1. Beversdorf DQ, Stevens HE, Jones KL. {{Prenatal Stress, Maternal Immune Dysregulation, and Their Association With Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {Curr Psychiatry Rep}. 2018; 20(9): 76.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: While genetic factors are a major etiological contributor to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), evidence also supports a role for environmental factors. Herein, we will discuss two such factors that have been associated with a significant proportion of ASD risk: prenatal stress exposure and maternal immune dysregulation, and how sex and gender relate to these factors. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent evidence suggests that maternal stress susceptibility interacts with prenatal stress exposure to affect offspring neurodevelopment. Additionally, understanding of the impact of maternal immune dysfunction on ASD has recently been advanced by recognition of specific fetal brain proteins targeted by maternal autoantibodies, and identification of unique mid-gestational maternal immune profiles. Animal models have been developed to explore pathophysiology targeting both of these factors, with limited sex-specific effects observed. While prenatal stress and maternal immune dysregulation are associated with ASD, most cases of these prenatal exposures do not result in ASD, suggesting interaction with multiple other risks. We are beginning to understand the behavioral, pharmacopathological, and epigenetic effects related to these interactions, as well as potential mitigating factors. Sex differences of these risks have been understudied but are crucial for understanding the higher prevalence of ASD in boys. Continued growth in understanding of these mechanisms may ultimately allow for the identification of multiple potential points for prevention or intervention, and for a personalized medicine approach for this subset of environmental-associated ASD cases.
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2. Chisholm AK, Anderson VA, Pride NA, Malarbi S, North KN, Payne JM. {{Social Function and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Adults with Neurofibromatosis Type 1: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis}}. {Neuropsychology review}. 2018.
In light of the proliferation of recent research into social function in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a systematic review and meta-analysis is required to synthesise data and place findings within the context of a theoretical framework. This paper reviews findings from research into social function and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children and adults with NF1 and integrates these findings with the Socio-Cognitive Integration Abilities Model (SOCIAL). It also critically appraises links between social outcomes, internal and external factors moderating social functioning, cognitive domains implicated in social functioning, and underlying neural pathology in NF1. A systematic literature search conducted in MedLine (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), and PubMed electronic databases yielded 35 papers that met inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Out of these papers, 22 papers provided sufficient data for meta-analysis. Findings from this review and meta-analysis provide evidence that children and adults with NF1 exhibit significantly higher prevalence and severity of social dysfunction and ASD symptomatology. To date, very few studies have examined social cognition in NF1 but results indicate the presence of both perceptual and higher-level impairments in this population. The results of this review also provide support for age, gender, and comorbid ADHD as moderating factors for social outcomes in NF1. Suggestions for future research are offered to further our understanding of the social phenotype in NF1 and to facilitate the development of targeted interventions.
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3. Croen LA, Qian Y, Ashwood P, Daniels JL, Fallin D, Schendel D, Schieve LA, Singer AB, Zerbo O. {{Family history of immune conditions and autism spectrum and developmental disorders: Findings from the study to explore early development}}. {Autism Res}. 2018.
Numerous studies have reported immune system disturbances in individuals with autism and their family members; however, there is considerable variability in findings with respect to the specific immune conditions involved, their timing, and the family members affected and little understanding of variation by autism subphenotype. Using data from the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), a multi-site case-control study of children born 2003-2006 in the United States, we examined the role of family history of autoimmune diseases, asthma, and allergies in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as other developmental disorders (DD). We investigated maternal immune conditions during the pregnancy period, as well as lifetime history of these conditions in several family members (mother, father, siblings, and study child). Logistic regression analyses included 663 children with ASD, 984 children with DD, and 915 controls ascertained from the general population (POP). Maternal history of eczema/psoriasis and asthma was associated with a 20%-40% increased odds of both ASD and DD. Risk estimates varied by specific ASD subphenotypes in association with these exposures. In addition, children with ASD were more likely to have a history of psoriasis/eczema or allergies than POP controls. No association was observed for paternal history or family history of these immune conditions for either ASD or DD. These data support a link between maternal and child immune conditions and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, and further suggest that associations may differ by ASD phenotype of the child. Autism Res 2018., (c) 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Using data from a large multi-site study in the US-the Study to Explore Early Development-we found that women with a history of eczema/psoriasis and asthma are more likely to have children with ASD or DD. In addition, children with ASD are more likely to have a history of psoriasis/eczema or allergies than typically developing children. These data support a link between maternal and child immune conditions and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
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4. Divan G, Vajaratkar V, Cardozo P, Huzurbazar S, Verma M, Howarth E, Emsley R, Taylor C, Patel V, Green J. {{The Feasibility and Effectiveness of PASS Plus, A Lay Health Worker Delivered Comprehensive Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders: Pilot RCT in a Rural Low and Middle Income Country Setting}}. {Autism Res}. 2018.
The treatment gap for autism globally is high. Our previous PASS intervention, delivered by community based lay health workers, showed effectiveness. This article reports the development and evaluation of a new « PASS ‘Plus' » intervention in a rural population in India. Using formative research methods, we supplemented the PASS intervention with additional (Plus) modules to address autism comorbidities. This is the first time that a rigorous methodology has been used to evaluate autism symptom outcomes in a low and middle-income country setting. 40 parent-child dyads were recruited in a pilot randomized controlled trial against usual care (mean age 65 months (34 boys); n = 19 PASS Plus, n = 21 UC). 89% of intervention families partially or entirely completed the 12-session intervention. Intention to treat analysis showed a reduction in mean scores of autism symptom severity, though the confidence interval contains zero, (adjusted mean difference AMD -2.42 95% CI -7.75, 2.92; ES 0.22); large treatment effects on proximal outcomes of proportion of parent synchronous responses (AMD 0.35; 95% CI 0.18, 0.52; effect size ES 3.97) and proportion of child communication initiations with parent (AMD 0.17; 95% CI 0.03, 0.32; ES 1.02). Confidence intervals for effects on mutual shared attention (AMD 0.10; 95% CI -0.07, 0.27; ES 0.5) and co-morbid symptoms (AMD -9.0; 95% CI -24.26, 6.26; ES 0.32) contained zero. There were significant effects to improve parental mental health. PASS Plus shows good feasibility and adds to the evidence of the effectiveness of task sharing complex autism interventions to lay health workers in India. Autism Res 2018. (c) 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: This article describes the development of a comprehensive, community-delivered, intervention for young children with autism, which combines a previously developed parent-mediated communication intervention with support for co-morbid problems like challenging behaviors and sensory sensitivities. The unique aspect of this intervention is that it can be delivered by community health workers, addressing the lack of specialists in low resource settings. Our study reports the encouraging findings of a pilot trial evaluating its feasibility and effectiveness.
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5. Fletcher-Watson S, Adams J, Brook K, Charman T, Crane L, Cusack J, Leekam S, Milton D, Parr JR, Pellicano E. {{Making the future together: Shaping autism research through meaningful participation}}. {Autism}. 2018: 1362361318786721.
Participatory research methods connect researchers with relevant communities to achieve shared goals. These methods can deliver results that are relevant to people’s lives and thus likely to have a positive impact. In the context of a large and growing body of autism research, with continued poor implementation, and some evidence of community dissatisfaction, there is a powerful case for participatory autism research. In order to develop a framework for such collaborative working, a UK seminar series was organised and co-produced by autistic and non-autistic people with academic, practitioner and lived expertise. This article reports on the outcomes from the series, identifying five topics relevant to building a community of practice in participatory research: Respect, Authenticity, Assumptions, Infrastructure and Empathy. Each topic is connected to a specific example from within and beyond research, to inspire new practices in the field. We call for the development of participatory research skills among the autism research community and the facilitation of greater autistic leadership of, and partnership in, research. Such work, if delivered to a high standard, is likely to lead to better translation into practice and improved outcomes for autistic people and those who support them.
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6. Hata T, Kanenishi K, Mori N, AboEllail MAM, Hanaoka U, Koyano K, Kato I, Kusaka T. {{Prediction of postnatal developmental disabilities using the antenatal fetal neurodevelopmental test: KANET assessment}}. {Journal of perinatal medicine}. 2018.
Objective To assess the usefulness of the antenatal fetal neurodevelopmental test for the prediction of postnatal developmental disabilities. Methods Fetal behavior was assessed with Kurjak’s antenatal neurodevelopmental test (KANET) using four-dimensional ultrasound between 28 and 38 weeks of gestation. A score range of 0-5 was characterized as abnormal, from 6 to 9 was considered borderline, and 10-16 was normal. After birth, follow-up was conducted for at least 2 years in all fetuses. Results There were 337 normal (95.47%) and 16 borderline (4.53%) cases among the 353 cases studied, whereas there was no abnormal case. Five cases with postnatal developmental disabilities (one case of Werdig-Hoffmann disease diagnosed just after delivery, one case of autism spectrum disorder diagnosed at 24 months, one case of Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy diagnosed at 9 months and two cases of developmental disorders diagnosed at age 3 and 18 months) were noted among the 337 normal cases (1.48%), whereas three cases with developmental disabilities (one case of motor development delay diagnosed at 6 months, one case of Duchenne muscular dystrophy diagnosed at 18 months and one case of autism spectrum disorder diagnosed at age 30 months) were found among the 16 borderline cases (18.75%). There was a significant difference in the prevalence of postnatal developmental disabilities between the normal and borderline KANET groups (P<0.001). Conclusion Our results suggest that the KANET assessment may be a useful diagnostic modality for the prediction of postnatal developmental disabilities. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
7. Hillard PJA. {{Contraception for Women With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Reproductive Justice}}. {Obstetrics and gynecology}. 2018; 132(3): 555-8.
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8. Kang E, Keifer CM, Levy EJ, Foss-Feig JH, McPartland JC, Lerner MD. {{Atypicality of the N170 Event-Related Potential in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-analysis}}. {Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging}. 2018; 3(8): 657-66.
BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with impaired face processing. The N170 event-related potential (ERP) has been considered a promising neural marker of this impairment. However, no quantitative review to date has integrated the literature to assess whether the N170 response to faces in individuals with ASD differs from that of typically developing (TD) individuals. METHODS: This meta-analysis examined the corpus of literature investigating difference in N170 response to faces in individuals with ASD and without ASD. Data from 23 studies (NASD = 374, NTD = 359) were reviewed. Meta-analysis was used to examine the effect size of the difference in N170 latency and amplitude among individuals with ASD and without ASD. Analyses were also conducted examining hemispheric differences, potential moderators, and publication bias. RESULTS: On average, N170 latencies to faces were delayed in individuals with ASD, but amplitudes did not differ for individuals with ASD and TD individuals. Moderator analyses revealed that N170 amplitudes were smaller in magnitude in the ASD participants relative to the TD participants in adult samples and in those with higher cognitive ability. However, effects differed as a function of hemisphere of recording. No evidence of publication bias was found. CONCLUSIONS: Atypicality of N170-particularly latency-to faces appears to be a specific biomarker of social-communicative dysfunction in ASD and may relate to differential developmental experiences and use of compensatory cognitive mechanisms. Future research should examine phenotypic differences that contribute to N170 heterogeneity, as well as specificity of N170 differences in ASD versus non-ASD clinical populations, and N170 malleability with treatment.
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9. Kerub O, Haas EJ, Meiri G, Davidovitch N, Menashe I. {{A Comparison Between Two Screening Approaches for ASD Among Toddlers in Israel}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2018.
Systematic screening of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can improve early diagnosis of ASD. We compared the efficacy of two ASD screening methods, the Global Developmental Screening (GDS), and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised, with Follow-Up (M-CHAT/F) in 1591 toddlers of ages 18-36 months from 35 government-funded clinics in south Israel. The M-CHAT/F performed better than the GDS in detecting toddlers with ASD (sensitivity: 70.0% vs. 50.0%, and specificity: 98.2% vs. 96.6% respectively). Both methods had an equivalent performance in detecting other forms of developmental delays (sensitivity = 63%; and specificity ~ 98%). In addition, remarkable inter-nurse variation was observed in the GDS referral decisions. Thus, employment of the M-CHAT/F in the Israeli health system may improve early detection of ASD among toddlers.
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10. Khan NZ, McConachie H. {{Response to « Managing autism spectrum disorder in developing countries by utilizing existing resources: A perspective from Bangladesh »}}. {Autism}. 2018: 1362361318791294.
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11. Lord C, Elsabbagh M, Baird G, Veenstra-Vanderweele J. {{Autism spectrum disorder}}. {Lancet (London, England)}. 2018; 392(10146): 508-20.
Autism spectrum disorder is a term used to describe a constellation of early-appearing social communication deficits and repetitive sensory-motor behaviours associated with a strong genetic component as well as other causes. The outlook for many individuals with autism spectrum disorder today is brighter than it was 50 years ago; more people with the condition are able to speak, read, and live in the community rather than in institutions, and some will be largely free from symptoms of the disorder by adulthood. Nevertheless, most individuals will not work full-time or live independently. Genetics and neuroscience have identified intriguing patterns of risk, but without much practical benefit yet. Considerable work is still needed to understand how and when behavioural and medical treatments can be effective, and for which children, including those with substantial comorbidities. It is also important to implement what we already know and develop services for adults with autism spectrum disorder. Clinicians can make a difference by providing timely and individualised help to families navigating referrals and access to community support systems, by providing accurate information despite often unfiltered media input, and by anticipating transitions such as family changes and school entry and leaving.
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12. Wang Z, Jing J, Igarashi K, Fan L, Yang S, Li Y, Jin Y. {{Executive function predicts the visuospatial working memory in autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder}}. {Autism Res}. 2018.
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) always show working memory deficits. However, research findings on the factors that affected the working memory in ASD and ADHD were inconsistent. Thus, we developed the present study to investigate the association of executive function (EF) with the visuospatial working memory (VSWM) in ASD and ADHD. Three groups of participants were examined: 21 children with ASD, 28 children with ADHD and 28 typically developing (TD) children as the controls. All participants completed two tests: the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Corsi Block Tapping Test for measuring EF and VSWM, respectively. The WCST included four domains: categories achieved (CA), perseverative errors (PE), failures to maintain set (FMS), and total errors (TE). The findings indicated that (1) the ASD group showed poorer performance in VSWM than the ADHD and TD groups; (2) for the ASD group, VSWM was positively correlated with CA, and was negatively correlated with PE and TE; (3) for the ADHD group, FMS showed a negative relationship with VSWM; and (4) TE predicted the performance of VSWM in ASD group, while FMS predicted VSWM in ADHD group. The study results suggested that VSWM was impaired in ASD but not in ADHD. Also, the EF domains were differently correlated with the VSWM performance in ASD and ADHD. Our study suggests that we should consider different intervention targets of working memory and EF contributions in improving the cognitive capacity of ASD and ADHD. Autism Res 2018., (c) 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: The present study compared the visuospatial working memory (VSWM) in three groups of children: autism (ASD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and typically developed children (TD). The ASD group showed poorer VSWM than the ADHD and TD groups. The total error of executive function predicted the performance of VSWM in ASD, while failures to maintain set predicted VSWM in ADHD . These findings suggested that we should consider the different working memory and executive function training targets to increase cognitive capacity of ASD and ADHD.
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13. White RC, Remington A. {{Object personification in autism: This paper will be very sad if you don’t read it}}. {Autism}. 2018: 1362361318793408.
Object personification is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human agents. In online forums, autistic individuals commonly report experiencing this phenomenon. Given that approximately half of all autistic individuals experience difficulties identifying their own emotions, the suggestion that object personification may be a feature of autism seems almost paradoxical. Why would a person experience sympathy for objects, when they struggle to understand and verbalise the emotions of other people as well as their own? An online survey was used to assess tendency for personification in 87 autistic and 263 non-autistic adults. Together, our results indicate that object personification occurs commonly among autistic individuals, and perhaps more often (and later in life) than in the general population. Given that in many cases, autistic people report their personification experiences as distressing, it is important to consider the reasons for the increased personification and identify structures for support.
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14. Wu J, Zhang J, Mitra M, Parish SL, Minama Reddy GK. {{Provision of Moderately and Highly Effective Reversible Contraception to Insured Women With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities}}. {Obstetrics and gynecology}. 2018; 132(3): 565-74.
OBJECTIVE: To estimate provision of moderately and highly effective reversible contraceptives to women with intellectual and developmental disabilities. METHODS: We used data from the Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database to identify women aged 15-44 years with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities who were continuously enrolled in a private commercial insurance plan, Medicaid, or Medicare in 2012. We calculated the percentage of women aged 15-44 years who were not medically or surgically sterile and were provided 1) highly effective, long-acting reversible contraception (LARC, the intrauterine device or subdermal implant); or 2) prescriptions for moderately effective methods (pill, patch, ring, shot, or diaphragm). Logistic regression models estimated the odds of LARC and moderately effective method provision by disability status, adjusted for age, income, and Medicaid receipt. RESULTS: Among 915,561 women who were not medically or surgically sterile, 13,059 women (1.4%) had at least one intellectual and developmental disability. Women with intellectual and developmental disabilities were less likely to be provided LARC (2.1% vs 4.2%, P<.001, adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.43, 95% CI 0.38-0.48, P<.001) and moderately effective methods (21.1% vs 29.9%, P<.001, adjusted OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.65-0.71, P<.001) than women without intellectual and developmental disabilities. The one exception was the progestin shot, which was provided more often to women with intellectual and developmental disabilities than women without these disabilities (14.7% vs 4.3%, P<.001). Among a subset of women who only received moderately effective methods or LARC (n=310,344), women with intellectual and developmental disability had lower odds of receiving LARC than moderately effective methods (adjusted OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.52-0.67). CONCLUSION: The study findings raise concerns that the provision of LARC and moderately effective methods differs based on the presence of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Greater understanding is needed regarding factors that underlie lower provision of LARC in comparison with moderately effective methods, especially the progestin shot, among women with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
