1. Campione GC, Piazza C, Villa L, Molteni M. {{Three-Dimensional Kinematic Analysis of Prehension Movements in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: New Insights on Motor Impairment}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Feb 9)
The study was aimed at better clarifying whether action execution impairment in autism depends mainly on disruptions either in feedforward mechanisms or in feedback-based control processes supporting motor execution. To this purpose, we analyzed prehension movement kinematics in 4- and 5-year-old children with autism and in peers with typical development. Statistical analysis showed that the kinematics of the grasp component was spared in autism, whereas early kinematics of the reach component was atypical. We discussed this evidence as suggesting impairment in the feedforward processes involved in action execution, whereas impairment in feedback-based control processes remained unclear. We proposed that certain motor abilities are available in autism, and children may use them differently as a function of motor context complexity.
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2. Christiansz JA, Gray KM, Taffe J, Tonge BJ. {{Autism Spectrum Disorder in the DSM-5: Diagnostic Sensitivity and Specificity in Early Childhood}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Feb 9)
Changes to the DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) criteria raised concerns among parents and practitioners that the criteria may exclude some children with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). Few studies have examined DSM-5 sensitivity and specificity in children less than 5 years of age. This study evaluated 185 children aged 20-55 months with DSM-IV PDD or developmental delay. Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) data was assigned to DSM-5 subdomains. Children displaying the required symptomatology were classified with DSM-5 ASD. DSM-IV clinical diagnoses were compared to DSM-5 classifications. Using combined ADI-R/ADOS information, sensitivity was .84 and specificity was .54. Comorbid behaviour and emotional problems were significantly lower in children with PDD that did not meet DSM-5 criteria.
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3. Crane L, Maras KL, Hawken T, Mulcahy S, Memon A. {{Experiences of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Policing in England and Wales: Surveying Police and the Autism Community}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Feb 9)
An online survey gathered the experiences and views of 394 police officers (from England and Wales) regarding autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Just 42 % of officers were satisfied with how they had worked with individuals with ASD and reasons for this varied. Although officers acknowledged the need for adjustments, organisational/time constraints were cited as barriers. Whilst 37 % of officers had received training on ASD, a need for training tailored to policing roles (e.g., frontline officers, detectives) was identified. Police responses are discussed with respect to the experiences of the ASD community (31 adults with ASD, 49 parents), who were largely dissatisfied with their experience of the police and echoed the need for police training on ASD.
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4. Eigsti IM, Stevens MC, Schultz RT, Barton M, Kelley E, Naigles L, Orinstein A, Troyb E, Fein DA. {{Language comprehension and brain function in individuals with an optimal outcome from autism}}. {Neuroimage Clin};2016;10:182-191.
Although Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is generally a lifelong disability, a minority of individuals with ASD overcome their symptoms to such a degree that they are generally indistinguishable from their typically-developing peers. That is, they have achieved an Optimal Outcome (OO). The question addressed by the current study is whether this normalized behavior reflects normalized brain functioning, or alternatively, the action of compensatory systems. Either possibility is plausible, as most participants with OO received years of intensive therapy that could alter brain networks to align with typical function or work around ASD-related neural dysfunction. Individuals ages 8 to 21 years with high-functioning ASD (n = 23), OO (n = 16), or typical development (TD; n = 20) completed a functional MRI scan while performing a sentence comprehension task. Results indicated similar activations in frontal and temporal regions (left middle frontal, left supramarginal, and right superior temporal gyri) and posterior cingulate in OO and ASD groups, where both differed from the TD group. Furthermore, the OO group showed heightened « compensatory » activation in numerous left- and right-lateralized regions (left precentral/postcentral gyri, right precentral gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, right supramarginal gyrus, left superior temporal/parahippocampal gyrus, left middle occipital gyrus) and cerebellum, relative to both ASD and TD groups. Behaviorally normalized language abilities in OO individuals appear to utilize atypical brain networks, with increased recruitment of language-specific as well as right homologue and other systems. Early intensive learning and experience may normalize behavioral language performance in OO, but some brain regions involved in language processing may continue to display characteristics that are more similar to ASD than typical development, while others show characteristics not like ASD or typical development.
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5. Koks N, Ghassabian A, Greaves-Lord K, Hofman A, Jaddoe VW, Verhulst FC, Tiemeier H. {{Maternal C-Reactive Protein Concentration in Early Pregnancy and Child Autistic Traits in the General Population}}. {Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol};2016 (Mar);30(2):181-189.
BACKGROUND: Exposure to elevated levels of inflammatory markers during pregnancy has been suggested as possible aetiologic factor in the occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, we investigated the prospective relation between maternal C-reactive protein (CRP) during early pregnancy and children’s autistic traits in the general population. METHODS: In a large population-based cohort in the Netherlands, we measured maternal CRP levels before 18 weeks of gestation (N = 4165). Parents reported on their children’s autistic traits at age 6 years using the Social Responsiveness Scale, and the Pervasive Developmental Problem scale. Regression models were used to examine the relation between maternal CRP levels and autistic traits in children. RESULTS: Compared with the reference group (CRP < 2.3 mg/L), elevated levels of CRP (>7.8 mg/L) in pregnant women were associated with higher Social Responsiveness Scale scores in children [beta = 0.055, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.033, 0.078]; however, the effect was strongly attenuated after adjustment for several socioeconomic factors and in particular by maternal health-related factors including body mass index (fully adjusted model beta = 0.018, 95% CI -0.005, 0.042). We found no relation between maternal CRP levels and pervasive developmental problem. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the association between elevated levels of maternal CRP in pregnancy and autistic traits in children is confounded by maternal health-related and socioeconomic factors. Further studies are needed to explore whether other maternal inflammatory markers during pregnancy, as a response to maternal inflammation, are associated with the development of autistic traits in the offspring.
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6. Lever AG, Geurts HM. {{Psychiatric Co-occurring Symptoms and Disorders in Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Feb 9)
Although psychiatric problems are less prevalent in old age within the general population, it is largely unknown whether this extends to individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We examined psychiatric symptoms and disorders in young, middle-aged, and older adults with and without ASD (Nmax = 344, age 19-79 years, IQ > 80). Albeit comparable to other psychiatric patients, levels of symptoms and psychological distress were high over the adult lifespan; 79 % met criteria for a psychiatric disorder at least once in their lives. Depression and anxiety were most common. However, older adults less often met criteria for any psychiatric diagnosis and, specifically, social phobia than younger adults. Hence, despite marked psychological distress, psychiatric problems are also less prevalent in older aged individuals with ASD.
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7. Pickard KE, Wainer AL, Bailey KM, Ingersoll BR. {{A mixed-method evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of a telehealth-based parent-mediated intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Autism};2016 (Feb 9)
Research within the autism spectrum disorder field has called for the use of service delivery models that are able to more efficiently disseminate evidence-based practices into community settings. This study employed telehealth methods in order to deliver an Internet-based, parent training intervention for autism spectrum disorder, ImPACT Online. This study used mixed-methods analysis to create a more thorough understanding of parent experiences likely to influence the adoption and implementation of the program in community settings. Specific research questions included (1) What are parents’ perceptions of the online program? (2) How does ImPACT Online compare to other services that parents are accessing for their children? And (3) Do parents’ experience in, and perceptions of, the program differ based on whether they received a therapist-assisted version of the program? Results from 28 parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder indicate that parents saw improvements in their child’s social communication skills and their own competence during the course of the program, regardless of whether they received therapist assistance. However, qualitative interviews indicate that parents who received therapist assistance were more likely endorse the acceptability and observability of the program. These findings support the potential for Internet-based service delivery to more efficiently disseminate evidence-based parent training interventions for autism spectrum disorder.
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8. Powell G, Wass SV, Erichsen JT, Leekam SR. {{First evidence of the feasibility of gaze-contingent attention training for school children with autism}}. {Autism};2016 (Feb 9)
A number of authors have suggested that attention control may be a suitable target for cognitive training in children with autism spectrum disorder. This study provided the first evidence of the feasibility of such training using a battery of tasks intended to target visual attentional control in children with autism spectrum disorder within school-based settings. Twenty-seven children were recruited and randomly assigned to either training or an active control group. Of these, 19 completed the initial assessment, and 17 (9 trained and 8 control) completed all subsequent training sessions. Training of 120 min was administered per participant, spread over six sessions (on average). Compliance with the training tasks was generally high, and evidence of within-task training improvements was found. A number of untrained tasks to assess transfer of training effects were administered pre- and post-training. Changes in the trained group were assessed relative to an active control group. Following training, significant and selective changes in visual sustained attention were observed. Trend training effects were also noted on disengaging visual attention, but no convincing evidence of transfer was found to non-trained assessments of saccadic reaction time and anticipatory looking. Directions for future development and refinement of these new training techniques are discussed.
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9. Robinson A, Elliott R. {{Brief Report: An Observational Measure of Empathy for Autism Spectrum: A Preliminary Study of the Development and Reliability of the Client Emotional Processing Scale}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Feb 9)
People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), can have difficulties in emotion processing, including recognising their own and others’ emotions, leading to problems in emotion regulation and interpersonal relating. This study reports the development and piloting of the Client Emotional Processing Scale-Autism Spectrum (CEPS-AS), a new observer measure of four interrelated aspects of emotional processing: emotion recognition, self-reflection, cognitive empathy, and affective empathy. Results showed good interrater reliability (alpha: .69-.91), while inter-dimension associations were high (r = .66-.82). The measure was able to detect significant differences on the four dimensions across a short-term humanistic-experiential group therapy. The CEPS-AS shows promise as a potential addition to current self-report instruments measuring empathy or emotion processes in individuals with ASD.
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10. Stevenson RA, Sun SZ, Hazlett N, Cant JS, Barense MD, Ferber S. {{Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Default Local Processing in Individuals with High Autistic Traits Does Not Come at the Expense of Global Attention}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Feb 9)
Atypical sensory perception is one of the most ubiquitous symptoms of autism, including a tendency towards a local-processing bias. We investigated whether local-processing biases were associated with global-processing impairments on a global/local attentional-scope paradigm in conjunction with a composite-face task. Behavioural results were related to individuals’ levels of autistic traits, specifically the Attention to Detail subscale of the Autism Quotient, and the Sensory Profile Questionnaire. Individuals showing high rates of Attention to Detail were more susceptible to global attentional-scope manipulations, suggesting that local-processing biases associated with Attention to Detail do not come at the cost of a global-processing deficit, but reflect a difference in default global versus local bias. This relationship operated at the attentional/perceptual level, but not response criterion.
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11. Vernon TW, Miller AR, Ko JA, Wu VL. {{Social Tools And Rules for Teens (The START Program): Program Description and Preliminary Outcomes of an Experiential Socialization Intervention for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Feb 9)
Experiential learning is an essential process in the development of core social competencies. Unfortunately, adolescents with autism spectrum disorders often do not possess the prerequisite skillset and motivation to sustain the level of social immersion needed to benefit from this learning process. These persisting social vulnerabilities can limit their long-term relational success and associated quality of life, creating a need for comprehensive social programming. This paper describes a multi-component socialization intervention that simultaneously targets motivational, conceptual, and skill deficits using a hybrid experiential/didactic treatment approach. Evidence of social competence improvements was noted in survey and live conversational measures, indicating that the START program may hold promise as a method for improving the social success of participating adolescents with ASD.
