MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders' source. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:35:51 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5641486&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22278029%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Moore DJ, Heavey L, Reidy J Abstract The present study used the Dot-Probe paradigm to explore attentional allocation to faces compared with non-social images in high-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing controls. There was no evidence of attentional bias in either group when stimuli were presented at individually calculated sub-threshold levels. However, at supra-threshold presentation (200 ms), a face bias was found for control participants but not for those with ASD. These results add to evidence of reduced social interest in ASD, relative to controls, and further demonstrate when atypical social processing arises in the attentional time course. PMID: 22278029 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Aut... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5641486 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5641486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5641485&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22278030%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bedford R, Elsabbagh M, Gliga T, Pickles A, Senju A, Charman T, Johnson MH, Abstract Whilst joint attention (JA) impairments in autism have been widely studied, little is known about the early development of gaze following, a precursor to establishing JA. We employed eye-tracking to record gaze following longitudinally in infants with and without a family history of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at 7 and 13 months. No group difference was found between at-risk and low-risk infants in gaze following behaviour at either age. However, despite following gaze successfully at 13 months, at-risk infants with later emerging socio-communication difficulties (both those with ASD and atypical development at 36 months of age) allocated less attention to the congruent object compa... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5641485 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5641485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5641492&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22271195%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kočovská E, Biskupstø R, Carina Gillberg I, Ellefsen A, Kampmann H, Stórá T, Billstedt E, Gillberg C Abstract We have followed up a 2002 population study of autism prevalence in 15-24-year olds in the Faroe Islands. The rate of ASD grew significantly from 0.56% in 2002 to 0.94% in 2009. Although these results are within the range of typical findings from other studies, there were some interesting details. There were-in addition to 43 originally diagnosed cases in 2002-24 newly discovered cases in 2009 and nearly half of them were females. It is possible that unfamiliarity with the clinical presentation of autism in females have played a significant role in this context. There was diagnostic stability for the overall category of ASD over time in the group diagnosed in ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5641492 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5641492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5641491&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22271196%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tek S, Landa RJ Abstract Little is known about whether early symptom presentation differs in toddlers with ASD from ethnic minority versus non-minority backgrounds. Within a treatment study for toddlers with ASD, we compared 19 minority to 65 Caucasian children and their parents on variables obtained from the Mullen Scales of Early Learning, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, and Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Caregiver Questionnaire. The majority of parents were from the upper classes irrespective of ethnic membership. Minority children had lower scores in language, communication, and gross motor than non-minority children. Findings indicate that subtle communication delays may be undetected or presumed unremarkable by parents of minority toddlers, and th... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5641491 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5641491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5641488&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22274777%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examined the reliability and validity of the P-ChIPS in 61 youngsters (6- to 17-years-old) with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Reliability analyses were conducted according to level of functioning and language level. Results indicated that interrater reliability values were largely in the good to excellent range. Concordance between the P-ChIPS and the Child and Adolescent Symptoms Inventory was fair for the majority of disorders. Percent overall agreement for most disorders was good, lending support to the validity of the P-ChIPS. The results of this study suggest that the P-ChIPS is appropriate for this population. PMID: 22274777 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5641488 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5641488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5641487&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22274778%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kimhi Y, Bauminger-Zviely N Abstract Collaborative problem solving (CPS) requires sharing goals/attention and coordinating actions-all deficient in HFASD. Group differences were examined in CPS (HFASD/typical), with a friend versus with a non-friend. Participants included 28 HFASD and 30 typical children aged 3-6 years and their 58 friends and 58 non-friends. Groups were matched on CA, MA, IQ, and maternal education. The CPS task was placing pairs of blocks to balance scales. HFASD preschoolers solved the problem slower, showed more irrelevant behaviors, shared less, and used fewer coordinative gestures than TYP. But they were more responsive and had more fun with friends versus non-friends. In addition, they solved the problem more efficiently during their second attempt... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5641487 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5641487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5641493&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22271194%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yerys BE, Wolff BC, Moody E, Pennington BF, Hepburn SL Abstract Cognitive flexibility has been measured with inductive reasoning or explicit rule tasks in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Flexible Item Selection Task (FIST) differs from previous cognitive flexibility tasks in ASD research by giving children an abstract, ambiguous rule to switch. The ASD group (N = 22; Mean age = 8.28 years, SD = 1.52) achieved a lower shift percentage than the typically developing verbal mental-age control group (N = 22; Mean age = 6.26 years, SD = 0.82). There was a significant positive correlation between verbal mental age and shift percentage for children with ASD. Group differences on the FIST converge and extend prior evidence documenting an impaired... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5641493 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5641493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5641490&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22271197%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ruble L, McGrew JH, Toland MD Abstract Goal attainment scaling (GAS) holds promise as an idiographic approach for measuring outcomes of psychosocial interventions in community settings. GAS has been criticized for untested assumptions of scaling level (i.e., interval or ordinal), inter-individual equivalence and comparability, and reliability of coding across different behavioral observation methods. We tested assumptions of equality between GAS descriptions for outcome measurement in a randomized trial (i.e., measurability, equidistance, level of difficulty, comparability of behavior samples collected from teachers vs. researchers and live vs. videotape). Results suggest GAS descriptions can be evaluated for equivalency, that teacher collected behavior samples are represe... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5641490 Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5641490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5641489&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22271198%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sawyer AC, Williamson P, Young RL PMID: 22271198 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5641489 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5641489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5623516&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22234796%26dopt%3DAbstract This study was designed to examine the generalizability and validity of the First Year Inventory (FYI) in Israel. Parents completed the FYI about their 12-month-olds (N = 471). Up to one month later, 17 at-risk and 38 non-risk infants participated in an assessment in which the Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI) and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) were administered. Using the original FYI 95th percentile cutoff the risk rate in this Israeli sample was 11%. The current sample's 95th percentile cutoff was 4.8 points higher than the original US sample. Infants in the risk group obtained significantly higher AOSI scores and lower MSEL scores. Socio-demographic factors may influence risk results suggesting the need to adapt screening to serve all. PMID: 22234796 [PubMed... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5623516 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5623516 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5578653&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22230961%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rahbar MH, Samms-Vaughan M, Loveland KA, Pearson DA, Bressler J, Chen Z, Ardjomand-Hessabi M, Shakespeare-Pellington S, Grove ML, Beecher C, Bloom K, Boerwinkle E Abstract Several studies have reported maternal and paternal age as risk factors for having a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), yet the results remain inconsistent. We used data for 68 age- and sex-matched case-control pairs collected from Jamaica. Using Multivariate General Linear Models (MGLM) and controlling for parity, gestational age, and parental education, we found a significant (p < 0.0001) joint effect of parental ages on having children with ASD indicating an adjusted mean paternal age difference between cases and controls of [5.9 years; 95% CI (2.6, 9.1)] and a difference for maternal ag... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5578653 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5578653 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5578655&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22222775%26dopt%3DAbstract This report supports the hypothesis that genes in the 2q37 region may contribute to the etiology of autism, leading, however, to a peculiar evolution of the disease, with symptoms severity decreasing over time. PMID: 22222775 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5578655 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5578655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5578654&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22222776%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Barber AB, Wetherby AM, Chambers NW Abstract The present study extended the findings of Watt et al. (J Autism Dev Disord 38:1518-1533, 2008) by investigating repetitive and stereotyped behaviors (RSB) demonstrated by children (n = 50) and typical development (TD; n = 50) matched on developmental age, gender, and parents' education level. RSB were coded from videotaped Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Behavior Samples (Wetherby and Prizant 2002) using the Noldus Pro Observer© video software. Children with ASD demonstrated significantly higher frequencies of RSB with body objects excluding categories involving banging or tapping objects or surfaces. Behaviors demonstrated by both groups indicated overlapping RSB profiles at this age. These findings highlight t... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5578654 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5578654 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5560997&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22215435%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kaartinen M, Puura K, Mäkelä T, Rannisto M, Lemponen R, Helminen M, Salmelin R, Himanen SL, Hietanen JK Abstract The present study investigated whether autonomic arousal to direct gaze is related to social impairments among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Arousal was measured through skin conductance responses (SCR) while the participants (15 children with ASD and 16 control children) viewed a live face of another person. Impairments in social skills was assessed with the Developmental, Dimensional and Diagnostic Interview. The level of arousal enhancement to direct gaze in comparison to arousal to faces with averted gaze or closed eyes was positively associated with impairments in social skills (use of language and other social communication skills and use... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5560997 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5560997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5560996&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22215436%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examined the social impact of being a typical peer model as part of a social skills intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants were drawn from a randomized-controlled-treatment trial that examined the effects of targeted interventions on the social networks of 60 elementary-aged children with ASD. Results demonstrated that typical peer models had higher social network centrality, received friendships, friendship quality, and less loneliness than non-peer models. Peer models were also more likely to be connected with children with ASD than non-peer models at baseline and exit. These results suggest that typical peers can be socially connected to children with ASD, as well as other classmates, and maintain a strong and positive role within the clas... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5560996 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5560996 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5535730&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22190045%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Baranek GT, Danko CD, Skinner ML, Bailey DB, Hatton DD, Roberts JE, Mirrett PL PMID: 22190045 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5535730 Sat, 24 Dec 2011 04:00:13 +0100 5535730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5535732&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22189962%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Siegel M, Doyle K, Chemelski B, Payne D, Ellsworth B, Harmon J, Robbins D, Milligan B, Lubetsky M Abstract A cross sectional survey was performed to obtain the characteristics of specialized inpatient psychiatry units exclusively serving children with autism and other developmental disorders in the United States. Identified units were surveyed on basic demographic characteristics, clinical challenges and therapeutic modalities. Average length of stay was 42.3 days, children with autism spectrum disorders constituted the majority of the inpatient population (62.5-87.5%), and obtaining adequate post-discharge services was identified as the greatest challenge. Health policy implications and future research directions are suggested. PMID: 22189962 [PubMed - as supplied by... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5535732 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5535732 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5535731&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22189963%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Paton B, Hohwy J, Enticott PG Abstract Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterised by differences in unimodal and multimodal sensory and proprioceptive processing, with complex biases towards local over global processing. Many of these elements are implicated in versions of the rubber hand illusion (RHI), which were therefore studied in high-functioning individuals with ASD and a typically developing control group. Both groups experienced the illusion. A number of differences were found, related to proprioception and sensorimotor processes. The ASD group showed reduced sensitivity to visuotactile-proprioceptive discrepancy but more accurate proprioception. This group also differed on acceleration in subsequent reach trials. Results are discussed in terms of weak top-do... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5535731 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5535731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5535733&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22187108%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cheely CA, Carpenter LA, Letourneau EJ, Nicholas JS, Charles J, King LB Abstract Past surveys have reported high rates of youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system, however, little research has examined the frequency with which youth with Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are in contact with law enforcement. Using records linkage with the Department of Juvenile Justice and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the South Carolina Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Program (SC ADDM), this study compares the frequency, type, and outcome of criminal charges for youth with ASD and non-ASD youth. Youth with ASD had higher rates of crimes against persons and lower rates of crimes against property. Youth with ASD were more likely to be diverted i... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5535733 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5535733 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5535734&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22183423%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bölte S Abstract The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is a tool for quantitative autism assessment in children and adolescents. The SRS-A addresses social responsiveness in adulthood. Reliability and validity using the German adaptation of the SRS-A was examined in 20 adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), 62 with other mental disorders (CLIN) and 163 typically developing (TD) participants. Cronbach's alpha ranged from .71 (TD) to .89 (ASD). A SRS-A total score of 67 had a sensitivity of .85, and a specificity of .83 for ASD versus CLIN/TD. Correlations with established autism scales (ADOS, AQ, SCQ) were moderate to high (r = .25-.83). Results provide adequate preliminary support for the application of the SRS-A. PMID: 22183423 [PubMed - as supplied by publish... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5535734 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5535734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5535735&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22180003%26dopt%3DAbstract This study used the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC2) to assess motor skills in children aged 7-10 years with autism (n = 18) in comparison to two groups of age-matched typically developing children; a receptive vocabulary matched group (n = 19) and a nonverbal IQ matched group (n = 22). The results supported previous work, as indicated by a significant general motor impairment in the group with autism. However, sub-analysis of the M-ABC2 revealed that there were only 2 out of 8 subcomponent skills which showed universal significant specific deficits for the autism group; i.e. catching a ball and static balance. These results suggest that motor skill deficits associated with autism may not be pervasive but more apparent in activities demanding complex, interceptive a... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5535735 Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5535735 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514286&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22173844%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee BK, Gardner RM, Dal H, Svensson A, Galanti MR, Rai D, Dalman C, Magnusson C Abstract Prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke is suggested as a potential risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Previous epidemiological studies of this topic have yielded mixed findings. We performed a case-control study of 3,958 ASD cases and 38,983 controls nested in a large register-based cohort in Sweden. ASD case status was measured using a multisource case ascertainment system. In adjusted results, we found that maternal smoking during pregnancy is not associated with increased risk of ASD regardless of presence or absence of comorbid intellectual disability. Apparent associations were attributable to confounding by sociodemographic characteristics of parents such as education, ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514286 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514286 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514289&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22167342%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Smith LE, Seltzer MM, Greenberg JS Abstract Health symptoms of mothers of adolescents and adults with fragile X syndrome (FXS; n = 112) were compared to a nationally-representative sample of mothers of similarly-aged children without disabilities (n = 230) as well as to a sample of mothers of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD; n = 96). Health symptoms experienced in the previous 24 h were recorded during 8 consecutive days of a daily diary study. Both mothers of a son or daughter with FXS and mothers of a son or daughter with ASD had a higher proportion of days with headaches, backaches, muscle soreness, fatigue, and hot flashes than mothers of children without disabilities. Mothers of children with disabilities appear to be at particular ri... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514289 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514297&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22160347%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Welterlin A, Turner-Brown LM, Harris S, Mesibov G, Delmolino L Abstract The study evaluated the efficacy a parent training intervention for children with autism based on the TEACCH model. Twenty families were randomly assigned to the treatment or waitlist group. All families were compared at pre- and post-treatment on formal dependent measures. Direct measures of behavior were compared across six matched pairs using a multiple baseline probe design. The results of the multiple baseline design showed robust support for improvement in child and parent behavior. Due to the sample size and short time frame, results of a repeated measures analysis of variance did not reach significance. PMID: 22160347 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Develo... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514297 Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514297 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514296&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22160348%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Smith LE, Greenberg JS, Seltzer MM Abstract The present study investigated the impact of social support on the psychological well-being of mothers of adolescents and adults with ASD (n = 269). Quantity of support (number of social network members) as well as valence of support (positive support and negative support) were assessed using a modified version of the "convoy model" developed by Antonucci and Akiyama (1987). Having a larger social network was associated with improvements in maternal well-being over an 18-month period. Higher levels of negative support as well as increases in negative support over the study period were associated with increases in depressive symptoms and negative affect and decreases in positive affect. Social support predicted changes in well-b... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514296 Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514299&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22160299%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Atladóttir HO, Schendel DE, Lauritsen MB, Henriksen TB, Parner ET Abstract The aim of this study was to study patterns of contact with hospital for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using Danish population based register data. We included all children born in Denmark from 1994 through 2002. We found that children diagnosed with ASD had an increased rate of contact with hospital, almost regardless of the cause for the hospital contact. Given the overall association between hospital contact for various causes and ASD observed in these data, hospital data should be used cautiously in future studies searching for associations between a specific disease and ASD. If the increased rate of hospital contact overall for children with ASD is not considered, then misleadin... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514299 Sat, 10 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514298&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22160300%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Malow B, Adkins KW, McGrew SG, Wang L, Goldman SE, Fawkes D, Burnette C Abstract Supplemental melatonin has shown promise in treating sleep onset insomnia in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Twenty-four children, free of psychotropic medications, completed an open-label dose-escalation study to assess dose-response, tolerability, safety, feasibility of collecting actigraphy data, and ability of outcome measures to detect change during a 14-week intervention. Supplemental melatonin improved sleep latency, as measured by actigraphy, in most children at 1 or 3 mg dosages. It was effective in week 1 of treatment, maintained effects over several months, was well tolerated and safe, and showed improvement in sleep, behavior, and parenting stress. Our findings cont... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514298 Sat, 10 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514295&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22160370%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mazurek MO, Shattuck PT, Wagner M, Cooper BP Abstract Anecdotal reports indicate that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are often preoccupied with television, computers, and video games (screen-based media). However, few studies have examined this issue. The current study examined screen-based media use among a large, nationally representative sample of youths participating in the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). The majority of youths with ASD (64.2%) spent most of their free time using non-social media (television, video games), while only 13.2% spent time on social media (email, internet chatting). Compared with other disability groups (speech/language impairments, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities), rates of non-social med... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514295 Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514294&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22160371%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we compared attention to social scenes in 15 high-functioning individuals with autism (ASD) and matched typically developing (TD) individuals. Eye-tracking was recorded while participants were presented with pairs of scenes, either emotional positive-neutral, emotional negative-neutral or neutral-neutral scenes. Early allocation of attention, the first image fixated in each pair, differed between groups: contrary to TD individuals who showed the typical threat-detection advantage towards negative images, the ASD group failed to show a bias toward threat-related scenes. Later processing of stimuli, indicated by the total fixation to the images during the 3-s presentation, was found unaffected in the ASD group. These results support the hypothesis of an early atypical allocati... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514294 Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514294 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514312&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22146932%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ververi A, Vargiami E, Papadopoulou V, Tryfonas D, Zafeiriou DI Abstract The purpose of this study is to describe clinical and laboratory data, as well as comorbid disorders in Greek children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Data were retrospectively collected for 222 children aged 1.5-9 years. The mean age at diagnosis was 43.7 ± 17.6 months. Significantly earlier diagnoses were noted in children with comorbid disorders (epilepsy, hearing deficits, genetic/metabolic disorders), mental retardation and a large head circumference (HC). Macrocephaly (HC ≥ 97th percentile) was found in 21.2% of children, genetic and metabolic disorders in 11.7% and 2.7% respectively and mental retardation in 23%. Patients with certain clinical features (i.e. syndromic) are earlie... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514312 Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514312 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514306&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22146933%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wild KS, Poliakoff E, Jerrison A, Gowen E Abstract To investigate how people with Autism are affected by the presence of goals during imitation, we conducted a study to measure movement kinematics and eye movements during the imitation of goal-directed and goal-less hand movements. Our results showed that a control group imitated changes in movement kinematics and increased the level that they tracked the hand with their eyes, in the goal-less compared to goal-direction condition. In contrast, the ASD group exhibited more goal-directed eye movements, and failed to modulate the observed movement kinematics successfully in either condition. These results increase the evidence for impaired goal-less imitation in ASD, and suggest that there is a reliance on goal-directed strat... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514306 Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514303&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22146934%26dopt%3DAbstract This study used a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of a focused imitation intervention on initiation of joint attention and social-emotional functioning in 27 young children with autism. Results indicated the treatment group made significantly more gains in joint attention initiations at post-treatment and follow-up and social-emotional functioning at follow-up than the control group. Although gains in social functioning were associated with treatment, a mediation analysis did not support imitation as the mechanism of action. These findings suggest the intervention improves social functioning in children with ASD. PMID: 22146934 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514303 Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514303 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514315&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22143742%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schanding GT, Nowell KP, Goin-Kochel RP Abstract Limited research exists regarding the role of teachers in screening for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The current study examined the use of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) as completed by parents and teachers about school-age children from the Simons Simplex Collection. Using the recommended cutoff scores in the manuals and extant literature, the teacher-completed SCQ and SRS yielded lower sensitivity and specificity values than would be desirable; however, lowering the cutoff scores on both instruments improved sensitivity and specificity to more adequate levels for screening purposes. Using the adjusted cutoff scores, the SRS teacher form appears to be a slightly better... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514315 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514317&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22139431%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gastgeb HZ, Dundas EM, Minshew NJ, Strauss MS Abstract There is a growing amount of evidence suggesting that individuals with autism have difficulty with categorization. One basic cognitive ability that may underlie this difficulty is the ability to abstract a prototype. The current study examined prototype and category formation with dot patterns in high-functioning adults with autism and matched controls. Individuals with autism were found to have difficulty forming prototypes and categories of dot patterns. The eye-tracking data did not reveal any between group differences in attention to the dot patterns. However, relationships between performance and intelligence in the autism group suggest possible processing differences between the groups. Results are consistent wit... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514317 Sat, 03 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514321&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22124580%26dopt%3DAbstract This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We searched the literature using 15 databases. Eleven randomized clinical trials (RCTs) met our inclusion criteria. Most had significant methodological weaknesses. The studies' statistical and clinical heterogeneity prevented us from conducting a meta-analysis. Two RCTs found that acupuncture plus conventional language therapy was superior to sham acupuncture plus conventional therapy. Two other RCTs found that acupuncture produced significant effects compared with conventional language therapy or complex interventions. Three RCTs suggested that acupuncture plus conventional therapies had beneficial effects compared with conventional therapy alone. Four more RCTs reported that su... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514321 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514321 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514323&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22113746%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hudson M, Burnett HG, Jellema T Abstract We investigated whether individuals with a mild form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are influenced by an actor's gaze direction when anticipating how an observed action will continue in the immediate future. Participants observed a head rotate towards them, while the gaze direction was either leading, or lagging behind, rotation. They also observed identical rotations of a cylinder containing the geometrical equivalent of the gaze manipulation. The control group was influenced by the gaze manipulations for the animate but not the inanimate stimulus. The ASD group did not discriminate between the stimuli, showing a similar influence for both. This suggests that the ASD responses in the animate condition were biased by the low-leve... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514323 Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514327&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22105140%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dowd AM, McGinley JL, Taffe JR, Rinehart NJ Abstract This paper examines the upper-limb movement kinematics of young children (3-7 years) with high-functioning autism using a point-to-point movement paradigm. Consistent with prior findings in older children, a difference in movement preparation was found in the autism group (n = 11) relative to typically developing children. In contrast to typically developing children, the presence of a visual distractor in the movement task did not appear to impact on early movement planning or execution in children with autism, suggesting that this group were not considering all available environmental cues to modulate movement. The findings from this study are consistent with the possibility that autism is associated with a difficul... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514327 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514326&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22105141%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cuccaro ML, Tuchman RF, Hamilton KL, Wright HH, Abramson RK, Haines JL, Gilbert JR, Pericak-Vance M Abstract Epilepsy co-occurs frequently in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Understanding this co-occurrence requires a better understanding of the ASD-epilepsy phenotype (or phenotypes). To address this, we conducted latent class cluster analysis (LCCA) on an ASD dataset (N = 577) which included 64 individuals with epilepsy. We identified a 5-cluster solution with one cluster showing a high rate of epilepsy (29%), earlier age at first recognition, and high rates of repetitive object use and unusual sensory interests. We also conducted LCCA on an ASD-epilepsy subset from the overall dataset (N = 64) which yielded three clusters, the largest of which had impairments in lan... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514326 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514326 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514325&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22105142%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Assouline SG, Foley Nicpon M, Dockery L Abstract We are not well informed regarding the ability-achievement relationship for twice-exceptional individuals (very high cognitive ability and a diagnosed disability, e.g., autism spectrum disorder [ASD]). The research question for this investigation (N = 59) focused on the predictability of achievement among variables related to ability and education in a twice-exceptional sample of students (cognitive ability of 120 [91st percentile], or above, and diagnosed with ASD). We determined that WISC-IV Working Memory and Processing Speed Indices were both significantly positively correlated with achievement in math, reading, and written language. WISC Perceptual Reasoning Index was uniquely predictive of Oral Language test scores. ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514325 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514324&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22105143%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examined the prevalence of neuroradiologic findings in children with high functioning ASD, and compared these rates to those in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and children who are typically developing (TD). Results showed that approximately 90% of children had normal MRI scans. There was no significant effect of diagnosis on the total number of neuroradiological findings or the number of specific brain findings. Implications and future research directions are discussed. PMID: 22105143 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514324 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514329&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22102292%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Grynszpan O, Nadel J, Martin JC, Simonin J, Bailleul P, Wang Y, Gepner D, Le Barillier F, Constant J Abstract Atypical visual behaviour has been recently proposed to account for much of social misunderstanding in autism. Using an eye-tracking system and a gaze-contingent lens display, the present study explores self-monitoring of eye motion in two conditions: free visual exploration and guided exploration via blurring the visual field except for the focal area of vision. During these conditions, thirteen students with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (HFASD) and fourteen typical individuals were presented naturalistic and interactive social stimuli using virtual reality. Fixation data showed a weaker modulation of eye movements according to the conditions in the ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514329 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5514328&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22102293%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Brookman-Frazee LI, Drahota A, Stadnick N Abstract Research on moving evidence-based practice (EBP) intervention strategies to community service settings for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is urgently needed. The current pilot study addresses this need by examining the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary outcomes of training therapists practicing in community mental health (CMH) clinics to deliver a package of EBP strategies aimed to reduce challenging behaviors in school-age children with ASD. Results indicate that CMH therapists participated in both initial and ongoing training, were able to deliver the intervention with fidelity, and perceived the intervention strategies as useful. Parents participated in almost all sessions with their children and... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5514328 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5514328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5422056&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22089166%26dopt%3DAbstract We describe the services used by 152 children aged 24-60 months with autism, report family out-of-pocket expenses and productivity losses, and explore the relationship between family characteristics and costs. Children received a wide range of hospital and community services including relatively high levels of contact with speech and language therapists and paediatricians. Total service costs varied greatly (mean £430 per month; range £53 to £1,116), with some families receiving little statutory support. Higher costs were associated with increasing age and symptom severity. PMID: 22089166 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5422056 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5422056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5422055&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22089167%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: McGrew SG, Peters BR, Crittendon JA, Veenstra-Vanderweele J Abstract Genetic testing is recommended for patients with ASD; however specific recommendations vary by specialty. American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Neurology guidelines recommend G-banded karyotype and Fragile X DNA. The American College of Medical Genetics recommends Chromosomal Microarray Analysis (CMA). We determined the yield of CMA (N = 85), karyotype (N = 119), and fragile X (N = 174) testing in a primary pediatrics autism practice. We found twenty (24%) patients with abnormal CMA results (eight were clinically significant), three abnormal karyotypes and one Fragile X syndrome. There was no relationship between CMA result and cognitive level, seizures, dysmorphology, congenital ma... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5422055 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5422055 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5422057&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22083783%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Green D PMID: 22083783 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5422057 Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5422057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5422058&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22071788%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Watson LR, Roberts JE, Baranek GT, Mandulak KC, Dalton JC Abstract Young boys with autism were compared to typically developing boys on responses to nonsocial and child-directed speech (CDS) stimuli. Behavioral (looking) and physiological (heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia) measures were collected. Boys with autism looked equally as much as chronological age-matched peers at nonsocial stimuli, but less at CDS stimuli. Boys with autism and language age-matched peers differed in patterns of looking at live versus videotaped CDS stimuli. Boys with autism demonstrated faster heart rates than chronological age-matched peers, but did not differ significantly on respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Reduced attention during CDS may restrict language-learning opportunities for c... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5422058 Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5422058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5422060&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22068820%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Siegel M, Beaulieu AA Abstract This paper presents a systematic review, rating and synthesis of the empirical evidence for the use of psychotropic medications in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Thirty-three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in peer-reviewed journals qualified for inclusion and were coded and analyzed using a systematic evaluative method specific to autism research (Reichow et al. in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 38:1311-1319, 2008). Results are presented by agent and primary target symptom(s). The findings suggest established evidence for relatively few agents, with preliminary and promising evidence for a larger group. Challenges and opportunities in the developing field of ASD psychopharmacology are identified, ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5422060 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5422060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5422059&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22068821%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Saalasti S, Kätsyri J, Tiippana K, Laine-Hernandez M, von Wendt L, Sams M Abstract Audiovisual speech perception was studied in adults with Asperger syndrome (AS), by utilizing the McGurk effect, in which conflicting visual articulation alters the perception of heard speech. The AS group perceived the audiovisual stimuli differently from age, sex and IQ matched controls. When a voice saying /p/ was presented with a face articulating /k/, the controls predominantly heard /k/. Instead, the AS group heard /k/ and /t/ with almost equal frequency, but with large differences between individuals. There were no differences in gaze direction or unisensory perception between the AS and control participants that could have contributed to the audiovisual differences. We suggest an ex... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5422059 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5422059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5422061&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22057879%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Steiner AM, Goldsmith TR, Snow AV, Chawarska K Abstract Recent advances in clinical research have made it possible to diagnosis autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as early as the second year of life. The diagnostic process early in development is often complex, and thus, familiarity with the most recent findings in clinical assessment instruments, early symptoms, and developmental trajectories of young children with autism is essential. This paper provides an empirically based practitioner's guide to issues and concerns related to early diagnosis of ASD in very young children, documentation of the course and patterns of ASD symptomatology in infants and toddlers, and current understanding in the field of diagnostic outcomes of children identified in the first and second year ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5422061 Sun, 06 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5422061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380326&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22048961%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Malenfant P, Liu X, Hudson ML, Qiao Y, Hrynchak M, Riendeau N, Hildebrand MJ, Cohen IL, Chudley AE, Forster-Gibson C, Mickelson EC, Rajcan-Separovic E, Lewis ME, Holden JJ Abstract Duplications of 7q11.23, deleted in Williams-Beuren Syndrome, have been implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). A 1.5 Mb duplication was identified in one girl with severe expressive language deficits and anxiety among 1,142 ASD individuals screened for this duplication. Family-based association studies of Tag-SNPs in three genes (STX1A , CYLN2 and GTF2i) in two multiplex autism family cohorts revealed strong association of two GTF2i SNPs and their haplotype in Cohort 1 and the combined families. The risk alleles and haplotype were associated with severe problems in ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380326 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380326 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380325&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22048962%26dopt%3DAbstract We report estimated ASD prevalence rates from a population study of 2-year-old children conducted in 2010 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Screening for ASD had been introduced at all child health centers at child age 21/2 years. All children with suspected ASD were referred for evaluation to one center, serving the whole city of Gothenburg. The prevalence for all 2-year-olds referred in 2010 and diagnosed with ASD was 0.80%. Corresponding rates for 2-year-olds referred to the center in 2000 and 2005 (when no population screening occurred) were 0.18 and 0.04%. Results suggest that early screening contributes to a large increase in diagnosed ASD cases. PMID: 22048962 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380325 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380341&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22009628%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Amin SB, Smith T, Wang H Abstract Using guidelines of the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology Group, we systematically reviewed the literature on neonatal jaundice (unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in term and preterm infants. Thirteen studies were included in a meta-analysis. Most used retrospective matched case-control designs. There was significant heterogeneity (Q = 31, p = 0.002) and no evidence of publication bias (p = 0.12). Overall, jaundice, assessed by total serum bilirubin (TSB), was associated with ASD (OR, 1.43, 95% CI 1.22-1.67, random effect model). This association was not found in preterms (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.38-1.02) but deserves further investigation since other measures of bilirubin such as unbou... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380341 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380341 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380335&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22042306%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim SH, Lord C PMID: 22042306 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380335 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380331&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22042307%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Barnes JL, Baron-Cohen S Abstract Previous work on story-telling ability in autism spectrum conditions (ASC) has found a pattern of relatively intact use of story grammar in ASC narratives; however, prior analysis has concentrated primarily on whether specific story components are included, rather than how they are included. The present study analyzes an existing narrative dataset, concentrating on the kind of information that individuals with and without high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome include about story elements such as setting, character, conflict, and resolution. This analysis showed that individuals with ASC are biased toward providing local over global details about each element, regardless of whether the element involved mental content. These results a... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380331 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380330&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22042308%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examined empathic responding to parental distress in toddlers at risk for an ASD. Children later diagnosed with an ASD engaged in less empathic responding at 24 and 30 months than children with no later diagnosis. Lower empathic responding was associated with higher autism symptomatology at 30 months. This is the first study to examine empathy deficits in response to parental distress in toddlers prior to ASD diagnosis. Early empathic responding may represent a unique developing social skill that indexes the overall severity of later ASD symptomatology in at-risk children. PMID: 22042308 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380330 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380328&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22042309%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Koegel RL, Bharoocha AA, Ribnick CB, Ribnick RC, Bucio MO, Fredeen RM, Koegel LK Abstract Inflexibility is a major characteristic of autism. In the present study we addressed inflexible mealtime behaviors and collected longitudinal data across 48 foods for 3 children, ages 6.4-7.8 years, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, for up to 22 weeks. Participants exhibited severe challenges with adherence to an extremely restricted repertoire of foods. We employed clinical replication and multiple baseline designs across participants to assess the effects of individualized reinforcement and hierarchical exposure to increase flexibility. Results showed that following intervention, all participants expanded their food repertoire and spontaneously requested new foods during fo... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380328 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380327&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22042310%26dopt%3DAbstract We describe the services used by 152 children aged 24-60 months with autism, report family out-of-pocket expenses and productivity losses, and explore the relationship between family characteristics and costs. Children received a wide range of hospital and community services including relatively high levels of contact with speech and language therapists and paediatricians. Total service costs varied greatly (mean £430 per month; range £53-£1,116), with some families receiving little statutory support. Higher costs were associated with increasing age and symptom severity. PMID: 22042310 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380327 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380337&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22038290%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: van Tongerloo MA, Bor HH, Lagro-Janssen AL Abstract It takes considerable time before Autism Spectrum Disorders are diagnosed. Validated diagnostic instruments are available, but not applicable to primary healthcare. By means of a case-control study we investigated whether there were differences in presented complaints and referral patterns between children with ASD (n = 49) and a control group of children without ASD (n = 81). Children with ASD were often presented as crybabies and often showed feeding problems. They visited the GP's surgery more often with anxiety disorders, enuresis, and sleeping disorders. They were referred more often to physiotherapists and speech-therapists and had tympanostomy tubes and tonsillectomies more often. Depression in the parents of c... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380337 Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380337 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380336&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22038291%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tyson KE, Cruess DG Abstract Both high-functioning autism (HFA) and social phobia (SP) involve profound social interaction deficits. Although these disorders share some similar symptoms, they are conceptualized as distinct. Because both HFA and SP are defined behaviorally, the degree of overlap between the two disorders may result in misinterpretation of symptoms. However, the deficits in each disorder differ, particularly in areas of social interaction, emotion recognition and expression, and communication. This paper reviews the literature that informs our current understanding of the behavioral overlaps and differences in HFA and SP. The review also addresses the implications of our current knowledge of these two disorders for differential diagnosis, treatment, and futu... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380336 Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380338&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22038289%26dopt%3DAbstract This article focuses on the impact of intentionality on goal directed locomotion in healthy and autistic children. Closely linked with emotions and motivation, it is directly connected with movement planning. Is planning only preserved when the goal of the action appears motivating for healthy and autistic children? Is movement programming similar for autistic and healthy children, and does it vary according to the emotional valence of the object? Moving in a straight line, twenty autistic and healthy children had to retrieve a positive or aversive emotional valence object. The results suggest planning and programming are preserved in an emotionally positive situation. However, in an aversive situation, autistic children appear to have a deficit in terms of planning and sometimes programmi... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380338 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380338 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380340&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22012245%26dopt%3DAbstract This study provides evidence of multiple patterns of reactivity to fetal brain proteins by maternal antibodies associated with ASD and specific childhood behavioral outcomes. PMID: 22012245 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380340 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380340 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380339&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22012246%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Maenner MJ, Arneson CL, Levy SE, Kirby RS, Nicholas JS, Durkin MS Abstract Recent reports suggest certain behaviors among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may indicate underlying gastro-intestinal (GI) problems, and that the presence of these behaviors may help alert primary care providers to the need to evaluate a child with ASD for GI problems. The purpose of this population-based study of 487 children with ASD, including 35 (7.2%) with a medically documented history of GI problems, was to compare behavioral features of children with and without a history of GI problems. Unusual sleeping or eating habits and oppositional behavior were significantly associated with GI problems. These behaviors, however, were frequent in both children with and without GI probl... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380339 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380342&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22009524%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Channon S, Collins R, Swain E, Young MB, Fitzpatrick S Abstract Individuals high or low in self-reported social skill were recruited opportunistically. When presented with everyday social scenarios ending with an awkward request or offer, the high social skill participants more often used sophisticated strategies that showed greater consideration for all parties. By contrast, the low skill participants were more reliant on simple strategies including acquiescence or refusal, and the emotional tone of their responses was less positive. Greater reliance on sophisticated rather than simple strategies may be linked to more successful social interactions. The potential implications are considered for understanding everyday performance in skilled individuals and populations with... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380342 Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5380343&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22006402%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tavassoli T, Baron-Cohen S Abstract Sensory issues are widely reported in Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC). Since taste perception is one of the least studied senses in ASC we explored taste identification in adults with ASC (12 males, 11 females) compared to control participants (14 males, 12 females). 'Taste strips' were used to measure taste identification overall, as well as bitter, sour, sweet and salty tastes. Results revealed lower taste scores overall in the ASC group, as well as for bitter, sour and sweet tastes. Salty taste scores did not differ between the groups. Examining error types showed that adults with ASC more often misidentified a taste as salty or as no taste. Future studies should investigate underlying mechanisms of taste identification difficulties ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5380343 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5380343 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5313317&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21986874%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dundas EM, Best CA, Minshew NJ, Strauss MS Abstract It has been established that typically developing individuals have a bias to attend to facial information in the left visual field (LVF) more than in the right visual field. This bias is thought to arise from the right hemisphere's advantage for processing facial information, with evidence suggesting it to be driven by the configural demands of face processing. Considering research showing that individuals with autism have impaired face processing abilities, with marked deficits in configural processing, it was hypothesized that they would not demonstrate a LVF bias for faces. Eye-tracking technology was used to show that individuals with autism were not spontaneously biased to facial information in the LVF, in contrast t... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5313317 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5313317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5313316&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21986875%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chevallier C, Grèzes J, Molesworth C, Berthoz S, Happé F Abstract Diminished social motivation is one of the most striking features in autism. Yet, few studies have directly assessed the value people with an ASD place on social interactions, or how rewarding they report it to be. In the present study, we directly measure social motivation by looking at responses to a questionnaire assessing self-reported pleasure in social and non social situations. Twenty-nine adolescents with ASD and matched controls took part in the study. Our results reveal that children with an ASD differ from the controls with respect to social enjoyment, but not with respect to physical and other sources of hedonism. Further analyses demonstrate that the degree of social anhedonia correlates with ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5313316 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5313316 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5313318&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21984214%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dempsey AG, Llorens A, Brewton C, Mulchandani S, Goin-Kochel RP Abstract Research findings describing the emotional and behavioral functioning of typically developing (TD) siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are contradictory. Methodological issues, such as small study sample sizes and reliance on parent report, may contribute to inconsistent findings. The purpose of this study was to use parent and teacher report to describe presence of internalizing and externalizing behaviors among a large sample (n = 486) of TD siblings of children with ASD. Results indicated that siblings did not exhibit a disproportionate prevalence of internalizing or externalizing symptoms in comparison to the standardization sample of the rating scale. The presence of a sib... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5313318 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5313318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5313320&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21979108%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Erickson LC, Scott-Van Zeeland AA, Hamilton G, Lincoln A, Golomb BA Abstract We piloted a suite of approaches aimed to facilitate a successful series of up to four brain and muscle (31)Phosphorus-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ((31)P-MRS) scans performed in one session in 12 awake, non-sedated subjects (ages 6-18), 6 with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 6 controls. We targeted advanced preparation, parental input, physical comfort, short scan protocols, allocation of extra time, and subject emotional support. 100% of subjects completed at least one brain scan and one leg muscle scan: 42 of 46 attempted scans were completed (91%), with failures dominated by exercise muscle scans (completed in 6/6 controls but 3/6 cases). One completed scan lacked usable data unrelated ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5313320 Fri, 07 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5313320 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5313319&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21979109%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Anderson GM, Hertzig ME, McBride PA Abstract Possible explanations for the well-replicated platelet hyperserotonemia of autism include an alteration in the platelet's handling of serotonin (5-hydroxyserotonin, 5-HT) or an increased exposure of the platelet to 5-HT. Measurement of platelet-poor plasma (PPP) levels of 5-HT appears to provide the best available index of in vivo exposure of the platelet to 5-HT. Mean (±SD) concentrations of PPP 5-HT observed in the autism (N = 18), hyperserotonemic subgroup (N = 5) and control (N = 24) groups were 0.86 ± 0.53, 0.87 ± 0.43 and 0.86 ± 0.36 nM, respectively. The results suggest that the hyperserotonemia of autism is not due to increased exposure of the platelet to 5-HT and make it more likely that the factor(s) c... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5313319 Fri, 07 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5313319 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5313321&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21972117%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sansone SM, Widaman KF, Hall SS, Reiss AL, Lightbody A, Kaufmann WE, Berry-Kravis E, Lachiewicz A, Brown EC, Hessl D Abstract Animal studies elucidating the neurobiology of fragile X syndrome (FXS) have led to multiple controlled trials in humans, with the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C) commonly adopted as a primary outcome measure. A multi-site collaboration examined the psychometric properties of the ABC-C in 630 individuals (ages 3-25) with FXS using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Results support a six-factor structure, with one factor unchanged (Inappropriate Speech), four modified (Irritability, Hyperactivity, Lethargy/Withdrawal, and Stereotypy), and a new Social Avoidance factor. A comparison with ABC-C data from individuals with genera... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5313321 Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5313321 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5313323&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21969075%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we investigated the activation of caspases, cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteases involved in apoptosis and several other cell functions in PBMCs from 15 ASD children compared to age-matched normal healthy developing controls. The mRNA levels for caspase-1, -2, -4, -5 were significantly increased in ASD children as compared to healthy subjects. Protein levels of Caspase-3, -7, -12 were also increased in ASD patients. Our data are suggestive of a possible role of the capsase pathway in ASD clinical outcome and of the use of caspase as potential diagnostic and/or therapeutic tools in ASD management. PMID: 21969075 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5313323 Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5313323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5313322&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21969076%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Reed P Abstract Stimulus over-selectivity occurs when one aspect of the environment controls behavior at the expense of other equally salient aspects. Participants were trained on a match-to-sample (MTS) discrimination task. Levels of over-selectivity in a group of children (4-18 years) with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) were compared with a mental-aged matched typically-developing group. There was more over-selectivity in the ASD group. When retention intervals were added between the sample and comparisons in the MTS task, both groups showed an increased level of over-selectivity, with the ASD group showing a more pronounced effect. PMID: 21969076 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5313322 Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5313322 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5281655&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21965086%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Taylor JL, Warren ZE Abstract The current study examined depressive symptoms, concerning the week following autism spectrum diagnosis and an average of 1.4 years later, in mothers (n = 75) of young children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Over three-quarters of mothers (78.7%) provided retrospective reports of clinically significant depressive symptoms regarding the week following their child's ASD diagnosis, with some 37.3% continuing to report clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms at follow-up. Depressive symptoms immediately following diagnosis were not related to initial global characteristics of child functioning, but were related to reported child problem behaviors and financial barriers at follow-up. Results of this study undersco... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5281655 Sat, 01 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5281655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5281657&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21960455%26dopt%3DAbstract This study compares severity of specific depression symptoms in boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or chronic multiple tic disorder (CMTD) and typically developing boys (Controls). Children were evaluated with parent and teacher versions of the Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) and a demographic questionnaire. Mothers' and teachers' ratings generally indicated the most severe symptoms in boys with ASD ± ADHD. Associations of depression with ASD severity and IQ varied considerably for specific symptoms of depression, ASD functional domain, and informant. Findings provide additional support for the differential influence of neurobehavioral syndromes on co-occurring symptom severity and illustrate how more fine-grained analyses of cli... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5281657 Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5281657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5281656&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21960456%26dopt%3DAbstract This study compared moral and social reasoning in individuals with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Ten familiar schoolyard transgressions were shown to 18 participants with and 18 participants without ASD. They judged the appropriateness of the behavior and explained their judgments. Analysis of the rationales revealed that participants with typical development used significantly more abstract rules than participants with ASD, who provided more nonspecific condemnations of the behaviors. Both groups judged social conventional transgressions to be more context-bound than moral transgressions, with this distinction more pronounced in typically developing individuals, who also provided significantly more examples of situations in which the depicted behaviors would be acceptable. ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5281656 Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5281656 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5281658&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21947709%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Petersen JM, Marinova-Todd SH, Mirenda P Abstract Studying lexical diversity in bilingual children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can contribute important information to our understanding of language development in this diverse population. In this exploratory study, lexical comprehension and production and overall language skills were investigated in 14 English-Chinese bilingual and 14 English monolingual preschool-age children with ASD. Results indicated that both groups had equivalent scores on all but one measure of language and vocabulary, including English production vocabulary, conceptual production vocabulary, and vocabulary comprehension. When comparing the two languages of bilingual participants, there were no significant differences in production vocabulary... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5281658 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5281658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5281659&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21947663%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mandy W, Chilvers R, Chowdhury U, Salter G, Seigal A, Skuse D Abstract Sex differences have been found amongst toddlers and young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We investigated the presence and stability of these ASD sex differences throughout childhood and adolescence. Participants (N = 325, 52 females; aged 3-18 years) consecutively received an ASD diagnosis at a clinic for assessing high-functioning ASD (mean verbal IQ = 92.6). There were no IQ sex differences. By parent report and direct observation, females had less repetitive stereotyped behaviour (RSB), with male-equivalent levels of social and communication impairment. Teachers reported males with ASD as having greater externalising and social problems than females. The female phenotype we descr... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5281659 Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5281659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5247483&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21938563%26dopt%3DAbstract This study compared the social abilities and language levels of children (mean age = 56 months) with ASDs from bilingual (n = 45) and monolingual (n = 30) environments. Bilingually-exposed children were subgrouped based on simultaneous bilingual exposure from infancy (SIM, n = 24) versus sequential post-infancy bilingual exposure (SEQ, n = 21). Despite significantly different amounts of bilingual exposure across all groups (p = <0.001) and significantly stronger social interaction scores in the SIM group compared to the SEQ group on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II Interpersonal subdomain (p = 0.025), there were no significant group differences in language level. Bilingually-exposed children with ASDs did not experience additional delays in language development. ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5247483 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5247483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5247484&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21935727%26dopt%3DAbstract This report focuses on the emergence of and bidirectional effects between anxiety and sensory over-responsivity (SOR) in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Participants were 149 toddlers with ASD and their mothers, assessed at 2 annual time points. A cross-lag analysis showed that anxiety symptoms increased over time while SOR remained relatively stable. SOR positively predicted changes in anxiety over and above child age, autism symptom severity, NVDQ, and maternal anxiety, but anxiety did not predict changes in SOR. Results suggest that SOR emerges earlier than anxiety, and predicts later development of anxiety. PMID: 21935727 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5247484 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5247484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5247485&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21932156%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Pina-Camacho L, Villero S, Fraguas D, Boada L, Janssen J, Navas-Sánchez FJ, Mayoral M, Llorente C, Arango C, Parellada M Abstract A systematic review of 208 studies comprising functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging data in patients with 'autism spectrum disorder' (ASD) was conducted, in order to determine whether these data support the forthcoming DSM-5 proposal of a social communication and behavioral symptom dyad. Studies consistently reported abnormal function and structure of fronto-temporal and limbic networks with social and pragmatic language deficits, of temporo-parieto-occipital networks with syntactic-semantic language deficits, and of fronto-striato-cerebellar networks with repetitive behaviors and restricted interests in ASD patient... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5247485 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5247485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5247486&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21928042%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examines change in 152 children over an almost 10-year period (T1: 4.9 (±1.3) years; T2: 8.1 (±1.3) years; T3: 15(±1.6) years) using a group-based, semi-parametric method in order to identify distinct developmental trajectories. Important deficits remain at adolescence in the adaptive abilities of children with Autism spectrum disorders, but changes in adaptive skills show two distinct growth rates. The univariate analysis reveals that low growth trajectories for both social and communication outcome are associated with the following characteristics at age 5: low cognitive and language skills, presence of epilepsy, and severity of autism. The multivariate analysis confirms that risk factors at age 5, were low language and severity of autism for both social and communication o... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5247486 Sun, 18 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5247486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5233003&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21918912%26dopt%3DAbstract This study evaluates the effectiveness of an intervention package including a discrete trial program (Rapid Motor Imitation Antecedent Training (Tsiouri and Greer, J Behav Educat 12:185-206, 2003) combined with parent education for eliciting first words in children with ASD who had little or no spoken language. Evaluation of the approach includes specific intervention targets and functional spoken language outcomes (Tager-Flusberg et al., J Speech Lang Hear Res 52:643-652, 2009). Results suggest that RMIA, with parent training, catalyzes development of verbal imitation and production for some children. Three of five participants acquired word production within the DTT framework and achieved milestones of early functional spoken language use (Tager-Flusberg et al., J Speech Lang Hear Res 52... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5233003 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5233003 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5233004&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21915740%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gantman A, Kapp SK, Orenski K, Laugeson EA Abstract Despite the psychosocial difficulties common among young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), little to no evidence-based social skills interventions exist for this population. Using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, the current study tested the effectiveness of an evidence-based, caregiver-assisted social skills intervention known as PEERS for Young Adults with high-functioning young adults with ASD (ages 18-23) using self- and caregiver-report measures. Results revealed that treated young adults reported significantly less loneliness and improved social skills knowledge, while caregivers reported significant improvements in young adults' overall social skills, social responsiveness, empathy, and freque... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5233004 Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5233004 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5219351&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21909827%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lai B, Milano M, Roberts MW, Hooper SR Abstract Mail-in pilot-tested questionnaires were sent to a stratified random sample of 1,500 families from the North Carolina Autism Registry. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the significance of unmet dental needs and other predictors. Of 568 surveys returned (Response Rate = 38%), 555 were complete and usable. Sixty-five (12%) children had unmet dental needs. Of 516 children (93%) who had been to a dentist, 11% still reported unmet needs. The main barriers were child's behavior, cost, and lack of insurance. The significant predictor variables of unmet needs were child's behavior (p = 0.01), child's dental health (p < 0.001), and caregiver's last dental visit greater than 6 months (p = 0.00... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5219351 Sat, 10 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5219351 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5176814&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21874396%26dopt%3DAbstract This study was conducted to assess the psychometric properties and construct validity of measures of anxiety with a sample (n = 30) of adolescents with HFASD and comorbid anxiety disorders. Results indicate that the measures (CASI-Anxiety Scale; Sukhodolsky et al. 2008; MASC; March 1998) possess acceptable internal consistency, and there is evidence of discriminant validity. Most of the adolescents, however, under-reported problems with anxiety, compared to parent-reported and clinician-derived reports and given they were seeking treatment for anxiety problems. Findings highlight the importance of using multiple raters in clinical practice and consideration of rater discrepancies in clinical research. PMID: 21874396 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and D... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5176814 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5176814 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5157541&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21858585%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Poon KK, Watson LR, Baranek GT, Poe MD Abstract The extent to which early social communication behaviors predict later communication and intellectual outcomes was investigated via retrospective video analysis. Joint attention, imitation, and complex object play behaviors were coded from edited home videos featuring scenes of 29 children with ASD at 9-12 and/or 15-18 months. A quantitative interval recording of behavior and a qualitative rating of the developmental level were applied. Social communication behaviors increased between 9-12 and 15-18 months. Their mean level during infancy, but not the rate of change, predicted both Vineland Communication scores and intellectual functioning at 3-7 years. The two methods of measurement yielded similar results. Thus, early so... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5157541 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5157541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5157540&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21858586%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Norris M, Lecavalier L, Edwards MC Abstract The current study tested several competing models of the autism phenotype using data from modules 1 and 3 of the ADOS. Participants included individuals with ASDs aged 3-18 years (N = 1,409) from the AGRE database. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed on total samples and subsamples based on age and level of functioning. Three primary models were tested, including a one-factor model, the DSM-IV model, and the anticipated DSM-V model. Results indicated all models fit similarly. Module 1 ratings yielded better indices of fit across all models and higher inter-factor correlations than Model 3. Model fits were impacted by age and level of functioning. The lack of differentiation between models suggests that the structure of... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5157540 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5157540 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5157539&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21858587%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gahr M, Kerling F, Ludolph A, Plener P PMID: 21858587 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5157539 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5157539 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5157538&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21858588%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Laugeson EA, Frankel F, Gantman A, Dillon AR, Mogil C Abstract The present study examines the efficacy and durability of the PEERS Program, a parent-assisted social skills group intervention for high-functioning adolescents with ASD. Results indicate that teens receiving PEERS significantly improved their social skills knowledge, social responsiveness, and overall social skills in the areas of social communication, social cognition, social awareness, social motivation, assertion, cooperation, and responsibility, while decreasing autistic mannerisms and increasing the frequency of peer interactions. Independent teacher ratings revealed significant improvement in social skills and assertion from pre-test to follow-up assessment. Examination of durability of improvement revea... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5157538 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5157538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5157543&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21853372%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dager SR, Corrigan NM, Estes A, Shaw DW Abstract The authors respond to a recent letter (Rossignol and Frye 2011) critical of their paper, "Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and MRI reveal no evidence for brain mitochondrial dysfunction in children with autism spectrum disorder" (Corrigan et al. 2011). Further considerations regarding the assessment of mitochondrial dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder, and related treatment considerations, are discussed. PMID: 21853372 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5157543 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5157543 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5157542&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21853373%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Golnik A, Scal P, Wey A, Gaillard P Abstract Forty-six subjects received primary medical care within an autism-specific medical home intervention ( www.autismmedicalhome.com ) and 157 controls received standard primary medical care. Subjects and controls had autism spectrum disorder diagnoses. Thirty-four subjects (74%) and 62 controls (40%) completed pre and post surveys. Controlling for pre-survey medical home status, subjects had 250% greater odds of receipt of a medical home at the study end compared to controls (p = 0.021). Compared to controls, subjects receiving the intervention reported significantly more satisfaction (p = 0.0004), greater shared decision making (p = 0.0005) and fewer unmet needs (p = 0.067). However, subjects reported no change in family s... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5157542 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5157542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141697&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21842325%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Barton ML, Dumont-Mathieu T, Fein D Abstract The increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorders as well as emerging evidence of the efficacy of early intervention has focused attention on the need for early identification of young children suspected of having an ASSD. Several studies have suggested that while parents report concerns early in development, it may be months before children can be evaluated and services provided, and these delays may be even more marked in under-served populations. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended universal screening for autism spectrum disorders at the 18- and 24-month well-child pediatric visit. The authors review several early screening tools currently in use and offer recommendations for integrating autism specif... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141697 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141698&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21833823%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cook JL, Bird G Abstract Appropriate modulation of imitation according to social context is important for successful social interaction. In the present study we subliminally primed high-functioning adults with ASC and age- and IQ-matched controls with either a pro- or non- social attitude. Following priming, an automatic imitation paradigm was used to acquire an index of imitation. Whereas imitation levels were higher for pro-socially primed relative to non-socially primed control participants, there was no difference between pro- and non- socially primed individuals with ASC. We conclude that high-functioning adults with ASC demonstrate atypical social modulation of imitation. Given the importance of imitation in social interaction we speculate that difficulties with the ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141698 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141699&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21830170%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Adams NC, Jarrold C Abstract Resistance to distractor inhibition tasks have previously revealed impairments in children with autism. However, on the classic Stroop task and other prepotent response tasks, children with autism show intact inhibition. These data may reflect a distinction between prepotent response and resistance to distractor inhibition. The current study investigated this possibility using tasks that systematically manipulated inhibitory load. Findings showed that children with autism performed comparably to typically developing and learning disabled controls on a prepotent response inhibition stop-signal task but showed significant inhibitory impairment on a modified flanker resistence to distractor inhibition task. Although the results are clearly consist... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141699 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141700&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21826585%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Honigfeld L, Chandhok L, Spiegelman K Abstract Use of formal developmental screening tools in the pediatric medical home improves early identification of children with developmental delays and disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorders. A pilot study evaluated the impact of an academic detailing module in which trainers visited 43 pediatric primary care practices to provide education about implementing developmental screening tools in well-child services. Attendees responded to a post presentation survey stating that they planned to implement screening in their practices. Medicaid billing data showed an increase in the state's overall rate of screening. An audit of medical charts in five practices that received the training and five that did not showed higher screening... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141700 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141704&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21822761%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Reichow B, Halpern JI, Steinhoff TB, Letsinger N, Naples A, Volkmar FR Abstract The World Wide Web is a common method for obtaining information on autism spectrum disorders, however, there are no guidelines for finding websites with high quality. We conducted two studies examining the characteristics and/or quality of autism websites in 2009 and 2010. We found websites with a .gov top-level domain had a statistically significant association with high quality websites and websites offering a product or service and websites promoting a non-evidence-based practice had a statistically significant association with poor quality websites. Based on our work we concluded that online information should not replace the information consumers obtain from professionals. Further implicat... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141704 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141703&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21822762%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Farmer C, Lecavalier L, Yu S, Eugene Arnold L, McDougle CJ, Scahill L, Handen B, Johnson CR, Stigler KA, Bearss K, Swiezy NB, Aman MG Abstract The Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology-Autism Network reported additional benefit when adding parent training (PT) to antipsychotic medication in children with autism spectrum disorders and serious behavior problems. The intent-to-treat analyses were rerun with putative predictors and moderators. The Home Situations Questionnaire (HSQ) and the Hyperactivity/Noncompliance subscale of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist were used as outcome measures. Candidate predictors and moderators included 21 demographics and baseline measures of behavior. Higher baseline HSQ scores predicted greater improvement on the HSQ regardless of t... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141703 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141702&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21822763%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rahko JS, Paakki JJ, Starck TH, Nikkinen J, Pauls DL, Kätsyri JV, Jansson-Verkasalo EM, Carter AS, Hurtig TM, Mattila ML, Jussila KK, Remes JJ, Kuusikko-Gauffin SA, Sams ME, Bölte S, Ebeling HE, Moilanen IK, Tervonen O, Kiviniemi V Abstract FMRI was performed with the dynamic facial expressions fear and happiness. This was done to detect differences in valence processing between 25 subjects with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and 27 typically developing controls. Valence scaling was abnormal in ASDs. Positive valence induces lower deactivation and abnormally strong activity in ASD in multiple regions. Negative valence increased deactivation in visual areas in subjects with ASDs. The most marked differences between valences focus on fronto-insular and temporal regions. ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141702 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5141701&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21822764%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Young RL, Posselt M Abstract Data from two groups of children who were randomly allocated to those groups showed that the ability of children with ASD to identify and label basic and complex facial expressions following a 3-week home based DVD intervention significantly improved when viewing The Transporters DVD. Improvements in emotion recognition appear related to the content of the DVD as participants in a control group who observed an alternate DVD showed no such improvement. Although social behaviour improved significantly as a result of watching The Transporters, a significant improvement in social behaviour was however, also observed in the Thomas the Tank Engine condition suggesting the unique content of The Transporters DVD was not pivotal to the improvement of so... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5141701 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5141701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5104293&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21818675%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Early MC, Erickson CA, Wink LK, McDougle CJ, Scott EL This paper highlights clinical challenges faced when diagnosing and then treating an individual presenting to a child and adolescent psychiatry clinic because of unwelcome comments he made to female peers about their feet. Novel use of exposure therapy helped him effectively decrease his comments from 1 to 2 times per month to once every 6 months. Conceptualizing this case as the individual's failed attempts toward relationships with females instead of sexual harassment led to diminution of problematic behavior. Implications for diagnosis and treatment of individuals with Autistic Disorder displaying problematic behaviors are presented. PMID: 21818675 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and D... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5104293 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5104293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5104292&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21818676%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bent S, Bertoglio K, Ashwood P, Nemeth E, Hendren RL We sought to determine whether HBOT leads to parental reported behavioral changes and alterations in cytokines in children with ASD. Ten children completed 80 sessions of HBOT and all improved by 2 points on the clinician-rated CGI-I scale (much improved) as well as several parent-completed measures of behavior. The lack of a control group limits the ability to determine if improvements were related to HBOT. Enrolled children did not exhibit abnormal cytokine levels at baseline and no significant changes in mean cytokine levels were observed. Although this study was limited by the small sample size and by the variable nature of cytokines, we found no evidence that HBOT affects cytokine levels or that cytokine levels were ass... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5104292 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5104292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5104291&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21818677%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lickel A, Maclean WE, Blakeley-Smith A, Hepburn S The purpose of this study was to assess the cognitive skills of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) thought to be necessary for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Forty children with ASD and forty age-matched typically developing children between the ages of 7-12 years participated. Groups were comparable with regard to nonverbal IQ, but children with ASD had significantly lower verbal IQ. Children completed three CBT-related tasks requiring emotion recognition, discrimination among thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and cognitive mediation. With the exception of the emotion recognition task, children with ASD performed comparably to typically developing children and with a high rate of accuracy. PMID: 21818677 [... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5104291 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5104291 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5104295&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21786104%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kushki A, Chau T, Anagnostou E PMID: 21786104 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5104295 Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5104295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5104294&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21786105%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jiao Y, Chen R, Ke X, Cheng L, Chu K, Lu Z, Herskovits EH Autism is widely believed to be a heterogeneous disorder; diagnosis is currently based solely on clinical criteria, although genetic, as well as environmental, influences are thought to be prominent factors in the etiology of most forms of autism. Our goal is to determine whether a predictive model based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can predict symptom severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We divided 118 ASD children into a mild/moderate autism group (n = 65) and a severe autism group (n = 53), based on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). For each child, we obtained 29 SNPs of 9 ASD-related genes. To generate predictive models, we employed three machine-learning techniques: decision stumps (... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5104294 Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5104294 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5058243&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21769705%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: van Ommeren TB, Begeer S, Scheeren AM, Koot HM Few instruments have been developed that measure impairments in reciprocity, a defining feature of autism. We introduce a new test assessing the quality of reciprocal behaviour: the interactive drawing test (IDT). Children and adolescents (n = 49) with and without high functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD) were invited to collaborate with an experimenter in making a joint drawing. Within both groups the performance on collaborative reciprocity improved with age. However, compared to the control group, HFASD participants showed less collaborative and more basic reciprocal behaviour and preferred to draw their own objects. They were less tolerant of the experimenter's input as well. Performance on the IDT was independent o... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5058243 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5058243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5058244&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21751061%26dopt%3DAbstract This study assessed the visual and vestibular components involved in atypical postural reactivity in autism. Postural reactivity and stability were measured for younger (12-15 years) and older (16-33 years) autistic participants in response to a virtual tunnel oscillating at different frequencies. At the highest oscillation frequency, younger autistic participants showed significantly less instability compared to younger typically-developing participants; no such group differences were evidenced for older participants. Additionally, no significant differences in postural behavior were found between all 4 groups when presented with static or without visual information. Results confirm that postural hypo-reactivity to visual information is present in autism, but is contingent on both visua... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5058244 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5058244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009596&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21735299%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Abdullah MM, Ly AR, Goldberg WA, Clarke-Stewart KA, Dudgeon JV, Mull CG, Chan TJ, Kent EE, Mason AZ, Ericson JE To examine possible links between neurotoxicant exposure and neuropsychological disorders and child behavior, relative concentrations of lead, mercury, and manganese were examined in prenatal and postnatal enamel regions of deciduous teeth from children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), high levels of disruptive behavior (HDB), and typically developing (TD) children. Using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we found no significant differences in levels of these neurotoxicants for children with ASDs compared with TD children, but there was marginal significance indicating that children with ASDs have lower manganese levels. No significan... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009596 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009596 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009597&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21732210%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tavassoli T, Baron-Cohen S Sensory issues have been widely reported in Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC). Since olfaction is one of the least investigated senses in ASC, the current studies explore olfactory detection thresholds and adaptation to olfactory stimuli in adults with ASC. 80 participants took part, 38 (18 females, 20 males) with ASC and 42 control participants (20 males, 22 females). A subgroup of participants (N = 19 in each group) also conducted an adaptation task. Standardized "Sniffin' Sticks" were used to measure olfactory detection levels and adaptation. Adults with and without ASC showed similar olfactory detection thresholds, and similar adaptation to an olfactory stimulus. Since diminished adaptation in ASC has been previously suggested, future research n... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009597 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009597 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009598&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21725720%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cebula KR Psychosocial adjustment in siblings of children with autism whose families were using a home-based, applied behavior analysis (ABA) program was compared to that of siblings in families who were not using any intensive autism intervention. Data gathered from parents, siblings and teachers indicated that siblings in ABA families experienced neither significant drawbacks nor benefits in terms of their behavioral adjustment, sibling relationship quality and self-concept compared to control group siblings, either during or following intervention use. Parents and siblings perceived improvements in sibling interaction since the outset of ABA, with parents somewhat more positive in their views than were siblings. Social support was associated with better sibling outcomes in ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009598 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009598 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009602&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21720723%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Reed P, McCarthy J This investigation aimed to determine if children with ASD are impaired in their ability to switch attention between different tasks, and whether performance is further impaired when required to switch across two separate modalities (visual and auditory). Eighteen children with ASD (9-13 years old) were compared with 18 typically-developing children matched with the ASD group for mental age, and also with 18 subjects with learning difficulties matched with the ASD group for mental and chronological age. Individuals alternated between two different visual tasks, and between a different visual task and an auditory task. Children with ASD performed worse than both comparison groups at both switching tasks. Moreover, children with ASD had greater difficulty whe... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009602 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009602 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009601&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21720724%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Oliver C, Petty J, Ruddick L, Bacarese-Hamilton M We evaluated the independent association between adaptive behavior, communication and repetitive or ritualistic behaviors and self-injury, aggression and destructive behavior to identify potential early risk markers for challenging behaviors. Data were collected for 943 children (4-18 years, M = 10.88) with severe intellectual disabilities. Odds ratio analyses revealed that these characteristics generated risk indices ranging from 2 to 31 for the presence and severity of challenging behaviors. Logistic regressions revealed that high frequency repetitive or ritualistic behavior was associated with a 16 times greater risk of severe self-injury and a 12 times greater risk of showing two or more severe challenging behaviors. Hig... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009601 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009600&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21720725%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Thiemann-Bourque KS, Brady NC, Fleming KK Children with autism are often described as having deficient play skills, particularly symbolic play. We compared the play of 35 children with autism to 38 children with other developmental delays. All children were preschool-age and produced less than 20 different words. Results indicated no significant differences across the two groups in their play. Children with autism engaged in more conventional play, that is, putting objects together according to how the toys were constructed (e.g., pieces in a puzzle, lid on a teapot). Results also indicated high correlations between play, language, and cognitive measures. Findings indicate that play relates to language and cognitive levels yet may not discriminate children with autism and chil... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009600 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009599&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21720726%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Roberts JE, Hatton DD, Long AC, Anello V, Colombo J Aberrant attention is a core feature of fragile X syndrome (FXS), however, little is known regarding the developmental trajectory and underlying physiological processes of attention deficits in FXS. Atypical visual attention is an early emerging and robust indictor of autism in idiopathic (non-FXS) autism. Using a biobehavioral approach with gaze direction and heart activity, we examined visual attention in infants with FXS at 9, 12, and 18 months of age with a cross-sectional comparison to 12-month-old typically developing infants. Analyses revealed lower HR variability, shallower HR decelerations, and prolonged look durations in 12-month old infants with FXS compared to typical controls. Look duration and increased latency... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009599 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009599 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009604&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21717269%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Valenti M, Ciprietti T, Egidio CD, Gabrielli M, Masedu F, Tomassini AR, Sorge G The literature offers no descriptions of the adaptive outcomes of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) after natural disasters. Aim of this study was to evaluate the adaptive behaviour of participants with ASD followed for 1 year after their exposure to the 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila (Italy) compared with an unexposed peer group with ASD, by administering the Italian form of the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS) at baseline, 6 months and 1 year after the earthquake. Exposed participants declined dramatically in their adaptive behaviour during the first months after the earthquake (p < 0.01 for all VABS dimensions). However, immediate intensive post-disaster intervention allow... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009604 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009604 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009607&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21713589%26dopt%3DAbstract This study evaluated the structure and construct overlap of two screening measures of SAD and ASD. Results from 623 young adults indicated that separable, though highly correlated, factors can be derived from the two measures related to social anxiety and social difficulties. The ASD screening measure also taps unique factors related to restricted interests and attention to details, theory of mind deficits, and a preference for routine. Recommendations are provided for accurate screening of symptoms of both SAD and ASD. PMID: 21713589 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009607 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009606&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21713590%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mordre M, Groholt B, Knudsen AK, Sponheim E, Mykletun A, Myhre AM We followed 74 children with autistic disorder (AD) and 39 children with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD NOS) for 17-38 years in a record linkage study. Rates of disability pension award, marital status, criminality and mortality were compared between groups. Disability pension award was the only outcome measure that differed significantly between the AD and PDD NOS groups (89% vs. 72%, p < 0.05). The lower rate of disability pension award in the PDD NOS group was predicted by better psychosocial functioning. The lack of substantial differences in prognosis between the groups supports a dimensional description of autism spectrum disorder, in line with proposed DSM-V revision. ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009606 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009606 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009605&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21713591%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tirouvanziam R, Obukhanych TV, Laval J, Aronov PA, Libove R, Banerjee AG, Parker KJ, O'Hara R, Herzenberg LA, Herzenberg LA, Hardan AY The goal of this investigation was to examine plasma amino acid (AA) levels in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD, N = 27) and neuro-typically developing controls (N = 20). We observed reduced plasma levels of most polar neutral AA and leucine in children with ASD. This AA profile conferred significant post hoc power for discriminating children with ASD from healthy children. Furthermore, statistical correlations suggested the lack of a typical decrease of glutamate and aspartate with age, and a non-typical increase of isoleucine and lysine with age in the ASD group. Findings from this limited prospective study warrant further exa... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009605 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5009608&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21706249%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Seidman I, Yirmiya N, Milshtein S, Ebstein RP, Levi S Parents of individuals with autism were examined using the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ; Hurley et al. in J Autism Dev Disord 37:1679-1690, 2007) assessing BAP-related personality and language characteristics. The BAPQ was administered to parents as a self-report and as an informant (spouse)-based measure. Results indicated the same pattern of differences for the informant and best-estimate (average between self-report and informant scores) reports. Fathers were rated as more "aloof" than mothers, whereas mothers were rated as more "rigid" than fathers. Fathers described their wives as less "aloof" and more "rigid" compared to the mothers' self-descriptions. Correlational analyses revealed no significant assoc... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5009608 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5009608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962699&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21698498%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Verhoeven EW, Marijnissen N, Berger HJ, Oudshoorn J, van der Sijde A, Teunisse JP The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of self-awareness of real-world behavior on treatment outcome in adolescents with ASD. For this purpose we followed 28 adolescents with ASD during their first year of specialized treatment. Results showed that better self-awareness at start of treatment was related with an increase in clinician-reported social functioning after 1 year of treatment. Additionally, an increase in self-awareness during treatment was related with a decrease of parent-reported problems in daily functioning. However, an increase in self-awareness was also related to an increase of self-reported daily and psychological problems. It is discussed that lowered s... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962699 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962698&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21698499%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examines Greek teachers' perceptions related to the nature and management of autistic children. To investigate these issues, a statistically reliable number of questionnaires (n = 228) was distributed to a diversified teacher population. The questionnaire responses were analyzed statistically to identify the explanatory power of critical independent variables. The research findings support that teachers' specialized training and working experience are critical inputs to improve teachers' perceptions and efficient serving of autistic children. A cumulative joint effect of teachers' previous specialized education and working experience working with autistic children was also indicated. This could be supportive of teachers upgrading their active leading role in team working with ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962698 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962701&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21695559%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Manor-Binyamini I This preliminary study compares the coping strategies used by 100 ultraorthodox Jewish parents and 100 secular Jewish parents for dealing with adolescent children with developmental disorders. The parents completed two questionnaires on the sense of stress-related personal growth and the sense of coherence. The ultraorthodox parents reported a higher sense of growth and a higher sense of coherence than the secular parents. In addition, there were associations found between demographic characteristics. Gender differences between mothers and fathers in the sense of growth and community differences between ultraorthodox fathers and secular fathers in the sense of coherence are discussed. The study highlights the uniqueness of the religious point of view in deali... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962701 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962700&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21695560%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kanne SM, Wang J, Christ SE The current study was motivated by a need for a self-report questionnaire that assesses a broad range of subthreshold autism traits, is brief and easily administered, and is relevant to the general population. An initial item pool was administered to 1,709 students. Structural validity analysis resulted in a 24-item questionnaire termed the Subthreshold Autism Trait Questionnaire (SATQ; Cronbach's alpha coefficient = .73, test-retest reliability = .79). An exploratory factor analysis suggested 5 factors. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated the 5 factor solution was an adequate fit and outperformed two other models. The SATQ successfully differentiated between an ASD and student group and demonstrated convergent validity with other ASD measure... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962700 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962705&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21691864%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Staal WG, de Krom M, de Jonge MV Recently the DRD3 gene has been associated with ASD in two independent samples. Follow up analysis of the risk allele of the SNP rs167771 in 91 subjects revealed a significant association with a specific type of repetitive behavior: the factor "insistence on sameness" (IS) derived from the Autism Diagnostic Interview. This risk allele was associated with a decreased risk for IS, but not with any other symptomatology. Further study and replication of this finding is necessary, bearing in mind that these results would not be statistically significant if corrected for multiple testing. PMID: 21691864 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962705 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962704&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21691865%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examined the hypothesis of an atypical interaction between attention and language in ASD. A dual-task experiment with three conditions was designed, in which sentences were presented that contained errors requiring attentional focus either at (a) low level, or (b) high level, or (c) both levels of language. Speed and accuracy for error detection were measured from 16 high-functioning adults with ASD, and 16 matched controls. For controls, there was an attentional cost of dual level processing for low level performance but not for high level performance. For participants with ASD, there was an attentional cost both for low level and for high level performance. These results suggest a compensatory strategic use of attention during language processing in ASD. PMID: 21691865 [Pu... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962704 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962703&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21691866%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dereu M, Raymaekers R, Warreyn P, Schietecatte I, Meirsschaut M, Roeyers H Several screening instruments for ASD in young children were developed during the last decades. Only few studies compare the discriminative power of these instruments in the same sample. In particular comparisons of instruments that use different informants are scarce in young children. The current study compared the discriminant ability of the Checklist for Early Signs of Developmental Disorders (CESDD) filled out by child care workers with that of frequently used parent questionnaires in a sample of 357 children between 5.57 and 48.13 months old who showed signs of ASD or language delay. The discriminant power of the CESDD was as good as that of parent questionnaires. Therefore, inclusion of child ca... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962703 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962702&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21691867%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Shane HC, Laubscher EH, Schlosser RW, Flynn S, Sorce JF, Abramson J The burgeoning role of technology in society has provided opportunities for the development of new means of communication for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This paper offers an organizational framework for describing traditional and emerging augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology, and highlights how tools within this framework can support a visual approach to everyday communication and improve language instruction. The growing adoption of handheld media devices along with applications acquired via a consumer-oriented delivery model suggests a potential paradigm shift in AAC for people with ASD. PMID: 21691867 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of A... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962702 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962707&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21681590%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Roelfsema MT, Hoekstra RA, Allison C, Wheelwright S, Brayne C, Matthews FE, Baron-Cohen S We tested for differences in the prevalence of autism spectrum conditions (ASC) in school-aged children in three geographical regions in the Netherlands. Schools were asked to provide the number of children enrolled, the number having a clinical diagnosis of ASC and/or two control neurodevelopmental conditions. Prevalence was evaluated by negative binomial regression and adjustments were made for non-response and size of the schools. The prevalence estimates of ASC in Eindhoven was 229 per 10,000, significantly higher than in Haarlem (84 per 10,000) and Utrecht (57 per 10,000), whilst the prevalence for the control conditions were similar in all regions. Phase two is planned to validate s... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962707 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962707 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962706&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21681591%26dopt%3DAbstract This study provides information on the nature of communication about sexuality in families of children with autism spectrum disorders and can help tailor interventions aimed at assisting parents to communicate sexuality information effectively. PMID: 21681591 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962706 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962706 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962708&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21671116%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Clopper CG, Rohrbeck KL, Wagner L The linguistic profile of people with Autism spectrum disorders typically involves intact perceptual processing, accompanied by deficits in the social functions of language. In a series of three experiments, the impact of this profile on the perception of regional dialect was examined. Young adults with High-Functioning Autism exhibited similar performance to a typically developing comparison group in regional dialect classification and localness rating tasks, suggesting that they can use indexical information in speech to make judgments about the regional background of unfamiliar talkers. However, the participants with High-Functioning Autism were less able to differentiate among the dialects in a language attitudes task, suggesting that they... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962708 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962710&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21667199%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schaaf R, Blanche EI PMID: 21667199 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962710 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962709&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21667200%26dopt%3DAbstract We present the rationale, design and sample characteristics of the citalopram trial. Subjects (128 boys, 21 girls) had a mean age of 9.3 (±3.12) years; 132 (88.6%) were diagnosed with autistic disorder (4.7% with Asperger's Disorder; 6.7% with PDD-not otherwise specified). Less than half of the subjects were intellectually disabled; 117 (78.5%) were rated Moderate or Marked on the Clinical Global Impression for Severity. Study measures were similar to previous Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology trials. Subjects in this trial were slightly older and more likely to have complaints of repetitive behavior than participants in RUPP trials. PMID: 21667200 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962709 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962712&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21660498%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examined VA in 34 individuals with ASD, 16 with schizophrenia (SCH), and 26 typically developing (TYP). Participants with ASD did not show higher VA than those with SCH and TYP. There were no substantial correlations of VA with clinical severity in ASD or SCH. This study could not confirm the eagle-eyed acuity hypothesis of ASD, or find evidence for a connection of VA and clinical phenotypes. Research needs to further address the origins and circumstances associated with altered sensory or perceptual processing in ASD. PMID: 21660498 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962712 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4962711&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21660499%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examined gait in children with autism and AD. Eleven children with high-functioning autism and eleven children with AD completed a series of walking tasks. Results indicated distinct movement disturbance; these findings are discussed in light of seminal papers in this field by Vilensky et al. (Arch Neurol 38:646-649, 1981) and Hallett et al. (Arch Neurol 50:1304-1308, 1993) who interpret the gait of individuals with autism using parkinsonian and cerebellar-ataxia patient models, respectively. Distinctions in gait patterns implicating perhaps unique motor circuit disturbances support the hypothesis that autism and AD may have unique neurodevelopmental trajectories. PMID: 21660499 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4962711 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4962711 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4913653&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21656030%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Geurts HM, Vissers ME Cognitive autism research is mainly focusing on children and young adults even though we know that autism is a life-long disorder and that healthy aging already has a strong impact on cognitive functioning. We compared the neuropsychological profile of 23 individuals with autism and 23 healthy controls (age range 51-83 years). Deficits were observed in attention, working memory, and fluency. Aging had a smaller impact on fluency in the high functioning autism (HFA) group than in the control group, while aging had a more profound effect on visual memory performance in the HFA group. Hence, we provide novel evidence that elderly with HFA have subtle neuropsychological deficits and that the developmental trajectories differ between elderly with and without ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4913653 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4913653 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4913655&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21647792%26dopt%3DAbstract Discussion and agreement about the importance of each of these factors and how they apply in a specific situation forms the foundation of an interactive dialogue between service providers and families to create a "best fit" between student and program. PMID: 21647792 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4913655 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4913655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4913654&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21647793%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jackson P, Skirrow P, Hare DJ Hobson (Autism and the development of mind. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hove, UK 1993) has proposed that the cognitive and linguistic disabilities that characterise autism result from abnormalities in inter-subjective engagement during infancy, which in turn results in impaired reflective self-awareness. The aim of the present study was to test Hobson's hypothesis by examining self-understanding in Asperger's syndrome (AS) using Damon and Hart's (Self-understanding in childhood and adolescence. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1988) model of self-concept. Ten participants with Asperger's syndrome were compared with ten non AS controls using the Self-understanding Interview (Damon and Hart in Self-understanding in Childhood and Adolescence. Cambridge U... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4913654 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4913654 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4913656&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21643861%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Siaperas P, Ring HA, McAllister CJ, Henderson S, Barnett A, Watson P, Holland AJ The aims of this study were to investigate whether individuals with AS have impaired motor abilities and sensorimotor processing and whether these impairments were age-related. Sensorimotor abilities were examined using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2, and the Sensory Integration Praxis Test. Fifty boys with AS aged 7-14 years old were compared with typically developing boys. Overall, children with AS showed significant impairment of movement performance as well as proprioceptive and vestibular processing. There were no interaction effects of age and clinical group on level of performance deficit in any of the modalities tested. Increasing our understanding of motor and sensory imp... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4913656 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4913656 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4913658&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21638108%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Oliveras-Rentas RE, Kenworthy L, Roberson RB, Martin A, Wallace GL Changes in the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children-IV (WISC-IV) may affect the IQ profile characteristic of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Moreover, the association of particular component cognitive abilities (unlike overall IQ) with symptomatology and adaptive functioning in ASD remains unclear. This archival study characterizes the WISC-IV IQ profile among 56 high-functioning (IQ > 70) children with ASD and correlates WISC-IV performance with ASD and ADHD symptomatology and adaptive functioning. The ASD WISC-IV profile included strengths on Matrix Reasoning and Similarities, weaknesses on Comprehension (which correlated negatively with social symptoms) and the subtests comprising the Processing S... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4913658 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4913658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4913657&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21638109%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cunningham AB Designing effective treatments for improving early social behaviors in autism has been identified as a critical research need. One barrier to drawing conclusions about optimal treatments for children with autism is the use of highly varied dependent measures in the treatment literature. Contributing to this is the absence of "gold standard" assessment batteries. This is particularly true for assessing changes in social interaction impairments in very young children with autism. This paper addresses this issue by reviewing variables important in the development and evaluation of assessment measures, discussing previous studies' choices of socially-related dependent measures, and the strengths, limitations, and research questions pertaining to them. It concludes wi... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4913657 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4913657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4913660&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21630096%26dopt%3DAbstract Response to a Letter to the Editors re: "Comparison of Behavioral Intervention and Sensory-Integration Therapy in the Treatment of Challenging Behavior" J Autism Dev Disord. 2011 Jun 1; Authors: Healy O, Hughes BM, Leader G, Devlin S PMID: 21630096 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4913660 Tue, 31 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4913660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4913659&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21630097%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tan M, Reich J, Hart L, Thuma PE, Grigorenko EL Generally accepted as universal, the construct of adaptive behavior differs in its manifestations across different cultures and settings. The Vineland-II (Sparrow et al., Vineland adaptive behavior scales. AGS Publishing, Circle Pines, MN, 2005) was translated into Chitonga and adapted to the setting of rural Southern Province, Zambia. This version was administered to the parents/caregivers of 114 children (grades 3-7, mean age = 12.94, sd = 2.34). The relationships between these children's adaptive behavior, academic achievement and cognitive ability indicators are compared to those usually observed in US samples. Results reflect no association between adaptive behavior and cognitive ability indicators, but a strong relation... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4913659 Tue, 31 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4913659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4913662&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21626053%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Brambring M Contrary scientific positions between Hobson and Brambring regarding the connectedness of congenital blindness and autism. PMID: 21626053 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4913662 Fri, 27 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4913662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4913661&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21626054%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ruta L, Mazzone D, Mazzone L, Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen S The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) has been used to define the 'broader' (BAP), 'medium' (MAP) and 'narrow' autism phenotypes (NAP). We used a new Italian version of the AQ to test if difference on AQ scores and the distribution of BAP, MAP and NAP in autism parents (n = 245) versus control parents (n = 300) were replicated in a Sicilian sample. Parents of children with autism spectrum conditions scored higher than the control parents on total AQ, social skills and communication subscales, and exhibited higher rates of BAP, MAP and NAP. We conclude that the Italian AQ is a cross-culturally reliable measure of these different phenotypes, and can be used to identify a phenotypic gradient of severity of autistic traits... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4913661 Fri, 27 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4913661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4913663&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21618065%26dopt%3DAbstract This study found that the high school's primary post-high school goal for the student, parental expectations, high school type, annual household income, and academic performance were significant predictors of participation in postsecondary education. The findings of this current study may provide critical information for parents of children with autism as well as educators and professionals who work with students with autism. PMID: 21618065 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4913663 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4913663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4866222&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21598046%26dopt%3DAbstract This report focuses on predictors of adaptive daily living skills (DLS) development in young children with ASD and whether DLS gains predict decreases in parenting stress. Participants were 162 toddlers with ASD and their parents, assessed at 3 annual timepoints. Hierarchical Linear Models showed that age, DQ, and autism symptom severity uniquely predicted initial DLS and DLS growth. Child problem behaviors predicted initial DLS only. DLS was associated with change in parenting stress above and beyond DQ, autism symptom severity, and problem behaviors. Children with lower IQ and more severe symptoms showed slower DLS gains. Given its relation to parenting stress, DLS are an important intervention target in young children with ASD. PMID: 21598046 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Sou... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4866222 Thu, 19 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4866222 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4866223&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21594745%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Fletcher JM, Morris RD Although best known for work with children and adults with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders, training in speech pathology and a doctorate in clinical psychology and neuropsychology was the foundation for Sara Sparrow's long-term interest in reading disabilities. Her first papers were on dyslexia and laterality, and the maturational lag theory of developmental dyslexia proposed with Paul Satz, her mentor. The research program that emerged from this work had a wide impact on early neuropsychological models of reading disabilities. Although Sara went on to research focused on children with other developmental disabilities after she moved to Yale University, this initial research influenced her career- long interests in assessment, dev... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4866223 Wed, 18 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4866223 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4866225&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21590432%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sawyer AC, Williamson P, Young RL Research has shown that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have difficulties recognising emotions from facial expressions. Since eye contact is important for accurate emotion recognition, and individuals with ASD tend to avoid eye contact, this tendency for gaze aversion has been proposed as an explanation for the emotion recognition deficit. This explanation was investigated using a newly developed emotion and mental state recognition task. Individuals with Asperger's Syndrome were less accurate at recognising emotions and mental states, but did not show evidence of gaze avoidance compared to individuals without Asperger's Syndrome. This suggests that the way individuals with Asperger's Syndrome look at faces cannot account for ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4866225 Tue, 17 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4866225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4866224&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21590433%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Freedman BH, Kalb LG, Zablotsky B, Stuart EA Despite speculation about an 80% divorce rate among parents of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), very little empirical and no epidemiological research has addressed the issue of separation and divorce among this population. Data for this study was taken from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, a population-based, cross-sectional survey. A total of 77,911 parent interviews were completed on children aged 3-17 years, of which 913 reported an ASD diagnosis. After controlling for relevant covariates, results from multivariate analyses revealed no evidence to suggest that children with ASD are at an increased risk for living in a household not comprised of their two biological or adoptive parents compared to ch... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4866224 Tue, 17 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4866224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4866228&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21584848%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mouridsen SE, Rich B, Isager T We compared the prevalence and types of fractures in a clinical sample of 118 individuals diagnosed as children with infantile autism (IA) with 336 matched controls from the general population. All participants were screened through the nationwide Danish National Hospital Register. The average observation time was 30.3 years (range 27.3-30.4 years), and mean age at follow-up was 42.7 years (range 27.3-57.3 years). Of the 118 individuals with IA, 14 (11.9%) were registered with at least one fracture diagnosis against 83 (24.7%) in the comparison group (p = 0.004; OR = 0.41; 95%CI 0.22-0.76), but the nature of their fractures seems somewhat different. Epilepsy was a risk factor, but only in the comparison group. Our results lend no support ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4866228 Mon, 16 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4866228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4866227&cid=s_37683_172_f&fid=37683&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21584849%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Boyd BA, McDonough SG, Bodfish JW Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are a core symptom of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). There has been an increased research emphasis on repetitive behaviors; however, this research primarily has focused on phenomenology and mechanisms. Thus, the knowledge base on interventions is lagging behind other areas of research. The literature suggests there are evidence-based practices to treat "lower order" RRBs in ASD (e.g., stereotypies); yet, there is a lack of a focused program of intervention research for "higher order" behaviors (e.g., insistence on sameness). This paper will (a) discuss barriers to intervention development for RRBs; (b) review evidence-based interventions to treat RRBs in ASD, with a focus on higher order behaviors; ... Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4866227 Mon, 16 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4866227