1. {{International Society for Autism Research News}}. {Autism Res};2009 (Nov 11);2(5):291.
2. {{The International Meeting for Autism Research}}. {Autism Res};2009 (Nov 11);2(5):289-290.
3. Adkins M. {{Autism article fosters understanding}}. {Radiol Technol};2009 (Nov-Dec);81(2):176-177.
4. Cardoso C, Montenegro ML. {{Speech and language pathology and autistic spectrum}}. {Span J Psychol};2009 (Nov);12(2):686-695.
The aim of this study was to identify variations from different language therapy processes times in two groups of children with autistic spectrum disorders. 8 subjects, from 3 to 17 years old, participated of this study and they were divided in two groups: Group 1: 4 subjects, in language therapy for 12 months, with therapist change after 6 months; Group 2: 4 subjects, also in language therapy for 12 months, but without therapist change in this period. Data was collected from two videotapes recordings: initial and final and all the recordings had fifteen minutes of duration. The analysis was done according to the criteria proposed by Fernandes (2004a), for functional evaluation of language and the statistical analysis were done with the Wilcoxon signed ranks test and the Mann-Whitney test, with 5% of significance. The results showed no difference between the two groups. This outcome may be related to the small size of the groups or to the duration of the study. Nevertheless, a better functional profile of communication was noted on group 2, with had no therapist change. This outcome was represented by the improving of the communicational acts and the use of the communicative space, it was also noted an increasing of the utilization of the verbal mean and decreasing of the vocal mean, besides a greater utilization of the more interactive functions.
5. Carter P, Downs J, Bebbington A, Williams S, Jacoby P, Kaufmann WE, Leonard H. {{Stereotypical hand movements in 144 subjects with Rett syndrome from the population-based Australian database}}. {Mov Disord};2009 (Nov 11)
Stereotypic hand movements are a feature of Rett Syndrome but few studies have observed their nature systematically. Video data in familiar settings were obtained on subjects (n = 144) identified from an Australian population-based database. Hand stereotypies were demonstrated by most subjects (94.4%), 15 categories were observed and midline wringing was seen in approximately 60% of subjects. There was a median of two stereotypies per subject but this number decreased with age. Clapping and mouthing of hands were more prevalent in girls younger than 8 years and wringing was more prevalent in women 19 years or older. Clapping was commoner in those with p.R306C and early truncating mutations, and much rarer in those with p.R106W, p.R270X, p.R168X, and p.R255X. Stereotypies tended to be less frequent in those with more severe mutations. Otherwise, there were no clear relationships between our categories of stereotypies and mutation. Approximately a quarter each had predominantly right and left handed stereotypies and for the remaining half, no clear laterality was seen. Results were similar for all cases and when restricted to those with a pathogenic mutation. Hand stereotypies changed with increasing age but limited relationships with MECP2 mutations were identified. (c) 2009 Movement Disorder Society.
6. Fuentes CT, Mostofsky SH, Bastian AJ. {{Children with autism show specific handwriting impairments}}. {Neurology};2009 (Nov 10);73(19):1532-1537.
BACKGROUND: Handwriting skills, which are crucial for success in school, communication, and building children’s self-esteem, have been observed to be poor in individuals with autism. Little information exists on the handwriting of children with autism, without delineation of specific features that can contribute to impairments. As a result, the specific aspects of handwriting in which individuals with autism demonstrate difficulty remain unknown. METHODS: A case-control study of handwriting samples from children with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASD) was performed using the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment. Samples were scored on an individual letter basis in 5 categories: legibility, form, alignment, size, and spacing. Subjects were also tested on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV and the Physical and Neurological Examination for Subtle (Motor) Signs. RESULTS: We found that children with ASD do indeed show overall worse performance on a handwriting task than do age- and intelligence-matched controls. More specifically, children with ASD show worse quality of forming letters but do not show differences in their ability to correctly size, align, and space their letters. Within the ASD group, motor skills were significantly predictive of handwriting performance, whereas age, gender, IQ, and visuospatial abilities were not. CONCLUSIONS: We addressed how different elements of handwriting contribute to impairments observed in children with autism. Our results suggest that training targeting letter formation, in combination with general training of fine motor control, may be the best direction for improving handwriting performance in children with autism.
7. Jones CR, Happe F, Golden H, Marsden AJ, Tregay J, Simonoff E, Pickles A, Baird G, Charman T. {{Reading and arithmetic in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: Peaks and dips in attainment}}. {Neuropsychology};2009 (Nov);23(6):718-728.
In describing academic attainment in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), results are typically reported at the group mean level. This may mask subgroups of individuals for whom academic achievement is incommensurate with intellectual ability. The authors tested the IQ, literacy, and mathematical abilities of a large group (N = 100) of adolescents (14-16 years old) with ASD. Seventy-three percent of the sample had at least one area of literacy or mathematical achievement that was highly discrepant (approximately 14 standard score points) from full-scale IQ (FSIQ). The authors focused on four subgroups with either word reading (« Reading Peak » and « Reading Dip ») or arithmetic (« Arithmetic Peak » and « Arithmetic Dip ») higher or lower than FSIQ. These subgroups were largely mutually exclusive and were characterized by distinct intellectual profiles. The largest was the « Arithmetic Peak » subgroup of participants, who presented with average intellectual ability alongside superior arithmetic skills and who were predominantly in a mainstream educational setting. Overall, the most pervasive profile was discrepantly poor reading comprehension, which associated with severity of social and communication difficulties. The high rate of uneven academic attainment in ASD has implications for educational practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).
8. Luyster R, Lord C. {{Word learning in children with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Dev Psychol};2009 (Nov);45(6):1774-1786.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been gaining attention, partly as an example of unusual developmental trajectories related to early neurobiological differences. The present investigation addressed the process of learning new words to explore mechanisms of language delay and impairment. The sample included 21 typically developing toddlers matched on expressive vocabulary with 21 young children with ASD. Two tasks were administered to teach children a new word and were supplemented by cognitive and diagnostic measures. In most analyses, there were no group differences in performance. Children with ASD did not consistently make mapping errors, even in word learning situations that required the use of social information. These findings indicate that some children with ASD, in developmentally appropriate tasks, are able to use information from social interactions to guide word-object mappings. This result has important implications for understanding of how children with ASD learn language.
9. Senel HG. {{Parents’ Views and Experiences About Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments for Their Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2009 (Nov 11)
Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments have been increasing for children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, 38 Turkish parents of children with ASD were surveyed related with their use of CAM treatments, experiences, and views for each treatment. They mentioned « Vitamins and minerals », « Special Diet », « Sensory Integration », « Other Dietary Supplements », and « Chelation » as five frequently used CAM treatments. Communication, learning, health, and behavior were the main four areas rated as « improved » after five CAM treatments. Negative sides of treatments were listed as being expensive, difficult to apply, or harmful. The parents’ views on some treatments have varied from great improvement to worse. Reported improvements were considerably higher than the negative sides of the treatments.
10. Tao J, Wu H, Sun YE. {{Deciphering Rett syndrome with mouse genetics, epigenomics, and human neurons}}. {Int Rev Neurobiol};2009;89:147-160.
Mutations of MECP2 (methyl-CpG binding protein 2) cause Rett syndrome (RTT). Mouse genetics studies have demonstrated that the lack of functional MeCP2 in the central nervous system leads to RTT-like symptoms, which could be reversed upon MeCP2 restoration. MeCP2 recognizes methylated CpG dinucleotides and may interact with other chromatin remodeling proteins. Although traditionally thought to be a transcription repressor, MeCP2 may also be involved in transcription activation. With the development of new technologies, deciphering the role of MeCP2 on a genome-wide scale is important for understanding of the RTT disease mechanisms.
