1. Bakian AV, Bilder DA, Carbone PS, Hunt TD, Petersen B, Rice CE. {{Brief Report: Independent Validation of Autism Spectrum Disorder Case Status in the Utah Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network Site}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2014 (Jul 15)
An independent validation was conducted of the Utah Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network’s (UT-ADDM) classification of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). UT-ADDM final case status (n = 90) was compared with final case status as determined by independent external expert reviewers (EERs). Inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.84), specificity [0.83 (95 % CI 0.74-0.90)], and sensitivity [0.99 (95 % CI 0.96-1.00)] were high for ASD case versus non-case classification between UT-ADDM and EER. At least one EER disagreed with UT-ADDM on ASD final case status on nine out of 30 records; however, all three EERs disagreed with UT-ADDM for only one record. Findings based on limited data suggest that children with ASD as identified by UT-ADDM are consistently classified as ASD cases by independent autism experts.
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2. Baron-Cohen S, Cassidy S, Auyeung B, Allison C, Achoukhi M, Robertson S, Pohl A, Lai MC. {{Attenuation of Typical Sex Differences in 800 Adults with Autism vs. 3,900 Controls}}. {PLoS One};2014;9(7):e102251.
Sex differences have been reported in autistic traits and systemizing (male advantage), and empathizing (female advantage) among typically developing individuals. In individuals with autism, these cognitive-behavioural profiles correspond to predictions from the « extreme male brain » (EMB) theory of autism (extreme scores on autistic traits and systemizing, below average on empathizing). Sex differences within autism, however, have been under-investigated. Here we show in 811 adults (454 females) with autism and 3,906 age-matched typical control adults (2,562 females) who completed the Empathy Quotient (EQ), the Systemizing Quotient-Revised (SQ-R), and the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), that typical females on average scored higher on the EQ, typical males scored higher on the SQ-R and AQ, and both males and females with autism showed a shift toward the extreme of the « male profile » on these measures and in the distribution of « brain types » (the discrepancy between standardized EQ and SQ-R scores). Further, normative sex differences are attenuated but not abolished in adults with autism. The findings provide strong support for the EMB theory of autism, and highlight differences between males and females with autism.
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3. Caruana N, Brock J. {{No association between autistic traits and contextual influences on eye-movements during reading}}. {PeerJ};2014;2:e466.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders are claimed to show a local cognitive bias, termed « weak central coherence », which manifests in a reduced influence of contextual information on linguistic processing. Here, we investigated whether this bias might also be demonstrated by individuals who exhibit sub-clinical levels of autistic traits, as has been found for other aspects of autistic cognition. The eye-movements of 71 university students were monitored as they completed a reading comprehension task. Consistent with previous studies, participants made shorter fixations on words that were highly predicted on the basis of preceding sentence context. However, contrary to the weak central coherence account, this effect was not reduced amongst individuals with high levels of autistic traits, as measured by the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Further exploratory analyses revealed that participants with high AQ scores fixated longer on words that resolved the meaning of an earlier homograph. However, this was only the case for sentences where the two potential meanings of the homograph result in different pronunciations. The results provide tentative evidence for differences in reading style that are associated with autistic traits, but fail to support the notion of weak central coherence extending into the non-autistic population.
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4. Cheak-Zamora NC, Farmer JE, Mayfield WA, Clark MJ, Marvin AR, Law JK, Law PA. {{Health Care Transition Services for Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {Rehabil Psychol};2014 (Jul 14)
Objective: Little is known about accessibility to health care transition (HCT) services (HCT) for youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study examined how often youth with ASD receive HCT services and how access varied by individual, family, and health system characteristics. Method: Questionnaires were completed by 101 parents of youth with ASD (ages 12-17 years) enrolled in a national online autism registry. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were used to examine a composite HCT variable and its components. Results: Fewer than 15% of youth received HCT services. Although 41% received at least 1 HCT discussion, only 3% received all 3. One-quarter had a discussion with their health care provider about transitioning to an adult provider, adult health care needs, or insurance retention, and 31% of providers encouraged youth to take on more responsibilities. Most caregivers reported not needing 1 or more of the discussions. Results varied significantly when the sample was divided by age, with older youth more likely to have received transition services than younger adolescents. Conclusions: These findings indicate a significant disparity in access to HCT services for youth with ASD. Further research is needed to understand this disparity and develop interventions to improve HCT both for youth with ASD and those with other disabling health conditions. Additionally, many caregivers do not recognize the importance of HCT services. Education and training for caregivers, youth, and providers is essential to ensure all parties are working together to address transition issues early and often. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).
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5. Dickerson AS, Pearson DA, Loveland KA, Rahbar MH, Filipek PA. {{Role of parental occupation in autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and severity}}. {Res Autism Spectr Disord};2014 (Sep 1);8(9):997-1007.
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6. Falk NH, Norris K, Quinn MG. {{The Factors Predicting Stress, Anxiety and Depression in the Parents of Children with Autism}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2014 (Jul 15)
The factors predicting stress, anxiety and depression in the parents of children with autism remain poorly understood. In this study, a cohort of 250 mothers and 229 fathers of one or more children with autism completed a questionnaire assessing reported parental mental health problems, locus of control, social support, perceived parent-child attachment, as well as autism symptom severity and perceived externalizing behaviours in the child with autism. Variables assessing parental cognitions and socioeconomic support were found to be more significant predictors of parental mental health problems than child-centric variables. A path model, describing the relationship between the dependent and independent variables, was found to be a good fit with the observed data for both mothers and fathers.
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7. Freitag CM, Konrad K. {{Autism spectrum disorder: underlying neurobiology}}. {J Neural Transm};2014 (Jul 15)
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8. Frye RE, Rossignol DA. {{Treatments for biomedical abnormalities associated with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Front Pediatr};2014;2:66.
Recent studies point to the effectiveness of novel treatments that address physiological abnormalities associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This is significant because safe and effective treatments for ASD remain limited. These physiological abnormalities as well as studies addressing treatments of these abnormalities are reviewed in this article. Treatments commonly used to treat mitochondrial disease have been found to improve both core and associated ASD symptoms. Double-blind, placebo-controlled (DBPC) studies have investigated l-carnitine and a multivitamin containing B vitamins, antioxidants, vitamin E, and co-enzyme Q10 while non-blinded studies have investigated ubiquinol. Controlled and uncontrolled studies using folinic acid, a reduced form of folate, have reported marked improvements in core and associated ASD symptoms in some children with ASD and folate related pathway abnormities. Treatments that could address redox metabolism abnormalities include methylcobalamin with and without folinic acid in open-label studies and vitamin C and N-acetyl-l-cysteine in DBPC studies. These studies have reported improved core and associated ASD symptoms with these treatments. Lastly, both open-label and DBPC studies have reported improvements in core and associated ASD symptoms with tetrahydrobiopterin. Overall, these treatments were generally well-tolerated without significant adverse effects for most children, although we review the reported adverse effects in detail. This review provides evidence for potentially safe and effective treatments for core and associated symptoms of ASD that target underlying known physiological abnormalities associated with ASD. Further research is needed to define subgroups of children with ASD in which these treatments may be most effective as well as confirm their efficacy in DBPC, large-scale multicenter studies.
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9. Gringras P, Green D, Wright B, Rush C, Sparrowhawk M, Pratt K, Allgar V, Hooke N, Moore D, Zaiwalla Z, Wiggs L. {{Weighted Blankets and Sleep in Autistic Children-A Randomized Controlled Trial}}. {Pediatrics};2014 (Jul 14)
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a weighted-blanket intervention in treating severe sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).METHODS: This phase III trial was a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover design. Participants were aged between 5 years and 16 years 10 months, with a confirmed ASD diagnosis and severe sleep problems, refractory to community-based interventions. The interventions were either a commercially available weighted blanket or otherwise identical usual weight blanket (control), introduced at bedtime; each was used for a 2-week period before crossover to the other blanket. Primary outcome was total sleep time (TST) recorded by actigraphy over each 2-week period. Secondary outcomes included actigraphically recorded sleep-onset latency, sleep efficiency, assessments of child behavior, family functioning, and adverse events. Sleep was also measured by using parent-report diaries.RESULTS: Seventy-three children were randomized and analysis conducted on 67 children who completed the study. Using objective measures, the weighted blanket, compared with the control blanket, did not increase TST as measured by actigraphy and adjusted for baseline TST. There were no group differences in any other objective or subjective measure of sleep, including behavioral outcomes. On subjective preference measures, parents and children favored the weighted blanket.CONCLUSIONS: The use of a weighted blanket did not help children with ASD sleep for a longer period of time, fall asleep significantly faster, or wake less often. However, the weighted blanket was favored by children and parents, and blankets were well tolerated over this period.
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10. Johnels JA, Gillberg C, Falck-Ytter T, Miniscalco C. {{Face viewing patterns in young children with autism spectrum disorders: Speaking up for a role of language comprehension}}. {J Speech Lang Hear Res};2014 (Jul 16)
Purpose: The aim was to examine whether viewing patterns towards the mouth, eyes, and non-mouth/non-eyes areas differed between young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typical development (TD) when viewing a person speaking. Also, we examined the role of language comprehension in such viewing patterns. Method: Eleven children with ASD (approx. 4.5 years) and 29 TD toddlers (approx. 2.5 years) participated. The groups were matched on language comprehension raw scores from the Reynell Developmental Language Scales-III. All children viewed short films of a woman speaking while their eye-movements were recorded with eye-tracking equipment. Results: Children with ASD spent proportionally less time viewing the mouth, and more time viewing non-mouth/non-eyes areas. Time viewing the eyes did not differ between groups. Increased mouth viewing was associated with lower language comprehension in the ASD group. Conclusions: We argue that variability in language comprehension is an important factor to monitor when interpreting face-viewing patterns in young children with ASD, particularly with regard to mouth viewing. Our result may help explain divergent findings in this field of research.
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11. Kim SH, Junker D, Lord C. {{Observation of Spontaneous Expressive Language (OSEL): A New Measure for Spontaneous and Expressive Language of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Communication Disorders}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2014 (Jul 15)
A new language measure, the Observation of Spontaneous Expressive Language (OSEL), is intended to document spontaneous use of syntax, pragmatics, and semantics in 2-12-year-old children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other communication disorders with expressive language levels comparable to typical 2-5 year olds. Because the purpose of the OSEL is to provide developmental norms for use of language, the first step involves assessment of the scale’s feasibility, validity, and reliability using a sample of 180 2-5 year-old typically developing children. Pilot data from the OSEL shows strong internal consistency, high reliabilities and validity. Once replicated with a large population-based sample and in special populations, the scale should be helpful in designing appropriate interventions for children with ASD and other communication disorders.
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12. Libero LE, DeRamus TP, Deshpande HD, Kana RK. {{Surface-based morphometry of the cortical architecture of autism spectrum Disorders: Volume, thickness, area, and gyrification}}. {Neuropsychologia};2014 (Jul 11)
Structural neuroimaging studies of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have uncovered widespread neuroanatomical abnormalities, which may have a significant impact on brain function, connectivity, and on behavioral symptoms of autism. The findings of previous structural MRI studies have largely been distributed across several brain areas, with limited consistency. The current study examined neuroanatomical abnormalities by comparing surface-based measures of cortical morphology (CT: cortical thickness, CSA: cortical surface area, CV: cortical volume, and GI: gyrification index) in 55 high-functioning children and adults with ASD to 60 age-and-IQ-matched typically developing (TD) peers. A few brain areas, the fusiform gyrus (FG), middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), emerged to be primarily different in their morphology between the two groups. Compared to TD participants, ASD participants had significantly smaller CV in left MTG, reduced CSA in bilateral MTG and FG, reduced GI in left supramarginal gyrus, and significantly increased CT in the pars opercularis of the IFG. As a function of age, ASD participants had significant reductions in: CT in the pars opercularis, CSA of the left rostral middle frontal gyrus, and GI for left supramarginal gyrus. Thus, alterations in cortical morphology in ASD were seen primarily in regions that are considered part of the social brain. Overall, these findings point to: neuroanatomical alterations in social brain areas, developmental differences in neuroanatomy, and the need to study neuroanatomy at multiple levels in order to better characterize the cortical architecture of ASD.
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13. Muth A, Honekopp J, Falter CM. {{Visuo-Spatial Performance in Autism: A Meta-analysis}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2014 (Jul 15)
Visuo-spatial skills are believed to be enhanced in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). This meta-analysis tests the current state of evidence for Figure Disembedding, Block Design, Mental Rotation and Navon tasks in ASD and neurotypicals. Block Design (d = 0.32) and Figure Disembedding (d = 0.26) showed superior performance for ASD with large heterogeneity that is unaccounted for. No clear differences were found for Mental Rotation. ASD samples showed a stronger local processing preference for Navon tasks (d = 0.35); less clear evidence for performance differences of a similar magnitude emerged. We discuss the meta-analysis results together with other findings relating to visuo-spatial processing and three cognitive theories of ASD: Weak Central Coherence, Enhanced Perceptual Functioning and Extreme Male Brain theory.
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14. Nuske HJ, Vivanti G, Hudry K, Dissanayake C. {{Pupillometry Reveals Reduced Unconscious Emotional Reactivity in Autism}}. {Biol Psychol};2014 (Jul 10)
Recent theoretical conceptualisations have suggested that emotion processing impairments in autism stem from disruption to the sub-cortical, rapid emotion-processing system. We argue that a clear way to ascertain whether this system is affected in autism is by measuring unconscious emotional reactivity. Using backwards masking, we presented fearful expressions non-consciously (subliminally) as well as consciously (supraliminally), and measured pupillary responses as an index of emotional reactivity in 19 children with autism and 19 typically developing children, aged 2 to 5 years. The pupillary responses of the children with autism revealed reduced unconscious emotional reactivity, with no group differences on consciously presented emotion. Together, these results indicate a hyporesponsiveness to non-consciously presented emotion suggesting a fundamental difference in emotion processing in autism, which requires consciousness and more time.
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15. O’Hearn K, Tanaka J, Lynn A, Fedor J, Minshew N, Luna B. {{Developmental plateau in visual object processing from adolescence to adulthood in autism}}. {Brain Cogn};2014 (Jul 11);90C:124-134.
A lack of typical age-related improvement from adolescence to adulthood contributes to face recognition deficits in adults with autism on the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT). The current studies examine if this atypical developmental trajectory generalizes to other tasks and objects, including parts of the face. The CFMT tests recognition of whole faces, often with a substantial delay. The current studies used the immediate memory (IM) task and the parts-whole face task from the Let’s Face It! battery, which examines whole faces, face parts, and cars, without a delay between memorization and test trials. In the IM task, participants memorize a face or car. Immediately after the target disappears, participants identify the target from two similar distractors. In the part-whole task, participants memorize a whole face. Immediately after the face disappears, participants identify the target from a distractor with different eyes or mouth, either as a face part or a whole face. Results indicate that recognition deficits in autism become more robust by adulthood, consistent with previous work, and also become more general, including cars. In the IM task, deficits in autism were specific to faces in childhood, but included cars by adulthood. In the part-whole task, deficits in autism became more robust by adulthood, including both eyes and mouths as parts and in whole faces. Across tasks, the deficit in autism increased between adolescence and adulthood, reflecting a lack of typical improvement, leading to deficits with non-face stimuli and on a task without a memory delay. These results suggest that brain maturation continues to be affected into adulthood in autism, and that the transition from adolescence to adulthood is a vulnerable stage for those with autism.
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16. Parker-McGowan Q, Chen M, Reichle J, Pandit S, Johnson L, Kreibich S. {{Describing Treatment Intensity in Milieu Teaching Interventions for Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Review}}. {Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch};2014 (Jul 16)
Purpose: This investigation aimed to apply the dosage framework proposed by Warren, Fey and Yoder (2007) to variations of milieu language teaching intervention strategies to explore how each of the dosage parameters (i.e., dose, dose form, dose frequency, total duration, and cumulative intervention intensity) was reported in the located empirically based applications with learners between birth and 23 years of age. Method: A systematic search located existing studies that implemented a milieu teaching intervention for children with developmental disabilities. Dosage data were then extracted from 42 studies along with study characteristics and participant characteristics. Results: Only 37.8% of empirical investigations provided a clear definition of treatment intensity and reported the full range of dosage parameters, thus making it difficult to compare the results across investigations. Of the investigations that reported on all dosage parameters, the majority were single case design as opposed to group design studies. Conclusions: Given the limited reporting of dosage parameters in existing studies, there is a need for closer attention to reporting this information in early communication intervention protocols. Replication and customization of interventions for learners experiencing developmental disabilities will only be possible with additional empirical examination of dosage parameters.
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17. Rabaneda LG, Robles-Lanuza E, Nieto-Gonzalez JL, Scholl FG. {{Neurexin Dysfunction in Adult Neurons Results in Autistic-like Behavior in Mice}}. {Cell Rep};2014 (Jul 9)
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) comprise a group of clinical phenotypes characterized by repetitive behavior and social and communication deficits. Autism is generally viewed as a neurodevelopmental disorder where insults during embryonic or early postnatal periods result in aberrant wiring and function of neuronal circuits. Neurexins are synaptic proteins associated with autism. Here, we generated transgenic betaNrx1DeltaC mice in which neurexin function is selectively impaired during late postnatal stages. Whole-cell recordings in cortical neurons show an impairment of glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the betaNrx1DeltaC mice. Importantly, mutant mice exhibit autism-related symptoms, such as increased self-grooming, deficits in social interactions, and altered interaction for nonsocial olfactory cues. The autistic-like phenotype of betaNrx1DeltaC mice can be reversed after removing the mutant protein in aged animals. The defects resulting from disruption of neurexin function after the completion of embryonic and early postnatal development suggest that functional impairment of mature circuits can trigger autism-related phenotypes.
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18. Serret S, Hun S, Iakimova G, Lozada J, Anastassova M, Santos A, Vesperini S, Askenazy F. {{Facing the challenge of teaching emotions to individuals with low- and high-functioning autism using a new Serious game: a pilot study}}. {Mol Autism};2014;5:37.
BACKGROUND: It is widely accepted that emotion processing difficulties are involved in Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC). An increasing number of studies have focused on the development of training programs and have shown promising results. However, most of these programs are appropriate for individuals with high-functioning ASC (HFA) but exclude individuals with low-functioning ASC (LFA). We have developed a computer-based game called JeStiMulE based on logical skills to teach emotions to individuals with ASC, independently of their age, intellectual, verbal and academic level. The aim of the present study was to verify the usability of JeStiMulE (which is its adaptability, effectiveness and efficiency) on a heterogeneous ASC group. We hypothesized that after JeStiMulE training, a performance improvement would be found in emotion recognition tasks. METHODS: A heterogeneous group of thirty-three children and adolescents with ASC received two one-hour JeStiMulE sessions per week over four weeks. In order to verify the usability of JeStiMulE, game data were collected for each participant. Furthermore, all participants were presented before and after training with five emotion recognition tasks, two including pictures of game avatars (faces and gestures) and three including pictures of real-life characters (faces, gestures and social scenes). RESULTS: Descriptive data showed suitable adaptability, effectiveness and efficiency of JeStiMulE. Results revealed a significant main effect of Session on avatars (ANOVA: F (1,32) = 98.48, P < .001) and on pictures of real-life characters (ANOVA: F (1,32) = 49.09, P < .001). A significant Session x Task x Emotion interaction was also found for avatars (ANOVA: F (6,192) = 2.84, P = .01). This triple interaction was close to significance for pictures of real-life characters (ANOVA: F (12,384) = 1.73, P = .057). Post-hoc analyses revealed that 30 out of 35 conditions found a significant increase after training. CONCLUSIONS: JeStiMulE appears to be a promising tool to teach emotion recognition not only to individuals with HFA but also those with LFA. JeStiMulE is thus based on ASC-specific skills, offering a model of logical processing of social information to compensate for difficulties with intuitive social processing. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Comite de Protection des Personnes Sud Mediterranee V (CPP): reference number 11.046 (https://cpp-sud-mediterranee-v.fr/).
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19. Simmons ES, Paul R, Volkmar F. {{Assessing Pramatic Language in Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Yale in vivo Pragmatic Protocol}}. {J Speech Lang Hear Res};2014 (Jul 16)
Purpose: This study compared pragmatic language in youth (9 -17 years) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those with typical development (TD) on the Yale in vivo Pragmatic Protocol (YiPP), a semi-structured, dynamic conversational assessment. Method: Participants (n = 118) were divided into groups based on age and diagnosis. Each completed the YiPP, which included four pragmatic domains (Discourse Management, Communicative Functions, Conversational Repair, Presupposition). The participant’s response to each probe was scored correct or incorrect; incorrect scores elicited cues from the examiner, and level of cue required for a correction was also scored. Results: The YiPP showed high reliability and internal consistency, with moderate concurrent validity, sensitivity, and specificity. The group with ASD performed worse overall on YiPP probes compared to their TD counterparts on both error (d = 0.96) and cue (d = 0.91) scores. Item analyses revealed greater gaps between older students with ASD and their TD peers than between the two younger groups. Conclusions: These data suggests that a probe measure designed to assess pragmatic abilities in children with ASD within a conversational context has some validity for contributing to diagnostic classification and can identify specific areas of pragmatic vulnerabilities as part of a clinical assessment.
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20. Stevenson RA, Siemann JK, Woynaroski TG, Schneider BC, Eberly HE, Camarata SM, Wallace MT. {{Evidence for Diminished Multisensory Integration in Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2014 (Jul 15)
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit alterations in sensory processing, including changes in the integration of information across the different sensory modalities. In the current study, we used the sound-induced flash illusion to assess multisensory integration in children with ASD and typically-developing (TD) controls. Thirty-one children with ASD and 31 age and IQ matched TD children (average age = 12 years) were presented with simple visual (i.e., flash) and auditory (i.e., beep) stimuli of varying number. In illusory conditions, a single flash was presented with 2-4 beeps. In TD children, these conditions generally result in the perception of multiple flashes, implying a perceptual fusion across vision and audition. In the present study, children with ASD were significantly less likely to perceive the illusion relative to TD controls, suggesting that multisensory integration and cross-modal binding may be weaker in some children with ASD. These results are discussed in the context of previous findings for multisensory integration in ASD and future directions for research.
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21. Strunz S, Westphal L, Ritter K, Heuser I, Dziobek I, Roepke S. {{Personality Pathology of Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder Without Accompanying Intellectual Impairment in Comparison to Adults With Personality Disorders}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2014 (Jul 15)
Differentiating autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) without accompanying intellectual impairment from personality disorders is often challenging. Identifying personality traits and personality pathology specific to ASD might facilitate diagnostic procedure. We recruited a sample of 59 adults with ASD without accompanying intellectual impairment, 62 individuals with narcissistic personality disorder, 80 individuals with borderline personality disorder, and 106 nonclinical controls. Personality traits, measured with the neo-personality inventory-revised (NEO-PI-R), and personality pathology, measured with the dimensional assessment of personality pathology (DAPP-BQ), were assessed. Personality traits and personality pathology specific to ASD could be identified. ASD individuals scored significantly lower on the NEO-PI-R scales extraversion and openness to experience and significantly higher on the DAPP-BQ scales inhibitedness and compulsivity relative to all other groups. Diagnostic implications are discussed.
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22. Van der Paelt S, Warreyn P, Roeyers H. {{Effect of community interventions on social-communicative abilities of preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Dev Neurorehabil};2014 (Jul 16):1-13.
Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the effect that different intervention methods have on the social-communicative abilities of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in community settings. Methods: Intervention based on applied behaviour analysis was compared with a more specific intervention programme targeting imitation and joint attention (JA) and with treatment as usual in a sample of 85 children with ASD. Objective measures for imitation, JA, pretend play, language, autism severity and parent report measures were used to assess the effect of six months of intervention. Results: Results revealed no differences between the intervention methods. There was, however, great individual variability in outcome within each treatment method. Conclusion: These results suggest that it is important to focus on « What works for whom » instead of trying to find a one-size-fits-all-treatment for children with ASD.
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23. van Elst K, Bruining H, Birtoli B, Terreaux C, Buitelaar JK, Kas MJ. {{Food for thought; dietary changes in essential fatty acid ratios and the increase in Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {Neurosci Biobehav Rev};2014 (Jul 12)
K. van Elst, H. Bruining, B. Birtoli, C. Terreaux, J.K. Buitelaar and M.J. Kas. Food for thought; dietary changes in essential fatty acid ratios and the increase in Autism Spectrum Disorders. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV 37 (9) XXX-XXX, 2014 The last decades have shown a spectacular and partially unexplained rise in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This rise in ASD seems to parallel changes in the dietary composition of fatty acids. This change is marked by the replacement of cholesterol by omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids in many of our food products, resulting in a drastically increased ratio of omega-6/omega-3 (n-6/n-3). In this context, we review the available knowledge on role of fatty acids in neurodevelopment and describe how disturbances in n-6/n-3 ratios may contribute to the emergence of ASDs. Both clinical and experimental research is discussed. We argue that a change in the ratio of n-6/n-3, especially during early life, may induce developmental changes in brain connectivity, synaptogenesis, cognition and behavior that are directly related to ASD.
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24. Wolff JJ, Piven J. {{Neurodevelopmental disorders: Accelerating progress in autism through developmental research}}. {Nat Rev Neurol};2014 (Jul 15)
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25. Wu X, Bai Y, Tan T, Li H, Xia S, Chang X, Zhou Z, Zhou W, Li T, Wang YT, Dong Z. {{Lithium ameliorates autistic-like behaviors induced by neonatal isolation in rats}}. {Front Behav Neurosci};2014;8:234.
Neonatal isolation is a widely accepted model to study the long-term behavioral changes produced by the early life events. However, it remains unknown whether neonatal isolation can induce autistic-like behaviors, and if so, whether pharmacological treatment can overcome it. Here, we reported that newborn rats subjected to individual isolations from their mother and nest for 1 h per day from postnatal days 1-9 displayed apparent autistic-like symptoms including social deficits, excessive repetitive self-grooming behavior, and increased anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors tested in young adult (postnatal days 42-56) compared to normal reared controls. Furthermore, these behavioral changes were accompanied by impaired adult hippocampal neurogenesis and reduced the ratio of excitatory/inhibitory synaptic transmissions, as reflected by an increase in spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic current (sIPSC) and normal spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current (sEPSC) in the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neuron. More importantly, chronic administration of lithium, a clinically used mood stabilizer, completely overcame neonatal isolation-induced autistic-like behaviors, and restored adult hippocampal neurogenesis as well as the balance between excitatory and inhibitory activities to physiological levels. These findings indicate that neonatal isolation may produce autistic-like behaviors, and lithium may be a potential therapeutic agent against autism spectrum disorders (ASD) during development.
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26. Yasuda Y, Hashimoto R, Ohi K, Yamamori H, Fujimoto M, Umeda-Yano S, Fujino H, Takeda M. {{Cognitive inflexibility in Japanese adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders}}. {World J Psychiatry};2014 (Jun 22);4(2):42-48.
AIM: To investigate executive function in Japanese adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to Japanese controls. METHODS: Thirty-three individuals with ASD and 33 controls participated. The ASD and control groups’ demographic variables were matched for gender (male/female: 20/13 vs 20/13), age (26.1 +/- 11.5 vs 26.8 +/- 9.6), years of education (13.2 +/- 2.9 vs 14.2 +/- 1.9), full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) (103.0 +/- 16.7 vs 103.7 +/- 14.7), performance IQ (96.2 +/- 16.1 vs 97.8 +/- 15.0), and verbal IQ (107.9 +/- 16.3 vs 107.7 +/- 14.4). Participants performed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), which assesses the executive processes involved in problem solving and cognitive flexibility, and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT), which assesses attention and impulsivity. Symptoms were assessed by the Autism-Spectrum Quotient Japanese version (AQ-J). First, we compared the scores of the WCST between the groups using a Mann-Whitney U-test and conducted an analysis of covariance for the variables with the scores of category archives and CPT scores as covariates. Second, we analyzed the correlation between the scores of the WCST and the AQ-J in the ASD group using Pearson’s r. RESULTS: The total errors (TE) and the percentages of perseverative errors of the Milner type (%PEM) and Nelson type (%PEN) among the TE in the ASD group were significantly worse compared with the control group (ASD vs Control, respectively: TE: 16.0 +/- 6.2 vs 12.6 +/- 3.5, P = 0.012; %PEM: 11.7 +/- 10.7 vs 6.6 +/- 8.9, P = 0.037; %PEN: 20.1 +/- 14.5 vs 8.7 +/- 10.4, P = 0.0011). In contrast, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in the scores of categories achieved on the WCST or the CPT. An analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the groups in the %PEN scores (P = 0.0062) but not in the TE or the %PEM scores. These results suggest that Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD have cognitive inflexibility. Furthermore, our results suggest that Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD may have difficulties using negative feedback because perseverative errors of the Nelson type indicate persistence in choosing the incorrect reaction. By contrast, there was no significant correlation between the WCST and AQ-J scores. CONCLUSION: We confirmed the presence of cognitive inflexibility in Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD. Our results also indicated that subjects with ASD may not use negative feedback effectively.
