1. Bastiaansen JA, Meffert H, Hein S, Huizinga P, Ketelaars C, Pijnenborg M, Bartels A, Minderaa R, Keysers C, de Bildt A. {{Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders in Adults: the Use of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) Module 4}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2010 (Dec 14)
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) module 4 was investigated in an independent sample of high-functioning adult males with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to three specific diagnostic groups: schizophrenia, psychopathy, and typical development. ADOS module 4 proves to be a reliable instrument with good predictive value. It can adequately discriminate ASD from psychopathy and typical development, but is less specific with respect to schizophrenia due to behavioral overlap between autistic and negative symptoms. However, these groups differ on some core items and explorative analyses indicate that a revision of the algorithm in line with Gotham et al. (J Autism Dev Disord 37: 613-627, 2007) could be beneficial for discriminating ASD from schizophrenia.
2. Brown HK, Ouellette-Kuntz H, Hunter D, Kelley E, Cobigo V, Lam M. {{Beyond an Autism Diagnosis: Children’s Functional Independence and Parents’ Unmet Needs}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2010 (Dec 14)
High demand has resulted in gaps in autism service provision. Our objective was to explore the association between children’s functioning and parents’ perceived unmet needs. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 97 families of school-aged children with an autism spectrum disorder. Log binomial regression was used to examine the relative risk for unmet need. Families of children with high functional independence had lower unmet need than families of children with moderate functional independence (RR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.67-0.99). Those who experienced greater impact of the child’s disability had greater unmet need (RR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.03-1.45). The child’s functioning and its impact on the family provide insight into unmet need which may inform service planning.
3. Lu AT, Cantor RM. {{Allowing for sex differences increases power in a GWAS of multiplex Autism families}}. {Mol Psychiatry};2010 (Dec 14)
Current genomewide association studies account for only a small fraction of the estimated heritabilities of genetically complex neuropsychiatric disorders, indicating they are likely to result from the small effects of numerous predisposing variants, many of which have gone undetected. The statistical power to detect associations of common variants with small effects is increased by conducting joint association tests of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), an additional risk factor (F), and their interaction. F can represent an environmental exposure, another genotype or any source of genetic heterogeneity. In case and control studies, logistic regression makes joint tests straightforward. This analytic method cannot be employed directly when SNP transmission tests are used to detect associations in parent/affected child trios and multiplex families. However, the method can be implemented using the case/pseudocontrol approach. We applied this approach to analyze data from a genomewide association study of multiplex families ascertained for Autism Spectrum Disorder, where sex was used to define the F. Joint analyses revealed two associations exceeding genomewide significance. One novel gene, Ryandine Receptor 2, implicated in calcium channel defects, was identified with a joint P-value of 3.9E-11. Calcium channel defects have been connected to Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by Timothy Syndrome, which is Mendelian, and a previous targeted sex-specific association analysis of idiopathic Autism. A second gene, uridine phosphorylase 2, with a joint P-value of 2.3E-9, has been previously linked and associated with Autism in independent samples. These findings highlight two Autism candidate genes for follow-up studies.Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 14 December 2010; doi:10.1038/mp.2010.127.
4. Rondeau E, Klein LS, Masse A, Bodeau N, Cohen D, Guile JM. {{Is Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified Less Stable Than Autistic Disorder? A Meta-Analysis}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2010 (Dec 14)
We reviewed the stability of the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). A Medline search found eight studies reiterating a diagnostic assessment for PDD-NOS. The pooled group included 322 autistic disorder (AD) and 122 PDD-NOS cases. We used percentage of individuals with same diagnose at Times 1 and 2 as response criterion. The pooled Relative Risk was 1.95 (p < 0.001) showing that AD diagnostic stability was higher than PDD-NOS. When diagnosed before 36 months PDD-NOS bore a 3-year stability rate of 35%. Examining the developmental trajectories showed that PDD-NOS corresponded to a group of heterogeneous pathological conditions including prodromic forms of later AD, remitted or less severe forms of AD, and developmental delays in interaction and communication.
5. Smith T, Eikeseth S. {{O. Ivar Lovaas: Pioneer of Applied Behavior Analysis and Intervention for Children with Autism}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2010 (Dec 14)
O. Ivar Lovaas (1927-2010) devoted nearly half a century to ground-breaking research and practice aimed at improving the lives of children with autism and their families. In the 1960s, he pioneered applied behavior analytic (ABA) interventions to decrease severe challenging behaviors and establish communicative language. Later, he sought to improve outcomes by emphasizing early intervention for preschoolers with autism, provided in family homes with active parental participation. His studies indicated that many children who received early intensive ABA made dramatic gains in development. Lovaas also disseminated ABA widely through intervention manuals, educational films, and public speaking. Moreover, as an enthusiastic teacher and devoted mentor, he inspired many students and colleagues to enter the field of ABA and autism intervention.
