Asperger Research Articles

Post-primary school teachers’ knowledge and understanding of autism spectrum disorders

Current national policy in the Republic of Ireland advocates for the inclusion of students with learning difficulties in mainstream schools. With Asperger’s syndrome (AS) specifically, it is essential that teachers understand the syndrome and are well versed in appropriate approaches to effectively create an inclusive environment for these students in the mainstream classroom. This paper explores teacher knowledge and understanding of AS while also exploring what affects their confidence in educating students diagnosed with the syndrome. Data collection pre-dated changes to the DSM-V and as such AS is used throughout this paper. A survey was distributed nationally to a random sample of qualified post-primary school teachers. The findings revealed that teachers did not appear to possess an adequate level of knowledge and understanding in relation to the syndrome. Continued professional development programmes in the area appeared to have minimal effect, with those completing programmes scoring only marginally better than those who did not (2.85%). These findings are of concern if these teachers are then expected to foster an inclusive environment, particularly when a high proportion of teachers have previously taught a student diagnosed with the syndrome and their knowledge remains limited.

Asperger syndrome and schizophrenia: Νeurodevelopmental continuum or separated clinical entities?

This article is an overview of the literature on Asperger's syndrome and schizophrenia and aim to discuss their similarities and differences. Eugen Bleuler who associated the terms "schizophrenia" and "autism" a century ago, viewed autism as a form of solitude of schizophrenic patients representing withdrawal from reality. Ever since, there has been confusion as to the boundaries between these conditions. Nowadays recent research, from a variety of perspectives-genomics, neurodevelopment, psychiatry, etc. has given new information on these conditions. It is easier to demarcate these two disorders at the extremes, but it is extremely difficult dissociating milder forms of both disorders. Asperger's syndrome (AS), is considered to be a continuous and lifelong disorder with strong heritability, present from early childhood. It is included within the category of autism spectrum disorders and it is usually diagnosed in childhood. Patients with Asperger syndrome are often diagnosed late or they are considered as having schizophrenia. Misdiagnosing Asperger syndrome creates severe problems by preventing effective therapy. A lot of clinical characteristics of Asperger's syndrome are also present in schizophrenia, such as impaired social interaction, disabilities in communication and restricted interests. On the other side some clinical features may facilitate the differential diagnosis, such as the younger age at onset, family history of pervasive developmental disorders, pragmatic aspects of language use, lack of imagination, ect. It is known that symptoms of Asperger's syndrome have some overlap with those of schizophrenia, but less is known about comorbidity between these two syndromes. It is still a question whether autism spectrum disorders in young children can increase the risk for the development of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, later in life. Both disorders are of neurodevelopmental origin and genetic factors are prominent. In both neurocognitive deficits as well as deficits in social cognition and social functioning are marked. The boundaries between AS and schizophrenia are still not clear even if this distinction is necessary for the appropriate treatment of the patient and his family. For the writing of the literature review, the following electronic databases were used: PubMed, Scopus, Psycinfo, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The key words used were: Asperger's syndrome, schizophrenia, children and adolescents, differential diagnosis, autism spectrum disorders.

Notions of support challenged by participatory research with adults with Asperger's syndrome

Abstract: The article discusses the findings of participatory research involving co-researchers with Asperger's syndrome. The findings of the research led to the development of a model of mutual understanding: the Triad of Understanding. The article discusses how the findings were arrived at and the implications for traditional notions of support. Keywords: autism; Asperger's syndrome; participatory research; support

Economic Evaluation Alongside a Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial of Modified Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Compared to Treatment-as-Usual in Adults With Asperger Syndrome.

Background: There is a growing interest in using group cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) with people who have Asperger syndrome (AS) and comorbid mental health problems. This study aims to assess the cost-effectiveness of modified group CBT for adults with AS experiencing co-occurring anxiety compared to treatment-as-usual. Methods: Economic evaluation alongside a pilot, multicenter, single-blind, randomized controlled crossover trial. Costs from the UK public sector (National Health Service and Social Services) and societal perspectives, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), incremental net (monetary) benefit (INB), expected value of perfect information, expected value of sample information, expected net gain of sampling, and efficient sample size of a future trial are reported. Results: Over 48 weeks, from the societal perspective, CBT results in additional costs of £6,647, with only a 0.015 incremental gain in QALYs, leading to a negative INB estimate of £6,206 and a 23% probability of cost-effectiveness at a threshold of £30,000/QALY. Results from sensitivity analyses support the unlikely cost-effectiveness of CBT but indicate the potential for cost-effectiveness over longer time horizons. Eliminating decision uncertainty is valued at £277 million, and the efficient sample size for a future trial is estimated at 1,200 participants per arm. Limitations: Relatively small sample size and prevalence of missing data present challenges to the interpretation of the results. Conclusions: Current evidence from this small pilot study suggests that, on average, modified group CBT is not cost-effective. However, there is much decision uncertainty so such a conclusion could be wrong. A large, full-scale trial to reduce uncertainty would be an efficient investment for the UK health economy.

The Use of Visual Imagery in Asperger Syndrome

Abstract Date Presented 3/30/2017 This poster presents a pilot study that showed that visual imagery increased activity of daily living skills in participants with Asperger syndrome. To date, there has been no such documented research. Limitations will be outlined with a quantitative study in mind. Primary Author and Speaker: Pat Precin Contributing Authors: Michele Floria, Simi Thomas, January Magno, Diana Chang, Charles Jean-Paul

Psychosocial factors influencing Asperger Disorder

Asperger Disorder is influenced in its evolution by social factors such as: Anxiety, Self-esteem and Aggression. Anxiety can manifest itself in different ways based on the life experience of the individual. Recent studies have shown that cognitive behavioral therapy based on social skills represents an efficient treatment in persons with Asperger Disorder. Strong Self-esteem in childhood is a protective factor against family demands, social pressure and some defiant behaviors in the next stages of life. Children with high Self-esteem present safety and confidence in overcoming some existential obstacles and broader personal skills in school; and the ones with low Self-esteem have an inferiority complex in relation with other children and are distrustful in their academic possibilities. Aggression is a form of behavior oriented in a destructive way, being able to cause material, moral or psychological damage. In subjects with Asperger Disorder, provocative behaviors including physical aggression, appear as a necessity to communicate the needs in the absence of expressive language.

Color Vision Losses in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by impairments in social/communication abilities and restricted behaviors. The present study aims to examine color vision discrimination in ASD children and adolescents without intellectual disability. The participants were also subdivided in order to compare color vision thresholds of autistic participants and those who achieved diagnostic criteria for Asperger Syndrome (AS). Nine subjects with autism, 11 participants with AS and 36 typically developing children and adolescents participated in the study. Color vision was assessed by the Cambridge Color Test (CCT). The Trivector protocol was administered to determine color discrimination thresholds along the protan, deutan, and tritan color confusion lines. Data from ASD participants were compared to tolerance limits for 90% of the population with 90% probability obtained from controls thresholds. Of the 20 ASD individuals examined, 6 (30%) showed color vision losses. Elevated color discrimination thresholds were found in 3/9 participants with autism and in 3/11 AS participants. Diffuse and tritan deficits were found. Mechanisms for chromatic losses may be either at the retinal level and/or reflect reduced cortical integration.

Dialog i monolog wewnętrzny u osób z zespołem Aspergera

The internal dialogues were mostly related in various studies with the pathological aspects. For many years, problems of dialogical ego has been systematically described and analyzed by many researchers. The aim of the study is to evaluate the preference expressed by the persons with Asperger syndrome (AS) toward dialogues and monologues. Another purpose of the study was connected with eventual prevalence of ego in the internal dialogues which can be directed to one’s own ego or to the representations of others. This study comprised 22 young persons within the age range 12–19. There was applied modified version of inventory constructed by Puchalska-Wasyl. This method was adapted to the possibilities of subjects with AS. In conclusion, young people with AS more often are ready to realize the dialogues and monologues concerning external relations of their ego. In the case of internal engagement of ego, there was declared more often prevalence of internal monologues in opposite to dialogues. Autobiographies of people with AS can be a very helpful supplement for the analysis of narrations presented by persons with AS.

Stochastic Signatures of Involuntary Head Micro-movements Can Be Used to Classify Females of ABIDE into Different Subtypes of Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Background: The approximate 5:1 male to female ratio in clinical detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) prevents research from characterizing the female phenotype. Current open access repositories [such as those in the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE I-II)] contain large numbers of females to help begin providing a new characterization of females on the autistic spectrum. Here we introduce new methods to integrate data in a scale-free manner from continuous biophysical rhythms of the nervous systems and discrete (ordinal) observational scores.Methods: New data-types derived from image-based involuntary head motions and personalized statistical platform were combined with a data-driven approach to unveil sub-groups within the female cohort. Further, to help refine the clinical DSM-based ASD vs. Asperger's Syndrome (AS) criteria, distributional analyses of ordinal score data from Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)-based criteria were used on both the female and male phenotypes.Results: Separate clusters were automatically uncovered in the female cohort corresponding to differential levels of severity. Specifically, the AS-subgroup emerged as the most severely affected with an excess level of noise and randomness in the involuntary head micro-movements. Extending the methods to characterize males of ABIDE revealed ASD-males to be more affected than AS-males. A thorough study of ADOS-2 and ADOS-G scores provided confounding results regarding the ASD vs. AS male comparison, whereby the ADOS-2 rendered the AS-phenotype worse off than the ASD-phenotype, while ADOS-G flipped the results. Females with AS scored higher on severity than ASD-females in all ADOS test versions and their scores provided evidence for significantly higher severity than males. However, the statistical landscapes underlying female and male scores appeared disparate. As such, further interpretation of the ADOS data seems problematic, rather suggesting the critical need to develop an entirely new metric to measure social behavior in females.Conclusions: According to the outcome of objective, data-driven analyses and subjective clinical observation, these results support the proposition that the female phenotype is different. Consequently the “social behavioral male ruler” will continue to mask the female autistic phenotype. It is our proposition that new observational behavioral tests ought to contain normative scales, be statistically sound and combined with objective data-driven approaches to better characterize the females across the human lifespan.

Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and neuropsychological development in pre-school children: a prospective cohort study.

BackgroundMaternal pre-pregnancy obesity may impair infant neuropsychological development, but it is unclear whether intrauterine or confounding factors drive this association.MethodsWe assessed whether maternal pre-pregnancy obesity was associated with neuropsychological development in 1,827 Spanish children. At 5 years, cognitive and psychomotor development was assessed using McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms using the Criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and autism spectrum disorder symptoms using the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test. Models were adjusted for sociodemographic factors and maternal intelligence quotient. We used paternal obesity as negative control exposure as it involves the same source of confounding than maternal obesity.ResultsThe percentage of obese mothers and fathers was 8% and 12%, respectively. In unadjusted models, children of obese mothers had lower scores than children of normal weight mothers in all McCarthy subscales. After adjustment, only the verbal subscale remained statistically significantly reduced (β: -2.8; 95% confidence interval: -5.3, -0.2). No associations were observed among obese fathers. Maternal and paternal obesity were associated with an increase in ADHD-related symptoms. Parental obesity was not associated with autism symptoms.ConclusionMaternal pre-pregnancy obesity was associated with a reduction in offspring verbal scores at pre-school age.

Effects of Learning Strategy Training on the Writing Performance of College Students with Asperger's Syndrome.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are increasingly entering institutions of higher education. However, many are not prepared for the academic and social demands of postsecondary environments. Although studies have evaluated academic and social interventions for children and adolescents with ASD, little research exists on the college population. The current study utilized a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effectiveness of a writing learning strategy on the writing performance of three college students with ASD. Results indicated that the quality of writing performance improved following strategy instruction. In addition, participants were able to generalize strategy use to content specific writing tasks.

Role of Two Types of Syntactic Embedding in Belief Attribution in Adults with or without Asperger Syndrome.

The role of syntax in belief attribution (BA) is not completely understood in healthy adults and understudied in adults with autism spectrum disorder. Embedded syntax could be useful either for the development of Theory of Mind (ToM) (Emergence account) or more generally over the lifespan (Reasoning account). Two hypotheses have been explored, one suggesting that embedding itself (Relatives and Complement sentences and Metarepresentation account) is important for ToM and another one considering that the embedding of a false proposition into a true one (Complement sentences and Misrepresentation account) is important. The goals of this study were to evaluate (1) the role of syntax in ToM (Emergence vs. Reasoning account), (2) the type of syntax implied in ToM (Metarepresentation vs. Misrepresentation account), and (3) the verbally mediated strategies which compensate for ToM deficits in adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS). Fifty NeuroTypical (NT) adults and 22 adults with AS were involved in a forced-choice task including ±ToM tasks (BA and a control task, physical causation, PC) under four Interference conditions (silence, syllable repetition, relative sentences repetition, and complement sentences repetition). The non-significant ±ToM × Interference interaction effect in the NT group did not support the Reasoning account and thus suggests that syntax is useful only for ToM development (i.e., Emergence account). Results also indicated that repeating complement clauses put NT participants in a dual task whereas repeating relative clauses did not, suggesting that repeating relatives is easier for NT than repeating complements. This could be an argument in favor of the Misrepresentation account. However, this result should be interpreted with caution because our results did not support the Reasoning account. Moreover, AS participants (but not NT participants) were more disrupted by ±ToM tasks when asked to repeat complement sentences compared to relative clause sentences. This result is in favor of the Misrepresentation account and indirectly suggests verbally mediated strategies for ToM in AS. To summarize, our results are in favor of the Emergence account in NT and of Reasoning and Misrepresentation accounts in adults with AS. Overall, this suggests that adults with AS use complement syntax to compensate for ToM deficits.

Novel missense mutation in the bZIP transcription factor, MAF, associated with congenital cataract, developmental delay, seizures and hearing loss (Aym\xe9-Gripp syndrome)

BackgroundCataract is a major cause of severe visual impairment in childhood. The purpose of this study was to determine the genetic cause of syndromic congenital cataract in an Australian mother and son.MethodFifty-one genes associated with congenital cataract were sequenced in the proband using a custom Ampliseq library on the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM). Reads were aligned against the human genome (hg19) and variants were annotated. Variants were prioritised for validation by Sanger sequencing if they were novel, rare or previously reported to be associated with paediatric cataract and were predicted to be protein changing. Variants were assessed for segregation with the phenotype in the affected mother.ResultA novel likely pathogenic variant was identified in the transactivation domain of the MAF gene (c.176C > G, p.(Pro59Arg)) in the proband and his affected mother., but was absent in 326 unrelated controls and absent from public variant databases.ConclusionThe MAF variant is the likely cause of the congenital cataract, Asperger syndrome, seizures, hearing loss and facial characteristics in the proband, providinga diagnosis of Aymé-Gripp syndrome for the family.

You can't judge a book by its cover: evolving professional responsibilities, liabilities and 'judgecraft' when a party has Asperger's Syndrome

In the context of increasing legal emphasis on fairness for people with disability, this article analyses the responsibilities and liabilities of lawyers in relation to the recognition and identification of client disability, and specifically Asperger's Syndrome, prior to a hearing. This article also analyses the judge's responsibilities when a party has Asperger's Syndrome. Lord Justice Gillen's seven points of principle and practical guidance for fair hearings when a party has a disability (Galo v Bombardier Aerospace UK) are used as a framework to explore the art of judging, or 'judgecraft'.

Do resource bases enable social inclusion of students with Asperger syndrome in a mainstream secondary school?

This research identifies the way in which one secondary school with a resourced provision for students with Asperger syndrome promotes social inclusion for them, and the perceptions of staff members and parents on the social experience of schooling for these children. Interviews were conducted with five teachers, two learning support assistants, and the head of the resourced provision. Questionnaires were completed by eight parents of students with Asperger syndrome who attend the provision. The research found that a positive social experience of schooling was perceived by members of staff and parents due to the additional support of the resource in teaching social skills, providing a safe place and support from the learning support assistants. Some negative perceptions of social experience were also reported, which highlighted the need for educational provision for students on the autism spectrum to be considered at an individual level.

Social cognition and communication skills in Asperger syndrome young adults

Abstract: The aim of this study is to compare patients with Asperger syndrome (AS) and control participants on social cognition tasks and communication skills. Twenty young adults were assessed in three social cognition domains; recognition of basic emotions, recognition of complex emotions and Theory of Mind (ToM). In addition participants completed a self-report questionnaire as a measure of social communication skills. The results indicate that adults with AS perform below neurotypical control participants in emotion processing, ToM and communication skills. There were no significant correlations between the variables of social cognition and communication skills in the group of AS. Taken together, results suggest that people with a diagnosis of AS present a deficit in ToM and emotional processing as well as in communication skills. However, it was not possible to identify a significant association between the variables of social cognition and communication skills. Cognición social y habilidades de comunicación en adultos jóvenes con síndrome de Asperger Resumen: El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar la ejecución de personas con síndrome de Asperger (AS) en tareas de cognición social y de habilidades comunicacionales. Para ello se evaluaron veinte adultos jóvenes en tres áreas de la cognición social, reconocimiento de emociones básicas, reconocimiento de emociones complejas y Teoría de la Mente (ToM). Además los participantes completaron un autoinforme sobre habilidades de comunicación social. Los resultados indican que los adultos con SA obtienen una peor ejecución en las tareas de procesamiento de las emociones (tanto básicas como complejas), en tareas de ToM y en habilidades de comunicación. No se han obtenido correlaciones significativas entre las variables de cognición social y las habilidades de comunicación. En conjunto, los resultados sugieren que las personas con un diagnóstico de SA presentan un déficit en el procesamiento emocional y de ToM, así como en las habilidades de comunicación. Sin embargo, no fue posible identificar una asociación significativa entre las diferentes variables de cognición social evaluadas y las habilidades de comunicación.

Flourishing: Factors associated with positive mental health among young adults with neuropsychiatric disorders

Young people with Asperger's syndrome and/or ADHD face major challenges in their lives affecting their quality of life and general well-being.The aim of this study was to investigate factors that associate with positive mental health (flourishing) among young adults with neuropsychiatric disorders.The sample consisted of 188 young adults with diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome (AS) (F84.5) and/or ADHD/ADD (F90). They participated in the one-year “My Way” rehabilitation programme organized and funded by the social insurance institution of Finland. Baseline questionnaires included measures on positive mental health (SWEMWBS), provisions of social relationships (SPS), social competence (MASC) and questions about functional capacity and leisure time activities. Information on diagnosis was received from doctors’ statements.Of the study participants, 35% had a comorbid mood, anxiety or stress-related disorder (F30-F40). Among those, 14% had low, 79% moderate and 7% high positive mental health (flourishing). Higher rate of physical activity was associated with flourishing. Furthermore, flourishing was associated with high level of provisions of social relationships, social competence as well as good general functional capacity. No association was found with engagement in employment or education, or having the diagnosis of AS, ADHD/ADD or a comorbid psychiatric disorder (F30–F40).People with psychiatric disorders experience high positive mental health, too. Social relations, social competence and general functional capacity play an important role in mental well-being of young adults with neuropsychiatric disorders. Supporting them may help in reaching also other goals set for the rehabilitation, such as capacity to work or study.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Sensory processing in children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A comparative study using the Short Sensory Profile

BackgroundAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the sensory modulation disorders among others like autism, Asperger syndrome and Fragile X syndrome. Little is known about patients with ADHD and their sensory processing issues in Sri Lanka.AimsTo investigate differences in sensory processing among children between (3–10) yrs with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and those who are typically developing in Sri Lanka.MethodsA descriptive cross sectional study of 75 children aged (3–10) yrs attending child guidance clinic at Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) were compared with 75 age matched peers who were typically developing, using the Short Sensory Profile (SSP).ResultsOut of the sample population of 150, there was a significant difference in sensory processing total score (P-0.001) (df-29) of children with ADHD when compared to the typically developing group. The greatest differences were reported on the tactile (P-0.013), taste (P-0.000), under responsiveness (P-0.002), auditory filtering (P-0.002) & low energy (P-0.017). Out of the raw items commonest sensory processing problems were difficulty standing in line, distractability if there is a lot of noise around, being unable to work with background noise & difficulty paying attention due to auditory deficits.ConclusionsMajority of children in this sample were reported to have difficulties with processing and responding to sensory input on the SSP. Further studies are needed to assess sensory issues in children with ADHD, to carry out effective interventions.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Executive functions disorders in high functioning autism and rehabilitation implications

IntroductionThe term executive functions (EFs) includes a set of cognitive processes such as planning, working memory, attention, problem solving, inhibition, mental flexibility, multi-tasking, and initiation and monitoring of actions. EFs are the higher order control processes to guide behaviour.Some studies on the relationship between EFs and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) showed deficit in the cognitive flexibility and speed processing, particularly with Asperger syndrome. Recently, Merchán-Naranjo et al. [1] supported that children's and adolescents with autism without intellectual disability are insufficient in at least 5 domains: attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control and problem-solving.AimsOur work is aimed at verifying if the presence of a dysexecutive syndrome significantly impacts on the adaptive functioning of people with high functioning autism.MethodsA group of young adults with ASD were administered traditional neuropsychological assessment, specific assessment, focusing on the planning strategies for solving problems (Test Tower of London), abstraction and categorization (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test), and the Dysexecutive Questionnaires.ResultsThe results showed the presence of a specific deficit in the executive functioning in an average cognitive functioning.ConclusionsIntegrate the standard cognitive screening with a specific EFs assessment resulted to be very useful for the clinician to realize neuropsychological and psychotherapeutic individualized treatment.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Asperger syndrome – a homeopathic challenge

Asperger syndrome – a homeopathic challenge