1. Fangmeier T, Lichtblau A, Peters J, Biscaldi-Schafer M, Ebert D, van Elst LT. {{[Psychotherapy of Asperger syndrome in adults.]}}. {Nervenarzt} (Sep 22)
There is an increase in awareness in professionals that the Asperger syndrome (AS) in adulthood is associated with specific problems and burdens which may well differ from those in childhood and adolescence. The core symptoms of AS generally persist into adulthood, however in contrast to childhood and adolescence there is no specific support system for adults in Germany. Also the environment of the afflicted patient changes thus producing different challenges and problems. In addition a subgroup of patients with high functioning AS primarily presents in adulthood generally due to secondary psychosocial problems, depression or anxiety. Difficulties in social interaction, problems with modified daily routines and unforeseen situations cause severe frustration for the majority of the patients. While several therapy programs have been developed and implemented for children and adolescents, for adults there are none. Also there is a lack of comprehensive concepts addressing the specific needs of adult patients with AS. From an economic perspective this is particularly unfortunate since affected people often have good or excellent partial abilities and might be very valuable employees. In this article existing therapeutic concepts for AS are summarized and a newly designed group therapy program for adult patients with Asperger syndrome in Freiburg is introduced (Freiburg Asperger-spezifische Therapie fur Erwachsene, FASTER) which specifically addresses the needs and problems of adult patients with AS.
2. Kuhn G, Kourkoulou A, Leekam SR. {{How Magic Changes Our Expectations About Autism}}. {Psychol Sci} (Sep 21)
In the vanishing-ball illusion, the magician’s social cues misdirect the audience’s expectations and attention so that the audience « sees » a ball vanish in the air. Because individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are less sensitive to social cues and have superior perception for nonsocial details compared with typically developing individuals, we predicted that they would be less susceptible to the illusion. Surprisingly, the opposite result was found, as individuals with ASD were more susceptible to the illusion than a comparison group. Eye-tracking data indicated that subtle temporal delays in allocating attention might explain their heightened susceptibility. Additionally, although individuals with ASD showed typical patterns of looking to the magician’s face and eyes, they were slower to launch their first saccade to the face and had difficulty in fixating the fast-moving observable ball. Considered together, the results indicate that individuals with ASD have difficulties in rapidly allocating attention toward both people and moving objects.
3. Lind SE, Bowler DM. {{Episodic memory and episodic future thinking in adults with autism}}. {J Abnorm Psychol} (Sep 20)
The ability to remember past experiences (episodic memory) is thought to be related to the ability to imagine possible future experiences (episodic future thinking). Although previous research has established that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have diminished episodic memory, episodic future thinking has not previously been investigated within this population. In the present study, high-functioning adults with ASD were compared to closely matched typical adults on a task requiring participants to report a series of events that happened to them in the past and a series of events that might happen to them in the future. For each event described, participants completed two modified Memory Characteristics Questionnaire items to assess self-reported phenomenal qualities associated with remembering and imagining, including self-perspective and degree of autonoetic awareness. Participants also completed letter, category, and ideational fluency tasks. Results indicated that participants with ASD recalled/imagined significantly fewer specific events than did comparison participants and that participants with ASD demonstrated impaired episodic memory and episodic future thinking. In line with this finding, participants with ASD were less likely than comparison participants to report taking a field (first-person) perspective and were more likely to report taking an observer (third-person) perspective during retrieval of past events (but not during simulation of future events), highlighting that they were less likely to mentally reexperience past events from their own point of view. There were no group differences in self-reported levels of autonoetic awareness or fluency task performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).
4. Pineles SL, Avery RA, Liu GT. {{Vitamin B12 Optic Neuropathy in Autism}}. {Pediatrics} (Sep 20)
Dietary vitamin B(12) deficiency was identified as a cause of partially reversible optic neuropathy in 3 autistic children. All of the affected children presented with gradual visual loss. Examination revealed optic atrophy, and further questioning regarding diet revealed that all 3 children had severe food selectivity and highly stereotyped diets that resulted in an almost total lack of animal products in their diets. Vitamin B(12) levels were low in all 3 children. Treatment with intramuscular vitamin B(12) and normalization of vitamin B(12) levels resulted in improvement of visual functioning in all 3 children. These cases illustrate that food selectivity, a known complication of autism, can result in vitamin deficiency that can cause visual loss and optic atrophy. Physicians must have a high index of suspicion when evaluating children with autism and visual loss to detect this rare cause of optic atrophy.
5. Portoghese C, Buttiglione M, De Giacomo A, Lafortezza M, Lecce PA, Martinelli D, Lozito V, Margari L. {{Leiter-R versus developmental quotient for estimating cognitive function in preschoolers with pervasive developmental disorders}}. {Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat};6:337-342.
The utility of the developmental quotient (DQ) obtained with the Psychoeducational Profile Revised (PEP-R) was assessed as a means of estimating cognitive ability in young children with pervasive developmental disorders. Data from the PEP-R were analysed in a sample of 44 children aged from 2.0 to 5.9 years (mean 3.46 +/- 1), 13 with an autistic disorder and 31 with a pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. DQ scores were compared with scores from the Leiter International Performance Scale Revised-Visualization and Reasoning Battery (Leiter-R) in the same 44 children. Overall and domain DQs on the PEP-R were significantly correlated with Leiter-R scores. This study suggests that DQ scores obtained from the PEP-R in preschool children with pervasive developmental disorders may be a viable alternative to the Leiter-R as an assessment tool.
6. Rodger S, Ashburner J, Cartmill L, Bourke-Taylor H. {{Helping children with autism spectrum disorders and their families: Are we losing our occupation-centred focus?}}. {Aust Occup Ther J} (Aug 1);57(4):276-280.
7. Sappok T, Bergmann T, Kaiser H, Diefenbacher A. {{[Autism in adults with intellectual disabilities.]}}. {Nervenarzt} (Sep 22)
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the estimated prevalence of intellectual disabilities (ID) is about 1-3% and 1 out of 4 individuals with ID suffer from an additional autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) (arithmetic mean 24.6%, 19 studies, n=9,675) whereby the prevalence increases with the severity of ID (IQ 50-70: 9.9%, IQ<50: 31.7%). Therefore, it is of particular importance for physicians treating individuals with ID who have psychiatric disorders or behavioral problems to take ASD into account as a differential diagnosis so that appropriate treatment can be initiated.Irrespective of the IQ the diagnosis is based on an impairment of social interaction and communication and restricted repetitive interests presenting before the age of 3 (infantile or Kanner autism). ASD can be diagnosed as a separate disorder in adults with ID, however, the social and communicative abilities in respect of the cognitive and developmental level have to be considered.Due to reduced verbal capacity, high prevalence of physical and mental disorders, difficulties in taking the past medical history and presentation of atypical symptoms, the diagnostic assessment for autism in adults with ID is challenging.This article describes the typical symptoms, diagnostic approach, frequent comorbidities, differential diagnoses treatment options and their limitations for adults with ID suspected of having ASD.
