1. Hedley D, Uljarevic M, Foley KR, Richdale A, Trollor J. {{Risk and protective factors underlying depression and suicidal ideation in Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Depress Anxiety};2018 (Apr 16)
BACKGROUND: People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are at significantly increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior. Given that social difficulties in ASD often lead to social isolation, which can in turn increase the risk for depression, this study examined loneliness and social support as potential risk and protective factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation. METHOD: The sample comprised 185 people (92 females) with ASD aged 14 to 80 years who were participating in a national survey. RESULTS: Forty-nine percent of participants returned scores in the clinical range for depression and 36% reported recent suicidal ideation. Females, comprising almost 50% of the sample, returned higher depression scores than males, however no differences were identified between males and females in terms of suicidal ideation. Regression analyses revealed that loneliness, satisfaction with social support, and ASD traits predicted depression scores. Satisfaction with social support predicted suicidal ideation, however, it was no longer a significant predictor after the effects of depression were taken into account. Path analysis showed that ASD trait severity was independently related to depression, that the effect of number of social supports on depression was mediated by loneliness and satisfaction with social support, and that effects of loneliness and satisfaction with social support on suicidal ideation were mediated by depression. The pattern of relationships was nearly identical for males and females. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports a model whereby loneliness and social support operate respectively as protective and risk factors for depression and suicidal ideation in ASD.
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2. Kirsch SF, Meryash DL, Gonzalez-Arevalo B. {{Determinants of Parent Satisfaction with Emergency or Urgent Care When the Patient Has Autism}}. {J Dev Behav Pediatr};2018 (Apr 16)
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors that predict parent satisfaction (PS) with their child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)’s visit to a hospital emergency department (ED) or urgent care (UC) center. METHODS: Parents recruited through a national database whose child (3-21 years; N = 378) with ASD had been treated in an ED/UC center within the previous 3 years completed an anonymous on-line questionnaire. They answered questions about whether they were satisfied overall with the visit and the care provided, their demographics, patient characteristics, their expectations and preparation for the visit, and the ED/UC center experience itself, including their observations of staff interpersonal and communication skills (ICSs) and behaviors, and whether the patient was disruptive (D). Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was used to demonstrate the relative effects of individual variables on PS. RESULTS: Among the 10 most important determinants of PS with the visit were the 9 assessed staff ICS behaviors. These were followed by shorter than expected waiting time and the patient not being disruptive (ND) during the visit. PS was not associated with any of the 3 measures of patient disability severity (ASD subtype, communicative competence, or restrictiveness of educational placement), whether the patient is hyperreactive to sensory stimuli, reason for the visit, or parent’s education. CONCLUSION: PS with an ED/UC center visit when the patient has autism depends mostly on the quality of staff interactions with the patient and family. It is important for ED/UC center administrators to ensure that staff understand how to interact and communicate effectively with patients with ASD and their families.
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3. Langguth M, Fassin M, Alexander S, Turner KM, Burne THJ. {{No effect of prenatal vitamin D deficiency on autism-relevant behaviours in multiple inbred strains of mice}}. {Behav Brain Res};2018 (Apr 12)
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders commonly characterised by verbal and non-verbal communication deficits, impaired social interaction and repetitive, stereotypic behaviours. The aetiology of ASD is most likely a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Epidemiological evidence suggests that prenatal vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased incidence of ASD. The overall aim of this study was to investigate prenatal vitamin D deficiency on ASD-related behavioural phenotypes in multiple inbred strains of mice. We included two commonly used inbred mouse strains (C57BL/6J and BALB/c) as well as inbred BTBR mice, which show ASD-related behaviours, such as excessive self-grooming, hyperlocomotion, social interaction deficits and altered communication. We also studied the effect of prenatal vitamin D deficiency in a fourth strain; an F1 cross of C57BL/6J x BTBR mice, which have a partial BTBR phenotype. To implement prenatal vitamin D deficiency, female mice were placed on vitamin D deplete diets for ten weeks, including mating and gestation, until littering, when all dams were switched to the control diet. Behavioural symptoms related to ASD were measured, including isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalisations to measure communication, the three-chambered social interaction task to observe social interaction, the open field test to examine hyperlocomotion, assessment of grooming and rearing behaviour and finally the active place avoidance task to observe spatial learning and memory in response to a mild foot shock. Prenatal vitamin D deficiency had a negative impact on preference for social novelty in C57BL/6J mice, despite similar vocalisation phenotypes, and prenatal vitamin D-deficient F1 mice were found to be hypolocomotive in the open field test yet performed better on the active place avoidance task. Despite clear differences between strains, there were no other consistent significant main effects of maternal diet on the behaviour of the offspring. Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated as a risk factor for ASD and these data show that there is greater variation between different inbred strains in ASD-related behaviour, suggesting that prenatal vitamin D deficiency is not sufficient to recapitulate an ASD phenotype in multiple inbred mice strains.
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4. Leppanen J, Sedgewick F, Treasure J, Tchanturia K. {{Differences in the Theory of Mind profiles of patients with anorexia nervosa and individuals on the autism spectrum: A meta-analytic review}}. {Neurosci Biobehav Rev};2018 (Apr 12)
BACKGROUND: This meta-analytic review examines the theory of mind profiles in both patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and autistic individuals. METHODOLOGY: The studies examining theory of mind were divided into the following categories: emotional theory of mind, understanding simple social situations, understanding complex social interactions, and implicit social attribution. All included studies investigated differences between healthy control (HCs) individuals and people with AN or autistic people. Differences in theory of mind profile between people with AN and autistic people were explored by conducting moderator analyses. RESULTS: People with AN and autistic people showed a similar theory of mind profile, but autistic individuals showed greater difficulties, particularly in emotional theory of mind. CONCLUSIONS: Although both people with AN and autistic people have significant difficulties in all aspects of theory of mind relative to the HCs, some differences in the underlying profile may be present. However, due to relative paucity of theory of mind research among people with AN, further research is still needed before firm conclusion can be drawn.
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5. McCarthy JW, Benigno JP, Broach J, Boster JB, Wright BM. {{Identification and drawing of early concepts in children with autism spectrum disorder and children without disability}}. {Augment Altern Commun};2018 (Apr 16):1-11.
This comparative study is a replication and extension of previous work related to children’s drawings of early concepts. In all, 15 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 19 children without disability took part in the study, and were video recorded as they drew 10 early emerging concepts such as « eat » and « more. » In a second task, the participants were asked to label Picture Communication Symbols conventionally used in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. Descriptive, correlational, and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The results were consistent with previous research for both groups. Across the 10 features coded, participants in both groups drew entire scenes and were more likely to draw complete representations of people. Identification of PCS was less than 25% for both groups. After a brief time delay, the participants were able to remember the names of their drawings; however, performance on this recall task was positively related to their age. The language scores of the participants without disability were associated with their use of isolated parts in drawings. Trends in the data suggest potential avenues for follow up with larger studies examining use of self, others, and entire scenes in children with ASD. Implications for therapy and future directions pertaining to symbolic understanding in children with ASD are discussed.
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6. Nylander L, Axmon A, Bjorne P, Ahlstrom G, Gillberg C. {{Older Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Sweden: A Register Study of Diagnoses, Psychiatric Care Utilization and Psychotropic Medication of 601 Individuals}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2018 (Apr 16)
In a Swedish sample of persons eligible for disability services and aged 55 years or older in 2012, persons (n = 601) with autism spectrum disorder diagnoses registered in specialist care were identified. Register data concerning diagnoses of other psychiatric disorders, psychiatric care, and psychiatric medication were reviewed. More than 60% had been in contact with psychiatric care. The majority had no intellectual disability (ID) diagnosis recorded during the study period. Apart from ID, affective disorders, anxiety and psychotic disorders were most commonly registered; alcohol/substance abuse disorders were uncommon. Psychotropic drug prescriptions were very common, especially in the ID group. Professionals need awareness of this vulnerable group; studies concerning their life circumstances and service requirements should be conducted.
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7. Vicedo M. {{Ethopathology and Civilization Diseases: Niko and Elisabeth Tinbergen on Autism}}. {Can Bull Med Hist};2018 (Apr 16):1-31.
The idea that some diseases result from a poor fit between modern life and our biological make-up is part of the long history of what historian of medicine Charles Rosenberg has called the « progress-and-pathology narrative. » This article examines a key episode in that history: 1973 Nobel laureate Niko Tinbergen’s use of an evolutionary framework to identify autism as a pathogenic effect of progress. Influenced by British psychiatrist John Bowlby’s work, Tinbergen and his wife Elisabeth saw autistic children as victims of environmental stress caused mainly by mothers’ failure to bond with their children and to protect them from conflicting situations. However, the author argues that their position was not « environmental. » For them, autism was due to a failure of socialization but the mechanisms that explain that failure were established by biological evolution. Situating their views within the context of Niko’s concern about the derailment of biological evolution by cultural evolution, this article shows that their ideas are of special significance for understanding the persistence of the view that civilization poses a risk to human health.
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8. Zhang D, Roche L, Bartl-Pokorny KD, Krieber M, McLay L, Bolte S, Poustka L, Sigafoos J, Gugatschka M, Einspieler C, Marschik PB. {{Response to name and its value for the early detection of developmental disorders: Insights from autism spectrum disorder, Rett syndrome, and fragile X syndrome. A perspectives paper}}. {Res Dev Disabil};2018 (Apr 11)
BACKGROUND: Responding to one’s own name (RtN) has been reported as atypical in children with developmental disorders, yet comparative studies on RtN across syndromes are rare. AIMS: We aim to (a) overview the literature on RtN in different developmental disorders during the first 24 months of life, and (b) report comparative data on RtN across syndromes. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: In Part 1, a literature search, focusing on RtN in children during the first 24 months of life with developmental disorders, identified 23 relevant studies. In Part 2, RtN was assessed utilizing retrospective video analysis for infants later diagnosed with ASD, RTT, or FXS, and typically developing peers. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Given a variety of methodologies and instruments applied to assess RtN, 21/23 studies identified RtN as atypical in infants with a developmental disorder. We observed four different developmental trajectories of RtN in ASD, RTT, PSV, and FXS from 9 to 24 months of age. Between-group differences became more distinctive with age. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: RtN may be a potential parameter of interest in a comprehensive early detection model characterising age-specific neurofunctional biomarkers associated with specific disorders, and contribute to early identification.
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9. Zhou T, Wang Y, Yi C. {{Affiliate stigma and depression in caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in China: Effects of self-esteem, shame and family functioning}}. {Psychiatry Res};2018 (Apr 3);264:260-265.
The present study aimed to investigate affiliate stigma and depression in caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in China and to examine the predictive effects of self-esteem, shame proneness and family functioning. Two hundred and sixty-three primary caregivers of children with autism in Mainland China participated in the survey. The results suggested that affiliate stigma in caregivers of children with autism was prevalent and severe; their depressive symptoms were significantly more severe than the national norm of the similar age group. Low self-esteem, high shame proneness and poor family adaptability were associated with experience of affiliate stigma and heightened depressive symptoms. Affiliate stigma partially mediated the links between self-esteem/ shame proneness/family adaptability and depression levels. This study was the first one to measure affiliate stigma on caregivers of children with ASD in mainland China using a quantitative method. The results highlight the necessity and importance of de-stigmatization for the caregivers of children with autism and suggest that interventions to improve self-esteem, reduce experience of shame and to enhance family functioning might be effective.
