1. {{Correction: Prevalence of mental health conditions, sensory impairments and physical disability in people with co-occurring intellectual disabilities and autism compared with other people: a cross-sectional total population study in Scotland}}. {BMJ Open}. 2020; 10(7): e035280corr1.
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2. Azad GF, Minton KE, Mandell DS, Landa RJ. {{Partners in School: An Implementation Strategy to Promote Alignment of Evidence-Based Practices Across Home and School for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Administration and policy in mental health}. 2020.
When parents and teachers align their practices across home and school, it may optimize services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Partners in School is a multi-faceted implementation strategy designed to improve ASD services in schools. The goal is to increase parents’ and teachers’ use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) and to align those EBPs across settings. We piloted Partners in School with 49 parent-teacher dyads to assess administration and the factors associated with reported fidelity to the model. Specifically, we measured the number of intervention steps both parents and teachers completed (reported alignment) and the characteristics associated with intervention alignment. Partners in School involves parent-teacher participation in a pre-consultation interview, an in-person consultation meeting, active implementation of the same EBPs in their respective settings, and a post-consultation interview. Parents and teachers also completed surveys pre- and post-consultation. On average, parents and teachers completed approximately five EBP steps on their own in their respective settings (i.e., at home or at school). Of these five steps, parents and teachers both completed three of the same EBPs steps, on average. Different factors were related to reported alignment for parents versus teachers; however, a similarity noted for both parents and teachers was that communication variables were associated with reported alignment. Our findings indicate the important role of communication in aligning stakeholders for ASD service delivery models.
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3. Belmonte MK. {{Other and other waters in the river: Autism and the futility of prediction}}. {The Behavioral and brain sciences}. 2020; 43: e122.
Autism has been described as a neural deficit in prediction, people with autism manifest low perceptual construal and are impaired at traversing psychological distances, and Gilead et al.’s hierarchy from iconic to multimodal to fully abstract, socially communicated representations is exactly the hierarchy of representational impairment in autism, making autism a natural behavioural and neurophysiological test case for the prediction-abstraction relationship.
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4. Chambers C, Radley KC. {{Training Soccer Skills to Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder via Peer-Mediated Behavioral Skills Training}}. {Behavior analysis in practice}. 2020; 13(2): 454-61.
Peer-mediated interventions have been identified as efficient means of promoting the acquisition of skills of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Limited research, however, has evaluated the utility of such procedures for promoting recreational skills that may allow for greater interaction with peers. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of peer-mediated behavioral skills training on the acquisition of discrete soccer skills of 3 students with ASD. Following the implementation of the intervention, all participants demonstrated substantial improvements in the accuracy of the target soccer skills.
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5. Esposito D, Belli A, Ferri R, Bruni O. {{Sleeping without Prescription: Management of Sleep Disorders in Children with Autism with Non-Pharmacological Interventions and Over-the-Counter Treatments}}. {Brain Sci}. 2020; 10(7).
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are lifelong neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by abnormal social interaction, communication, and behavior. Sleep disturbances represent a common comorbidity in children and adolescents with ASD, with prevalence ranging from 50 to 80%. It has been proved that sleep disruption worsens the symptoms of autism and results in challenging behaviors. Improving sleep should therefore be a primary therapeutic goal. Treatment options range from lifestyle modifications to pharmacological therapy. Several reviews have been written on pharmacological treatments, but very few on the beneficial effects of non-pharmacological interventions, over-the-counter drugs, and nutritional supplements. This study consists of a narrative review of the literature, presenting the available evidence on the following treatments: sleep education, behavioral interventions, complementary and alternative medicine (special mattresses and blankets, massage, aromatherapy, yoga, physical activity), and commonly used over-the-counter medications and supplements (antihistamines, melatonin, tryptophan, carnosine, iron, vitamins, and herbal remedies). For some treatments-such as melatonin and behavioral interventions-effectiveness in ASD is well established in the literature, while other interventions appear of benefit in clinical practice, even if specific studies in children and adolescents with ASD are lacking. Conversely, other treatments only seem to show anecdotal evidence supporting their use.
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6. Gao H, Zhong J, Huang Q, Wu X, Mo X, Lu L, Liang H. {{Integrated Systems Analysis Explores Dysfunctional Molecular Modules and Regulatory Factors in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN}. 2020.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder involving multiple genes that occurs in early childhood, and a number of risk genes have been reported in previous studies. However, the molecular mechanism of the polygenic regulation leading to pathological changes in ASD remains unclear. First, we identified 8 dysregulated gene coexpression modules by analyzing blood transcriptome data from 96 children with ASD and 42 controls. These modules are rich in ASD risk genes and function related to metabolism, immunity, neurodevelopment, and signaling. The regulatory factors of each module including microRNA (miRNA) and transcription factors (TFs) were subsequently predicted based on transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation. We identified a set of miRNAs that regulate metabolic and immune modules, as well as transcription factors that cause dysregulation of the modules, and we constructed a coregulatory network between the regulatory factors and modules. Our work reveals dysfunctional modules in children with ASD, elucidates the role of miRNA and transcription factor dysregulation in the pathophysiology of ASD, and helps us to further understand the underlying molecular mechanism of ASD.
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7. Gordillo ML, Chu A, Long K. {{Mothers’ Adjustment to Autism: Exploring the Roles of Autism Knowledge and Culture}}. {Journal of pediatric psychology}. 2020.
INTRODUCTION: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) service-use disparities are well-documented among racial/ethnic minorities. Yet the nuanced impact that culture has on barriers to ASD service-use has not been sufficiently explored among these populations. This study explores the interrelatedness of culture and service-use barriers (i.e., parent ASD knowledge and adjustment) among culturally diverse mothers of children with ASD. METHODS: Twenty mothers from the Boston area participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews regarding their experiences with ASD. Applied thematic analysis was used to analyze data stratified by ethnicity (Latina vs. non-Latina) and nativity (immigrant vs. U.S. born). RESULTS: All mothers had similar gains in ASD knowledge after their children’s ASD diagnoses. Non-Latina mothers (immigrant and U.S. born) felt empowered by their gained ASD knowledge, while Latina mothers struggled to fully accept their child’s diagnosis and were unable to apply their general ASD knowledge to better understand their child’s ASD-related needs. Culturally based stigma against ASD, including rejection from the Latino community and internalized self-blame, appeared to drive Latina mothers’ beliefs that ASD is an invalid diagnosis for their child. CONCLUSION: Latina mothers’ desire for community acceptance in the context of ASD stigma was a particularly salient cultural value among Latina mothers in this sample. Findings suggest that parent-focused ASD education programs may not sufficiently address ASD service-use disparities for Latina mothers. Rather, ASD education programs that address informational and cultural needs may better promote ASD adjustment among ethnic minority families.
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8. Hilton CL, Ratcliff K, Hong I. {{Participation Difficulties in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Intellectual Disabilities: Findings from the 2011 Survey of Pathway to Diagnosis and Services}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2020.
Greater understanding can increase our knowledge and intervention effectiveness for activity participation problems of children with disabilities. We examined participation difficulties of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID) in the 2011 Survey of Pathway to Diagnosis and Services. We utilized propensity score matching with inverse probability of treatment weight with questions from parents of 1783 children aged 6-17 years. Friendship was the most difficult area for all children. Children with both ASD and ID experienced the most difficulty in all areas, followed by ASD alone. Reported levels of home life, friendships, classroom and leisure difficulties were moderately correlated for all children. Children who were previously diagnosed, but have no current diagnosis experienced substantial difficulties.
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9. Malecki C, Hambly BD, Jeremy RW, Robertson EN. {{The RNA-binding fragile-X mental retardation protein and its role beyond the brain}}. {Biophysical reviews}. 2020.
It is well-established that variations of a CGG repeat expansion in the gene FMR1, which encodes the fragile-X mental retardation protein (FMRP), cause the neurocognitive disorder, fragile-X syndrome (FXS). However, multiple observations suggest a general and complex regulatory role of FMRP in processes outside the brain: (1) FMRP is ubiquitously expressed in the body, suggesting it functions in multiple organ systems; (2) patients with FXS can exhibit a physical phenotype that is consistent with an underlying abnormality in connective tissue; (3) different CGG repeat expansion lengths in FMR1 result in different clinical outcomes due to different pathogenic mechanisms; (4) the function of FMRP as an RNA-binding protein suggests it has a general regulatory role. This review details the complex nature of FMRP and the different CGG repeat expansion lengths and the evidence supporting the essential role of the protein in a variety of biological and pathological processes.
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10. Mayhew E, Stuttard L, Beresford B. {{An Assessment of the Psychometric Properties of the GHQ-12 in an English Population of Autistic Adults Without Learning Difficulties}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2020.
Valid and reliable tools to measure mental health are a key requirement to developing a robust evidence base on mental health difficulties and autism. There are several reasons why mental health measures developed for the neurotypical population may not be valid and reliable when used with autistic adults. Using data collected from a national evaluation of community-based, specialist autism provision in England, this study assessed the psychometric properties of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in a population of autistic adults without learning difficulties. We examined the measure’s acceptability, reliability and internal construct validity. The GHQ-12 was found to have good psychometric properties in this population. This provides first evidence that this measure can be used with autistic adults without LD.
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11. Melvin CL, Langdon PE, Murphy GH. {{« They’re the hardest group to treat, that changes the least ». Adapted sex offender treatment programmes for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Clinician views and experiences}}. {Res Dev Disabil}. 2020; 105: 103721.
AIMS: Clinicians working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who display sexual offending behaviours may face challenges during treatment, as a result of the cognitive and behavioural profile associated with ASD. This research explored the views and experiences of those running adapted sex offender treatment groups with men with ASD. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews with group facilitators (n = 12) focused on service user engagement and response to the core components of the treatment programme (e.g. increasing victim empathy, addressing cognitive distortions, etc.), and gathered the experiences of those working with men with ASD who display sexual offending behaviours. RESULTS: Grounded Theory was used to develop a model conceptualising the potential impact of ASD on treatment outcomes, and this emerged predominantly through clinician’s views of risk of re-offending. Benefits of attending a group included: the presence of other group members, a forum to develop pro-social roles and relationships, and increased opportunity for monitoring. Challenges regarding empathy, specifically emotional empathy, and shifts in cognitive distortions were felt particularly pertinent to those with ASD, as well as questions over internalisation of therapy. CONCLUSION: Despite identification of a number of challenges, adapted sex offender treatment programmes were considered beneficial for men with ASD, especially in light of a dearth of evidenced-based alternatives.
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12. Neimy H, Pelaez M, Monlux K, Carrow J, Tarbox J, Weiss MJ. {{Increasing Vocalizations and Echoics in Infants at Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Behavior analysis in practice}. 2020; 13(2): 467-72.
Infant siblings of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis (i.e., infants at risk of ASD) are excellent candidates for early interventions based on the principles of applied behavior analysis. This study replicates and extends behavioral research using contingent social reinforcement procedures (i.e., vocal imitation and motherese speech) to increase both vocalizations and echoics among 3 infants at risk of ASD with their mothers in the natural environment. Results confirmed earlier findings that contingent reinforcement, specifically vocal imitation, reliably produces high rates of vocalizations, echoic approximations, and emerging pure echoic repertoires in at risk infants.
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13. Pecora LA, Hancock GI, Hooley M, Demmer DH, Attwood T, Mesibov GB, Stokes MA. {{Gender identity, sexual orientation and adverse sexual experiences in autistic females}}. {Mol Autism}. 2020; 11(1): 57.
BACKGROUND: There is growing recognition that autistic females present with more diverse gender and sexual identities than their non-autistic counterparts. Likewise, autistic females are also at an increased risk of adverse sexual experiences. As higher rates of sexual victimisation are observed in individuals with diverse sexual identities in the broader population, rates of negative sexual experiences among autistic females remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the representation of gender and sexual diversity within autistic females and examine their rates of regretted, and unwanted, sexual encounters among females with a transgender gender identity and non-heterosexual sexual orientation. METHODS: Two hundred and ninety-five females completed the Sexual Behaviour Scale-III (SBS-III) online. Self-reported gender identity and sexual orientation were compared between 134 autistic (M(age)= 26.2 years, SD = 8.7) and 161 non-autistic females (M(age) = 22.0 years, SD = 4.6). Differences in the prevalence of negative sexual experiences were compared across diagnosis and each gender identity and sexual orientation label. RESULTS: Autistic females were more likely to identify with a transgender gender identity (p < .05) and non-heterosexual sexual orientation (p < .007) compared to non-autistic females. Autistic homosexual females were more likely to have experienced a range of negative sexual experiences than autistic heterosexual females (OR ≥ 3.29; p < .01) and were more likely to have experienced unwanted sexual experiences than non-autistic females regardless of sexual orientation (OR ≥ 2.38; p < .05). There were no differences in rates of negative sexual experiences between autistic bisexual and both autistic heterosexual and non-autistic bisexual females. Non-autistic bisexual females (OR = 0.24; p = .018) presented with a reduced risk of regretted sexual experiences than non-autistic heterosexual peers. There were no differences in negative sexual experiences across gender identity in the autistic sample. LIMITATIONS: The use of fixed format response items may have restricted participants' abilities to provide rich responses pertaining to their sexual identities and nature of negative sexual experiences. The small number of participants who identified as transgender (n = 40) limits the reliability of results pertaining to sexual experiences across gender identity. Moreover, although multiple recruitment methods were used in this study, non-representative may bias estimates of prevalence rates. Thus, the data may not be representative of the broader population. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that autistic females present with greater diversity in their sexual identities than individuals without autism, with those with a homosexual sexual orientation being at greater risk of experiencing adverse sexual encounters. Findings suggest the importance of increased clinical attention to this diversity and the need to provide support to facilitate the development of a healthy sexual identity and reduce the risks identified in this study. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
14. Piras IS, Picinelli C, Iennaco R, Baccarin M, Castronovo P, Tomaiuolo P, Cucinotta F, Ricciardello A, Turriziani L, Nanetti L, Mariotti C, Gellera C, Lintas C, Sacco R, Zuccato C, Cattaneo E, Persico AM. {{Huntingtin gene CAG repeat size affects autism risk: Family-based and case-control association study}}. {Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet}. 2020.
The Huntingtin (HTT) gene contains a CAG repeat in exon 1, whose expansion beyond 39 repeats consistently leads to Huntington’s disease (HD), whereas normal-to-intermediate alleles seemingly modulate brain structure, function and behavior. The role of the CAG repeat in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was investigated applying both family-based and case-control association designs, with the SCA3 repeat as a negative control. Significant overtransmission of « long » CAG alleles (≥17 repeats) to autistic children and of « short » alleles (≤16 repeats) to their unaffected siblings (all p < 10(-5) ) was observed in 612 ASD families (548 simplex and 64 multiplex). Surprisingly, both 193 population controls and 1,188 neurological non-HD controls have significantly lower frequencies of "short" CAG alleles compared to 185 unaffected siblings and higher rates of "long" alleles compared to 548 ASD patients from the same families (p < .05-.001). The SCA3 CAG repeat displays no association. "Short" HTT alleles seemingly exert a protective effect from clinically overt autism in families carrying a genetic predisposition for ASD, while "long" alleles may enhance autism risk. Differential penetrance of autism-inducing genetic/epigenetic variants may imply atypical developmental trajectories linked to HTT functions, including excitation/inhibition imbalance, cortical neurogenesis and apoptosis, neuronal migration, synapse formation, connectivity and homeostasis. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
15. Rae JP, Ramey M. {{Correction and repair: a comparative analysis of a boy with ASD interacting with a parent and with an ABA trainer}}. {Clinical linguistics & phonetics}. 2020: 1-27.
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is a widely used therapeutic intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) yet there has been little research into the interactional organization of ABA sessions. We report a comparative case study of two interactions in which the same child, a 12-year-old boy with ASD, interacts with his father and interacts with an Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) trainer. Both interactions occur at home and are drawn from a small corpus (2 h) of children with ASD in domestic settings. Drawing on CA to delineate the sequential relationships between the actions of the adult participant and the child, we present a quantitative and microstructural analysis of 156 directive sequences in order to examine the similarities and differences between the two interactions. We first show that the rate of the production of directives is higher in the ABA session. The analysis then demonstrates the applicability of Schegloff, Jefferson and Sacks’ (1977) treatment of repair in conversation to some problems that occur in how the child responses to adults’ directives. However, we show that whilst some correction-initiations target problems with hearing, speaking, and understanding, some target substantive problems. We identify a practice, explicating an error, whereby correction-initiations are expanded to point out the nature of the error. This practice can show that the correction-target is being construed as a substantive error. In such cases, the correction-initiation is not a subtype of repair-initiation in the sense of Schegloff, Jefferson and Sacks’ (1977) analysis of repair.
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16. Salerno-Ferraro AC, Schuller RA. {{Perspectives from the ASD community on police interactions: Challenges & recommendations}}. {Res Dev Disabil}. 2020; 105: 103732.
BACKGROUND: Research shows that a substantial proportion of people with Autism come into contact with the police in their lifetime, and some research suggests that they are largely unsatisfied with their police interactions. METHOD: Thirty-five adults with ASD completed an online questionnaire regarding the challenges police may face when interacting with Autistic people, as well as provided recommendations as to how those interactions could be improved. RESULTS: Respondents reported a variety of different potential challenges that could present in an interaction between the police and people with ASD. For example, respondents felt that typical Autistic behaviours, such as stimming or communication difficulties, could be misinterpreted by police officers and lead to adverse outcomes. Respondents discussed several recommendations aimed at improving police interactions with Autistic people, including involving Autisitc people in the training of police officers. CONCLUSIONS: The information collected in this study provides insights into how interactions between the police and people with ASD can be improved. These findings can be used in the development of police training programs or integrated into pre-existing training programs on Autism, contributing the invaluable perspective of the Autism community.
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17. Tchanturia K, Dandil Y, Li Z, Smith K, Leslie M, Byford S. {{A novel approach for autism spectrum condition patients with eating disorders: Analysis of treatment cost-savings}}. {European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association}. 2020.
OBJECTIVE: In the current economic context, it is critical to ensure that eating disorder (ED) treatments are both effective and cost-effective. We describe the impact of a novel clinical pathway developed to better meet the needs of autistic patients with EDs on the length and cost of hospital admissions. METHOD: The pathway was based on the Institute for Healthcare’s Model of Improvement methodology, using an iterative Plan, Do, Study, Act format to introduce change and to co-produce the work with people with lived experience and with healthcare professionals. We explored the change in length and cost of admissions before and after the pathway was introduced. RESULTS: Preliminary results suggest that the treatment innovations associated with this pathway have led to reduced lengths of admission for patients with the comorbidity, which were not seen for patients without the comorbidity. Estimated cost-savings were approximately £22,837 per patient and approximately £275,000 per year for the service as a whole. CONCLUSION: Going forward, our aim is to continue to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of investment in the pathway to determine whether the pathway improves the quality of care for patients with a comorbid ED and autism and is good value for money.
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18. Walsh E, Lydon H, Holloway J. {{An Evaluation of Assistive Technology in Determining Job-Specific Preference for Adults With Autism and Intellectual Disabilities}}. {Behavior analysis in practice}. 2020; 13(2): 434-44.
The transition to employment can be difficult for adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and intellectual disabilities (IDs). Currently, a limited number of ASD-specific career-planning tools exist within the literature, creating a challenge in terms of accurately identifying jobs that match individual preferences and strengths. This study evaluated the effects of a technology-based prework assessment on job performance among 3 adults with ASD and ID, aged 20-21 years prior to beginning supported employment. Three job conditions were established: a high-preference, high-skill-match job; a high-preference, low-skill-match job; and a low-preference, low-skill-match job. The 3 job conditions were evaluated using an alternating-treatments design with supported-employment sessions counterbalanced across a 6-week period. The results indicated that the high-preference job conditions produced higher levels of job performance irrespective of skill match. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
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19. Xu H, Lehtinen MK. {{Cerebrospinal Fluid Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Improving Early Diagnosis of Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Conditions}}. {Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging}. 2020; 5(7): 635-7.
