1. Grow LL, Carr JE, Kodak TM, Jostad CM, Kisamore AN. {{A comparison of methods for teaching receptive labeling to children with autism spectrum disorders}}. {J Appl Behav Anal}. 2011; 44(3): 475-98.
Many early intervention curricular manuals recommend teaching auditory-visual conditional discriminations (i.e., receptive labeling) using the simple-conditional method in which component simple discriminations are taught in isolation and in the presence of a distracter stimulus before the learner is required to respond conditionally. Some have argued that this procedure might be susceptible to faulty stimulus control such as stimulus overselectivity (Green, 2001). Consequently, there has been a call for the use of alternative teaching procedures such as the conditional-only method, which involves conditional discrimination training from the onset of intervention. The purpose of the present study was to compare the simple-conditional and conditional-only methods for teaching receptive labeling to 3 young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. The data indicated that the conditional-only method was a more reliable and efficient teaching procedure. In addition, several error patterns emerged during training using the simple-conditional method. The implications of the results with respect to current teaching practices in early intervention programs are discussed.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
2. Hamilton A, Marshal MP, Murray PJ. {{Autism spectrum disorders and menstruation}}. {J Adolesc Health}. 2011; 49(4): 443-5.
We assessed the experience of 10-25-year old women with autism spectrum disorders with menstruation through their caregivers by investigating hygiene concerns, dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, and treatments. Frequent and severe symptoms of dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome were common but had moderate morbidity rates. Hormonal contraception and other treatments were underused.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
3. Ingvarsson ET, Hollobaugh T. {{A comparison of prompting tactics to establish intraverbals in children with autism}}. {J Appl Behav Anal}. 2011; 44(3): 659-64.
We compared the efficacy of tact-to-intraverbal (i.e., using picture prompts) and echoic-to-intraverbal transfer-of-stimulus-control procedures to establish intraverbal responding in 3 boys (4 years old) with autism. For all 3 participants, the picture prompts resulted in fewer trials to criterion, but both prompting tactics were eventually effective.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
4. Keelan J, Wilson K. {{Balancing Vaccine Science and National Policy Objectives: Lessons From the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Omnibus Autism Proceedings}}. {Am J Public Health}. 2011.
The US Court of Federal Claims, which adjudicates cases for the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, has been confronted withmore than 5000 cases submitted on behalf of children with autism spectrum disorders, seeking to link the condition to vaccination. Through a test case process, the Omnibus Autism Proceedings have in every instance found no association between autism spectrum disorders and vaccines. However, vaccine advocates have criticized the courts for having an overly permissive evidentiary test for causation and for granting credence to insupportable accusations of vaccine harm. In fact, the courts have functioned as intended and have allowed for a fair hearing of vaccine concerns while maintaining confidence in vaccines and providing protection to vaccine manufacturers. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print September 22, 2011: e1-e6. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300198).
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
5. Kobak KA, Stone WL, Ousley OY, Swanson A. {{Web-based training in early autism screening: results from a pilot study}}. {Telemed J E Health}. 2011; 17(8): 640-4.
Abstract Background: Lack of familiarity with early signs of autism by community service providers has resulted in significant delays in children receiving early intervention services necessary to improve long-term outcomes. The Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children (STAT) was specifically developed to identify early behavioral features of autism. Although STAT training has been available for years, access is limited because of few STAT trainers and geographic concerns. This study evaluated the efficacy and acceptability of Web-based training of the STAT as a means of increasing accessibility to this training. Materials and Methods: Thirty professionals from three geographic areas participated. Roughly 1 of 3 had little or no training on autism assessment. The tutorial contains a general overview, administration and scoring conventions, and item-specific content and concepts. Participants completed a pretest and then completed the STAT tutorial at their own pace, followed by a post-test and a user satisfaction questionnaire. Results: Mean scores on STAT concepts significantly improved after taking the tutorial (p<0.001). At pretest, only 1 person (3%) obtained correct scores on at least 80% of the items (a priori cutoff for a « pass »), compared with 22 (73%) at post-test (p<0.001). The majority of trainees enjoyed taking the tutorial, thought it was well organized, relevant, interesting, and useful, and felt it was easy to understand and operate. Discussion: Results support Web-based training as a promising method for promoting early identification of autism and may help overcome problems associated with the critical shortage of autism-screening professionals.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
6. Lanovaz MJ, Sladeczek IE, Rapp JT. {{Effects of music on vocal stereotypy in children with autism}}. {J Appl Behav Anal}. 2011; 44(3): 647-51.
We examined the effects of manipulating the intensity (i.e., volume) of music on engagement in vocal stereotypy in 2 children with autism. Noncontingent access to music decreased immediate engagement in vocal stereotypy for each participant, but it produced only marginal effects on subsequent engagement in the behavior (i.e., after withdrawal). Manipulating the intensity of music did not produce differential effects on immediate engagement in vocal stereotypy. The implications of the results and applications for future research are discussed.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
7. Reschke-Hernandez AE. {{History of music therapy treatment interventions for children with autism}}. {J Music Ther}. 2011; 48(2): 169-207.
The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the history of music therapy research and treatment of children with autism. Understanding such history is important in order to improve clinical efficacy and inform future research. This paper includes a history of autism diagnosis, reviews strengths and limitations of music therapy practice with children with autism from 1940-2009, and suggests direction for future music therapy research and clinical practice with this population. Literature was limited to the English language and obtained with the following search terms: autism, autistic, (early) infantile autism, child, therapeutic music, musical therapy, and music therapy. Table of contents from music therapy journals were searched, and reference lists from obtained articles were perused for additional articles. This historical review focused primarily on journal articles, however, books and book chapters that appeared to hold particular historical significance were also included.
8. Sgado P, Dunleavy M, Genovesi S, Provenzano G, Bozzi Y. {{The role of GABAergic system in neurodevelopmental disorders: a focus on autism and epilepsy}}. {Int J Physiol Pathophysiol Pharmacol}. 2011; 3(3): 223-35.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and epilepsy are very common neurological disorders of childhood, with an estimated incidence of about 0.5 – 1 % in worldwide population. ASD and epilepsy are often associated, suggesting that common neurodevelopmental bases may exist for these two disorders. The neurodevelopmental bases of both ASD and epilepsy have been clearly showed by a number of genetic, neuroimaging and neuropathological studies. In recent years, dysfunction of inhibitory GABAergic circuits has been proposed as a cause for both disorders. Several studies performed on both animal models and postmortem human samples indicate that GABAergic neurons and circuits are altered in both ASD and epilepsy, suggesting that the excitation/inhibition imbalance resulting from neurodevelopmental defects in GABAergic circuitry might represent a common pathogenetic mechanism for these disorders. Here, we will review the most significant studies supporting this hypothesis.
9. Tan H, Qurashi A, Poidevin M, Nelson DL, Li H, Jin P. {{Retrotransposon activation contributes to fragile X premutation rCGG-mediated neurodegeneration}}. {Hum Mol Genet}. 2011.
Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with fragile X premutation carriers. Previous studies have shown that fragile X rCGG repeats are sufficient to cause neurodegeneration and that the rCGG repeat-binding proteins Pur alpha and hnRNP A2/B1 could modulate rCGG-mediated neuronal toxicity. Mobile genetic elements or their remnants populate the genomes, and the activities of these elements are tightly controlled for the fitness of host genomes in different organisms. Here we provide both biochemical and genetic evidence to show that the activation of a specific retrotransposon, gypsy, can modulate rCGG-mediated neurodegeneration in an FXTAS Drosophila model. We find that one of the rCGG repeat-binding proteins, hnRNP A2/B1, is involved in this process via interaction with heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1). Knockdown of gypsy RNA by RNAi could suppress the neuronal toxicity caused by rCGG repeats. These data together point to a surprisingly active role for retrotransposition in neurodegeneration.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
10. Yoshida T, Yasumura M, Uemura T, Lee SJ, Ra M, Taguchi R, Iwakura Y, Mishina M. {{IL-1 Receptor Accessory Protein-Like 1 Associated with Mental Retardation and Autism Mediates Synapse Formation by Trans-Synaptic Interaction with Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase {delta}}}. {J Neurosci}. 2011; 31(38): 13485-99.
Mental retardation (MR) and autism are highly heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders. IL-1-receptor accessory protein-like 1 (IL1RAPL1) is responsible for nonsyndromic MR and is associated with autism. Thus, the elucidation of the functional role of IL1RAPL1 will contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis of these mental disorders. Here, we showed that knockdown of endogenous IL1RAPL1 in cultured cortical neurons suppressed the accumulation of punctate staining signals for active zone protein Bassoon and decreased the number of dendritic protrusions. Consistently, the expression of IL1RAPL1 in cultured neurons stimulated the accumulation of Bassoon and spinogenesis. The extracellular domain (ECD) of IL1RAPL1 was required and sufficient for the presynaptic differentiation-inducing activity, while both the ECD and cytoplasmic domain were essential for the spinogenic activity. Notably, the synaptogenic activity of IL1RAPL1 was specific for excitatory synapses. Furthermore, we identified presynaptic protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) delta as a major IL1RAPL1-ECD interacting protein by affinity chromatography. IL1RAPL1 interacted selectively with certain forms of PTPdelta splice variants carrying mini-exon peptides in Ig-like domains. The synaptogenic activity of IL1RAPL1 was abolished in primary neurons from PTPdelta knock-out mice. IL1RAPL1 showed robust synaptogenic activity in vivo when transfected into the cortical neurons of wild-type mice but not in PTPdelta knock-out mice. These results suggest that IL1RAPL1 mediates synapse formation through trans-synaptic interaction with PTPdelta. Our findings raise an intriguing possibility that the impairment of synapse formation may underlie certain forms of MR and autism as a common pathogenic pathway shared by these mental disorders.
