1. Buchmayer S, Johansson S, Johansson A, Hultman CM, Sparen P, Cnattingius S. {{Can Association Between Preterm Birth and Autism be Explained by Maternal or Neonatal Morbidity?}} {Pediatrics};2009 (Oct 19)
Objective: We examined whether an association between preterm birth and risk of autistic disorders could be explained by pregnancy complications or neonatal morbidity. Methods: This Swedish, population-based, case-control study included 1216 case subjects with autistic disorders who were born between 1987 and 2002 and 6080 control subjects who were matched with respect to gender, birth year, and birth hospital. We assessed associations between gestational age and autistic disorders and adjusted for maternal, birth, and neonatal characteristics. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Compared with infants born at term, the unadjusted ORs for autistic disorders among very and moderately preterm infants were 2.05 [95% CI: 1.26-3.34] and 1.55 [95% CI: 1.22-1.96], respectively. When we controlled for maternal, pregnancy, and birth characteristics, ORs were reduced to 1.48 [95% CI: 0.77-2.84] and 1.33 [95% CI: 0.98-1.81], respectively. When we also controlled for neonatal complications, ORs were 0.98 [95% CI: 0.45-2.16] and 1.25 [95% CI: 0.90-1.75], respectively. Reductions in risks of autistic disorders related to preterm birth were primarily attributable to preeclampsia, small-for-gestational age birth, congenital malformations, low Apgar scores at 5 minutes, and intracranial bleeding, cerebral edema, or seizures in the neonatal period. Neonatal hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, and neonatal jaundice were associated with increased risk of autistic disorders for term but not preterm infants. Conclusion: The increased risk of autistic disorders related to preterm birth is mediated primarily by prenatal and neonatal complications that occur more commonly among preterm infants.
2. Hinder S. {{Dietary Interventions in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Why They Work When They Do, Why They Don’t When They Don’t}}. {J Intellect Disabil Res};2009 (Oct 14)
3. Joseph RM, Keehn B, Connolly C, Wolfe JM, Horowitz TS. {{Why is visual search superior in autism spectrum disorder?}} {Dev Sci};2009 (Nov);12(6):1083-1096.
This study investigated the possibility that enhanced memory for rejected distractor locations underlies the superior visual search skills exhibited by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We compared the performance of 21 children with ASD and 21 age- and IQ-matched typically developing (TD) children in a standard static search task and a dynamic search task, in which targets and distractors randomly changed locations every 500 ms, precluding the use of memory in search. Children with ASD exhibited overall faster reaction time (RT) relative to TD children, and showed no disruption in search efficiency in the dynamic condition, discounting the possibility that memory for rejected distractors augments their visual search abilities. Analyses of RT x set size functions showed no group differences in slopes but lower intercepts for the ASD group in both static and dynamic search, suggesting that the ASD advantage derived from non-search processes, such as an enhanced ability to discriminate between targets and distractors at the locus of attention. Eye-movement analyses revealed that the ASD and TD groups were similar in the number and spatial distribution of fixations across the search array, but that fixation duration was significantly shorter among children with ASD. Lower intercepts in static search were related to increased symptom severity in children with ASD. In summary, ASD search superiority did not derive from differences in the manner in which individuals with ASD deployed their attention while searching, but from anomalously enhanced perception of stimulus features, which was in turn positively associated with autism symptom severity.
4. Kawai T. {{Union and separation in the therapy of pervasive developmental disorders and ADHD}}. {J Anal Psychol};2009 (Nov);54(5):659-675.
This paper discusses the characteristics of psychotherapy for pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) in the context of the curative effects of the movement of images. The ‘autistic spectrum’ is widened here and includes not only PDD, but also ADHD. The main common characteristic in these two sets of disorders seems to be the lack of a subject, which manifests itself as the absence of awareness of otherness and difficulties with boundaries and language. In these cases a normal psychotherapy is ineffective as it presupposes an established subject. However a psychotherapeutic approach with these patients can contribute to the emergence of a subject. In severe cases the process of union and separation which is enacted either in the therapeutic relationship or in symbolic play leads to the birth of a subject, and of language. In milder cases, such as ADHD, the moments of separation and confrontation with the therapist suffice. I will discuss a case of my own with Asperger’s syndrome in which union and separation in the play therapy occurred simultaneously. This indicates that union and separation are not a consecutive process, but are simultaneous and lead to dialectical movement. However, in neurotic cases with an established subjectivity the symbolic meaning of image plays a central role. This corresponds to Jung’s understanding of image in alchemy.
5. Magalhaes ES, Pinto-Mariz F, Bastos-Pinto S, Pontes AT, Prado EA, Deazevedo LC. {{Immune allergic response in Asperger syndrome}}. {J Neuroimmunol};2009 (Oct 17)
Asperger’s syndrome is a subgroup of autism characterized by social deficits without language delay, and high cognitive performance. The biological nature of autism is still unknown but there are controversial evidence associating an immune imbalance and autism. Clinical findings, including atopic family history, serum IgE levels as well as cutaneous tests showed that incidence of atopy was higher in the Asperger group compared to the healthy controls. These findings suggest that atopy is frequent in this subgroup of autism implying that allergic inflammation might be an important feature in Asperger syndrome.
