1. Allen KD, Vatland C, Bowen SL, Burke RV. {{An Evaluation of Parent-Produced Video Self-Modeling to Improve Independence in an Adolescent With Intellectual Developmental Disorder and an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Controlled Case Study}}. {Behav Modif};2015 (Apr 21)
We evaluated a parent-created video self-modeling (VSM) intervention to improve independence in an adolescent diagnosed with Intellectual Developmental Disorder (IDD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In a multiple baseline design across routines, a parent and her 17-year-old daughter created self-modeling videos of three targeted routines needed for independence in the community. The parent used a tablet device with a mobile app called « VideoTote » to produce videos of the daughter performing the targeted routines. The mobile app includes a 30-s tutorial about making modeling videos. The parent and daughter produced and watched a VSM scene prior to performing each of the three routines in an analogue community setting. The adolescent showed marked, immediate, and sustained improvements in performing each routine following the production and implementation of the VSM. Performance was found to generalize to the natural community setting. Results suggest that parents can use available technology to promote community independence for transition age individuals.
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2. Ardhanareeswaran K, Volkmar F. {{Introduction. Focus: autism spectrum disorders}}. {Yale J Biol Med};2015 (Mar);88(1):3-4.
3. Block P. {{The Emergent Landscape of Autistic Communities and Autistic Studies}}. {Cult Med Psychiatry};2015 (Apr 23)
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4. Bogliacino F, Parra Forero IA. {{Behaviourally designed treatments that increase willingness to treatment from families with children suffering from autism spectrum disorder}}. {J Epidemiol Community Health};2015 (Apr 22)
BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong disability that is not well known by the general population and tends to be associated with social stigma; also, because it involves children, it may get highly emotionally charged. These stylised facts engender a number of possible heuristics and biases at the moment of deciding on following a treatment or looking for a diagnosis, which should be considered in the presentation of information. Using insights from Behavioural Economics, three treatments are designed to present the information regarding possible therapies. METHODS: Between-subjects design with one level of variation. Interviews were performed with a convenience sample of 154 households from the metropolitan area of Bogota (Colombia). The treatments include: use of default option, use of professional interviewer to illustrate the therapy and emotionally charged presentation. RESULTS: Kruskal-Wallis test of the intention to be treated rejects the null hypothesis (chi2=22.14, p=0.00). The cognitive processing of the information is not a determinant, supporting the claim that genuine framing effects shape the choice. The strongest effect of the treatment with a professional suggests a key role for asymmetry of the information, which is confirmed indirectly through the postexperiment questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: Bad healthcare decisions are not necessarily driven by lack of information. Asymmetric information (eg, delegating the decision to a professional) improves choices, especially when social stigma is involved. Cognitive processing of information seems to be less relevant than the framing effect.
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5. Chien YL, Gau SS, Shang CY, Chiu YN, Tsai WC, Wu YY. {{Visual memory and sustained attention impairment in youths with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Psychol Med};2015 (Apr 23):1-11.
BACKGROUND: An uneven neurocognitive profile is a hallmark of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Studies focusing on the visual memory performance in ASD have shown controversial results. We investigated visual memory and sustained attention in youths with ASD and typically developing (TD) youths. METHOD: We recruited 143 pairs of youths with ASD (males 93.7%; mean age 13.1, s.d. 3.5 years) and age- and sex-matched TD youths. The ASD group consisted of 67 youths with autistic disorder (autism) and 76 with Asperger’s disorder (AS) based on the DSM-IV criteria. They were assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery involving the visual memory [spatial recognition memory (SRM), delayed matching to sample (DMS), paired associates learning (PAL)] and sustained attention (rapid visual information processing; RVP). RESULTS: Youths with ASD performed significantly worse than TD youths on most of the tasks; the significance disappeared in the superior intelligence quotient (IQ) subgroup. The response latency on the tasks did not differ between the ASD and TD groups. Age had significant main effects on SRM, DMS, RVP and part of PAL tasks and had an interaction with diagnosis in DMS and RVP performance. There was no significant difference between autism and AS on visual tasks. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings implied that youths with ASD had a wide range of visual memory and sustained attention impairment that was moderated by age and IQ, which supports temporal and frontal lobe dysfunction in ASD. The lack of difference between autism and AS implies that visual memory and sustained attention cannot distinguish these two ASD subtypes, which supports DSM-5 ASD criteria.
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6. Huang SF, Oi M, Taguchi A. {{Comprehension of figurative language in Taiwanese children with autism: The role of theory of mind and receptive vocabulary}}. {Clin Linguist Phon};2015 (Apr 24):1-12.
First-order theory of mind (ToM) is necessary for comprehension of metaphors, and second-order ToM is necessary for comprehension of irony. This study investigated the role of ToM and language ability in comprehending figurative language in 50 Taiwanese children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASDs) compared with 50 typically developing children. Results showed that the No-ToM HFASDs group performed worse than the first-order ToM HFASDs group and the second-order ToM HFASDs group in comprehension of metaphors, irony, sarcasm and indirect reproach, but not for indirect request. Receptive vocabulary correlated only with metaphor comprehension. The volatility of results seen among studies in terms of the relationship between ToM and figurative language comprehension is discussed.
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7. Koufaris C, Sismani C. {{Modulation of the Genome and Epigenome of Individuals Susceptible to Autism by Environmental Risk Factors}}. {Int J Mol Sci};2015;16(4):8699-8718.
Diverse environmental factors have been implicated with the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Genetic factors also underlie the differential vulnerability to environmental risk factors of susceptible individuals. Currently the way in which environmental risk factors interact with genetic factors to increase the incidence of ASD is not well understood. A greater understanding of the metabolic, cellular, and biochemical events involved in gene x environment interactions in ASD would have important implications for the prevention and possible treatment of the disorder. In this review we discuss various established and more alternative processes through which environmental factors implicated in ASD can modulate the genome and epigenome of genetically-susceptible individuals.
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8. Segal NL. {{Centenary Celebration for Scottish Missionary Mary Slessor: A Lasting Legacy for Twins/Twin Research: Twins With Kleinfelter’s Syndrome; Twin Research on Atopic Diseases; Twin Study of Autism; Psychotherapy with Twins / General Interest: Female Twin Pole-Vaulters; Longest Twin Birth Interval; Pair of Franco-Cuban Vocalists; Croatian Twin Models}}. {Twin Res Hum Genet};2015 (Apr 24):1-6.
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9. Thurman AJ, McDuffie A, Kover ST, Hagerman RJ, Abbeduto L. {{Autism Symptomatology in Boys with Fragile X Syndrome: A Cross Sectional Developmental Trajectories Comparison with Nonsyndromic Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Apr 23)
Although males with fragile X syndrome (FXS) are frequently described as demonstrating autism symptomatology, there is much debate regarding whether the behavioral symptoms representing the core domains of autism are the result of the same or different underlying neurological/psychological mechanisms. The present study used a cross-sectional developmental trajectories approach to compare the profiles of autism symptomatology relative to chronological age (CA), nonverbal IQ, and expressive vocabulary ability between individuals with FXS and individuals with nonsyndromic ASD. Results suggest that the onset of autism symptoms and their developmental trajectories in males with FXS differ in important ways as a function of CA, nonverbal cognitive ability, and expressive vocabulary relative to males with nonsyndromic ASD. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
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10. Toma C, Torrico B, Hervas A, Salgado M, Rueda I, Valdes-Mas R, Buitelaar JK, Rommelse N, Franke B, Freitag C, Reif A, Perez-Jurado LA, Battaglia A, Mazzone L, Bacchelli E, Puente XS, Cormand B. {{Common and rare variants of microRNA genes in autism spectrum disorders}}. {World J Biol Psychiatry};2015 (Apr 23):1-11.
OBJECTIVES: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are post-transcriptional regulators that have been shown to be involved in disease susceptibility. Here we explore the possible contribution of common and rare variants in miRNA genes in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). METHODS: A total of 350 tag SNPs from 163 miRNA genes were genotyped in 636 ASD cases and 673 controls. A replication study was performed in a sample of 449 ASD cases and 415 controls. Additionally, rare variants in 701 miRNA genes of 41 ASD patients were examined using whole-exome sequencing. RESULTS: The most significant association in the discovery sample was obtained for the miR-133b/miR-206 cluster (rs16882131, P = 0.00037). The replication study did not reach significance. However, the pooled analysis (1,085 cases and 1,088 controls) showed association with two miRNA clusters: miR-133b/miR-206 (rs16882131, permP = 0.037) and miR-17/miR-18a/miR-19a/miR-20a/miR-19b-1/miR92a-1 (rs6492538, permP = 0.019). Both miR-133b and miR-206 regulate the MET gene, previously associated with ASD. Rare variant analysis identified mutations in several miRNA genes, among them miR-541, a brain-specific miRNA that regulates SYN1, found mutated in ASD. CONCLUSIONS: Although our results do not establish a clear role for miRNAs in ASD, we pinpointed a few candidate genes. Further exome and GWAS studies are warranted to get more insight into their potential contribution to the disorder.
