1. Banire B, Jomhari N, Ahmad R. {{Visual Hybrid Development Learning System (VHDLS) Framework for Children with Autism}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (May 22)
The effect of education on children with autism serves as a relative cure for their deficits. As a result of this, they require special techniques to gain their attention and interest in learning as compared to typical children. Several studies have shown that these children are visual learners. In this study, we proposed a Visual Hybrid Development Learning System (VHDLS) framework that is based on an instructional design model, multimedia cognitive learning theory, and learning style in order to guide software developers in developing learning systems for children with autism. The results from this study showed that the attention of children with autism increased more with the proposed VHDLS framework.
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2. Berkvens JJ, Veugen I, Veendrick-Meekes MJ, Snoeijen-Schouwenaars FM, Schelhaas HJ, Willemsen MH, Tan IY, Aldenkamp AP. {{Autism and behavior in adult patients with Dravet syndrome (DS)}}. {Epilepsy Behav};2015 (May 22);47:11-16.
INTRODUCTION: Autism and behavioral characteristics in adults with Dravet syndrome (DS) have rarely been systematically studied. METHOD: Three scales were used to assess the outcomes of DS in adulthood in terms of autism and behavior. All the adult patients with DS, nine male and four female, aged between 18 and 60years, living at the Epilepsy Center Kempenhaeghe in The Netherlands were included in the study. In addition, the past medical history of each patient was systematically screened for diagnoses like autism, Pervasive Development Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), hyperactivity, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and self-mutilation. Information concerning past and current use of psychoactive drugs was also evaluated. RESULTS: Eight patients (61.5%) were classified as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to the AVZ-R or according to the medical record. Self-mutilation was seen in four patients (30.8%), hyperactivity in none. Three patients (23.1%) currently used psychoactive drugs. CONCLUSION: Autism spectrum disorders persist in adult patients with DS, while certain characteristics associated with behavioral problems, such as hyperactivity or use of psychoactive medication, seem to be less prominent than in childhood.
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3. Kelly MP, Leader G, Reed P. {{Stimulus Over-Selectivity and Extinction-Induced Recovery of Performance as a Product of Intellectual Impairment and Autism Severity}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (May 22)
The current experiment investigated the extent to which three variables (autism severity, nonverbal intellectual functioning, and verbal intellectual functioning) are associated with over-selective responding in a group of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This paper also analyzed the association of these three variables with the recovery of responding to a previously under-selected stimulus following extinction of the previously over-selected stimulus. The results demonstrated that participants showed over-selectivity, and demonstrated that extinction of the over-selected stimulus led to recovery of responding to the previously under-selected stimulus. For both over-selectivity, and recovery from over-selectivity, verbal functioning appeared to predict the effects most strongly, with greater over-selectivity in the lower functioning individuals, and greater recovery in the higher functioning individuals.
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4. Lin IF, Yamada T, Komine Y, Kato N, Kashino M. {{Enhanced segregation of concurrent sounds with similar spectral uncertainties in individuals with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Sci Rep};2015;5:10524.
When acoustic signals from different sound sources are mixed upon arrival at the ears, the auditory system organizes these acoustic elements by their features. This study shows that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) performed better in terms of hearing a target sequence among distractors that had similar spectral uncertainties. Their superior performance in this task indicates an enhanced discrimination between auditory streams with the same spectral uncertainties but different spectro-temporal details. The enhanced discrimination of acoustic components may be related to the absence of the automatic grouping of acoustic components with the same features, which results in difficulties in speech perception in a noisy environment. On the other hand, the ASD group and the control group had similar performance in hearing a target sequence among distractors that had different spatial cues defined by interaural intensity differences.
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5. Schieve LA, Fountain C, Boulet SL, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Kissin DM, Jamieson DJ, Rice C, Bearman P. {{Does Autism Diagnosis Age or Symptom Severity Differ Among Children According to Whether Assisted Reproductive Technology was Used to Achieve Pregnancy?}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (May 22)
Previous studies report associations between conception with assisted reproductive technology (ART) and autism. Whether these associations reflect an ascertainment or biologic effect is undetermined. We assessed diagnosis age and initial autism symptom severity among >30,000 children with autism from a linkage study of California Department of Developmental Services records, birth records, and the National ART Surveillance System. Median diagnosis age and symptom severity levels were significantly lower for ART-conceived than non-ART-conceived children. After adjustment for differences in the socio-demographic profiles of the two groups, the diagnosis age differentials were greatly attenuated and there were no differences in autism symptomatology. Thus, ascertainment issues related to SES, not ART per se, are likely the driving influence of the differences we initially observed.
