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Autism recent issues  
Autism RSS feed -- recent issues

Editorial - Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:58:23 PST

Effects of water exercise swimming program on aquatic skills and social behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders - Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:58:23 PST

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a 10 week water exercise swimming program (WESP) on the aquatic skills and social behaviors of 16 boys with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). In the first 10 week phase (phase I), eight children (group A) received the WESP while eight children (group B) did not. A second 10 week phase (phase II) immediately followed, with the treatments reversed. Both groups continued their regular treatment/ activity throughout the study. Improvements were seen in aquatic skills for both groups subsequent to the WESP. Following phase I, significant social improvements were seen in group A. Following phase II, social improvements were seen for group B, whereas group A merely maintained the improvements they attained through the implementation of the WESP during phase I. Results indicate that the WESP improved aquatic skills in the participants, and holds potential for social improvements.

The atypical development of metaphor and metonymy comprehension in children with autism - Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:58:23 PST

One of the most noticeable problems in autism involves the social use of language such as metaphor and metonymy, both of which are very common in daily language use. The present study is the first to investigate the development of metaphor and metonymy comprehension in autism. Eleven children with autism were compared to 17 typically developing children in a metaphor-metonymy comprehension task. Cross-sectional trajectory analyses were used to compare the development of metaphor and metonymy comprehension using a child-friendly story picture task. Trajectories were constructed linking task performance either to chronological age or to measures of mental age. Children with autism showed an impaired metaphor comprehension in relation to both chronological and mental age, whereas performance on metonymy was delayed and in line with their receptive vocabulary. Our results suggest that understanding of metaphors and metonyms are severely affected at all ages examined in the current study.

Attentional blink in young people with high-functioning autism and Asperger's disorder - Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:58:23 PST

The aim of the study was to examine the temporal characteristics of information processing in individuals with high-functioning autism and Asperger’s disorder using a rapid serial visual presentation paradigm. The results clearly showed that such people demonstrate an attentional blink of similar magnitude to comparison groups. This supports the proposition that the social processing difficulties experienced by these individuals are not underpinned by a basic temporal-cognitive processing deficit, which is consistent with Minshew’s complex information processing theory. This is the second study to show that automatic inhibitory processes are intact in both autism and Asperger’s disorder, which appears to distinguish these disorders from some other frontostriatal disorders. The finding that individuals with autism were generally poorer than the comparison group at detecting black Xs, while being as good in responding to white letters, was accounted for in the context of a potential dual-task processing difficulty or visual search superiority.

Effectiveness of special nursery provision for children with autism spectrum disorders - Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:58:23 PST

The effectiveness of three local authority early teaching interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) was studied. Thirty-three children (2:6 to 4:0 years old) received one of three early teaching interventions: a 1:1 home-based programme, and two different forms of special nursery placement. Measures from the Psycho-Educational Profile, British Abilities Scale, and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales were taken over a 10 month period. The study showed moderate effect sizes for improvements in all scales for children attending a generalized special nursery placement, and for those attending a special nursery placement solely for children with ASDs. Children receiving a home-based 1:1 programme with similar intervention hours showed moderate effect sizes for the PEP and BAS but not for the VABS. These data show that special nursery placements can offer benefits to children with ASDs, especially in the area of adaptive behavioural functioning.

Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice: Call for Papers - Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:58:23 PST

Editorial - Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:35:07 PST

Establishing a sexual identity: Case studies of learners with autism and learning difficulties - Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:35:08 PST

The physical and emotional changes that occur in adolescence are part of the process of sexual maturity. These changes occur irrespective of ability and are often aligned with psychological and social factors. When the nature of a disability has an inherent limitation in social awareness, as is the case for individuals with autism, the achievement of personal sexual identity can become much more complex. Challenges in supporting individuals in this respect can be caused by the sensitive aspects of inappropriate behaviour, the abstract nature of teaching the topic, and the general reluctance on the part of parents and staff to discuss sexuality in individuals with disabilities. This article explores how a residential school addressed this gap. It provides details of how this need was met for seven students and the process undertaken to involve staff, parents and other stakeholders to establish ongoing support.

Autistic disorder symptoms in Rett syndrome - Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:35:08 PST

According to the major classification systems it is not possible to diagnose a comorbid autistic disorder in persons with Rett syndrome. However, this is a controversial issue, and given the level of functioning of persons with Rett syndrome, the autistic disorder is expected to be present in a comparable proportion as in people with the same level of functioning. To investigate, parents of 52 females with classical and atypical Rett syndrome (2.4—49.3 years) completed the Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC), the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO) and the Dutch Vineland Screener 0—6 (VS 0—6). All participants had a severe to profound intellectual disability (ID) according to the VS 0—6. Behavior indicated an autistic disorder in 42 (DBC) to 58 percent (DISCO) of the Rett cases. Autistic behavior had decreased in 19 percent such that they no longer met the criteria for autistic disorder. Some participants were suspected of having a comorbid autistic disorder, though not more often than can be expected at their level of functioning. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of a comorbid autistic disorder as much as they should be in other people with this level of functioning.

Multi-informant reports of psychiatric symptoms among high-functioning adolescents with Asperger syndrome or autism - Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:35:08 PST

The aim of the study was to examine psychiatric symptoms in high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders reported by multiple informants. Forty-three 11- to 17-year-old adolescents with Asperger syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA) and 217 typically developed adolescents completed the Youth Self-Report (YSR), while their parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Teachers of adolescents with AS/HFA completed the Teacher Report Form (TRF). The informants reported significantly more psychiatric symptoms, especially withdrawn, anxious/depressed, social and attention problems, in adolescents with AS/HFA than in controls. In contrast to findings in the general population, the psychiatric problems of adolescents with AS/HFA are well acknowledged by multiple informants, including self-reports. However, anxiety and depressive symptoms were more commonly reported by adolescents with AS/HFA and their teachers than their parents, indicating that some emotional distress may be hidden from their parents.

Imitation in fragile X syndrome: Implications for autism - Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:35:08 PST

To address the specific impairment of imitation in autism, the imitation abilities of 22 children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) with and without autism were compared. Based on previous research, we predicted that children with FXS and autism would have significantly more difficulty with non-meaningful imitation tasks. After controlling for full-scale IQ and age, the groups did not differ in their overall imitation accuracy scores, but analysis of error patterns revealed that children with FXS and autism made more groping errors and additional movements than the comparison group. These error patterns are consistent with the hypothesis that an action production system deficit plays an important role in the overall imitation deficit in autism, at least in children with FXS.

Assessing progress during treatment for young children with autism receiving intensive behavioural interventions - Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:35:08 PST

This study examined progress after 1 year of treatment for children with autism who received a mean of 36 hours per week one-to-one University of California at Los Angeles Applied Behavior Analysis (UCLA ABA) treatment. Two types of service provision were compared: an intensive clinic based treatment model with all treatment personnel (N = 23), and an intensive parent managed treatment model with intensive supervision only (N = 21). A non-concurrent multiple baseline design across participants (N = 13) examined whether progress was associated with ABA treatment or confounders. Between intake and follow-up, children in both groups improved significantly on IQ, visual-spatial IQ, language comprehension, expressive language, social skills, motor skills and adaptive behaviour. There were no significant differences between the two groups on any of the measures at follow-up. Mean IQ for participants in both groups increased by 16 points between intake and follow-up. These findings are consistent with previous studies demonstrating the benefits of ABA treatment.

Book review: The Autistic Spectrum: Characteristics, causes and practical issues by Jill Boucher. London: SAGE Publications, 2009. ISBN 978--0--7619--6211--3 - Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:35:08 PST

Editorial - Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:36:57 PDT

Emotional and behavioural adjustment in siblings of children with intellectual disability with and without autism - Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:36:57 PDT

Siblings of children with autism may be at greater risk for psychological problems than siblings of children with another disability or of typically developing (TD) children. However, it is difficult to establish whether autism or the presence of intellectual disability (ID) explains the findings in previous research. Mothers rated the emotional and behavioural adjustment of siblings of children with ID with (N = 25) or without (N = 24) autism. Data were also available 18 months later for siblings of children with autism and ID (N = 15). Siblings of children with autism and ID had more emotional problems compared with siblings of children with ID only and with normative data. Three variables were pertinent: increasing age of the child with autism, having a brother with autism, and being younger than the child with autism. Behavioural and emotional difficulties of siblings of children with autism and ID were relatively stable over 18 months.

Which DSM-IV-TR criteria best differentiate high-functioning autism spectrum disorder from ADHD and anxiety disorders in older children? - Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:36:57 PDT

Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often delayed in high-functioning children with milder and more varied forms of ASD. The substantial overlap between ASD and other psychiatric disorders is thought to contribute to this delay. This study examined the endorsement of DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for ASD based on semi-structured parent interviews across three groups of older children referred to an ASD clinic: 55 children diagnosed with high-functioning ASD, 27 children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and 23 children diagnosed with anxiety disorder. Results indicate that the criteria within the domains of communication and social relatedness were largely able to discriminate the high-functioning ASD group from the ADHD and anxiety disorder groups, but criteria within the domain of restricted/repetitive/stereotyped patterns were not.

Autistic features in girls from a psychiatric sample are strongly associated with a low 2D:4D ratio - Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:36:57 PDT

Autistic features such as deficits in social interactions and communication have been associated with a low 2D:4D ratio in normal children.This study assessed this association in a large sample of children with a variety of psychiatric disorders (n = 35 girls and n = 147 boys). Autistic features were assessed with a highly valid and reliable measure (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule—Generic). Correlations between the 2D:4D ratio and autistic features were computed separately for boys and girls. Some small negative correlations (r = —0.17 and r = —0.19) were found in the right hand for boys; however, particularly in girls, large negative correlations (r = —0.51 to r = —0.64) were found in the left hand. A low 2D:4D ratio in girls was highly predictive of the presence of autistic features. Thus, a low ratio could possibly be used as a diagnostic predictor in clinical practice.

Set-shifting in children with autism spectrum disorders: Reversal shifting deficits on the Intradimensional/Extradimensional Shift Test correlate with repetitive behaviors - Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:36:57 PDT

Research examining set-shifting has revealed significant difficulties for adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, research with high-functioning children with ASDs has yielded mixed results. The current study tested 6- to 13-year-old high-functioning children with ASD and typically developing controls matched on age, gender, and IQ using the Intradimensional/Extradimensional (ID/ED) Shift Test from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Children with ASDs completed as many ED shifts and reversal ED shifts as controls; however, they made significantly more errors than controls while completing the ED reversal shifts. Analyses on a subset of cases revealed a significant positive correlation between ED reversal errors and the number of repetitive behavior symptoms in the ASD group. These findings suggest that high-functioning children with ASDs require additional feedback to shift successfully. In addition, the relationship between set-shifting and non-social symptoms suggests its utility as a potentially informative intermediate phenotype in ASDs.

Book review: Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorders by S. Goldstein, J.A. Naglieri and S. Ozonoff (Eds). London: Guildford Press, 2009. ISBN 978--1--59385 --983--1. {pound}27.45 hdk. 384 pp - Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:36:57 PDT

Editorial - Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:30:51 PDT

Are there more bowel symptoms in children with autism compared to normal children and children with other developmental and neurological disorders?: A case control study - Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:30:51 PDT

There is considerable controversy as to whether there is an association between bowel disorders and autism. Using a bowel symptom questionnaire we compared 51 children with autism spectrum disorder with control groups of 35 children from special school and 112 from mainstream school. There was a significant difference in the reporting of certain bowel symptoms (constipation, diarrhoea, flatulence) and food faddiness between the autism group and the mainstream school control group. There was no significant difference between the autism group and children in the special schools except for faddiness, which is an autism specific symptom and not a bowel symptom. This study confirms previously reported findings of an increase in bowel symptoms in children with autism. It would appear, however, that this is not specifically associated with autism as bowel symptoms were reported in similar frequency to a comparison group of children with other developmental and neurological disorders.

Developmental regression in children with an autism spectrum disorder identified by a population-based surveillance system - Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:30:51 PDT

This study evaluated the phenomenon of autistic regression using population-based data. The sample comprised 285 children who met the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) case definition within an ongoing surveillance program. Results indicated that children with a previously documented ASD diagnosis had higher rates of autistic regression than children who met the ASD surveillance definition but did not have a clearly documented ASD diagnosis in their records (17—26 percent of surveillance cases). Most children regressed around 24 months of age and boys were more likely to have documented regression than girls. Half of the children with regression had developmental concerns noted prior to the loss of skills. Moreover, children with autistic regression were more likely to show certain associated features, including cognitive impairment.These data indicate that some children with ASD experience a loss of skills in the first few years of life and may have a unique symptom profile.

Parenting stress and psychological functioning among mothers of preschool children with autism and developmental delay - Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:30:51 PDT

Parents of children with developmental disabilities, particularly autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), are at risk for high levels of distress. The factors contributing to this are unclear. This study investigated how child characteristics influence maternal parenting stress and psychological distress. Participants consisted of mothers and developmental-age matched preschool-aged children with ASD (N = 51) and developmental delay without autism (DD) ( N = 22). Evidence for higher levels of parenting stress and psychological distress was found in mothers in the ASD group compared to the DD group. Children's problem behavior was associated with increased parenting stress and psychological distress in mothers in the ASD and DD groups. This relationship was stronger in the DD group. Daily living skills were not related to parenting stress or psychological distress. Results suggest clinical services aiming to support parents should include a focus on reducing problem behaviors in children with developmental disabilities.

Emotional, motivational and interpersonal responsiveness of children with autism in improvisational music therapy - Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:30:51 PDT

Through behavioural analysis, this study investigated the social-motivational aspects of musical interaction between the child and the therapist in improvisational music therapy by measuring emotional, motivational and interpersonal responsiveness in children with autism during joint engagement episodes. The randomized controlled study (n = 10) employed a single subject comparison design in two different conditions, improvisational music therapy and toy play sessions, and DVD analysis of sessions. Improvisational music therapy produced markedly more and longer events of `joy', `emotional synchronicity' and `initiation of engagement' behaviours in the children than toy play sessions. In response to the therapist's interpersonal demands, `compliant (positive) responses' were observed more in music therapy than in toy play sessions, and `no responses' were twice as frequent in toy play sessions as in music therapy. The results of this exploratory study found significant evidence supporting the value of music therapy in promoting social, emotional and motivational development in children with autism.

The role of vision for online control of manual aiming movements in persons with autism spectrum disorders - Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:30:51 PDT

Recent studies suggest motor skills are not entirely spared in individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous reports demonstrated that young adults with ASD were able to land accurately on a target despite increased temporal and spatial variability during their movement. This study explored how a group of adolescents and young adults with an ASD used vision and proprioception to land successfully on one of two targets. Participants performed eye movements and/or manual reaching movements, either with or without vision. Although eye movements were executed in a similar timeframe, participants with ASD took longer to plan and execute manual reaching movements. They also exhibited significantly greater variability during eye and hand movements, but were able to land on the target regardless of the vision condition. In general, individuals with autism used vision and proprioception. However, they took considerably more time to perform movements that required greater visual-proprioceptive integration.

Perceiving the impossible: How individuals with autism copy paradoxical figures - Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:30:51 PDT

Mottron and colleagues found that individuals with autism were less affected by geometric impossibility than comparison participants on a copying task. The current experiment sought to determine whether a local perceptual style could account for this. Participants with and without autism copied possible and impossible geometric figures. Geometric impossibility had a larger effect on drawing time for comparison participants than for those with autism. However, participants with autism did not use more localized drawing strategies. Strength of impossibility effect was associated with a global strategy amongst comparison participants but this relationship was not found amongst participants with autism. The findings suggest that differences in high-level conceptual processing may account for group differences in effects of impossibility.

Book review: Autism: An Integrated View from Neurocognitive, Clinical, and Intervention Research edited by Evelyn McGregor, Maria Nunez, Katie Cebula and Juan Carlos Gomez. Oxford: Blackwell, 2008. ISBN--978--1--4051--5696--7. {pound}24.99 pbk. 352 pp - Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:30:51 PDT

Book Review: Asperger Syndrome and Employment by Genevieve Edmonds and Luke Beardon (eds). London: Jessica Kingsley, 2008. ISBN 978--1--84310--648--7 pbk. 176 pp - Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:30:51 PDT