1. Almeida RA, Dickinson JE, Maybery MT, Badcock JC, Badcock DR. {{Visual search performance in the autism spectrum II: The radial frequency search task with additional segmentation cues}}. {Neuropsychologia} (Oct 11)
2. Burstyn I, Sithole F, Zwaigenbaum L. {{Autism spectrum disorders, maternal characteristics and obstetric complications among singletons born in Alberta, Canada}}. {Chronic Dis Can} (Sept);30(4):125-134.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether certain maternal characteristics and obstetric complications are associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. METHODS: Provincial delivery records identified the cohort of 218 890 singleton live births in Alberta, Canada,between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2004. These were followed-up for ASD via ICD-9 diagnostic codes assigned by physician billing until March 31, 2008. Maternal and obstetric risk factors were also extracted from PDR. RESULTS: Prevalence and incidence of ASD in Alberta are in line with those reported elsewhere and suggest recent increases in rate of diagnosis and/or incidence. Boys have 5-fold higher prevalence than girls. The peak age of diagnosis occurs at age 3 years. Relative risk modelling indicates that the risk of ASD is elevated among children of older mothers and those who experience specific pregnancy and birth complications. CONCLUSION: Certain maternal characteristics and obstetric complications are associated with ASD in children. We identified lower rates of ASD and later age at diagnosis among children of Aboriginal mothers that requires further research.
3. Kulesza RJ, Jr., Lukose R, Stevens LV. {{Malformation of the human superior olive in autistic spectrum disorders}}. {Brain Res} (Oct 11)
Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) comprise a continuum of psychosocial disorders clinically characterized by social difficulties, impaired communication skills and repetitive behavioral patterns. Despite the prevalence of ASD, the neurobiology of this disorder is poorly understood. However, abnormalities in neuronal morphology, cell number and connectivity have been described throughout the autistic brain. Further, there is ample evidence that auditory dysfunction is a common feature of autism. Our preliminary investigation of neuronal morphology in the auditory brainstem of individuals with ASD focused on the medial superior olive (MSO) and revealed that neurons in this region were significantly smaller and rounder than in controls. In this report, we expand our investigation to examine all nuclei within the human superior olivary complex (SOC), an important auditory brainstem center. We examine neuronal morphology and neuronal number in four control (average age=15years) and 9 autistic brains (average age=15years). This detailed investigation supports our previous descriptions of the MSO, and also reveals significant dysmorphology in five other SOC nuclei. Moreover, we provide evidence of a consistent and significant decrease in the number of SOC neurons in the autistic brain. Our studies implicate an extensive malformation of the auditory brainstem in the hearing and language difficulties in individuals with ASD. The results from this investigation suggest that neonatal testing of auditory function may aid in the identification of individuals with ASD earlier than presently possible.
4. Radhakrishna S. {{Application of integrated yoga therapy to increase imitation skills in children with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Int J Yoga} (Jan);3(1):26-30.
BACKGROUND/AIM: Children with autism exhibit significant deficits in imitation skills, which impede the acquisition of more complex behavior and socialization. Imitation is often targeted early in intervention plans and continues to be addressed throughout the child’s treatment. The use of integrated approach to yoga therapy (IAYT) as a complementary therapy for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rarely reported and little is known on the effectiveness of such therapies. This study investigated IAYT as a treatment method with children with ASD to increase imitative skills. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Parents and six children with ASD participated in a 10-month program of 5-weekly sessions and regular practice at home. Pre, mid and post treatment assessments included observers and parent ratings of children’s imitation skills in tasks related to imitation skills such as gross motor actions, vocalization, complex imitation, oral facial movements and imitating breathing exercises. RESULTS: Improvement in children’s imitation skills especially pointing to body, postural and oral facial movements. Parents reported change in the play pattern of these children with toys, peers and objects at home. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that IAYT may offer benefits as an effective tool to increase imitation, cognitive skills and social-communicative behaviors in children with ASD. In addition, children exhibited increased skills in eye contact, sitting tolerance, non-verbal communication and receptive skills to verbal commands related to spatial relationship.
5. Satterfield BC, Garcia RA, Gurrieri F, Schwartz CE. {{PCR and serology find no association between xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and autism}}. {Mol Autism} (Oct 14);1(1):14.
ABSTRACT: Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) is a retrovirus implicated in prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Press releases have suggested that it could contribute to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study we used two PCR assays and one antibody assay to screen 25 blood samples from autistic children born to mothers with CFS and from 20 mixed controls including family members of the children assayed, people with fibromyalgia and people with chronic Lyme disease. Using a real-time PCR assay, we screened an additional 48 South Carolina autism disorder samples, 96 Italian ASD)samples, 61 South Carolina ASD samples and 184 healthy controls. Despite having the ability to detect low copy number XMRV DNA in a large background of cellular DNA, none of the PCR assays found any evidence of XMRV infection in blood cells from patients or controls. Further, no anti-XMRV antibodies were detected, ruling out possible low level or abortive infections in blood or in other reservoirs. These results imply that XMRV is not associated with autism.
6. Smith IM, Koegel RL, Koegel LK, Openden DA, Fossum KL, Bryson SE. {{Effectiveness of a novel community-based early intervention model for children with autistic spectrum disorder}}. {Am J Intellect Dev Disabil} (Nov);115(6):504-523.
Abstract The Nova Scotia early intensive behavior intervention model—NS EIBI ( Bryson et al., 2007 ) for children with autistic spectrum disorders was designed to be feasible and sustainable in community settings. It combines parent training and naturalistic one-to-one behavior intervention employing Pivotal Response Treatment—PRT (R. Koegel & Koegel, 2006 ). We followed 45 children (33 males, mean baseline age  =  50 months) for 12 months. Mean gains of 14.9 and 19.5 months were observed on expressive and receptive language measures, respectively, for children with an IQ of 50 or more at baseline versus 6.1 and 8.4 months for children with IQs less than 50. Behavior problems decreased significantly over the 1-year treatment for both groups, but autism symptoms decreased only for those with an IQ of 50 or more.
