborn screening. Mothers were provided with information about FXS, inheritance pattern, carrier status, and associated adult-onset disorders. One thousand nine hundred seventy-one of 2,094 mothers (94%) consented to testing of 2,000 newborns. 86% completed the attitudinal survey and 10% provided written comments. Almost all parents (99%) elected to be informed of both premutation and full mutation status and there was little concern about identification of carrier status or associated adult-onset disorders. Most mothers (96%) were comfortable being approached in the postnatal period and supported testing because no extra blood test was required. Mothers considered an early diagnosis beneficial to help prepare for a child with additional needs (93%) and for reproductive planning (64%). Some were anxious about the potential test results (10%) and others felt their feelings towards their newborn may change if diagnosed with FXS (16%). High participation rates and maternal attitudes indicate a high level of maternal acceptance and voluntary support for newborn screening for FXS. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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4. Grondhuis SN, Mulick JA. {{Comparison of the leiter international performance scale-revised and the stanford-binet intelligence scales, 5th edition, in children with autism spectrum disorders}}. {American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities}. 2013 Jan;118(1):44-54.
Abstract A review of hospital records was conducted for children evaluated for autism spectrum disorders who completed both the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised (Leiter-R) and Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, 5th Edition (SB5). Participants were between 3 and 12 years of age. Diagnoses were autistic disorder (n = 26, 55%) and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (n = 21, 45%). Analysis showed that the full sample received significantly higher scores on the Leiter-R than SB5 (mean discrepancy of 20.91 points), specific diagnosis was not a significant factor, and younger children had a larger discrepancy between tests. These analyses strongly suggest that the Leiter-R and the SB5 may not be equivalent measures of intellectual functioning in children with autism spectrum disorders, and that use of one or the other exclusively could lead to misclassification of intellectual capacity.
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5. Moss J, Oliver C, Nelson L, Richards C, Hall S. {{Delineating the profile of autism spectrum disorder characteristics in cornelia de lange and fragile x syndromes}}. {American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities}. 2013 Jan;118(1):55-73.
Abstract An atypical presentation of autism spectrum disorder is noted in Cornelia de Lange and Fragile X syndromes, but there are few detailed empirical descriptions. Participants in this study were individuals with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (n = 130, M age = 17.19), Fragile X syndrome (n = 182, M age = 16.94), and autism spectrum disorder (n = 142, M age = 15.19), who were comparable on chronological age. Using the Social Communication Questionnaire, the proportion meeting cutoff for autism spectrum disorder and autism was 78.6%, and 45.6%, respectively, in Cornelia de Lange syndrome and 83.6% and 48.6% in Fragile X syndrome. Domain and item analyses indicate differing, atypical autism spectrum disorder profiles in Fragile X and Cornelia de Lange syndromes. A limited association between adaptive behavior and autism spectrum disorder was identified in all groups. The findings have implications for intervention in genetic syndromes and conceptualization of autism spectrum disorder in the wider population.
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6. Sokolowsky M, Fakra E, Azorin JM. {{[Endophenotypes and autism spectrum disorders]}}. {Encephale}. 2012 Dec;38 Suppl 3:S67-9.
Genetic factors of ASD stay unknown after 30 years of research. The concept of « endophenotype » seems an interesting approach toward these factors. « Enlarged phenotypes » in families of ASD persons could lead to the definition of ASD endophenotypes. « Enlarged phenotypes » include clinical symptoms, morphological and functional brain anomalies enlightening ASD physiopathology and brain physiology. Knowledge of endophenotypes will lead to ASD genetic risk factors. This knowledge will open ethical questions about prenatal diagnosis.
