1. Bagatell N, Mirigliani G, Patterson C, Reyes Y, Test L. {{Effectiveness of therapy ball chairs on classroom participation in children with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Am J Occup Ther}. 2010 Nov-Dec;64(6):895-903.
A single-subject design was used to assess the effectiveness of therapy ball chairs on classroom participation in 6 boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The sensory processing pattern of each participant was assessed using the Sensory Processing Measure. Data on in-seat behavior and engagement were collected using digital video recordings during Circle Time. During baseline, participants sat on chairs. During intervention, participants sat on therapy ball chairs. Social validity was assessed by means of a questionnaire completed by the teacher. Each child demonstrated a unique response. The ball chair appeared to have a positive effect on in-seat behavior for the child who had the most extreme vestibular-proprioceptive-seeking behaviors. Children with poor postural stability were less engaged when sitting on the therapy ball chair. The results illuminate the complex nature of children with ASD and the importance of using sound clinical reasoning skills when recommending sensory strategies for the classroom.
2. Cheslack-Postava K, Liu K, Bearman PS. {{Closely Spaced Pregnancies Are Associated With Increased Odds of Autism in California Sibling Births}}. {Pediatrics}. 2011 Jan 10.
Objective: To determine whether the interpregnancy interval (IPI) is associated with the risk of autism in subsequent births. Methods: Pairs of first- and second-born singleton full siblings were identified from all California births that occurred from 1992 to 2002 using birth records, and autism diagnoses were identified by using linked records of the California Department of Developmental Services. IPI was calculated as the time interval between birth dates minus the gestational age of the second sibling. In the primary analysis, logistic regression models were used to determine whether odds of autism in second-born children varied according to IPI. To address potential confounding by unmeasured family-level factors, a case-sibling control analysis determined whether affected sibling (first versus second) varied with IPI. Results: An inverse association between IPI and odds of autism among 662 730 second-born children was observed. In particular, IPIs of <12, 12 to 23, and 24 to 35 months were associated with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for autism of 3.39 (3.00-3.82), 1.86 (1.65-2.10), and 1.26 (1.10-1.45) relative to IPIs of >/=36 months. The association was not mediated by preterm birth or low birth weight and persisted across categories of sociodemographic characteristics, with some attenuation in the oldest and youngest parents. Second-born children were at increased risk of autism relative to their firstborn siblings only in pairs with short IPIs. Conclusions: These results suggest that children born after shorter intervals between pregnancies are at increased risk of developing autism; the highest risk was associated with pregnancies spaced <1 year apart.
3. Dealberto MJ. {{Prevalence of autism according to maternal immigrant status and ethnic origin}}. {Acta Psychiatr Scand}. 2011 Jan 11.
Dealberto M.-J. Prevalence of autism according to maternal immigrant status and ethnic origin. Objective: To examine the rates of autism separately according to maternal immigrant status and ethnic origin in respect to the vitamin D insufficiency hypothesis. Method: Articles were identified by electronic searches. Studies were selected when they analysed autism rates according to maternal immigrant status and/or ethnic origin using multivariate techniques. Results: This review gave further support to the association between maternal immigrant status and an increased risk of autism. The relationship with ethnic origin was more complex. Although the crude rates did not differ, multivariate analyses taking into account confounding factors found that black ethnicity was associated with an increased risk for autism. The risk was highly significant when considering the strict definition of autistic disorders as opposed to the large definition of other pervasive developmental disorders. The risk was also very significant for autism associated with mental retardation. Conclusion: These results are consistent with the maternal vitamin D insufficiency hypothesis. Neurobiological studies are warranted to document the effect of maternal vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy on the foetal brain and the window of vulnerability. This review stresses the importance of monitoring vitamin D levels in pregnant women, especially those who are immigrant, dark-skinned or veiled, and the urgency of randomized controlled trials.
4. Ghanizadeh A. {{c-Kit+ Cells Transplantation as a New Treatment for Autism, a Novel Hypothesis with Important Research and Clinical Implication}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2011 Jan 12.
5. Ghanizadeh A. {{Ghrelin as a promising therapeutic target for co-occurring autism and epilepsy}}. {Epilepsy Behav}. 2011 Jan 8.
6. Holdnack J, Goldstein G, Drozdick L. {{Social Perception and WAIS-IV Performance in Adolescents and Adults Diagnosed With Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism}}. {Assessment}. 2011 Jan 10.
Previous research using the Wechsler scales has identified areas of cognitive weaknesses in children, adolescents, and adults diagnosed with Autism or Asperger’s syndrome. The current study evaluates cognitive functioning in adolescents and adults diagnosed with Autism or Asperger’s syndrome using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) and the Social Perception subtest from the Advanced Clinical Solutions. Deficits in social perception, verbal comprehension, and processing speed were found in the Autism sample. Additionally, they exhibited inconsistent performance on auditory working memory and perceptual reasoning tasks. The Asperger’s syndrome group had better overall cognitive skills than the Autism group, but compared with controls, they had weaknesses in processing speed, social perception, and components of auditory working memory. Both groups had relatively low scores on the WAIS-IV Comprehension subtest compared with the other verbal comprehension subtests. Clinical application and utility of the WAIS-IV and Social Perception in Autism Spectrum Disorders are discussed.
7. Reynolds S, Bendixen RM, Lawrence T, Lane SJ. {{A Pilot Study Examining Activity Participation, Sensory Responsiveness, and Competence in Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2011 Jan 8.
This pilot study explored activity patterns in children with and without ASD and examined the role of sensory responsiveness in determining children’s level of competence in activity performance. Twenty-six children with high functioning ASD and twenty-six typically-developing children 6-12 years old were assessed using the Sensory Profile and the Child Behavior Checklist. Results reflect differences in the types of activities and jobs/chores engaged in by children with ASD compared to children without ASD. Significant differences were seen in overall level of competence in activities, social, and school performance. Children demonstrating more frequent Sensory Sensitivity and Sensory Avoiding had significantly lower competence scores than children with fewer behaviors in these domains, suggesting that sensory responsiveness may impact the ability to participate successfully.
8. Roullet FI, Crawley JN. {{Mouse Models of Autism: Testing Hypotheses About Molecular Mechanisms}}. {Curr Top Behav Neurosci}. 2011 Jan 12.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is currently diagnosed by the presence of three behavioral criteria (1) qualitative impairments in reciprocal social interactions, (2) deficits in communication, including delayed language and noninteractive conversation, and (3) motor stereotypies, repetitive behaviors, insistence on sameness, and restricted interests. This chapter describes analogous behavioral assays that have been developed for mice, including tests for social approach, reciprocal social interactions, olfactory communication, ultrasonic vocalizations, repetitive and perseverative behaviors, and motor stereotypies. Examples of assay applications to genetic mouse models of autism are provided. Robust endophenotypes that are highly relevant to the core symptoms of autism are enabling the search for the genetic and environmental causes of autism, and the discovery of effective treatments.
9. Sarrett JC. {{Trapped Children: Popular Images of Children with Autism in the 1960s and 2000s}}. {J Med Humanit}. 2011 Jan 12.
The lay public inherits much of its information about disability and mental illness through the media, which often relies on information from popular scientific works. Autism, as it was defined during the dominance of psychogenic paradigms of mental illness, generated certain tropes surrounding it, many of which have been popularized through media representations. Often inaccurate, these tropes have persisted into contemporary times despite a paradigmatic shift from psychogenic to biological explanations and treatments for mental illness. The current article examines images and articles of children with autism from the 1960s and the early 2000s in major news media and scientific literature to highlight the persistence of themes of fragmentation and the imprisonment of children with autism. While these themes have persisted in psychological and media literature, narratives of people with autism and their families often present a different perspective. This results in two divergent ‘realities’ of autism being disseminated into the general public.
10. Wang HT, Sandall SR, Davis CA, Thomas CJ. {{Social Skills Assessment in Young Children With Autism: A Comparison Evaluation of the SSRS and PKBS}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2011 Jan 12.
Impairment in the development of reciprocal social interaction and other social skills is one of the defining characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). There is a need for assessment tools that will help guide social skills interventions and document outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential usefulness of two behavior rating scales with young children with ASD in an early childhood program. The results showed that the two social skills measures, the SSRS and PKBS, had adequate psychometric properties in terms of internal consistency, construct validity, convergent validity, and criterion validity with the AEPS, and were found to be predictive of how the tests would function when assessing young children with ASD in a natural setting. However, their usefulness in detecting social skills progress over time or intervention outcomes for young children with ASD may not be satisfactory.
