1. Kagohara DM. {{Is video-based instruction effective in the rehabilitation of children with autism spectrum disorders?}}. {Dev Neurorehabil};13(2):129-140.
Objective: To review intervention studies on the use of video-based instruction for teaching adaptive behaviours to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Review process: Electronic and hand searches were conducted to identify intervention studies that focus on using video-based instruction to teach adaptive behaviours to children with ASD. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were summarized in terms of: (a) participants, (b) setting, (c) model type, (d) target skills, (e) intervention type, (f) design and (g) outcomes. Outcomes: Forty-four studies encompassing 49 experiments met the inclusion criteria. The studies targeted a range of adaptive behaviours and academic skills. Most studies reported positive results, but the certainty of evidence was not strong for all of the studies due to reliance on pre-experimental designs. Conclusion: The results from this review support the use of video-based instruction in the rehabilitation of children with ASD.
2. Matson JL, Boisjoli JA, Hess JA, Wilkins J. {{Factor structure and diagnostic fidelity of the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits-Part 1 (BISCUIT-part 1)}}. {Dev Neurorehabil};13(2):72-79.
Objective: Due to the effectiveness of early intervention on the outcome of individuals with ASD, there is a race to identify children with ASD at younger ages. The Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits-Part 1 (BISCUIT-Part 1) is a new assessment tool designed to assess symptoms of ASD in children between the ages of 17-37 months. The aim of this study was to identify the factor structure of BISCUIT-Part 1 and investigate group differences with regards to these factors. Methods: Participants (n = 1287) were enrolled in a state-funded early intervention programme for children at-risk for a developmental disability. The BISCUIT was administered to a parent or other significant caregiver along with other developmental measures as part of the assessment protocol for the early intervention programme. Results: The exploratory factor analysis yielded a three-factor solution consistent with symptom clusters characteristic of ASD. Furthermore, participants diagnosed with ASD exhibited significantly higher scores on the factors of the BISCUIT-Part 1, compared to toddlers without a diagnosis of ASD. Conclusion: The BISCUIT-Part 1 shows promise in aiding clinicians in the diagnosis of ASD in infants and toddlers.
3. Pillay M, Alderson-Day B, Wright B, Williams C, Urwin B. {{Autism Spectrum Conditions – Enhancing Nurture and Development (ASCEND): An evaluation of intervention support groups for parents}}. {Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry} (Mar 11)
There is relatively little evidence about the effectiveness of parent-training programmes for children with autism spectrum conditions (ASCs). Here we evaluate a programme developed to fill a gap in the provision of parent interventions after EarlyBird, which is only available for parents of pre-school ASC children. This programme (ASCEND) has now been running for five years. Questionnaires were used to evaluate seven consecutive 11-session programmes from 2004 to 2007, involving 79 parents representing 58 children. We measured satisfaction ratings in all seven groups; the latter five groups (59 parents representing 44 children) were given Developmental Behaviour Checklists (DBCs) and parental knowledge questionnaires pre- and post-course. Eighty-eight per cent of respondents found the course useful or very useful while parental knowledge and skills improved significantly across a range of learning outcomes. DBC scores showed significant changes post-course for total problem behaviours and disruptive/antisocial behaviours, with a trend towards reductions in anxiety as reported by parents. Changes in behaviour scores moderately correlated with specific learning items relating to improved skills in behaviour management. This preliminary evaluation suggests that the course produces positive outcomes in terms of parent satisfaction, parent learning and perceived changes in child behaviour, although further independent analysis is required in the form of a randomized controlled trial.
4. Shyu YI, Tsai JL, Tsai WC. {{Explaining and Selecting Treatments for Autism: Parental Explanatory Models in Taiwan}}. {J Autism Dev Disord} (Mar 12)
Parental explanatory models about autism influence the type of therapy a child receives, the child’s well-being, and the parents’ own psychological adaptation. This qualitative study explored explanatory models used by parents of children with autism. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 parents of children with autism from a medical center in Taiwan. Despite high educational background, most of these parents attributed their child’s autism to both biomedical and supernatural etiologies without apparent conflicts. These parents chose a wide variety of treatment strategies, including biomedical and alternative treatments, which often created time/energy pressures and financial burden, and were influenced by parents’ cause attribution. Parents’ illness explanations influence their treatment selections and need to be understood and accepted by health care providers.
5. Virues-Ortega J. {{Applied behavior analytic intervention for autism in early childhood: Meta-analysis, meta-regression and dose-response meta-analysis of multiple outcomes}}. {Clin Psychol Rev} (Feb 11)
A number of clinical trials and single-subject studies have been published measuring the effectiveness of long-term, comprehensive applied behavior analytic (ABA) intervention for young children with autism. However, the overall appreciation of this literature through standardized measures has been hampered by the varying methods, designs, treatment features and quality standards of published studies. In an attempt to fill this gap in the literature, state-of-the-art meta-analytical methods were implemented, including quality assessment, sensitivity analysis, meta-regression, dose-response meta-analysis and meta-analysis of studies of different metrics. Results suggested that long-term, comprehensive ABA intervention leads to (positive) medium to large effects in terms of intellectual functioning, language development, acquisition of daily living skills and social functioning in children with autism. Although favorable effects were apparent across all outcomes, language-related outcomes (IQ, receptive and expressive language, communication) were superior to non-verbal IQ, social functioning and daily living skills, with effect sizes approaching 1.5 for receptive and expressive language and communication skills. Dose-dependant effect sizes were apparent by levels of total treatment hours for language and adaptation composite scores. Methodological issues relating ABA clinical trials for autism are discussed.
6. Wallis C. {{Debunked. A pivotal paper linking vaccines and autism is retracted. Will the antivaccine movement go on?}}. {Time} (Feb 15);175(6):18.
