1. Abel EA, Schwichtenberg AJ, Brodhead MT, Christ SL. {{Sleep and Challenging Behaviors in the Context of Intensive Behavioral Intervention for Children with Autism}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2018.
This study examined the associations between sleep and challenging behaviors for average and night-to-night fluctuations in sleep, in 39 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) receiving intensive behavioral intervention (IBI). Child sleep was recorded (via actigraphy) for five nights in conjunction with clinician-reported observations of challenging behaviors. Results indicated that on average, poor sleep was associated with higher rates of repetitive behavior, negative affect, and a composite of overall challenging behaviors. These findings suggest that average sleep patterns are important within the context of IBI (rather than night-to-night fluctuations). Interventions aimed at improving overall patterns of sleep may have important cascading effects on challenging behaviors and developmental outcomes for children with ASD and their families.
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2. Chang Q, Yang H, Wang M, Wei H, Hu F. {{Role of Microtubule-Associated Protein in Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Neurosci Bull}. 2018.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, along with repetitive and restrictive patterns of behaviors or interests. Normal brain development is crucial to behavior and cognition in adulthood. Abnormal brain development, such as synaptic and myelin dysfunction, is involved in the pathogenesis of ASD. Microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) are important in regulating the processes of brain development, including neuron production and synaptic formation, as well as myelination. Increasing evidence suggests that the level of MAPs are changed in autistic patients and mouse models of ASD. Here, we discuss the roles of MAPs.
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3. Dowd AC, Martinez K, Davidson BC, Hixon JG, Neal-Beevers AR. {{Response to Distress Varies by Social Impairment and Familiarity in Infants at Risk for Autism}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2018.
Early impaired response to social partners’ distress may negatively impact subsequent social development. Identifying factors contributing to successful responding may inform assessment and intervention. This study explores how: (1) social impairment, and (2) partner familiarity relate to response to partners’ distress. Infants with and without older siblings with ASD were assessed at 12 (n = 29) and 15 (n = 35) months for social impairment markers, and responses to mother and experimenter each feigning distress. Infants with more social impairment showed less attention and affect at 15, but not 12 months. Infants attended more to the unfamiliar person, but exhibited greater affect toward the familiar person at 12 months. Results revealed social impairment and familiarity were separately related to infant response to partners’ distress.
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4. El-Ansary A, Bjorklund G, Khemakhem AM, Al-Ayadhi L, Chirumbolo S, Ben Bacha A. {{Metabolism-Associated Markers and Childhood Autism Rating Scales (CARS) as a Measure of Autism Severity}}. {Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN}. 2018.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro-behavioral syndrome with a broad spectrum of different mechanisms and etiologies that are caused by abnormal brain development. To date, no highly reliable and effective diagnostic biomarker to assess ASD is available so far. The present study investigated the predictivity potential of some suggested markers in ASD diagnosis focusing onto the relative ratios of several plasma biomarkers of electron transport chain function, and mitochondrial metabolism in 41 patients with ASD evaluated for behavior deficits measured using Childhood Autism Rating Scales (CARS). The control matched for further 41 healthy subjects. The relation of these relative ratios to ASD severity was also examined, as well as their ability to distinguish ASD children from neurotypical children. All predictive ratios were found to be markedly altered and correlated in ASD patients. However, no ratio was connected with autism severity. Interestingly, MRCC-I/caspase-7, GSH/GST, and MRCC-I/COQ10 were the most distinctive relative ratios between neurotypical controls and ASD patients and may thereby be useful biomarkers for early diagnosis of ASD. Overall, this investigation proves that relative ratios of numerous mitochondrial biomarkers might be predictive and efficient to differentiate between neurotypical children and ASD.
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5. Henriksen MW, Breck H, von Tetzchner S, Paus B, Skjeldal OH, Brodtkorb E. {{Epilepsy in classic Rett syndrome: Course and characteristics in adult age}}. {Epilepsy research}. 2018; 145: 134-9.
PURPOSE: Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that almost exclusively affects females. Epilepsy is a major clinical feature, but its long-term course in RTT has not been sufficiently explored. This study addresses the development of the epilepsy in adults with RTT. METHODS: Available females diagnosed with RTT in Norway were asked to participate. Parents/caregivers were interviewed, the girls/women were examined and their medical records reviewed. Participants were categorized according to age, epilepsy, seizure patterns and mutation severity groups. RTT severity was assessed (epilepsy score excluded). RESULTS: 70 females with classic RTT were included. A presumed pathogenic mutation in MECP2 was found in 96%. The presence of active epilepsy (seizures last five years) was similar in all age groups above the age of ten: 11 (65%) in adolescents (11-20 years), 9 (60%) in young adults (21-30 years) and 14 (67%) in participants above 30 years of age. Tonic-clonic seizures within the last year were present in 55, 67 and 64%, and>/=weekly seizures occurred in 27, 45 and 50% in the respective age groups. Among participants with active epilepsy, 69% had unremitting seizures, whereas 31% had experienced remissions for more than six months during the last five years. In the oldest group (>30 years), only 19% had obtained seizure control for >5 years, and 14% had never experienced seizures. Seizure activity correlated with RTT severity score, whereas the relationship to mutation type remained ambiguous. CONCLUSION: Epilepsy continues to be a major concern in adults with RTT. Two thirds of women above 30 years of age remained with active epilepsy and 50% of them had seizures at least weekly.
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6. Robillard M, Roy-Charland A, Cazabon S. {{The Role of Cognition on Navigational Skills of Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR}. 2018; 61(7): 1579-90.
Purpose: This study examined the role of cognition on the navigational process of a speech-generating device (SGD) among individuals with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The objective was to investigate the role of various cognitive factors (i.e., cognitive flexibility, sustained attention, categorization, fluid reasoning, and working memory) on the ability to navigate an SGD with dynamic paging and taxonomic grids in individuals with ASD. Method: Twenty individuals aged 5 to 20 years with ASD were assessed using the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised (Roid & Miller, 1997) and the Automated Working Memory Assessment (Alloway, 2007). They also completed a navigational task using an iPad 4 (Apple, 2017; taxonomic organization). Results: Significant correlations between all of the cognitive factors and the ability to navigate an SGD were revealed. A stepwise linear regression suggested that cognitive flexibility was the best predictor of navigational ability with this population. Conclusion: The importance of cognition in the navigational process of an SGD with dynamic paging in children and adolescents with ASD has been highlighted by the results of this study.
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7. Sanberg SA, Kuhn BR, Kennedy AE. {{Outcomes of a Behavioral Intervention for Sleep Disturbances in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2018.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of Bedtime Fading with Response Cost (BFRC) in decreasing sleep disturbances in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using parents as change agents by implementing treatment in the home environment. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design across three participants was used. Results indicate that BFRC was effective in eliminating unwanted co-sleeping, frequent night awakenings, and dependent sleep onset. Secondary improvements include reducing sleep onset latency, bedtime resistance, and disruptive sleep-related behaviors. Follow-up data demonstrate gains were maintained. Parents reported high satisfaction with BFRC and sleep outcomes for their children. This study extends both the practice and science of parent-implemented behavioral interventions as treatment options for children with ASD and co-occurring sleep disturbances.
