1. Brunsdon VE, Happe F. {{Exploring the ‘fractionation’ of autism at the cognitive level}}. {Autism};2013 (Oct 14)
Autism spectrum disorders are defined by difficulties across a range of areas: social and communication difficulties and restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests. It has been suggested that this triad of symptoms cannot be explained by a single cause at the genetic, neural or cognitive level. This article reviews the evidence for a ‘fractionable’ autism triad at the cognitive level, highlighting questions for future research.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
2. Cleary L, Looney K, Brady N, Fitzgerald M. {{Inversion effects in the perception of the moving human form: A comparison of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing adolescents}}. {Autism};2013 (Oct 14)
The « body inversion effect » refers to superior recognition of upright than inverted images of the human body and indicates typical configural processing. Previous research by Reed et al. using static images of the human body shows that people with autism fail to demonstrate this effect. Using a novel task in which adults, adolescents with autism, and typically developing adolescents judged whether walking stick figures-created from biological motion recordings and shown at seven orientations between 0 degrees and 180 degrees -were normal or distorted, this study shows clear effects of stimulus inversion. Reaction times and « inverse efficiency » increased with orientation for normal but not distorted walkers, and sensitivity declined with rotation from upright for all groups. Notably, the effect of stimulus inversion was equally detrimental to both groups of adolescents suggesting intact configural processing of the body in motion in autism spectrum disorder.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
3. Hall L, Kelley E. {{The contribution of epigenetics to understanding genetic factors in autism}}. {Autism};2013 (Oct 14)
Autism spectrum disorder is a grouping of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social communication and language, as well as by repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. While the environment is believed to play a role in the development of autism spectrum disorder, there is now strong evidence for a genetic link to autism. Despite such evidence, studies investigating a potential single-gene cause for autism, although insightful, have been highly inconclusive. A consideration of an epigenetic approach proves to be very promising in clarifying genetic factors involved in autism. The present article is intended to provide a review of key findings pertaining to epigenetics in autism in such a way that a broader audience of individuals who do not have a strong background in genetics may better understand this highly specific and scientific content. Epigenetics refers to non-permanent heritable changes that alter expression of genes without altering the DNA sequence itself and considers the role of environment in this modulation of gene expression. This review provides a brief description of epigenetic processes, highlights evidence in the literature of epigenetic dysregulation in autism, and makes use of noteworthy findings to illustrate how a consideration of epigenetic factors can deepen our understanding of the development of autism. Furthermore, this discussion will present a promising new way for moving forward in the investigation of genetic factors within autism.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
4. Mavranezouli I, Megnin-Viggars O, Cheema N, Howlin P, Baron-Cohen S, Pilling S. {{The cost-effectiveness of supported employment for adults with autism in the United Kingdom}}. {Autism};2013 (Oct 14)
Adults with autism face high rates of unemployment. Supported employment enables individuals with autism to secure and maintain a paid job in a regular work environment. The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of supported employment compared with standard care (day services) for adults with autism in the United Kingdom. Thus, a decision-analytic economic model was developed, which used outcome data from the only trial that has evaluated supported employment for adults with autism in the United Kingdom. The main analysis considered intervention costs, while cost-savings associated with changes in accommodation status and National Health Service and personal social service resource use were examined in secondary analyses. Two outcome measures were used: the number of weeks in employment and the quality-adjusted life year. Supported employment resulted in better outcomes compared with standard care, at an extra cost of pound18 per additional week in employment or pound5600 per quality-adjusted life year. In secondary analyses that incorporated potential cost-savings, supported employment dominated standard care (i.e. it produced better outcomes at a lower total cost). The analysis suggests that supported employment schemes for adults with autism in the United Kingdom are cost-effective compared with standard care. Further research needs to confirm these findings.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
5. Oner P, Oner O, Munir K. {{Three-item Direct Observation Screen (TIDOS) for autism spectrum disorder}}. {Autism};2013 (Oct 14)
We compared ratings on the Three-Item Direct Observation Screen test for autism spectrum disorders completed by pediatric residents with the Social Communication Questionnaire parent reports as an augmentative tool for improving autism spectrum disorder screening performance. We examined three groups of children (18-60 months) comparable in age (18-24 month, 24-36 month, 36-60 preschool subgroups) and gender distribution: n = 86 with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.) autism spectrum disorders; n = 76 with developmental delay without autism spectrum disorders; and n = 97 with typical development. The Three-Item Direct Observation Screen test included the following (a) Joint Attention, (b) Eye Contact, and (c) Responsiveness to Name. The parent Social Communication Questionnaire ratings had a sensitivity of .73 and specificity of .70 for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. The Three-Item Direct Observation Screen test item Joint Attention had a sensitivity of .82 and specificity of .90, Eye Contact had a sensitivity of .89 and specificity of .91, and Responsiveness to Name had a sensitivity of .67 and specificity of .87. In the Three-Item Direct Observation Screen test, having at least one of the three items positive had a sensitivity of .95 and specificity of .85. Age, diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, and developmental level were important factors affecting sensitivity and specificity. The results indicate that augmentation of autism spectrum disorder screening by observational items completed by trained pediatric-oriented professionals can be a highly effective tool in improving screening performance. If supported by future population studies, the results suggest that primary care practitioners will be able to be trained to use this direct procedure to augment screening for autism spectrum disorders in the community.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
6. Stacy ME, Zablotsky B, Yarger HA, Zimmerman A, Makia B, Lee LC. {{Sex differences in co-occurring conditions of children with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Autism};2013 (Oct 14)
This study investigated differences in co-occurring diagnoses made in females compared to males with autism spectrum disorders in 913 children (746 males and 167 females) living in the United States with a current autism spectrum disorder diagnosis identified via caregiver-reported data from the National Survey of Children’s Health 2007. The results indicated that overall, females had significantly fewer reported autism spectrum disorder co-occurring conditions than males. Females, compared to males, with a current autism spectrum disorder diagnosis had lower rates of past learning disorder, current mild learning disorder, and past anxiety diagnoses. Females with a current autism spectrum disorder diagnosis were more likely than males to have been diagnosed with a speech problem in the past, while males with a current autism spectrum disorder diagnosis were more likely than females to have a current diagnosis of a mild learning disability and a past diagnosis of learning disability. In addition, males with a current autism spectrum disorder diagnosis were more likely than females to have two or more co-occurring diagnoses. These findings provide insight into trends in sex differences in autism spectrum disorder co-occurring conditions.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
7. Tordjman S, Najjar I, Bellissant E, Anderson GM, Barburoth M, Cohen D, Jaafari N, Schischmanoff O, Fagard R, Lagdas E, Kermarrec S, Ribardiere S, Botbol M, Fougerou C, Bronsard G, Vernay-Leconte J. {{Advances in the Research of Melatonin in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Literature Review and New Perspectives}}. {Int J Mol Sci};2013;14(10):20508-20542.
Abnormalities in melatonin physiology may be involved or closely linked to the pathophysiology and behavioral expression of autistic disorder, given its role in neurodevelopment and reports of sleep-wake rhythm disturbances, decreased nocturnal melatonin production, and beneficial therapeutic effects of melatonin in individuals with autism. In addition, melatonin, as a pineal gland hormone produced from serotonin, is of special interest in autistic disorder given reported alterations in central and peripheral serotonin neurobiology. More specifically, the role of melatonin in the ontogenetic establishment of circadian rhythms and the synchronization of peripheral oscillators opens interesting perspectives to ascertain better the mechanisms underlying the significant relationship found between lower nocturnal melatonin excretion and increased severity of autistic social communication impairments, especially for verbal communication and social imitative play. In this article, first we review the studies on melatonin levels and the treatment studies of melatonin in autistic disorder. Then, we discuss the relationships between melatonin and autistic behavioral impairments with regard to social communication (verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction), and repetitive behaviors or interests with difficulties adapting to change. In conclusion, we emphasize that randomized clinical trials in autism spectrum disorders are warranted to establish potential therapeutic efficacy of melatonin for social communication impairments and stereotyped behaviors or interests.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
8. Williams DM, Jarrold C, Grainger C, Lind SE. {{Diminished Time-Based, but Undiminished Event-Based, Prospective Memory Among Intellectually High-Functioning Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Relation to Working Memory Ability}}. {Neuropsychology};2013 (Oct 14)
Objective: Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember to carry out an intended action. Working memory is the ability to store information in mind while processing potentially distracting information. The few previous studies of PM in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have yielded inconsistent findings. Studies of working memory ability in ASD have suggested a selective impairment of « visual working memory. » However, it remains unclear whether any such impairment is the result of diminished (domain-specific; visual/verbal) storage capacity or diminished (domain-general) processing capacity. We aim to clarify these issues and explore the relation between PM and working memory in ASD. Method: Seventeen adults with ASD and 17 age- and IQ-matched comparison participants completed experimental measures of both event-based (perform action x when event y occurs) and time-based (perform action a at time b) PM, plus a self-report measure of PM skills. Participants also completed a working memory test battery. Results: Participants with ASD self-reported diminished PM skill, and showed diminished performance on the time-based, but not event-based, PM task. On the working memory test battery, visual but not verbal storage capacity was diminished among participants with ASD, as was processing ability. Whereas visual storage was associated with event-based PM task performance among comparison participants, verbal storage was associated among ASD participants. Conclusions: ASD appears to involve a selective deficit in time-based PM and a selective difficulty with aspects of working memory that depend on the storage of visual information. However, event-based PM may be achieved through compensatory strategies in ASD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
9. Yafai AF, Verrier D, Reidy L. {{Social conformity and autism spectrum disorder: A child-friendly take on a classic study}}. {Autism};2013 (Oct 14)
Perhaps surprisingly, given the importance of conformity as a theoretical construct in social psychology and the profound implications autism has for social function, little research has been done on whether autism is associated with the propensity to conform to a social majority. This study is a modern, child-friendly implementation of the classic Asch conformity studies. The performance of 15 children with autism was compared to that of 15 typically developing children on a line judgement task. Children were matched for age, gender and numeracy and literacy ability. In each trial, the child had to say which of three lines a comparison line matched in length. On some trials, children were misled as to what most people thought the answer was. Children with autism were much less likely to conform in the misleading condition than typically developing children. This finding was replicated using a continuous measure of autism traits, the Autism Quotient questionnaire, which showed that autism traits negatively correlated with likelihood to conform in the typically developing group. This study demonstrates the resistance of children with autism to social pressure.
