1. Berryessa CM. {{Brief Report: Judicial Attitudes Regarding the Sentencing of Offenders with High Functioning Autism}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2016.
This brief report presents preliminary data on the attitudes of judges on the sentencing of offenders with High Functioning Autism (HFA). Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with twenty-one California Superior Court Judges. Interviews were qualitatively coded and constant comparative analysis was utilized. Findings revealed that judges consider HFA as both a mitigating and aggravating factor in sentencing, and knowledge of an offender’s disorder could potentially help judges understand why a criminal action might have been committed. Judges voiced concerns about the criminal justice system being able to effectively help or offer sentencing options for offenders with HFA. Finally, judges reported that they are focused on using their judicial powers and influence to provide treatment and other resources during sentencing.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
2. Elmore JL, Bruhn AM, Bobzien JL. {{Interventions for the Reduction of Dental Anxiety and Corresponding Behavioral Deficits in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Dent Hyg}. 2016; 90(2): 111-20.
PURPOSE: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can greatly inhibit a child’s communication and social interaction skills, impacting their comfort during dental hygiene treatment and services. Children with ASD may exhibit sensory sensitivities, fear of the unfamiliar and lack of socio-cognitive understanding, leading to anxiety and corresponding behavioral deficits. Since the prevalence rates for ASD have risen significantly in the past decade, increased emphasis has been placed on educational and behavior guidance techniques, which can be helpful for children with ASD because of their increased capabilities in visual-processing. The purpose of this literature review is to summarize the interventions available to reduce dental anxiety in children with ASD, and to determine which strategies are best suited for implementation by the dental hygienist. Advancements in technology and socio-behavioral interventions were assessed for appropriate use, efficacy and engagement in the target population. Interventions were categorized into the following groups: picture cards, video technologies and mobile applications.
3. Hewitt A, Hall-Lande J, Hamre K, Esler AN, Punyko J, Reichle J, Gulaid AA. {{Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Prevalence in Somali and Non-Somali Children}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2016.
The current study presents results from an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) public health surveillance project conducted in Minneapolis. The study was designed to compare ASD prevalence in Somali children (ages 7-9) to that of non-Somali children. The study adapted methodology used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Results indicated that Somali (1 in 32) and White (1 in 36) children were about equally likely to be identified with ASD, but more likely to be identified with ASD than Black and Hispanic children. Somali children with ASD were significantly more likely to have an intellectual disability than children with ASD in all other racial and ethnic groups.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
4. Hicks SD, Ignacio C, Gentile K, Middleton FA. {{Salivary miRNA profiles identify children with autism spectrum disorder, correlate with adaptive behavior, and implicate ASD candidate genes involved in neurodevelopment}}. {BMC Pediatr}. 2016; 16(1): 52.
BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that lacks adequate screening tools, often delaying diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. Despite a substantial genetic component, no single gene variant accounts for >1 % of ASD incidence. Epigenetic mechanisms that include microRNAs (miRNAs) may contribute to the ASD phenotype by altering networks of neurodevelopmental genes. The extracellular availability of miRNAs allows for painless, noninvasive collection from biofluids. In this study, we investigated the potential for saliva-based miRNAs to serve as diagnostic screening tools and evaluated their potential functional importance. METHODS: Salivary miRNA was purified from 24 ASD subjects and 21 age- and gender-matched control subjects. The ASD group included individuals with mild ASD (DSM-5 criteria and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) and no history of neurologic disorder, pre-term birth, or known chromosomal abnormality. All subjects completed a thorough neurodevelopmental assessment with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales at the time of saliva collection. A total of 246 miRNAs were detected and quantified in at least half the samples by RNA-Seq and used to perform between-group comparisons with non-parametric testing, multivariate logistic regression and classification analyses, as well as Monte-Carlo Cross-Validation (MCCV). The top miRNAs were examined for correlations with measures of adaptive behavior. Functional enrichment analysis of the highest confidence mRNA targets of the top differentially expressed miRNAs was performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID), as well as the Simons Foundation Autism Database (AutDB) of ASD candidate genes. RESULTS: Fourteen miRNAs were differentially expressed in ASD subjects compared to controls (p <0.05; FDR <0.15) and showed more than 95 % accuracy at distinguishing subject groups in the best-fit logistic regression model. MCCV revealed an average ROC-AUC value of 0.92 across 100 simulations, further supporting the robustness of the findings. Most of the 14 miRNAs showed significant correlations with Vineland neurodevelopmental scores. Functional enrichment analysis detected significant over-representation of target gene clusters related to transcriptional activation, neuronal development, and AutDB genes. CONCLUSION: Measurement of salivary miRNA in this pilot study of subjects with mild ASD demonstrated differential expression of 14 miRNAs that are expressed in the developing brain, impact mRNAs related to brain development, and correlate with neurodevelopmental measures of adaptive behavior. These miRNAs have high specificity and cross-validated utility as a potential screening tool for ASD. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
5. Kothare S, Kaleyias J. {{Is treatment in adults with intellectual and developmental disability also suffering from epilepsy different from adults with uncomplicated epilepsy?}}. {Eur J Neurol}. 2016.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
6. Popple B, Wall C, Flink L, Powell K, Discepolo K, Keck D, Mademtzi M, Volkmar F, Shic F. {{Brief Report: Remotely Delivered Video Modeling for Improving Oral Hygiene in Children with ASD: A Pilot Study}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2016.
Children with autism have heightened risk of developing oral health problems. Interventions targeting at-home oral hygiene habits may be the most effective means of improving oral hygiene outcomes in this population. This randomized control trial examined the effectiveness of a 3-week video-modeling brushing intervention delivered to patients over the internet. Eighteen children with autism were assigned to an Intervention or Control video condition. Links to videos were delivered via email twice daily. Blind clinical examiners provided plaque index ratings at baseline, midpoint, and endpoint. Results show oral hygiene improvements in both groups, with larger effect sizes in the Intervention condition. The findings provide preliminary support for the use of internet-based interventions to improve oral hygiene for children with autism.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
7. Rayan A, Ahmad M. {{Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on quality of life and positive reappraisal coping among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Res Dev Disabil}. 2016; 55: 185-96.
BACKGROUND: Previous research has supported mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) to enhance quality of life (QOL) in different populations, but no studies have been found to examine the effectiveness of MBIs on QOL among parents of children with ASD. AIM: The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of brief MBI on perceived QOL and positive stress reappraisal (PSR) among parents of children with ASD. METHODS: A quasi-experimental, with nonequivalent control group design was used. One hundred and four parents of children with ASD were equally assigned to the intervention and control groups. The study groups were matched on measures of their gender and age, and level of severity of ASD in children. The intervention group participated in MBI program for 5 weeks, while the control group had not attended the program. RESULTS: After the intervention program, results of paired samples t-test indicated that parents in the intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in measures of psychological health domain of QOL, social health domain of QOL, mindfulness, and positive stress reappraisal with medium to large effect size (P<0.01). The control group demonstrated improvement in measures of the dependent variables with small effect size. CONCLUSION: MBI is culturally adaptable, acceptable, and effective method to improve QOL and PSR in parents of children with ASD. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
