1. Chen LW, Li YT, Chu CH, Wu CC, Chu CL, Wang LW, Tsai HY, Chiang CH, Huang CC. Early developmental trajectory phenotypes for risk stratification of autism spectrum disorder in very preterm infants: a machine learning approach. Mol Autism. 2025.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

2. Dufek S, Stahmer AC, Vivanti G, Hassrick EM. Exploring social network factors impacting the implementation of communication supports designed for minimally verbal autistic preschool children: a study protocol. BMC Pediatr. 2025.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

3. Han DG, Lee Y, Kim HS, Suh HW, Lee J, Shin SH, Yang M, Choi H, Kim TH, Kang JG, Ko E, Lee J, Park MH. Effectiveness and experiences of early intensive behavioral and naturalistic developmental behavior interventions for autism spectrum disorders: a mixed-methods systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2025.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by social communication deficits and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Among evidence-based practices (EBPs), interventions grounded in applied behavior analysis (ABA) principles-including Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention and naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions-are widely used. While the evidence suggests potential benefits, the findings are inconsistent, most studies carry a high risk of bias, and the quality of evidence is generally low to very low. Gaps also remain in comparisons with treatment as usual (TAU) and across intervention intensities. AIMS: This mixed-methods systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the quantitative effectiveness and qualitative experiences of ABA-based interventions for children and adolescents with ASD, addressing the methodological limitations of earlier studies, and examining comparisons with TAU. METHODS: Seven databases were searched up to August 2023 following the PRISMA guidelines. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria (16 randomized controlled trials, 9 qualitative). The quantitative outcomes included adaptive behavior, cognitive ability (IQ/DQ), language, daily living skills, socialization, joint attention, and autism symptom severity. Qualitative studies explored parents’ and practitioners’ experiences. Random-effects models were used, with subgroup analyses by intervention intensity and TAU comparisons. RESULTS: The meta-analysis revealed significant improvements in adaptive behavior (SMD = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.04-0.59, GRADE = low), daily living skills (SMD = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.08-0.64, GRADE = low), language skills (SMD = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.24-0.60, GRADE = moderate), and joint attention behavior (SMD = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.04-0.49, GRADE = low) compared with the controls. High-intensity interventions had a notably greater effect on language skills (SMD = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.42-1.01) than low-intensity interventions (SMD = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.13-0.55). Comparisons with TAU revealed significant effects on adaptive behavior (SMD = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.02-0.66), daily living skills (SMD = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.07-0.71), and language skills (SMD = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.24-0.78). Qualitative findings highlighted perceived family and practitioner benefits but also barriers such as financial constraints and variability in training quality. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the effectiveness of ABA in improving developmental and behavioral outcomes in children with ASD. However, systemic challenges and variability in outcomes underscore the need for targeted policy initiatives, enhanced training programs, and further research on the impact of ABA on core ASD symptoms.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

4. Hoshino E, Hata M, Xu M, Minagawa Y. Reward-related language processing of maternal speech in infants at different likelihood of ASD. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2025.

This longitudinal study investigated the differential impacts of maternal speech on early socio-communicative development in infants at low likelihood (LL) and elevated likelihood (EL) of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, we measured cortical responses and connectivity in 6-month-old infants while they listened to their mother’s voice and an unfamiliar female voice. LL infants exhibited extensive cortical activation and robust connectivity in temporal and frontal regions, particularly in areas associated with voice processing, reward, and language functions. In contrast, EL infants showed minimal activation and weaker connectivity in these regions. Specifically, LL infants demonstrated significant connectivity between the superior temporal gyrus and the inferior frontal gyrus on the left side, and between the orbitofrontal cortex and language areas, facilitating language processing and reward-related responses to maternal speech. These neural patterns were absent in EL infants, highlighting a neural basis for subsequent language delays. Furthermore, many of these reward-related or language-related networks predicted subsequent language development. Our findings underscore the importance of neural sensitivity to familiar human voices, regarding them as rewards that will eventually facilitate the acquisition of speech.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

5. Kubota M, Yoshihara Y, Uwatoko T, Shoji R, Near J, Dehghani M, Aoki YY, Urayama SI, Okada T, Murai T. Elevated brain glutamine levels in adults with autism spectrum disorder: A 7T MRS study. Mol Psychiatry. 2025.

Alterations in excitatory neurotransmitters, involving the glutamate (Glu) and glutamine (Gln) cycle, as well as inhibitory neurotransmission, GABA, are implicated in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) holds promise for assessing these metabolites, conventional 3 T MRI does not robustly measure them, leaving the neurochemical pathophysiology of ASD insufficiently understood. 7 T MRI enables reliable assessments of these neurometabolites by enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio and improving the spectral resolution, particularly in distinguishing neuroactive Glu from its metabolic precursor, Gln. The current 7 T MRS study has two primary objectives: first, to investigate neurometabolite levels in adults with ASD to elucidate its neurochemical pathophysiology, and second, to examine their association with symptoms of ASD. Thirty-three adults with ASD (mean age = 31 years) and 52 age-matched control adults were included. The neurometabolite levels of Glu, Gln, and GABA were assessed in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), thalamus, and right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), with most quantifications passing quality checks. Analysis of covariance revealed significant effects of diagnosis on Gln in the thalamus (p = 0.008) and right TPJ (p = 0.006), indicating elevated Gln levels in these regions in the ASD group. Among social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviors, significant negative correlations were observed in the ASD group between Gln levels and sensory symptoms. These findings suggest that alterations in the excitatory neurotransmission regulation, presumably increased cycling of the Gln-Glu circuit, may underlie the pathophysiology of ASD.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

6. Prosser R, Rumball F, King D, Steel C. Post-traumatic stress disorder in autistic and non-autistic adults: The impact of appraisals on reactions to traumatic events. Autism. 2025: 13623613251403405.

Research suggests autistic people experience greater post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity than non-autistic people following traumatic events. Post-trauma appraisals are fundamental in cognitive models of post-traumatic stress disorder, but have not been explored in autistic people. We aimed to explore whether we could replicate effects of heightened trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity in autistic adults, and examine how post-traumatic appraisals affect the association between autism and post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity. Two hundred forty-two autistic (n = 148) and non-autistic adults (n = 94) completed a survey measuring trauma exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity and post-trauma appraisals. Exposure to types of traumatic events did not differ significantly between the groups, but the autistic group endorsed more events that ‘happened to me’ directly. Post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity and endorsement of negative post-traumatic appraisals were significantly higher in the autistic group, specifically alienation, shame and fear appraisals. These appraisals mediated the association between autism and post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity. Therefore, as in the general population, greater endorsement of negative post-traumatic appraisals may be a risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder symptom development in autistic adults, particularly appraisals of shame, fear and alienation. Longitudinal designs are required to confirm the direction of these effects and to elucidate factors underlying these negative appraisals in autistic people.Lay SummaryMany people experience intrusive memories and anxiety after a traumatic event. However, for some, these symptoms last longer and they might be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Research suggests that autistic people might be more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder and experience more severe symptoms compared to non-autistic people after traumatic events. One factor that is important in post-traumatic stress disorder development is how people think about the trauma. These might be thoughts like ‘It was my fault’, ‘I’m not safe’, ‘I’m disconnected from other people’. There has not been research into how autistic people think about traumatic events compared to non-autistic people, and this could be important for making post-traumatic stress disorder treatments more effective for them, as many of these focus on thoughts. In this study, we asked 148 autistic people and 94 non-autistic people in the United Kingdom to complete an online survey about their trauma history, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and thoughts about a traumatic event. We found that autistic people experienced more types of traumatic events directly (it happened to them), but they did not experience more types of traumatic events overall. Interestingly, both groups reported events like bullying or the death of a loved one as traumatic, but these events would not meet the official diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. As expected, autistic people reported worse post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms than non-autistic people and were more likely to meet the cut-off for post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis. Autistic people also reported more negative thoughts about the trauma, especially feeling unsafe, disconnected, ashamed or that the trauma was their fault. Having more thoughts like this was associated with being autistic and experiencing more severe post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Our findings suggest that therapies focusing on these negative thoughts could be helpful for autistic people with post-traumatic stress disorder. Future research should explore why autistic people have more of these thoughts after traumatic events and should use longitudinal or experimental designs to explore how these factors influence one another over time. Efforts to prevent negative experiences, challenge negative attitudes in society towards autism and support positive autistic identity and well-being will be helpful for changing this in the future. It is also important that mental health services offer support for post-traumatic stress disorder even when events do not meet the current diagnostic criteria, as this might prevent autistic and non-autistic people who need support with post-traumatic stress disorder getting help.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)