1. Kim SK, McKay D, Cepeda SL, Schneider SC, Wood J, Storch EA. Assessment of improvement in anxiety severity for children with autism spectrum disorder: The matched correspondence analysis approach. Journal of psychiatric research. 2021; 145: 175-81.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical trials typically involve random assignment to treatment conditions. However, random assignment does not guarantee a lack of systematic variation in the outcomes, and application of covariation methods for multiple dependent measures requires complicated assumptions that are often not met. METHODS: This study employed matched correspondence analysis (CA) for controlling systematic variation and handling multiple outcomes. One hundred nine children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were assessed for anxiety symptom severity across four studies, where participants were randomly assigned to either cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or treatment as usual or waitlist (TAU/WT). Matched CA is designed to optimally scale only the differences between baseline and posttreatment, rendering the systematic baseline carryover effects irrelevant. RESULTS: Differences in treatment efficacy were observed. CBT showed treatment efficacy on anxiety severity and anxiety-related impairment relative to TAU/WT, after the control of baseline carryover effects. CONCLUSION: This study provides a way to control systematic variation between groups at the outset of treatment trials and is expected to provide a novel pathway to more proper assessment of treatment efficacy for children with ASD and anxiety.

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2. Larran J, Schuster I, Hein S. The feasibility of implementing autism intervention methods in formal education settings welcoming refugee and asylum-seeking children: A systematic review of the literature. New directions for child and adolescent development. 2021; 2021(179): 7-28.

Given the significant amount of time that refugee and asylum-seeking children (RASC) spend in schools, these institutions play an important role in their lives and represent an ideal environment in which to help them to adapt to their host society. The present study aimed to draw attention to the possibility of transferring intervention methods designed for children with ASD to formal education settings welcoming newly arrived RASC to support their adaptation to their new school environment. For this purpose, a systematic review was undertaken to assess the feasibility of implementing three specific ASD intervention methods (i.e., TEACCH, PECS, and PMI) in schools welcoming RASC. While the review did not reveal previous attempts to implement and evaluate ASD intervention methods with newcomer RASC, 21 records were uncovered providing preliminary evidence in support of this idea. Hypothesized strengths and limitations, as well as considerations about implementation, are discussed.

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3. Mack JT, Wolff N, Kohls G, Becker A, Stroth S, Poustka L, Kamp-Becker I, Roessner V. Social and Nonsocial Autism Symptom Domains in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Insights into Their Symptomatological Interplay. Psychopathology. 2021: 1-9.

INTRODUCTION: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) share overlapping symptomatology, particularly with regard to social impairments (including peer relationship difficulties), and they frequently co-occur. However, the nature of their co-occurrence remains unclear. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the nature of the transdiagnostic link between ASD and ADHD from a symptomatological point of view measured with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS Module 3) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). METHODS: We analyzed the social and nonsocial ASD symptom domain scores from both diagnostic instruments in 4 clinically referred groups (i.e., ASD, ADHD, ASD + ADHD, and no psychiatric diagnosis) without other co-occurring mental disorders using a two-by-two full-factorial MANOVA design with the factors ASD (yes/no) and ADHD (yes/no). RESULTS: We found no ASD by ADHD interaction effects across all symptom domain scores of ADOS and ADI-R, except for ADOS imagination/creativity. There were only main effects of the factor ASD but no main effects of ADHD. Follow-up contrasts showed that exclusively, ASD had an impact on the measured symptomatology in case of co-occurring ASD + ADHD. CONCLUSION: Overall, the results support an additive model of the symptomatology across areas of communication, social interaction, and stereotyped behaviors and restricted interests in case of the co-occurrence of ASD and ADHD when assessed with ADOS/ADI-R. Thus, one can assume that the phenotypic overlap of ASD + ADHD may be less complicated than suspected – at least with regard to ASD symptomatology – and that in the presence of ADHD, ASD symptomatology is generally well measurable with best-practice diagnostic instruments.

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