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. {{Drug fails to subdue repetitive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Harv Ment Health Lett};2009 (Oct);26(4):7.
4. 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)
5. Freeth M, Ropar D, Chapman P, Mitchell P. {{The eye gaze direction of an observed person can bias perception, memory, and attention in adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder}}. {J Exp Child Psychol};2009 (Nov 10)
The reported experiments aimed to investigate whether a person and his or her gaze direction presented in the context of a naturalistic scene cause perception, memory, and attention to be biased in typically developing adolescents and high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A novel computerized image manipulation program presented a series of photographic scenes, each containing a person. The program enabled participants to laterally maneuver the scenes behind a static window, the borders of which partially occluded the scenes. The gaze direction of the person in the scenes spontaneously cued attention of both groups in the direction of gaze, affecting judgments of preference (Experiment 1a) and causing memory biases (Experiment 1b). Experiment 2 showed that the gaze direction of a person cues visual search accurately to the exact location of gaze in both groups. These findings suggest that biases in preference, memory, and attention are caused by another person’s gaze direction when viewed in a complex scene in adolescents with and without ASD.
6. Ronald A, Edelson LR, Asherson P, Saudino KJ. {{Exploring the Relationship Between Autistic-Like Traits and ADHD Behaviors in Early Childhood: Findings from a Community Twin Study of 2-Year-Olds}}. {J Abnorm Child Psychol};2009 (Nov 12)
Behaviors characteristic of autism and ADHD emerge in early childhood, yet research investigating their comorbidity has focused on older children. This study aimed to explore the nature of the relationship between autistic-like traits and ADHD behaviors in a community sample of 2-year-olds. Twins from the Boston University Twin Project (N = 312 pairs) were assessed by their parents on autistic-like traits and ADHD behaviors using the Childhood Behavior Checklist. Phenotypic analyses showed that after controlling for general cognitive ability and socioeconomic status, autistic-like traits (total scale as well as social and nonsocial subscales) correlated positively with ADHD behaviors (r = 0.23-0.26). Structural equation model-fitting analyses revealed that there were modest shared genetic influences between ADHD- and autistic traits (genetic correlation = 0.27) as well as some common environmental influences explaining their covariation. Implications for identifying shared biological pathways underlying autistic-like traits and ADHD behaviors are discussed.
7. Tufan AE, Kutlu H. {{Adjunctive quetiapine may help depression comorbid with pervasive developmental disorders}}. {Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry};2009 (Nov 13);33(8):1570-1571.
