1. Bishop-Fitzpatrick L, Minshew NJ, Eack SM. {{A Systematic Review of Psychosocial Interventions for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2012 (Jul 24)
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) spend the majority of their lives as adults, and psychosocial interventions show promise for improving outcomes in this population. This research conducted a systematic review of all peer-review studies evaluating psychosocial interventions for adults with ASD. A total of 1,217 studies were reviewed, only 13 met inclusion criteria. The majority of studies were single case studies or non-randomized controlled trials, and most focused on applied behavior analysis or social cognition training. Effects of psychosocial treatment in adults with ASD were largely positive ranging from d = 0.14-3.59, although the quantity and quality of studies is limited. There is substantial need for the rigorous development and evaluation of psychosocial treatments for adults with ASD.
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2. Braam W, Keijzer H, Struijker Boudier H, Didden R, Smits M, Curfs L. {{CYP1A2 polymorphisms in slow melatonin metabolisers: a possible relationship with autism spectrum disorder?}}. {J Intellect Disabil Res};2012 (Jul 23)
Background In some of our patients with intellectual disabilities (ID) and sleep problems, the initial good response to melatonin disappeared within a few weeks after starting treatment. In these patients melatonin levels at noon were extremely high (>50 pg/ml). We hypothesise that the disappearing effectiveness is associated with slow metabolisation of melatonin because of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of CYP1A2. Method In this pilot study we analysed DNA extracted from saliva samples of 15 consecutive patients with disappearing effectiveness of melatonin. Saliva was collected at noon and 4 pm for measuring melatonin levels. Results In all patients’ salivary melatonin levels at noon were >50 or melatonin half time was >5 h. A SNP was found in eight of 15 patients. The allele *1C was found in two patients and in six patients the *1F allele was found. Conclusions Of 15 patients with disappearing effectiveness of melatonin, seven were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and in four of them a SNP was found. The other eight patients were known with a genetic syndrome. In six of them behaviour was considered to be autistic-type and in three of them a SNP was found. This finding may give a new direction for research into the genetic background of autism.
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3. Lee NR, Wallace GL, Adeyemi EI, Lopez KC, Blumenthal JD, Clasen LS, Giedd JN. {{Dosage effects of X and Y chromosomes on language and social functioning in children with supernumerary sex chromosome aneuploidies: implications for idiopathic language impairment and autism spectrum disorders}}. {J Child Psychol Psychiatry};2012 (Jul 25)
Background: Supernumerary sex chromosome aneuploidies (X/Y-aneuploidies), the presence of extra X and/or Y chromosomes, are associated with heightened rates of language impairments and social difficulties. However, no single study has examined different language domains and social functioning in the same sample of children with tri-, tetra-, and pentasomy X/Y-aneuploidy. The current research sought to fill this gap in the literature and to examine dosage effects of X and Y chromosomes on language and social functioning. Methods: Participants included 110 youth with X/Y-aneuploidies (32 female) and 52 with typical development (25 female) matched on age (mean approximately 12 years; range 4-22) and maternal education. Participants completed the Wechsler intelligence scales, and parents completed the Children’s Communication Checklist-2 and the Social Responsiveness Scale to assess language skills and autistic traits, respectively. Results: Both supernumerary X and Y chromosomes were related to depressed structural and pragmatic language skills and increased autistic traits. The addition of a Y chromosome had a disproportionately greater impact on pragmatic language; the addition of one or more X chromosomes had a disproportionately greater impact on structural language. Conclusions: Given that we link extra X chromosomes with structural language impairments and an extra Y chromosome with pragmatic language impairments, X/Y-aneuploidies may provide clues to genetic mechanisms contributing to idiopathic language impairment and autism spectrum disorders.
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4. Ritvo ER. {{Postponing the Proposed Changes in DSM 5 for Autistic Spectrum Disorder Until New Scientific Evidence Adequately Supports Them}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2012 (Jul 24)
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5. Russell-Smith SN, Bayliss DM, Maybery MT, Tomkinson RL. {{Are the Autism and Positive Schizotypy Spectra Diametrically Opposed in Empathizing and Systemizing?}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2012 (Jul 25)
Crespi and Badcock’s (Behaviour Brain Sci 31: 241-261, 2008) novel theory, which presents autism and positive schizophrenia as diametrical opposites on a cognitive continuum, has received mixed support in the literature to date. The current study aimed to further assess the validity of this theory by investigating predictions in relation to empathizing and systemizing. Specifically, it is predicted by Crespi and Badcock that while mild autistic traits should be associated with a cognitive profile of superior mechanistic cognition (which overlaps with systemizing) but reduced mentalistic cognition (which overlaps with empathizing), positive schizotypy traits should be associated with the opposite profile of superior mentalistic but reduced mechanistic cognition. These predictions were tested in a student sample using a battery of self-report and behavioural measures. The pattern of results obtained provides no support for Crespi and Badcock’s theory.
