1. Ames CS, Jarrold C. {{Identifying Symbolic Relationships in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Deficit in the Identification of Temporal Co-occurrence?}}{ J Autism Dev Disord};2009 (Jul 11)
Individuals with Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience difficulties understanding the non-verbal cues conveyed by others that provide symbolic information about relationships between self, other, and environmental events. This study examined whether these difficulties reflect underlying problems in the identification of temporal co-occurrence, or in memorial, associative, or inference skills. The performance of a group of adolescents with ASD was compared to that of typically developing children and adolescents with learning difficulties on four tasks assessing these processes. The ASD group experienced specific difficulties when they were required to identify relationships signalled by the temporal co-occurrence of stimuli. These results are discussed in relation to theories of conceptual deduction in ASD, and a hypothesised role in social cognitive development for attention processes is outlined.
2. Geier DA, Kern JK, Geier MR. {{A prospective study of prenatal mercury exposure from maternal dental amalgams and autism severity}}. {Acta Neurobiol Exp} (Wars);2009;69(2):189-197.
Dental amalgams containing 50% mercury (Hg) have been used in dentistry for the last 150 years, and Hg exposure during key developmental periods was associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). This study examined increased Hg exposure from maternal dental amalgams during pregnancy among 100 qualifying participants born between 1990-1999 and diagnosed with DSM-IV autism (severe) or ASD (mild). Logistic regression analysis (age, gender, race, and region of residency adjusted) by quintile of maternal dental amalgams during pregnancy revealed the ratio of autism:ASD (severe:mild) were about 1 (no effect) for </=5 amalgams and increased for>=6 amalgams. Subjects with>=6 amalgams were 3.2-fold significantly more likely to be diagnosed with autism (severe) in comparison to ASD (mild) than subjects with </=5 amalgams. Dental amalgam policies should consider Hg exposure in women before and during the child-bearing age and the possibility of subsequent fetal exposure and adverse outcomes.
3. Hah M, Lotspeich LJ, Phillips JM, Torres AD, Cleveland SC, Hallmayer JF. {{Twins with KBG Syndrome and Autism}}.{ J Autism Dev Disord};2009 (Jul 14)
4. Khandaker M. {{Designing affective video games to support the social-emotional development of teenagers with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Stud Health Technol Inform};2009;144:37-39.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of developmental neuropsychiatric disorders, comprised of three diagnostic entities – autistic disorder (AD), Asperger’s disorder (AS), and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (including atypical autism) (PDD-NOS). A number of intervention techniques are currently used to reduce some of the associated challenges, with techniques ranging from behavioral therapy to dietary interventions and traditional counseling. This positional paper proposes the use of video games which leverage affective computing technologies as intervention in autism spectrum disorders in the context of the use of traditional play therapy with adolescents, who may feel uncomfortable engaging in traditional play with toys they may be too old for. It aims to explore the potential for greater ‘social physics’ made possible by affective computing technologies. This involves computationally ‘recognizing’ emotions in a user, often through the use of multimodal affective sensors, including facial expressions, postural shifts, and physiological signals such as heart rate, skin conductivity, and EEG signals. However, it is suggested that this should be augmented by researching the effect of social game design mechanisms on social-emotional development, particularly for those who experience difficulty with social interaction.
5. Mattila ML, Jussila K, Kuusikko S, Kielinen M, Linna SL, Ebeling H, Bloigu R, Joskitt L, Pauls D, Moilanen I. {{When does the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) predict autism spectrum disorders in primary school-aged children?}} {Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry};2009 (Jul 14)
The aims of this study were, firstly, to study the association between parents’ and teachers’ ratings for the Finnish version of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), secondly, to find out whether the original cut-off scores of the ASSQ identify primary school-aged children with Asperger syndrome (AS) or autism by using the Finnish ASSQ, and thirdly, to evaluate the validity of the ASSQ. Parents and/or teachers of higher-functioning (full-scale intelligence quotient >/= 50) 8-year-old total population school children (n = 4,408) and 7-12-year-old outpatients with AS/autism (n = 47) completed the Finnish version of the ASSQ. Agreement between informants was slight. In the whole total population, low positive correlation was found between parents’ and teachers’ ratings, while in the sample of high-scoring children the correlation turned out to be negative. A cut-off of 30 for parents’ and teacher’s summed score and 22 for teachers’ single score is recommended. A valid cut-off for parents’ single score could not been estimated. The clinicians are reminded that the ASSQ is a screening instrument, not a diagnosing instrument. The importance of using both parents’ and teachers’ ratings for screening in clinical settings is underlined.
6. Reichow B, Sabornie EJ. {{Brief Report: Increasing Verbal Greeting Initiations for a Student with Autism Via a Social Story Intervention}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2009 (Jul 11)
Social Stories are a common intervention for addressing the social skills deficits individuals with autism often demonstrate. In this study, a Social Story intervention was used to increase acceptable verbal greeting initiations with an 11-year-old boy who had a diagnosis of high functioning autism. A withdrawal design with a comparison condition examined the frequency of acceptable verbal greeting initiations during 5 min observation periods. Results showed no acceptable verbal greeting initiations during both baseline conditions, increased frequency of acceptable verbal greeting initiations during both intervention conditions, and maintenance of intervention levels of behavior with visual supports during the comparison condition.
