1. Alonso-López N, Hernández-Valle V, Pedroza-Vargas ME, García-Medina NE. [Prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children from the rural population of Oaxaca evaluated by means of the Child Development Evaluation test]. Revista de neurologia. 2023; 76(2): 41-6.

INTRODUCTION: During child’s growth, access to health, nutrition, opportunities for stimulation, and early learning are necessary for an optimal development of the central nervous system. In rural areas there is a lack of access to them, and this has an impact on children’s neurodevelopment. OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of lag or delay in the development of children in rural areas. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional and prospective study, with non-probabilistic convenience sampling, where 97 infants from 1 month of age to one day before their 5th birthday, all belonging to rural communities in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, were applied the Child Development Evaluation, designed and validated for the Mexican population in the early detection of neurodevelopmental problems. RESULTS: The prevalence of developmental disorders was 43%, with predominance in the male sex. The area of development with the greatest affectation was language, with a total of 29%, and in second place gross motor skills, with 18%; however, neurological affectation as the only one occurred in 2% of the participants, the most prevalent risk factors were the urinary tract infections in 56% of mothers. CONCLUSION: There is a percentage greater than 30% of neurodevelopmental disorders in rural communities due to social risk factors that infants face, such as the difficult access to medical care, a poorly stimulating environment and bad nutrition.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

2. Arnold SR, Higgins JM, Weise J, Desai A, Pellicano E, Trollor JN. Towards the measurement of autistic burnout. Autism : the international journal of research and practice. 2023: 13623613221147401.

Autistic burnout has been talked about by autistic adults for some time on blogs and in social media. Now, research describes fatigue, exhaustion and other related symptoms experienced by autistic people. We need new ways to help identify autistic burnout. In this study, we tested a new questionnaire called the AASPIRE Autistic Burnout Measure, and we investigated things that are linked to worse autistic burnout. We also trialled a group of Autistic Burnout Severity Items that we made. Working with an autistic researcher, we made the Autistic Burnout Severity Items based on published definitions of autistic burnout. Autistic adults (n = 141) who had experienced autistic burnout completed an online survey. We found that autistic burnout was connected to masking and depression. The Autistic Burnout Measure tool was associated with depression but not with masking. It was not very accurate in telling apart participants who were currently experiencing burnout versus those who were reporting on their past experience. The Autistic Burnout Severity Items might have problems with subscales adding together to measure autistic burnout. More work is needed on how to measure autistic burnout. Our research and other recent studies show autistic people experience a combination of exhaustion, withdrawal and problems with their concentration and thinking. Burnout seems to be linked to the stress experienced by autistic people in their daily lives. We need more research to understand the difference between autistic burnout and other conditions and experiences. We need to develop assessment tools that can help identify this burnout.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

3. Arnold SR, Higgins JM, Weise J, Desai A, Pellicano E, Trollor JN. Confirming the nature of autistic burnout. Autism : the international journal of research and practice. 2023: 13623613221147410.

Autistic burnout is something autistic people have been talking about for a while (see #AutBurnout and #AutisticBurnout on social media). Recently, researchers published two different definitions of autistic burnout. We wanted to test these definitions. We wanted to confirm the duration and frequency of autistic burnout. That is, how long and how often do people get autistic burnout? We surveyed 141 autistic adults who had autistic burnout. We used descriptive statistics, content analysis and reflexive thematic analysis to analyse the survey responses. Autistic adults strongly agreed with the definition published by Higgins et al. How long and how often people get autistic burnout was not clear. Participants told us they have both short and long episodes. Participants told us that autistic burnout leads to exhaustion. They needed to withdraw from being with other people. They needed to stay away from autism unfriendly places. Many had been misdiagnosed as having depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder or other conditions. We need increased awareness of autistic burnout. Autistic people need more help. More research is needed, we need to have bigger studies to understand autistic burnout.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

4. Bourgeois JA. The Carriers: What the Fragile X Gene Reveals About Family, Heredity, and Scientific Discovery. The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences. 2023; 35(1): 102.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

5. Bozhilova N, Welham A, Adams D, Bissell S, Bruining H, Crawford H, Eden K, Nelson L, Oliver C, Powis L, Richards C, Waite J, Watson P, Rhys H, Wilde L, Woodcock K, Moss J. Profiles of autism characteristics in thirteen genetic syndromes: a machine learning approach. Molecular autism. 2023; 14(1): 3.

BACKGROUND: Phenotypic studies have identified distinct patterns of autistic characteristics in genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability (ID), leading to diagnostic uncertainty and compromised access to autism-related support. Previous research has tended to include small samples and diverse measures, which limits the generalisability of findings. In this study, we generated detailed profiles of autistic characteristics in a large sample of > 1500 individuals with rare genetic syndromes. METHODS: Profiles of autistic characteristics based on the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) scores were generated for thirteen genetic syndrome groups (Angelman n = 154, Cri du Chat n = 75, Cornelia de Lange n = 199, fragile X n = 297, Prader-Willi n = 278, Lowe n = 89, Smith-Magenis n = 54, Down n = 135, Sotos n = 40, Rubinstein-Taybi n = 102, 1p36 deletion n = 41, tuberous sclerosis complex n = 83 and Phelan-McDermid n = 35 syndromes). It was hypothesised that each syndrome group would evidence a degree of specificity in autistic characteristics. To test this hypothesis, a classification algorithm via support vector machine (SVM) learning was applied to scores from over 1500 individuals diagnosed with one of the thirteen genetic syndromes and autistic individuals who did not have a known genetic syndrome (ASD; n = 254). Self-help skills were included as an additional predictor. RESULTS: Genetic syndromes were associated with different but overlapping autism-related profiles, indicated by the substantial accuracy of the entire, multiclass SVM model (55% correctly classified individuals). Syndrome groups such as Angelman, fragile X, Prader-Willi, Rubinstein-Taybi and Cornelia de Lange showed greater phenotypic specificity than groups such as Cri du Chat, Lowe, Smith-Magenis, tuberous sclerosis complex, Sotos and Phelan-McDermid. The inclusion of the ASD reference group and self-help skills did not change the model accuracy. LIMITATIONS: The key limitations of our study include a cross-sectional design, reliance on a screening tool which focuses primarily on social communication skills and imbalanced sample size across syndrome groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings replicate and extend previous work, demonstrating syndrome-specific profiles of autistic characteristics in people with genetic syndromes compared to autistic individuals without a genetic syndrome. This work calls for greater precision of assessment of autistic characteristics in individuals with genetic syndromes associated with ID.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

6. Brunt S, Nevill R, Mazurek MO. Associations Among Autism Symptom Domains and Facets of Caregiver Strain. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience elevated levels of caregiver strain (CGS). Few studies have examined the relationship between core ASD symptoms and each facet of CGS: objective, subjective internalized, and subjective externalized strain. The predictive effect of core and associated features of ASD on CGS facets were investigated, while also exploring the moderating effect of age. Atypical behaviors and behavior problems were the strongest predictors of all types of caregiver strain. For younger children, more repetitive behaviors predicted higher externalized strain, yet the opposite was true for parents of adolescents. Given that caregiver strain impacts parents’ service utilization patterns, future research should focus on strategies to support parents in reducing caregiver strain.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

7. Cannon J, Eldracher E, Cardinaux A, Irfan F, Bungert L, Li C, O’Brien A, Treves I, Diamond S, Sinha P. Rhythmic and interval-based temporal orienting in autism. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research. 2023.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may show secondary sensory and cognitive characteristics, including differences in auditory processing, attention, and, according to a prominent hypothesis, the formulation and utilization of predictions. We explored the overlap of audition, attention, and prediction with an online auditory « temporal orienting » task in which participants utilized predictive timing cues (both rhythmic and interval-based) to improve their detection of faint sounds. We compared an autistic (n = 78) with a nonautistic (n = 83) group, controlling for nonverbal IQ, and used signal detection measures and reaction times to evaluate the effect of valid temporally predictive cues. We hypothesized that temporal orienting would be compromised in autism, but this was not supported by the data: the boost in performance induced by predictability was practically identical for the two groups, except for the small subset of the ASD group with co-occurring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, who received less benefit from interval-based cueing. However, we found that the presence of a rhythm induced a significantly stronger bias toward reporting target detections in the ASD group at large, suggesting weakened response inhibition during rhythmic entrainment.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

8. Chee ZJ, Scheeren AM, De Vries M. The factor structure and measurement invariance of the Autism Spectrum Quotient-28: A cross-cultural comparison between Malaysia and the Netherlands. Autism : the international journal of research and practice. 2023: 13623613221147395.

The AQ-28 is a questionnaire measuring autistic traits, that is, traits that are related to Autism Spectrum Conditions, but its reliability in other cultures has not been thoroughly evaluated. We, therefore, tested whether the properties of the AQ-28 are comparable between two countries with different cultures, Malaysia and the Netherlands. A total of 437 Malaysian and 818 Dutch participants completed the AQ-28 online. We measured whether the AQ-28 measures autistic traits similarly in Malaysia and the Netherlands. The AQ-28 measures autistic traits similarly, and the reliability was acceptable and good in the general population of Malaysia and the Netherlands, respectively. However, Malaysians scored higher than Dutch participants. Moreover, 11 AQ-28 items showed cultural bias, indicating that these items are answered/interpreted differently in Malaysia and the Netherlands. Cross-cultural differences in interpreting, reporting, and/or expressing autistic traits highlighted in this study could potentially explain why some items are culturally biased and why Malaysians score higher on these items. The findings of this work imply that cutoff scores derived from one culture should not be generalised to another culture. Moreover, the findings are informative for future development of culturally neutral or appropriate screening and diagnostic tools for autism.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

9. Cheng Y, Bololia L. The Effects of Augmented Reality on Social Skills in Children with an Autism Diagnosis: A Preliminary Systematic Review. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

Today, the global prevalence of autism is high and continues to increase dramatically. Effective support and interventions are therefore warranted. Augmented reality (AR), one of the recent modalities of immersive technology, is gaining traction in autism interventions. However, there is currently a lack of reviews on the use of AR in children with autism, and what is more, to the authors’ knowledge, no systematic review to date has been carried out to exclusively examine the effects of AR on basic social skills in children with autism. Therefore, an evidence-based systematic review was conducted to fill the gap and answer the specific research question: Can AR support children with an autism diagnosis towards developing or promoting social skills, such as greetings? The initial search yielded a total of 416 records. After excluding duplicate articles and screening the abstract and full text, 13 studies were included for analysis. A narrative approach was employed to synthesise and evaluate the research findings to substantially explore the effects of AR-based social interventions. The favourable role of AR technology in fostering social skills in children diagnosed with autism was widely recognised in the included studies although multiple methodological limitations were identified in relation to the quality of the included studies. Overall, the promising findings may suggest the effectiveness of AR in improving social skills in children with autism. Nonetheless, this field of research still calls for more high-quality studies relying on rigorous methodologies.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

10. Cidav Z, Mandell D, Ingersoll B, Pellecchia M. Programmatic Costs of Project ImPACT for Children with Autism: A Time-Driven Activity Based Costing Study. Administration and policy in mental health. 2023.

Programmatic cost assessment of clinical interventions can inform future dissemination and implementation efforts. We conducted a randomized trial of Project ImPACT (Improving Parents As Communication Teachers) in which community early intervention (EI) providers coached caregivers in techniques to improve young children’s social communication skills. We estimated implementation and intervention costs while demonstrating an application of Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC). We defined Project ImPACT implementation and intervention as processes that can be broken down successively into a set of procedures. We created process maps for both implementation and intervention delivery. We determined resource use and costs, per unit procedure in the first year of the program, from a payer perspective. We estimated total implementation cost per clinician and per site, intervention cost per child, and provided estimates of total hours spent and associated costs for implementation strategies, intervention activities and their detailed procedures. Total implementation cost was $43,509 per clinic and $14,503 per clinician. Clinician time (60%) and coach time (12%) were the most expensive personnel resources. Implementation coordination and monitoring (47%), ongoing consultation (26%) and clinician training (19%) comprised most of the implementation cost, followed by fidelity assessment (7%), and stakeholder engagement (1%). Per-child intervention costs were $2619 and $9650, respectively, at a dose of one hour per week and four hours per week Project ImPACT. Clinician and clinic leader time accounted for 98% of per child intervention costs. Highest cost intervention activity was ImPACT delivery to parents (89%) followed by assessment for child’s ImPACT eligibility (10%). The findings can be used to inform funding and policy decision-making to enhance early intervention options for young children with autism. Uncompensated time costs of clinicians are large which raises practical and ethical concerns and should be considered in planning of implementation initiatives. In program budgeting, decisionmakers should anticipate resource needs for coordination and monitoring activities. TDABC may encourage researchers to assess costs more systematically, relying on process mapping and gathering prospective data on resource use and costs concurrently with their collection of other trial data.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

11. Dahary H, Rimmer C, Quintin EM. Musical Beat Perception Skills of Autistic and Neurotypical Children. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

Many autistic children show musical interests and good musical skills including pitch and melodic memory. Autistic children may also perceive temporal regularities in music such as the primary beat underlying the rhythmic structure of music given some work showing preserved rhythm processing in the context of basic, nonverbal auditory stimuli. The temporal regularity and prediction of musical beats can potentially serve as an excellent framework for building skills in non-musical areas of growth for autistic children. We examine if autistic children are perceptually sensitive to the primary beat of music by comparing the musical beat perception skills of autistic and neurotypical children. Twenty-three autistic children and 23 neurotypical children aged 6-13 years with no group differences in chronological age and verbal and nonverbal mental ages completed a musical beat perception task where they identified whether beeps superimposed on musical excerpts were on or off the musical beat. Overall task performance was above the theoretical chance threshold of 50% but not the statistical chance threshold of 70% across groups. On-beat (versus off-beat) accuracy was higher for the autistic group but not the neurotypical group. The autistic group was just as accurate at detecting beat alignments (on-beat) but less precise at detecting beat misalignments (off-beat) compared to the neurotypical group. Perceptual sensitivity to beat alignments provides support for spared music processing among autistic children and informs on the accessibility of using musical beats and rhythm for cultivating related skills and behaviours (e.g., language and motor abilities).

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

12. Davidson C, Turner F, Gillberg C, Campbell SL, Boyd S, Minnis H. Using the live assessment to discriminate between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder. Research in developmental disabilities. 2023; 134: 104415.

BACKGROUND: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and children with Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED) may present with similar social problems, despite differing aetiologies, resulting in diagnostic conundrums. METHODS: Thirty children: 10 with ASD, no maltreatment history, 10 with DSED and 10 typically developing children were assessed via ‘gold standard’ ASD assessments, including the Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule (ADOS) and a unique unstructured observation known as the Live assessment. Live utilises a triadic interaction (2 assessors and child), playful teasing and social ‘stress’ scenarios to increase the social challenge. RESULTS: The ADOS supported discrimination of DSED from ASD to a degree. Where additional neurodevelopmental problems created ambiguity, the Live assessment was more supportive than the ADOS for unpicking the underlying nature of the social problems. CONCLUSION: Live supported differentiation between ASD, DSED and other neurodevelopmental problems. The greater social challenge presented by Live exacerbated core problems of ASD and, in DSED, core social skills stood out.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

13. Goodwill AM, Low LT, Fox PT, Fox PM, Poon KK, Bhowmick SS, Chen SHA. Meta-analytic connectivity modelling of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in autism spectrum disorders. Brain imaging and behavior. 2023.

Social and non-social deficits in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) persist into adulthood and may share common regions of aberrant neural activations. The current meta-analysis investigated activation differences between ASD and neurotypical controls irrespective of task type. Activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses were performed to examine consistent hypo-activated and/or hyper-activated regions for all tasks combined, and for social and non-social tasks separately; meta-analytic connectivity modelling and behavioral/paradigm analyses were performed to examine co-activated regions and associated behaviors. One hundred studies (mean age range = 18-41 years) were included. For all tasks combined, the ASD group showed significant (p < .05) hypo-activation in one cluster around the left amygdala (peak - 26, -2, -20, volume = 1336 mm(3), maximum ALE = 0.0327), and this cluster co-activated with two other clusters around the right cerebellum (peak 42, -56, -22, volume = 2560mm(3), maximum ALE = 0.049) Lobule VI/Crus I and the left fusiform gyrus (BA47) (peak - 42, -46, -18, volume = 1616 mm(3), maximum ALE = 0.046) and left cerebellum (peak - 42, -58, -20, volume = 1616mm(3), maximum ALE = 0.033) Lobule VI/Crus I. While the left amygdala was associated with negative emotion (fear) (z = 3.047), the left fusiform gyrus/cerebellum Lobule VI/Crus I cluster was associated with language semantics (z = 3.724) and action observation (z = 3.077). These findings highlight the left amygdala as a region consistently hypo-activated in ASD and suggest the potential involvement of fusiform gyrus and cerebellum in social cognition in ASD. Future research should further elucidate if and how amygdala-fusiform/cerebellar connectivity relates to social and non-social cognition in adults with ASD.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

14. Hall CL, Partlett C, Valentine AZ, Pearcey S, Sayal K. Understanding the Impact of Home Confinement on Children and Young People with ADHD and ASD During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Child psychiatry and human development. 2023.

To understand whether the mental health of children and young people (CYP) with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were differentially affected by COVID-19. We analysed data (n = 6507) from the Co-Space study, a UK web-based longitudinal survey. CYP with ADHD (n = 160;2.5%), ASD (n = 465;7%), and ADHD + ASD (n = 155;2.4%) were compared with a reference group (n = 5727;88%) using parent-completed questionnaires [Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) & Pandemic Anxiety Scale (PAS)]. Baseline to 1-month follow-up differences were compared using linear regression models. CYP with ADHD and/or ASD had higher scores at baseline than other CYP. At follow-up, CYP with ASD showed small but significant improvements in symptoms (SDQ), compared with the reference group. CYP with ASD experienced a worsening of disease anxiety (PAS) and CYP with ADHD a deterioration in functional impairment. These findings indicate a mixed pattern of pandemic-related impact for CYP with ADHD and/or ASD.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

15. Hamama L. Perceived Social Support, Normalization, and Subjective Well-Being Among Family Members of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

The experience of family members of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not uniform. This study focused on mothers of a child with ASD (Study 1) and typically developing siblings (TDSs) during their emerging adulthood (Study 2). Similarities and differences were explored regarding a proposed model examining the paths of perceived social support (PSS) and normalization (a coping strategy) with subjective well-being: satisfaction with life (SWL) and positive affect (PA). Similarities were found in the paths between PSS, normalization, and SWL, in mothers and TDSs, but differences emerged regarding PA. These findings highlight the importance of PSS as a resource that contributes to normalization and SWL. Professional awareness of family members’ PSS and their engagement in normalization is needed.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

16. Hsu TW, Chen MH, Bai YM, Chang WH, Cheng CM, Su TP, Chen TJ, Tsai SJ, Liang CS. Family coaggregation of type 1 diabetes mellitus, major depressive disorder, attention-deficiency hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder in affected families: a nationwide study. Acta diabetologica. 2023.

AIMS: This study aimed to examine the risk of T1D, major depressive disorder (MDD), attention-deficiency hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with T1D. METHODS: We enrolled 24,555 FDRs of individuals with T1D and 1:4 matched controls (N = 98,220) based on age and sex using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between 2001 and 2011. Poisson regression analyses were performed to estimate the risks of MDD, attention-deficiency hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder among the FDRs. Finally, we assessed the impact of DKA in the familial coaggregation. RESULTS: After adjusting for demographic characteristics, FDRs of individuals with T1D had higher risk of T1D (reported as relative risk with 95% confidence interval: 46.07, 33.36-63.63) and MDD (1.17, 1.04-1.32) than controls. Stratified by sex, female FDRs had increased risk of MDD (1.30, 1.13-1.51), while male FDRs had increased risk of ADHD (1.21, 1.01-1.44). Stratified by kinship, parents of individuals with T1D had increased risk of MDD (1.24, 1.06-1.44); offspring of individuals with T1D had increased risk of ADHD (1.41, 1.11-1.79). Importantly, FDRs of individuals with T1D and DKA had higher risk of MDD (1.35, 1.11-1.64) and ADHD (1.40, 1.07-1.82) than controls; however, such risks were not observed in FDRs of individuals with T1D but without DKA. CONCLUSIONS: The individual risks of T1D, MDD, and ADHD were increased in families that included patients with T1D, and DKA might play a role in such coaggregation with MDD and ADHD. Future studies are warranted to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

17. Ilan M, Faroy M, Zachor D, Manelis L, Waissengreen D, Michaelovski A, Avni I, Menashe I, Koller J, Dinstein I, Meiri G. Children with autism exhibit similar longitudinal changes in core symptoms when placed in special or mainstream education settings. Autism : the international journal of research and practice. 2023: 13623613221142394.

Today, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are placed in mainstream or special education settings somewhat arbitrarily with no clear clinical recommendations. Here, we compared changes in core ASD symptoms, as measured by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd edition (ADOS-2) clinical assessment, across ASD preschool children placed in special or mainstream education. Longitudinal changes in ADOS-2 scores did not differ significantly across settings over a 1- to 2-year period. While some children improved in core ASD symptoms, others deteriorated in both settings. This highlights the need to identify specific criteria for establishing meaningful placement recommendations.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

18. Kaur P, Kaur A. Review of Progress in Diagnostic Studies of Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Neuroimaging. Interdisciplinary sciences, computational life sciences. 2023.

This review article summarizes the recent advances in the diagnostic studies of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) considering some of the most influential research articles from the last two decades. ASD is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by abnormalities in social interaction, communication, and behavioral patterns as well as some unique strengths and differences. The current diagnosis systems are based on autism diagnostic observation schedule (ADOS) or autism diagnostic interview-revised (ADI-R), but biological markers are also important for an effective diagnosis of ASDs. The amalgamation of neuroimaging techniques, such as structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI and fMRI), with machine-learning and deep-learning approaches helps throw new light on typical biological markers of ASDs at the early stage of life. To assess the performance of a deep neural network, we develop a light-weighted CNN model for ASD classification. The overall accuracy, precision, and F1-score of the proposed model are 99.92%, 99.93% and 99.92%, respectively. All the neuroimaging studies we have reviewed can be divided into 3 categories, viz. thickness, volume and functional connectivity-based studies. We conclude with a discussion of the major findings of considered studies and promising directions for future research in this field.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

19. Klöbl M, Prillinger K, Diehm R, Doganay K, Lanzenberger R, Poustka L, Plener P, Konicar L. Individual brain regulation as learned via neurofeedback is related to affective changes in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health. 2023; 17(1): 6.

BACKGROUND: Emotions often play a role in neurofeedback (NF) regulation strategies. However, investigations of the relationship between the induced neuronal changes and improvements in affective domains are scarce in electroencephalography-based studies. Thus, we extended the findings of the first study on slow cortical potential (SCP) NF in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by linking affective changes to whole-brain activity during rest and regulation. METHODS: Forty-one male adolescents with ASD were scanned twice at rest using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Between scans, half underwent NF training, whereas the other half received treatment as usual. Furthermore, parents reported on their child’s affective characteristics at each measurement. The NF group had to alternatingly produce negative and positive SCP shifts during training and was additionally scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging while applying their developed regulation strategies. RESULTS: No significant treatment group-by-time interactions in affective or resting-state measures were found. However, we found increases of resting activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and right inferior temporal gyrus as well as improvements in affective characteristics over both groups. Activation corresponding to SCP differentiation in these regions correlated with the affective improvements. A further correlation was found for Rolandic operculum activation corresponding to positive SCP shifts. There were no significant correlations with the respective achieved SCP regulation during NF training. CONCLUSION: SCP NF in ASD did not lead to superior improvements in neuronal or affective functioning compared to treatment as usual. However, the affective changes might be related to the individual strategies and their corresponding activation patterns as indicated by significant correlations on the whole-brain level. Trial registration This clinical trial was registered at drks.de (DRKS00012339) on 20th April, 2017.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

20. Lee D, Frey GC, Cothran DJ, Harezlak J, Shih PC. Concordance Between Accelerometer-Measured and Self-Reported Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Adults with Autism. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

This study examined the concordance between accelerometry-measured and self-reported physical activity (PA) and sedentary time in adults with autism. Twenty-four participants wore an ActiGraph GT3X + accelerometer for seven consecutive days and completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) on the last day of their study participation. Bland-Altman plots assessed the magnitude of agreement between the two measures. Nearly 80% of the participants accumulated the recommended ≥ 150 min of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA)/week, but were also sedentary for over nine hours/day according to accelerometry data. Findings showed that adults with autism tended to overreport MVPA (b = 1.606, p < 0.01) and underreport sedentary time (b = 1.161, p = 0.03) via the IPAQ-SF, as compared to objective measurements.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

21. Leipold S, Abrams DA, Karraker S, Phillips JM, Menon V. Aberrant Emotional Prosody Circuitry Predicts Social Communication Impairments in Children With Autism. Biological psychiatry Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging. 2022.

BACKGROUND: Emotional prosody provides acoustical cues that reflect a communication partner’s emotional state and is crucial for successful social interactions. Many children with autism have deficits in recognizing emotions from voices; however, the neural basis for these impairments is unknown. We examined brain circuit features underlying emotional prosody processing deficits and their relationship to clinical symptoms of autism. METHODS: We used an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging task to measure neural activity and connectivity during processing of sad and happy emotional prosody and neutral speech in 22 children with autism and 21 matched control children (7-12 years old). We employed functional connectivity analyses to test competing theoretical accounts that attribute emotional prosody impairments to either sensory processing deficits in auditory cortex or theory of mind deficits instantiated in the temporoparietal junction (TPJ). RESULTS: Children with autism showed specific behavioral impairments for recognizing emotions from voices. They also showed aberrant functional connectivity between voice-sensitive auditory cortex and the bilateral TPJ during emotional prosody processing. Neural activity in the bilateral TPJ during processing of both sad and happy emotional prosody stimuli was associated with social communication impairments in children with autism. In contrast, activity and decoding of emotional prosody in auditory cortex was comparable between autism and control groups and did not predict social communication impairments. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support a social-cognitive deficit model of autism by identifying a role for TPJ dysfunction during emotional prosody processing. Our study underscores the importance of tuning in to vocal-emotional cues for building social connections in children with autism.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

22. Lewis LF, Stevens K. The lived experience of meltdowns for autistic adults. Autism : the international journal of research and practice. 2023: 13623613221145783.

There is not a lot known about what it feels like for autistic people to have a meltdown. Past research has focused on what meltdowns are like for parents and what meltdowns look like from the outside without understanding what it is like for the person having the meltdown. We asked 32 autistic adults about what it is like for them to have a meltdown. We asked them to tell us about their thoughts and feelings about having a meltdown. Then, we looked for themes in their responses that summarized the meltdown experience. Our findings showed that meltdowns hold different meaning to different people. During a meltdown, we found that most autistics described feeling overwhelmed by information, senses, and social and emotional stress. They often felt extreme emotions, such as anger, sadness, and fear, and had trouble with thinking and memory during the meltdown. Participants described trying to stay in control of themselves, often feeling like they were not themselves during meltdowns. They described the meltdown as a way of letting go of or releasing the extreme emotions they felt. Participants tried to stay away from things or people that might trigger a meltdown or tried to make sure they were alone if they felt a meltdown may be coming as a way of avoiding harm-including harm to their bodies, their emotions, and their relationships. These findings offer an important look into what it is like for autistic adults to have meltdowns from their own point of view.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

23. Lin Y, Jin HJ, Zhao N, Yang Y, Mao J, Li Z, Shi MY, Huang R. [Clinical observation on syndrome-differentiation acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training for autism spectrum disorder]. Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion. 2023; 43(1): 31-5.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy and safety between syndrome-differentiation acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training and simple rehabilitation training for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: A total of 60 children with ASD were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. In the control group, routine rehabilitation training was applied; in the observation group, syndrome-differentiation acupuncture (the main points were Baihui [GV 20], Dingshenzhen, Niesanzhen, etc., the supplementary acupoints were selected according to syndrome-differentiation) combined with rehabilitation training were applied, all the treatments were given once a day, 5-day continuous treatment with 2-day interval, 12 weeks were required. Before treatment and after 6, 12 weeks of treatment, the autism treatment evaluation checklist (ATEC), childhood autism rating scale (CARS) and autism behavior checklist (ABC) scores were observed, the therapeutic effect and safety were evaluated in the two groups. RESULTS: After 6 and 12 weeks of treatment, except for the sensory perception score after 6 weeks of treatment in the control group, the item scores and total scores of ATEC, CARS scores and ABC scores were decreased compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05). After 6 weeks of treatment, the social score and total score of ATEC, CARS score in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05); after 12 weeks of treatment, the item scores and total score of ATEC, CARS score and ABC score in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate in the observation group was 80.0% (24/30), which was higher than 56.7% (17/30) in the control group (P<0.05). There was no serious adverse reactions in the two groups, and there was no significant difference in the incidence rate of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Syndrome-differentiation acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training could improve the core symptoms in children with ASD, especially sensory perception and social ability, and with good safety, which is superior to simple rehabilitation training.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

24. Liu S, Zhang L, Yi J, Liu S, Li D, Wu D, Yin H. The Relationship Between Parenting Stress and Parental Burnout Among Chinese Parents of Children with ASD: A Moderated Mediation Model. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

This study investigated the role of resilience as a mediator and the place of residence as a moderator of parenting stress and parental burnout. The Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Parental Burnout Assessment, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale were administered to 249 Chinese parents of children with ASD (M = 33.95 years, SD = 7.6). Results show that resilience partially mediates the relation between parenting stress and parental burnout. Besides, both the effect of parenting stress on parental burnout and the mediating effect of resilience are moderated by rural/urban residence. This study highlights parenting stress is a risk factor for parental burnout and resilience is the potential mechanism underlying this relation. These findings provide implications for family services for parents of children with ASD.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

25. Love AMA, Gibbs V, Cooper D, Benevides TW, Mogavero MC, Basketbill IL, Shea LL. Creating the Global Criminal Justice Survey: A Questionnaire Designed to Gather Perspectives from the Autism Community and Criminal Justice Professionals. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

Autistic people’s perceptions of their interactions with criminal justice professionals are predominantly negative; however, little is known about the state of interactions on a global scale. To further understanding, a comprehensive stakeholder questionnaire was created. Aspects of reliability and validity including evidence for test content and internal structure were gathered using expert reviews, cognitive interviewing, pilot data collection, and a larger data collection effort (N = 1618). Data was gathered from the autism community through perspectives of parents/caregivers as well as from self-reported autistic adults. Criminal justice professionals included law enforcement officers, corrections professionals, probation and parole officers, forensic psychologists and legal professionals. The scale development process was detailed in order to sufficiently document the initial psychometric evidence and share the steps taken to gain diverse stakeholder input. This study is a critical first step in generating further information to facilitate policy and program development with wide applicability.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

26. MacDonald-Prégent A, Saiyed F, Hyde K, Sharda M, Nadig A. Response to Music-Mediated Intervention in Autistic Children with Limited Spoken Language Ability. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

PURPOSE: Autistic children with limited spoken language ability (LSLA) often do not respond to traditional interventions, reducing their social inclusion. It is essential to identify effective interventions, and sensitive measures to track their intervention response. METHODS: Using data from an RCT comparing music-mediated and play-based interventions, we investigated the impact of spoken language ability on outcomes, and measured response to intervention through natural language sample measures. RESULTS: Children with lower verbal IQ, relative to higher verbal IQ, made some greater gains over the course of music-mediated intervention. Natural language samples were helpful in characterizing communication and tracking change. CONCLUSION: Music-mediated interventions hold promise as effective interventions for autistic children with LSLA. Natural language samples are robust in characterizing this subgroup.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

27. McDonald TAM, Scudder A. Mind the NIH-Funding Gap: Structural Discrimination in Physical Health-Related Research for Cognitively Able Autistic Adults. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

Autistic adults experience disparities in physical health and health care access. A major barrier to addressing these disparities is a lack of federal funding for research on this topic. In seeking funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), we discovered nodes that contribute to structural discrimination in physical health-related research for autistic adults. To examine this structural discrimination, we systematically searched funded research on all physical health-disparity conditions in autistic adults using NIH RePORTER. Among 61 unique studies, none focused on improving the relevant physical health condition through intervention, programs, or services for autistic adults. Thus, we need updated policies and procedures that support research on physical health disparities in populations with developmental or mental health conditions.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

28. Medina E, Peterson S, Ford K, Singletary K, Peixoto L. Critical periods and Autism Spectrum Disorders, a role for sleep. Neurobiology of sleep and circadian rhythms. 2023; 14: 100088.

Brain development relies on both experience and genetically defined programs. Time windows where certain brain circuits are particularly receptive to external stimuli, resulting in heightened plasticity, are referred to as « critical periods ». Sleep is thought to be essential for normal brain development. Importantly, studies have shown that sleep enhances critical period plasticity and promotes experience-dependent synaptic pruning in the developing mammalian brain. Therefore, normal plasticity during critical periods depends on sleep. Problems falling and staying asleep occur at a higher rate in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) relative to typical development. In this review, we explore the potential link between sleep, critical period plasticity, and ASD. First, we review the importance of critical period plasticity in typical development and the role of sleep in this process. Next, we summarize the evidence linking ASD with deficits in synaptic plasticity in rodent models of high-confidence ASD gene candidates. We then show that the high-confidence rodent models of ASD that show sleep deficits also display plasticity deficits. Given how important sleep is for critical period plasticity, it is essential to understand the connections between synaptic plasticity, sleep, and brain development in ASD. However, studies investigating sleep or plasticity during critical periods in ASD mouse models are lacking. Therefore, we highlight an urgent need to consider developmental trajectory in studies of sleep and plasticity in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

29. Palmer SJ, Fanucci-Kiss A, Kipervassar E, Jalnapurkar I, Hodge SM, Frazier JA, Cochran D. Effect of Emotional Valence on Emotion Recognition in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

This study investigated how emotional valence of a perceived emotional state impacted performance on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task (RMET) in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) controls. Valence of items on the RMET, Adult (RMET-A) and Child (RMET-C) versions, was first classified in a survey of 113 medical students. Adolescents with ASD (N = 33) and TD adolescents (N = 30) were administered both RMET versions. Individuals with ASD made more errors than TD controls on positive and negative, but not neutral, valence items. The difference in performance was accentuated on the RMET-A compared to the RMET-C. Both emotional valence and complexity of language contribute to RMET performance in individuals with ASD.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

30. Park SK, Lee SM. What factors are associated with posttraumatic growth among mothers of children with developmental disabilities in South Korea?. Research in developmental disabilities. 2023; 134: 104414.

BACKGROUND: The identification of PTG and its correlates in the aftermath of a traumatic event would assist professionals in recognizing and amplifying individual’s potential strengths. However, there are few studies on PTG and its correlates in mothers who have birthed or raised children with developmental disabilities in South Korea. AIM: This study examined the predictive role of caregiving strain and social support on the subdimensions of PTG among South Korean mothers of children with developmental disabilities. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The participants were 344 mothers of children with intellectual disabilities or autism. PTG was divided into four sub-dimensions (change in self-perception, increase in interpersonal depth, finding new possibilities, and increase in spiritual interest), and the predictive roles of caregiving strain and social support on each sub-dimension were identified using hierarchical multiple regression. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Subjective caregiving strain; family support services; and support from family, friends, or significant others were significantly related to the subdimensions of PTG. Interestingly, support from significant others was positively associated with PTG. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Social support was more likely to influence all subdimensions of PTG, except for changes in self-perception while only subject caregiving strain was associated with PTG. Thus, policymakers and practitioners should prioritize expanding family support services and strengthening various informal supportive resources for mothers with higher PTG.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

31. Patel M, Atluri LM, Gonzalez NA, Sakhamuri N, Athiyaman S, Randhi B, Gutlapalli SD, Pu J, Zaidi MF, Khan S. A Systematic Review of Mixed Studies Exploring the Effects of Probiotics on Gut-Microbiome to Modulate Therapy in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Cureus. 2022; 14(12): e32313.

Autism spectrum disorder(ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social deficits, repetitive typical behaviors, insistence on the same routines, and communication impairments. The prevalence of ASD has increased in the past decade. While we are aware that there is no cure for ASD, attempts are being made to reduce its symptoms and improve the learning, overall growth, and well-being of ASD patients. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are frequent occurrences in patients with ASD, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Recent studies show that the microbiota-gut-brain axis is the key modulator of neuropsychiatric health. Although fecal transplants have shown positive outcomes in treating dysbiosis and symptoms of autism, lifestyle modifications such as dietary intervention will prevent and treat this disorder without causing major adverse effects. Probiotics enhance the microbiome to provide necessary metabolites, which help in gut permeability, cognitive function, and immunity. In some studies, children with increased GI symptoms have also shown increased behavioral disturbances. In this study, a systematic review of mixed studies is conducted to obtain more robust and conclusive results. We included randomized controlled studies with larger sample sizes and specifications on probiotics.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

32. Prescott KE, Crespo K, Ellis Weismer S. Spatial Language and Cognition in Autistic Preschoolers. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

PURPOSE: ASD is associated with relative strengths in the visuospatial domain but varying abilities in the linguistic domain. Previous studies suggest parallels between spatial language and spatial cognition in older autistic individuals, but no research to date has examined this relationship in young autistic children. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the connection between children’s spatial language production and nonverbal spatial cognition over time. We also examined two potential predictors of spatial language observed in previous literature, ASD symptom severity and parent spatial language input. METHODS: In past work investigating spatial language in NT children of the same age, parent-child interactions have been a primary context for study. Therefore, in the present study, we analyzed transcripts of dyadic naturalistic play interactions between autistic children and their parents over three visits from age 30 to 66 months and administered standardized cognitive and ASD diagnostic assessments at each visit. RESULTS: Spatial language production was related to nonverbal spatial cognition even when accounting for overall language production, though the strength of that relationship decreased over time. Parent spatial input (but not ASD severity) significantly predicted children’s spatial language production over and above the effect of overall language production. CONCLUSION: Spatial language is associated with spatial cognition in young autistic children and appears to reflect the interaction of overall linguistic skills and nonverbal spatial cognitive ability regardless of autism severity. Parent-mediated interventions may be a promising context for increasing spatial language in autistic preschoolers.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

33. Que XQ, Guo W, Fu P, Wu Q. [Effect of electroacupuncture at Tinghui (GB 2) and Benshen (GB 13) on abnormal auditory response in children with autism spectrum disorder]. Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion. 2023; 43(1): 36-9.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of electroacupuncture at Tinghui (GB 2) and Benshen (GB 13) combined with routine rehabilitation training and simple routine rehabilitation training on abnormal auditory response in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: A total of 70 children with ASD were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 35 cases in each group. The control group was given routine rehabilitation training. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, the observation group was given electroacupuncture at Tinghui (GB 2) and Benshen (GB 13), disperse-dense wave, frequency in 2 Hz/10 Hz, 20 min each time, and 1 day off after 6 days of treatment. Both groups were treated for 12 weeks. The incidence of abnormal auditory response, the scores of childhood autism rating scale (CARS) and autism behavior checklist (ABC) were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. RESULTS: After treatment, the total incidences of abnormal auditory response in the two groups and the incidences of dull and hypersensitive auditory response in the observation group were lower than those before treatment (P<0.05). The total incidence of abnormal auditory response and the incidence of hypersensitive auditory response in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, CARS and ABC scores of both groups were lower than those before treatment (P<0.05), and those in the observation group were lower than the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture at Tinghui (GB 2) and Benshen (GB 13) combined with routine rehabilitation training can reduce the incidence of abnormal auditory response and improve the core symptoms in children with ASD, and the clinical effect is better than the simple routine rehabilitation training.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

34. Rodrigues JVS, Poli MCF, Petrilli PH, Dornelles RCM, Turcio KH, Theodoro LH. Food selectivity and neophobia in children with autism spectrum disorder and neurotypical development: a systematic review. Nutrition reviews. 2023.

CONTEXT: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have common eating problems, including food refusal, dietary restrictions, and behavioral problems during eating. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review was to find more clear evidence on the relationship between food selectivity or food neophobia (FN) and ASD in children up to age 14 years. The PECO-based question was: Are food selectivity and FN behaviors more prevalent in children with ASD than in children with neurotypical development (NTD)?, in which the P is children, E is ASD, C is children with NTD, and O is food selectivity and FN. DATA SOURCES: Clinical studies in the databases PubMed, Embase and Web of Science, comparing children with ASD and those with NTD, were reviewed from October 1966 to October 2021. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: A total of 122 studies were analyzed for summary reading, and only 17 of these were included in the descriptive qualitative analysis. In 9 studies, the analysis of food selectivity was performed via a questionnaire. RESULTS: The results showed that children with ASD are more selective than those with NTD. Four studies evaluated FN through scales; however, only 2 found higher levels of FN in the ASD group than in children with NTD. The sensory profile was measured using questionnaires in 9 studies, and we found that altered sensory processing is more common in children with ASD. CONCLUSION: Children with ASD present greater food selectivity than children with NTD. However, the occurrence of FN was higher in only 50% in which FN was investigated, which points to a need for studies that compare FN between siblings with ASD and those with NTD in the same family nucleus. In addition, atypical oral sensitivity seems to be a sensory characteristic most related to eating disorders. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42021247880.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

35. Schwartzman JM, Williams ZJ, Paterson AV, Jacobs AX, Corbett BA. Community-guided measurement-based care for autistic youth and adults receiving psychotherapy: A conceptual overview and pilot implementation study of MBC-AUT. Autism : the international journal of research and practice. 2023: 13623613221143587.

Autistic youth and adults are more likely to experience psychiatric symptoms (e.g. depression, anxiety) and to use psychiatric services than non-autistic people, yet research on evidence-based approaches to enhance psychiatric care for autistic people is limited. Measurement-based care is an evidence-based approach to psychotherapy that improves outcomes for clients, clinicians, and organizations by routinely administering and evaluating measures to clients. Despite this, research on measurement-based care systems for autistic clients is sparse. To address this gap, we developed an autism-adapted measurement-based care (MBC-AUT) system for and with autistic people and pilot tested the system in an outpatient psychiatry clinic to investigate the preliminary feasibility, acceptability, benefits, and barriers to this system for clients and clinicians. Findings suggested that the MBC-AUT system was a feasible and acceptable system for the first 18 autistic youth, their caregivers, and autistic adults to use the system. In semi-structured interviews, clients and clinicians discussed the benefits of the MBC-AUT system to various therapeutic processes, as well as several important barriers to the use of the system. We offer potential solutions to address these barriers and to reduce client and clinician burden, and propose future directions for this line of research to increase access to more autistic people. As autistic clients continue to seek psychological services amid social landscapes of increasing complexity (e.g. COVID-19 pandemic), efforts to enhance the delivery of psychotherapy for this population are critical.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

36. Smith H, Black MH, Thompson C, Falkmer M, Falkmer T, Girdler S, Milbourn B. Exploration of caregiver experiences of reported first signs of Autism. Child: care, health and development. 2023.

This study explored caregiver-reported first signs of Autism and caregiver experiences of reporting these signs to health professionals using a multiple methods approach. Phase one included secondary analysis of a survey of caregivers, while phase two consisted of focus groups of caregivers of children on the autism spectrum. Survey data indicated that most children were aged 12-18 months when first signs were noticed, with first signs noticed earlier in females than males. Children were age 2-6 years when caregivers sought advice and received a diagnosis. Uncertainty and a lack of information often left caregivers feeling frustrated and under-supported when seeking advice and diagnosis. Despite first signs being recognised early by caregivers, barriers to information and seeking help and support resulted in significant delays in receiving a diagnosis.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

37. van den Bos N, Houwen S, Schoemaker M, Rosenblum S. Correction to: Using Structural Equation Modeling to Analyze Handwriting of Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2023.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

38. Wang D, Pruett JR, Jr. Computational approaches to address data challenges in intellectual and developmental disabilities research. Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders. 2023; 15(1): 2.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

39. Zakai-Mashiach M. « It is like you are in a golden cage »: How autistic students experience special education classrooms in general high schools. Research in developmental disabilities. 2023; 134: 104419.

BACKGROUND: Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often grapple with the challenges and demands of a general school environment. To date, studies have focused on inclusion within that environment, not distinguishing the experience of students in ASD special education classrooms within the general school. This study examined the retrospective perceptions of high-functioning autistic high school graduates who had been in ASD special education classrooms in general high schools to understand their experience, learn about their needs, and enhance future educational experiences. METHOD: Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as a methodological framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 autistic individuals aged 19-27 that were enrolled in those particularized classrooms during high school. Data were analyzed using Thematic Analysis. RESULTS: Three overarching themes were identified: (1) the challenge of heterogeneity among students in these classrooms; (2) exclusion and labeling; and (3) identity confusion. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this paper highlight the need for greater attention to the voices and experiences of individuals with ASD regarding this educational model of ASD special education classrooms in general schools. Participants’ perceptions about their educational experience in ASD special education classrooms need to be addressed at all levels of inclusive policy and practice.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

40. Zhang SJ, Lin D, Qi SY, Gong M. [Clinical application of acupuncture-moxibustion for the treatment of spirit based on approximate entropy of electrooculogram signal]. Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion. 2023; 43(1): 79-82.

According to the theory of acupuncture-moxibustion for the treatment of spirit, starting from the relationship between eye movement and spirit, the application of electrooculogram (EOG) signal acquisition and analysis technology for the clinical treatment of spirit by acupuncture-moxibustion is discussed. Based on the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of EOG signals, it is proposed to apply the approximate entropy algorithm to extract the EOG signal characteristics in autism spectrum disorder children under different behavior states, which could realize the preliminary exploration of the correlation between EOG signals and cognitive activities. This could provide a possibility to objectively reflect the patient’ s current mental state, and could be used as a potential method to grasp spirit in clinical acupuncture- moxibustion treatment. Furthermore, considering the characteristics of acupoint stimulation on the body surface, the EOG signal acquisition and analysis technology could further be combined with biofeedback technology, and a new idea for clinical acupuncture-moxibustion to treat spirit guided by biofeedback of EOG is proposed.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)