Autism Spectrum Disorder Sample Research Articles

A Psychometric Analysis of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents Among Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Caregiver-Adolescent Agreement, Factor Structure, and Validity.

Social anxiety is common among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An ongoing challenge for both research and clinical practice in ASD is the assessment of anxious symptomatology. Despite its widespread use in samples of youth with ASD, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) has not received psychometric evaluation within this population; thus, the validity of its use in research and clinical practice for ASD remains unclear. The present study conducted a psychometric analysis of caregiver and adolescent SAS-A forms in a sample of adolescents with ASD (N = 197). Results revealed (1) poor caregiver-adolescent item-level agreement, (2) a two-factor structure, (3) lack of measurement invariance between reporters, and (4) modest evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. Overall, findings suggest that this measure demonstrates reasonable psychometric properties in an ASD sample. Lack of measurement invariance, however, calls for careful interpretation of research involving the SAS-A in ASD samples, particularly when the primary goal is to compare adolescent and caregiver reports. The implications of these findings for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

Whole Blood Serotonin Levels and Platelet 5-HT2A Binding in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Elevated whole blood serotonin (WB5-HT) is a well-replicated biomarker in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Decreased platelet serotonin receptor 5-HT2A binding has been reported in ASD. WB5-HT levels and platelet 5-HT2A specific binding were obtained from 110 individuals with ASD and 18 controls. Individuals with ASD had significantly higher WB5-HT levels than controls. There was no difference in the platelet 5-HT2A specific binding between groups. Multiple regression analyses revealed that platelet 5-HT2A binding significantly predicted WB5-HT in the control sample but not in the ASD sample. These results indicate that the relationship between WB5-HT and platelet 5-HT2A binding differs depending on ASD diagnosis, suggesting differences in platelet 5-HT system regulation in ASD.

Variations in Mitochondrial Respiration Differ in IL-1ß/IL-10 Ratio Based Subgroups in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)7 is associated with multiple physiological abnormalities, including immune dysregulation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. However, an association between these two commonly reported abnormalities in ASD has not been studied in depth. This study assessed the association between previously identified alterations in cytokine profiles by ASD peripheral blood monocytes (PBMo) and mitochondrial dysfunction. In 112 ASD and 38 non-ASD subjects, cytokine production was assessed by culturing purified PBMo overnight with stimuli of innate immunity. Parameters of mitochondrial respiration including proton-leak respiration (PLR), ATP-linked respiration (ALR), maximal respiratory capacity (MRC), and reserve capacity (RC) were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The ASD samples were analyzed by subgrouping them into high, normal, and low IL-1ß/IL-10 ratio groups, which was previously shown to be associated with changes in behaviors and PBMo miRNA expression. MRC, RC, and RC/PLR, a marker of electron transport chain (ETC) efficiency, were higher in ASD PBMCs than controls. The expected positive associations between PLR and ALR were found in control non-ASD PBMCs, but not in ASD PBMCs. Higher MRC, RC, RC/PLR in ASD PBMCs were secondary to higher levels of these parameters in the high and normal IL-1ß/IL-10 ratio ASD subgroups than controls. Associations between mitochondrial parameters and monocyte cytokine profiles differed markedly across the IL-1ß/IL-10 ratio based ASD subgroups, rendering such associations less evident when ASD samples as a whole were compared to non-ASD controls. Our results indicate for the first time, an association between PBMC mitochondrial function and PBMo cytokine profiles in ASD subjects. This relationship differs across the IL-1ß/IL-10 ratio based ASD subgroups. Changes in mitochondrial function are likely due to adaptive changes or mitochondrial dysfunction, resulting from chronic oxidative stress. These results may indicate alteration in molecular pathways affecting both the immune system and mitochondrial function in some ASD subjects.

Coalitional Game Theory Facilitates Identification of Non-Coding Variants Associated With Autism.

Studies on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have amassed substantial evidence for the role of genetics in the disease’s phenotypic manifestation. A large number of coding and non-coding variants with low penetrance likely act in a combinatorial manner to explain the variable forms of ASD. However, many of these combined interactions, both additive and epistatic, remain undefined. Coalitional game theory (CGT) is an approach that seeks to identify players (individual genetic variants or genes) who tend to improve the performance—association to a disease phenotype of interest—of any coalition (subset of co-occurring genetic variants) they join. This method has been previously applied to boost biologically informative signal from gene expression data and exome sequencing data but remains to be explored in the context of cooperativity among non-coding genomic regions. We describe our extension of previous work, highlighting non-coding chromosomal regions relevant to ASD using CGT on alteration data of 4595 fully sequenced genomes from 756 multiplex families. Genomes were encoded into binary matrices for three types of non-coding regions previously implicated in ASD and separated into ASD (case) and unaffected (control) samples. A player metric, the Shapley value, enabled determination of individual variant contributions in both sets of cohorts. A total of 30 non-coding positions were found to have significantly elevated player scores and likely represent significant contributors to the genetic coordination underlying ASD. Cross-study analyses revealed that a subset of mutated non-coding regions (all of which are in human accelerated regions (HARs)) and related genes are involved in biological pathways or behavioral outcomes known to be affected in autism, suggesting the importance of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within HARs in ASD. These findings support the use of CGT in identifying hidden yet influential non-coding players from large-scale genomic data, to better understand the precise underpinnings of complex neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.

SU13 - BIOTYPES IN AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDERS: EXOME ANALYSIS IN 250 SPANISH TRIOS AND ITS RELATION WITH BIOMARKERS, CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES

Background Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) comprise a heterogeneous group of highly heritable (50%) neurodevelopmental disorders with a multi-factorial origin. Diagnoses of ASD is mainly based on i) deficiencies in social interaction and communication and ii) restrictive and repetitive behavioral patterns, interests or activities, including sensorial alterations. However, the diagnostic criteria has limited use in research field, as different subtypes have been identified within ASD. In addition to important polygenic component, a great variety of single-gene disorders and chromosomal abnormalities have been described across latest genetic studies. Proper biological pathways and/or specific physiopathological mechanisms involved such as chromatin remodeling, glutamate/GABA balance or transcription processes have been identified as candidate gene sets enriched in deleterious rare, inherited and de novo variation. Here we present phenotypic clusters identified from a sample of well-characterized ASD trios. We describe distinctive biological pathways involved and described types of functional variation related with mentioned clusters. Methods Our sample has 250 Spanish ASD trios recruited at Hospital Universitario Gregorio Maranon. Demographic, clinical and neuropsychological variables were collected from trio samples to perform cluster analysis with a combination of hierarchical and k-mean methodology. General linear model was used to study association between genetic and phenotypic variables collected. Exome from blood DNA was sequenced as part of the Autism Sequencing Consortium (ASC) dataset. ANNOVAR was used for variant annotation from vcf files to filter rare (MAF Results ASD sample was exhaustively characterized, and clusters were defined according to several variables as Intellectual Disability (ID), developmental regression, psychiatric comorbility, gastrointestinal pathology or pro-inflamatory status. Distinctive patterns of protein-truncating, damaging missense, de novo, inherited ultrarrare or intolerant variation across identified phenotypic clusters were found, affecting previously implicated gene sets as chromatin remodeling, synapse and immune-related pathways. Interestingly, in preliminary results we found a clear connection between immune-affected cluster (defined by phenotype and biomarkers) and intestinal membrane adhesion genes. Discussion Through the study here presented, we demonstrated enrichment of functional genetic rare variation of distinctive nature across identified phenotypic clusters in our dataset, deepening previous findings in relation with different entities within ASD. We claim the usefulness of differentiate biological clusters with diagnosable attributes as this aim will not only allow the establishment of stratification criteria for clinical purposes, but also improve decision making about pharmacological treatment choice and strengthen the importance of early intervention therapies.

Measurement invariance of the child behavior checklist in children with autism spectrum disorder with and without intellectual disability: Follow-up study

BackgroundChildren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have high rates of co-occurring emotional and behavioral problems. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) has been used to assess emotional and behavioral functioning in many large-scale studies of children with ASD. However, the previously established factor model may account for symptom patterns differently in children with concurrent intellectual disability (ID). MethodIn a sample of children with ASD, a multi-group nested confirmatory factor analysis was used to compare participant groups with and without concurrent ID on each of the subscales of the CBCL. ResultsIn almost all of the subscales, children with ASD and concurrent ID exhibit different baseline levels, measurement error, and overall predictive ability on the behavioral and emotional problems of the CBCL than children with ASD alone. In younger children with ASD, configural invariance was present in Emotional Reactivity, Anxious/Depressed, and Somatic Complaints, metric invariance was present in Sleep Problems, residual invariance was present in Withdrawn Behavior, and structural invariance was present in Attention Problems and Aggressive Behavior. In older children with ASD, configural invariance was present in Anxious/Depressed, Somatic Complaints, Social Problems, Thought Problems, Attention Problems, and Rule-Breaking; whereas, metric invariance was present in Withdrawn/Depressed and Aggressive Behavior. ConclusionsIn conclusion, when dealing with intellectually heterogeneous ASD samples, the item-level data of the CBCL should be used, rather than broad subscale-level data. These findings underscore a continued need for development and validation of measures that are appropriate for use in individuals with ASD across ages and intellectual functioning.

Social Anhedonia in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Psychiatry Referrals

Social anhedonia (SA) is a widely accepted symptom phenotype in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), depression, and schizophrenia spectrum disorder; nevertheless, its clinical implications are relatively unstudied in populations of clinic-referred youth with and without ASD. Youth with ASD (n = 268) and nonASD psychiatry referrals (n = 641) between 6 and 18 years of age were evaluated for SA, ASD severity, co-occurring psychiatric symptom severity, and a wide range of common clinical correlates. Participants were parsed into youth with and without parent-defined SA, and the latter were further subdivided into youth with (SA+ alone) and without (SA/−alone) a preference for being alone. Two thirds of the ASD group met criteria for SA compared with one fourth of psychiatry referrals. SA was associated with higher rates of ASD social skill deficits, social anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia symptoms in both clinic samples. SA+ alone had the highest rates of social anxiety. Among the ASD sample, severity of social anxiety and ASD social skills deficits were relatively small predictors of SA. There was little evidence of divergence between youth with and without SA for a wide range of commonly studied biopsychosocial clinical correlates, for example, youth, family, medical, and treatment characteristics. Although factors associated with the ASD diathesis contribute to an increased risk of SA, they do not in and of themselves explain our results. Lack of syndrome specificity supports the notion that SA is a useful transdiagnostic symptom phenotype in referred youth and challenges traditional conceptualizations of ASD as a categorical clinical phenotype.

Role of the Immune System in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

The evidence based supports that multifactorial and complex immune interactions play a role in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but contradictory findings are also reported. The aim of this selective review was to identify trends in the research literature on this topic, focusing on immunology and other aberrations with respect to the different ASD subtypes. This selective review is based on original and review articles written in English and identified in literature searches of PubMed. Several studies have found that the risk of ASD is greater among children whose mothers suffered from autoimmune diseases while pregnant. Moreover, individuals with ASD show increased levels of antibodies that are specific for several specific proteins. Studies also show that mothers of children with ASD have antibodies against fetal brain proteins. There are also reports on the associations between increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines and ASD. Finally, infections in mothers during pregnancy are linked to an increased risk of ASD. We propose that the large inconsistencies in findings among studies in the field are due to differences in subdiagnoses among the included children with ASD. Well-phenotyped ASD samples are needed to understand the biological and immunological mechanisms underpinning ASD and its subdiagnoses. Future research should apply new strategies to scrutinize the link between ASD and changes in immune responsivity. Important new research avenues are to investigate the associations (a) between different ASD phenotypes and aberrations in (auto)immune pathways and (b) between reduced natural regulatory autoimmune responses during pregnancy, which are in turn associated with increased oxidative and nitrosative stress in maternal blood and putative detrimental effects in the offspring.

Poor Sleep Quality Among Adolescents With ASD Is Associated With Depressive Symptoms, Problem Behaviors, and Conflicted Family Relationships

To better understand correlates of sleep issues for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we conducted two related studies of sleep quality in association with adolescent well-being and family relationships. In Study 1, 28 adolescents with ASD, 27 typically developing (TD) adolescents, and their mothers, participated. Mothers and adolescents independently completed questionnaires about sleep and adolescent functioning. In Study 2, 20 adolescents with ASD and their mothers participated, and actigraphy was used to measure sleep quality. Regression results from Study 1 indicated more daytime sleepiness was associated with more depressive symptoms and more discordant mother–adolescent relationships in the ASD sample. More sleep–wake problems were associated with more depressive symptoms in TD adolescents. In Study 2, more time asleep and poorer sleep efficiency were associated with more depressive symptoms and discordant sibling relationships. These findings suggest that helping adolescents with ASD with their sleep issues may confer benefits in other parts of their lives.

Measuring the involvement in family life of children with autism spectrum disorder: A DBPNet study

BackgroundChildren with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have social and communication deficits that impair their involvement in family life. No measures of child involvement in the family have been validated for the ASD population. AimTo evaluate the validity of a measure of Family Involvement (FI) of children ages 5–12 with ASD. MethodParents of children ages 5–12 with ASD (n = 114) completed FI items from the PROMIS® pediatric Family Relationships item bank in computerized adaptive testing (CAT) format, as well as measures of ASD symptom burden, parenting stress, and parental depression. Medical record review provided child intelligence or developmental quotient. A reference sample (n = 236) closely matching the ASD sample in age and gender was created from the national standardization sample, and underwent a simulated CAT. ResultsThe CAT precisely and efficiently measured parent-reported FI of children with ASD. Average FI scores were lower among children with ASD (M = 46.3, SD = 7.1) than children in the reference sample (M = 52.5, SD = 9.1). A "dose response" decrease in FI was observed as ASD severity increased. Increased parenting stress was associated with lower FI. No relationship between FI and child IQ was found. ConclusionThe FI items captured FI among children ages 5–12 with ASD with acceptable precision. Reduced FI among children with ASD, particularly those with higher symptom severity, suggests validity of the items in this population.

Differences in sleep patterns, sleepiness, and physical activity levels between young adults with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing controls

ABSTRACTObjective: To investigate the differences in sleep, sleepiness, and physical activity (PA) between young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing controls (TDC).Method: Actigraphic data and questionnaires on sleep, sleepiness, and PA were compared between fifteen adults with ASD (ADOS range 7–19; ages 22.8 ± 4.5 years) and TDC.Results: In comparison to the TDC group, the ASD group slept longer on average per night but took longer to fall asleep. In relationship to PA levels, the objective PA levels were lower in the ASD group than the TDC group. Fewer wake minutes during the sleep period in the ASD sample were associated with more PA the following day.Conclusion: The findings support previous research that demonstrates differences in sleep parameters and PA between ASD and TDC. Interventions aimed at increasing PA in an ASD population may be beneficial for improved sleep.

Early Indication of Reading Difficulty? A Descriptive Analysis of Emergent Literacy Skills in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

In this pilot study, we describe emergent literacy skills and factors related to literacy for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A total of 38 parents and their children ( n = 18 with ASD; n = 20 typically developing) participated in this study. Our analyses revealed great variability in emergent literacy performance across the ASD sample, with many children demonstrating strengths in code-focused skills combined with difficulties with focused-meaning skills. Moderate to strong correlations were found between emergent literacy skills and indices of communication and cognition for the children with ASD. Although we did not detect overall group differences in parental beliefs related to literacy, moderate to robust relationships were identified between parental attitudes about literacy and various child developmental indices. Implications for the nature and timing of intervention and future research directions are discussed in light of these findings.

Evaluating Sex and Age Differences in ADI-R and ADOS Scores in a Large European Multi-site Sample of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Research on sex-related differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been impeded by small samples. We pooled 28 datasets from 18 sites across nine European countries to examine sex differences in the ASD phenotype on the ADI-R (376 females, 1763 males) and ADOS (233 females, 1187 males). On the ADI-R, early childhood restricted and repetitive behaviours were lower in females than males, alongside comparable levels of social interaction and communication difficulties in females and males. Current ADI-R and ADOS scores showed no sex differences for ASD severity. There were lower socio-communicative symptoms in older compared to younger individuals. This large European ASD sample adds to the literature on sex and age variations of ASD symptomatology.

Diagnostic Utility of the WISC-IV GAI > CPI Cognitive Score Profile for a Referred Sample of Children and Adolescents with Autism

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are hypothesized to exhibit relative strengths in verbal and non-verbal reasoning and weaknesses in working memory and speed of information processing. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the degree to which this cognitive profile as measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Edition (WISC-IV; Wechsler 2003a) cognitive proficiency index (CPI; measure of working memory and processing speed) and general ability index (GAI; measure of verbal and non-verbal reasoning) could accurately distinguish between a referred sample of 79 school-aged students diagnosed with ASD and two non-clinical comparison groups: (a) 2200 children in the WISC-IV standardization sample and (b) 216 school-aged students referred for psychoeducational testing whose school-based evaluations did not result in a diagnosis. Results indicated that the ASD sample exhibited significantly lower mean scores on the CPI when compared to the two control groups. However, diagnostic utility statistics indicated that a randomly selected participant from the ASD subgroup would exhibit a larger difference between the GAI and CPI than a randomly selected participant from the two control groups 51.9–66.0% of the time. Consequently, the GAI > CPI cognitive score profile exhibits low diagnostic accuracy for individuals with ASD. Psychologists who work in applied settings are cautioned against using group trends to guide decision-making for individual clients.

Matrix Reasoning and Anhedonic Depression in Male Adolescents with Autism

Background: Almost half of samples of young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience depression but little is known about the role of overall and specific cognitive function in that depression. Investigation of this link could help explain the pathway between cognitive function and depression. Methodology: Fifty-one male adolescents with ASD, plus 18 male adolescents without ASD, completed the Wechsler Abbreviated Intelligence Scale (2nd ed.) (WASI-II) plus the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory-Depression (CASI-MDD) subscale. Data were analysed at the global (total IQ, depression) and subtest (IQ) and symptom (depression) levels. Results: Although there were no significant differences in overall IQ or any of the WASI-II subtests between the ASD and non-ASD samples, the ASD sample had significantly higher CASI-MDD scores. There was a significant correlation between global IQ and Matrix Reasoning with CASI-MDD total and anhedonia scores for the ASD sample, but no significant correlations between these variables for the non-ASD sample. Conclusions: Matrix Reasoning appears to be implicated in the development of anhedonic depression in adolescents with ASD.

Oxidative Stress in Autistic Children Alters Erythrocyte Shape in the Absence of Quantitative Protein Alterations and of Loss of Membrane Phospholipid Asymmetry.

Red blood cells (RBCs) from people affected by autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a target of oxidative stress. By scanning electron microscopy, we analyzed RBC morphology from 22 ASD children and show here that only 47.5 ± 3.33% of RBC displayed the typical biconcave shape, as opposed to 87.5 ± 1.3% (mean ± SD) of RBC from 21 sex- and age-matched healthy typically developing (TD) controls. Codocytes and star-shaped cells accounted for about 30% of all abnormally shaped ASD erythrocytes. RBC shape alterations were independent of the anticoagulant used (Na2-EDTA or heparin) and of different handling procedures preceding glutaraldehyde fixation, thus suggesting that they were not artefactual. Incubation for 24 h in the presence of antioxidants restored normal morphology in most erythrocytes from ASD patients. By Coomassie staining, as well as Western blotting analysis of relevant proteins playing a key role in the membrane-cytoskeleton organization, we were unable to find differences in RBC ghost composition between ASD and normal subjects. Phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure towards the extracellular membrane domain was examined in both basal and erythroptosis-inducing conditions. No differences were found between ASD and TD samples except when the aminophospholipid translocase was blocked by N-ethylmaleimide, upon which an increased amount of PS was found to face the outer membrane in RBC from ASD. These complex data are discussed in the light of the current understanding of the mode by which oxidative stress might affect erythrocyte shape in ASD and in other pathological conditions.

Identification of the antigenic epitopes of maternal autoantibodies in autism spectrum disorders

Several groups have described the presence of fetal brain-reactive maternal autoantibodies in the plasma of some mothers whose children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We previously identified seven autoantigens targeted by these maternal autoantibodies, each of which is expressed at significant levels in the developing brain and has demonstrated roles in typical neurodevelopment. To further understand the binding repertoire of the maternal autoantibodies, as well as the presence of any meaningful differences with respect to the recognition and binding of these ASD-specific autoantibodies to each of these neuronal autoantigens, we utilized overlapping peptide microarrays incubated with maternal plasma samples obtained from the Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and Environment (CHARGE) Study. In an effort to identify the most commonly recognized (immunodominant) epitope sequences targeted by maternal autoantibodies for each of the seven ASD-specific autoantigens, arrays were screened with plasma from mothers with children across diagnostic groups (ASD and typically developing (TD)) that were positive for at least one antigen by western blot (N = 67) or negative control mothers unreactive to any of the autoantigens (N = 18). Of the 63 peptides identified with the discovery microarrays, at least one immunodominant peptide was successfully identified for each of the seven antigenic proteins using subsequent selective screening microarrays. Furthermore, while limited by our relatively small sample size, there were peptides that were distinctly recognized by autoantibodies relative to diagnosis For example, reactivity was observed exclusively in mothers of children of ASD towards several peptides, including the LDH-B peptides DCIIIVVSNPVDILT (9.1% ASD vs. 0% TD; odds ratio (95% CI) = 6.644 (0.355–124.384)) and PVAEEEATVPNNKIT (5.5% ASD vs. 0% TD; odds ratio (95% CI) = 4.067 (0.203–81.403)).These results suggest that there are differences in the binding repertoire between the antigen positive ASD and TD maternal samples. Further, the autoantibodies in plasma from mothers of children with ASD bound to a more diverse set of peptides, and there were specific peptide binding combinations observed only in this group. Future studies are underway to determine the critical amino acids necessary for autoantibody binding, which will be essential in developing a potential therapeutic strategy for maternal autoantibody related (MAR) ASD.

Autistic Symptoms in Children and Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria

Studies have shown an increase of symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in gender dysphoria (GD). Various hypotheses try to explain this possible co-occurrence (e.g., a role of resistance to change, stereotyped behaviors or prenatal testosterone exposure). This study examined ASD symptoms with the Children’s Social Behavior Questionnaire (CSBQ) in 490 children with GD compared to 2507 typically developing (TD) and 196 children with ASD. CSBQ total scores of the GD sample were in between scores from the TD and ASD sample. The GD sample showed elevated levels of autistic symptomatology on all subdomains, not only on stereotyped and resistance to change. Further, no gender differences and interaction effects were found on the total CSBQ, making a sole role for prenatal testosterone unlikely.

Specificity of executive function and theory of mind performance in relation to attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms in autism spectrum disorders

BackgroundIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently demonstrate symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous findings in children with ASD have suggested that these symptoms are associated with an impairment in executive function (EF) abilities. However, studies rarely considered this association within a single framework that controls for other related factors such as Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities and ASD symptoms.MethodsWe used structural equation modeling to explore the relations among EF, ToM, and symptoms of ASD and ADHD, using data from a population-based sample of 100 adolescents with ASD and full-scale IQ ≥ 50 (the Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP) cohort). The study used a multi-measure and multi-informant approach, where performance of inhibition, planning, switching, and working memory tasks indexed EF and performance on tasks involving mentalizing indexed ToM. Measures of ASD and ADHD symptoms included parent and teacher reports and direct observation of the children. Shared source of symptom reporting was accounted for with a parental rating latent factor indexed by symptom measures reported by parents.ResultsImpairments in EF abilities were specifically associated with ADHD symptoms while impaired ToM was specifically associated with ASD symptoms, when accounting for the associations of each cognitive domain with the other factors. ASD and ADHD symptom latent factors were also correlated, but this association became nonsignificant once the shared source of reporting from parents was accounted for and within a model that also controlled for the correlated pathway between EF and ToM factors. The specific relations between the cognitive domains and behavioral symptoms remained even after controlling for IQ.ConclusionsIn this ASD sample, symptoms of ADHD and ASD are underpinned by separate cognitive domains. The association between EF and ToM impairments is a likely partial explanation for the co-occurrence of ADHD symptoms in ASD, but the role of shared reporting effects is also important and supports the inclusion of independent informants and objective measures in future research.

Online gaming, loneliness and friendships among adolescents and adults with ASD

Adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are prone to experience poor friendships and loneliness. This group has also shown a particular interest for screen-based media and computer-games. Online multiplayer games have shown to promote social interaction and friendship building among the general population, however, no study has yet investigated these possibilities for persons with ASD. The current study aims to investigate the possible links between online gaming, loneliness and friendships in a sample of 85 adolescents and adults with ASD and a control group of 71 participants. Data was gathered through self-reported questionnaires. Results indicated that within the ASD sample, persons who play online games have more friends than those who do not. Motives to play online games differed between the ASD sample and the control group. Additionally, low to moderate use of online games was linked with less loneliness experienced among participants with ASD. However, friendship quality and having a best or close friend were not linked with online gaming. The results provide the first findings for connections between online gaming, loneliness and friendships among individuals with ASD. It also provides evidence for future studies to further investigate the possible casual effects between online gaming, loneliness and friendship among individuals with ASD.