Autism Spectrum Disorder Behaviors Research Articles

Working memory load affects repetitive behaviour but not cognitive flexibility in adolescent autism spectrum disorder

Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with repetitive and stereotyped behaviour, suggesting that cognitive flexibility may be deficient in ASD. A central, yet not examined aspect to understand possible deficits in flexible behaviour in ASD relates (i) to the role of working memory and (ii) to neurophysiological mechanisms underlying behavioural modulations.Methods: We analysed behavioural and neurophysiological (EEG) correlates of cognitive flexibility using a task-switching paradigm with and without working memory load in adolescents with ASD and typically developing controls (TD).Results: Adolescents with ASD versus TD show similar performance in task switching with no memory load, indicating that ‘pure’ cognitive flexibility is not in deficit in adolescent ASD. However performance during task repetition decreases with increasing memory load. Neurophysiological data reflect the pattern of behavioural effects, showing modulations in P2 and P3 event-related potentials.Conclusions: Working memory demands affect repetitive behaviour while processes of cognitive flexibility are unaffected. Effects emerge due to deficits in preparatory attentional processes and deficits in task rule activation, organisation and implementation of task sets when repetitive behaviour is concerned. It may be speculated that the habitual response mode in ASD (i.e. repetitive behaviour) is particularly vulnerable to additional demands on executive control processes.

Response to Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intractable Challenging Behaviors Associated With Symptoms of Catatonia

There are several reports of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) used in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of catatonic symptoms. We describe response to ECT in two adults with ASD and intellectual disability with intractable aggression and self-injurious behaviors associated with catatonic symptoms who had not responded to standard interventions. Unilateral ECT at a frequency of 3 times a week was given followed by weekly maintenance ECT. Patients' catatonic symptoms included episodes of agitation and echophenomena. Electroconvulsive therapy resulted in significant improvement in their behavior problems but 1 patient relapsed when the ECT was discontinued or frequency of treatment reduced. The second patient required 2 courses of ECT before improvement which was maintained on weekly ECT. Electroconvulsive therapy could be a potentially beneficial intervention in patients with ASD and severe challenging behaviors associated with catatonic symptoms including agitated or excited forms of catatonia.

An interactional “live eye tracking” study in autism spectrum disorder: combining qualitative and quantitative approaches in the study of gaze

ABSTRACTRecent studies on gaze behaviours in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have utilised “live eye tracking.” Such research has focused on generating quantitative eye tracking measurements, which provide limited (if any) qualitative contextual details of the actual interactions in which gaze occurs. This article presents a novel methodological approach that combines live eye tracking with qualitative interaction analysis, multimodally informed conversation analysis. Drawing on eye tracking and wide-angle video recordings, this combination renders visible some of the functions, or what gaze “does,” in interactional situations. The participants include three children with ASD and their adult co-participants during body-movement gaming sessions. The article demonstrates how quantitative eye tracking research can be extended qualitatively using a microanalytic interaction analysis to recontextualise the gaze shifts identified. The findings in this article show that the co-participants treat a child’s gaze shifts differently depending on when these occur in a stream of other action. The study suggests that introducing this qualitative dimension to eye tracking research could increase its ecological validity and offer new insight into gaze behaviours in ASD.

Autism Spectrum and psychosis risk in the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Findings from a prospective longitudinal study

BackgroundIndividuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) have a 25% risk for schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders. Some have hypothesized that Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) diagnosed in children with 22q11DS may actually represent the social-communicative defects often observed during the early developmental stages of schizophrenia. MethodsWe prospectively studied 89 children with 22q11DS to test this hypothesis. At baseline, the Autism Diagnostic Interview was used to assess ASD, evaluating both current and early childhood behaviors. At follow-up, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS) was used to determine development of a psychotic disorder or psychotic symptoms. ResultsThe average age (±SD) at first and last assessments was 14.3±1.9 and 19.0±3.0years, respectively. Nineteen (21.3%) children developed a psychotic disorder. Contrary to our hypothesis, there was no significant difference in the proportion that developed a psychotic disorder, comparing those with (n=9, 17.3%) and those without ASD at baseline (n=10, 27%; OR=0.500, 95% CI=0.160–1.569, p=0.235). Similar results were obtained using autistic symptom severity as quantitative predicting variable, psychotic symptoms as the outcome, and when correcting for age, gender and full scale IQ. ConclusionResults indicate that in children with 22q11DS, early childhood autistic features are not associated with an increased risk for subsequent development of psychotic disorders or symptoms, replicating previous retrospective findings in adults with 22q11DS. These results indicate that ASD and psychotic disorders can emerge independently, as pleiotropic phenotypes in the context of 22q11DS.

Distinct neural bases of disruptive behavior and autism symptom severity in boys with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundDisruptive behavior in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an important clinical problem, but its neural basis remains poorly understood. The current research aims to better understand the neural underpinnings of disruptive behavior in ASD, while addressing whether the neural basis is shared with or separable from that of core ASD symptoms.MethodsParticipants consisted of 48 male children and adolescents: 31 ASD (7 had high disruptive behavior) and 17 typically developing (TD) controls, well-matched on sex, age, and IQ. For ASD participants, autism symptom severity, disruptive behavior, anxiety symptoms, and ADHD symptoms were measured. All participants were scanned while viewing biological motion (BIO) and scrambled motion (SCR). Two fMRI contrasts were analyzed: social perception (BIO > SCR) and Default Mode Network (DMN) deactivation (fixation > BIO). Age and IQ were included as covariates of no interest in all analyses.ResultsFirst, the between-group analyses on BIO > SCR showed that ASD is characterized by hypoactivation in the social perception circuitry, and ASD with high or low disruptive behavior exhibited similar patterns of hypoactivation. Second, the between-group analyses on fixation > BIO showed that ASD with high disruptive behavior exhibited more restricted and less DMN deactivation, when compared to ASD with low disruptive behavior or TD. Third, the within-ASD analyses showed that (a) autism symptom severity (but not disruptive behavior) was uniquely associated with less activation in the social perception regions including the posterior superior temporal sulcus and inferior frontal gyrus; (b) disruptive behavior (but not autism symptom severity) was uniquely associated with less DMN deactivation in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and lateral parietal cortex; and (c) anxiety symptoms mediated the link between disruptive behavior and less DMN deactivation in both anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and MPFC, while ADHD symptoms mediated the link primarily in ACC.ConclusionsIn boys with ASD, disruptive behavior has a neural basis in reduced DMN deactivation, which is distinct and separable from that of core ASD symptoms, with the latter characterized by hypoactivation in the social perception circuitry. These differential neurobiological markers may potentially serve as neural targets or predictors for interventions when treating disruptive behavior vs. core symptoms in ASD.

Network over-connectivity differentiates autism spectrum disorder from other developmental disorders in toddlers: A diffusion MRI study.

Advanced connectivity studies in toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are increasing and consistently reporting a disruption of brain connectivity. However, most of these studies compare ASD and typically developing subjects, thus providing little information on the specificity of the abnormalities detected in comparison with other developmental disorders (other-DD). We recruited subjects aged below 36 months who received a clinical diagnosis of Neurodevelopmental Disorder (32 ASD and 16 other-DD including intellectual disability and language disorder) according to DSM-IV TR. Structural and diffusion MRI were acquired to perform whole brain probabilistic and anatomically constrained tractography. Network connectivity matrices were built encoding the number of streamlines (DNUM ) and the tract-averaged fractional anisotropy (DFA ) values connecting each pair of cortical and subcortical regions. Network Based Statistics (NBS) was finally applied on the connectivity matrices to evaluate the network differences between the ASD and other-DD groups. The network differences resulted in an over-connectivity pattern (i.e., higher DNUM and DFA values) in the ASD group with a significance of P < 0.05. No contra-comparison results were found. The over-connectivity pattern in ASD occurred in networks primarily involving the fronto-temporal nodes, known to be crucial for social-skill development and basal ganglia, related to restricted and repetitive behaviours in ASD. To our knowledge, this is the first network-based diffusion study comparing toddlers with ASD and those with other-DD. Results indicate the detection of different connectivity patterns in ASD and other-DD at an age when clinical differential diagnosis is often challenging. Hum Brain Mapp 38:2333-2344, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Community-based Sample with Neurodevelopmental Problems in Lagos, Nigeria.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a globally prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder for which early diagnosis and intervention is the mainstay of management. In the African continent, limited data is available regarding the non-clinic based samples. Lack of information available to caregivers and inadequate skilled manpower often limit early detection and access to the few available though under resourced services in the community. Community based screening can be an important drive to create awareness and improve information dissemination regarding services available for those living with this disorder. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study utilizing data obtained from participants of a community-based autism screening exercise. The surveillance exercise was part of the annual Orange Ribbon initiative for autism awareness and screening held in 2014. Data was obtained from 85 participants involved in the Autism Surveillance screening exercise within the Lagos community. Community public service radio announcements state wide and word of mouth were used to invite and enroll eligible participants to the screening and consultation exercise. A second stage screening and a brief sociodemographic questionnaire followed by a third stage clinical interview and evaluation using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - 5 Edition (DSM 5) were used. Appropriate consultation and referrals to services in the community were given. Participants had a mean age of 7.53 years (SD 4.35). Twenty-nine (34.5%) met the diagnosis of ASD. Other diagnosis included attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), language and speech disorder, intellectual disability (8.3%) and learning disorders (9.5%). Main health concerns to caregivers were poor language development in all (100%), of which 11 (40.7%) were non-verbal; gaze avoidance was seen in 14 (48.3%) and challenging behavior in 12 (42.9%). Comorbidities included seizure disorders (3.4%) and ADHD (6.9%). Persons with autism had history of ASD behavior more often when compared to the other neurodevelopmental disorders and these findings were statistically significant. Referrals were given to caregivers to engage in services within the community. As seen in this study, community understanding of ASD is poor in such locations, in which many persons with other neurodevelopmental disorders are often presented as having autism. Caregivers in the study location are distressed by many symptoms associated with autism and their comorbid conditions. Currently there is an evident role for frequent large scale community based screening and autism awareness exercises possibly using inter-sectoral collaboration as a strategy.

Investigating the relationship between multiple grip forces and BOLD signal in the Cerebellum and dentate nuclei of MS subjects

Investigating the relationship between multiple grip forces and BOLD signal in the Cerebellum and dentate nuclei of MS subjects

Conceptualization of a Heuristic to Predict Increase in Restricted and Repetitive Behaviour in ASD across the Short to Medium Term

Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are central to the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), yet there is a paucity of research in this domain. Despite the lack of conceptual clarity, and related empirical findings to underpin practice, clinicians are called on to not only diagnose people with ASD, but also to make prognostic predictions across the short to medium term. These prognostic decisions impact the interventions selected and access to programs. This paper synthesizes available evidence to inform a model of repetitive patterns of thought, ritualistic behaviors and insistence on sameness, arguably the cluster of behavior most likely to be seen in main stream clinical settings and schools and design a heuristic that could be applied by clinicians to aid prognostic decisions and form the basis of further research eventually leading to actuarial models.

T7 - . CNS Patterning Gene Variants May Bridge The Gap Between Autistic Symptoms And Brain Cortical Structure

Background Abnormal cortical anatomy has been identified as a significant feature of the neuropathology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The CNS patterning gene, the wingless-type MMTV integration site family, member 2 (WNT2), has been shown to be associated with the risk for ASD and is essential for promoting cortical dendrite growth and dendritic spin formation. Whether the WNT2 variants are associated with clinical severity of autistic symptoms and cortical development is not yet studied. This study aims to investigate the genetic association between WNT2 variants and (1) clinical severity of ASD, and (2) the cortical thickness in individuals with ASD and typically-developing controls (TDC). Methods The genetic association study recruited 391 patients (males, 88.3%; mean age ± SD, 9.5 ± 4.4 years) diagnosed with ASD. Six tagging SNPs of WNT2 were genotyped and analyzed by their genetic association with the core symptoms of ASD. The candidate SNPs were selected for each linkage disequilibrium block across 5'-UTR to 3'-UTR. The neuroimage study included 122 patients with ASD (males, 95.8%; mean age 13.1 ± 6.4 years) and 118 TDC (males, 61.5%; man age 21.0 ± 9.7). Cortical thickness on MRI was analyzed by FreeSurfer software with 74 automatic parcellation. The main effect of each SNP and group*SNP interaction were examined for each region. Results In genetic association study, we found that the multi-locus markers of WNT2 were associated with communication problems and restricted/stereotyped behaviors in ASD. Patients who carry a specific haplotype showed more severe symptoms. In neuroimage study, we found that mean cortical thickness as well as nine cortical regions were reduced in ASD compared to TDC in a subsample with compatible sex and age (88 ASD and 51 TDC, mean age 13 years). Meanwhile, the WNT2 variants showed a main effect and an age interaction on the mean cortical thickness of bilateral hemispheres, as well as several brain regions including cingulate cortex and superior temporal cortex. Discussion In conclusion, our findings suggest that the variants of CNS patterning gene WNT2 may play a role in modulate the clinical severity and neuroimage phenotypes of ASD. Patients who carry specific WNT2 variants showed more severe communication deficits and severe stereotyped behaviors. Besides, WNT2 variants might contribute to the reduced cortical thickness found in ASD; subjects who carry specific genotype may experience accelerated cortical thinning during adolescence and early adulthood. These findings may be worth validation and further investigation.

Autistic feature and 2D:4D finger ratio relations children and adolescents with congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Objective: Because congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is rarely seen, it is difficult to assess whether the increased incidence of ASD in girls with CAH. ASD behaviors and 2D: 4D finger ratio changes in patients with androgen overproduction have been reported. The aim of this study is determining the 2D:4D finger ratios and ASD features in girls with CAH and normal control group. Methods: The study group will consist of thirty female children and adolescents between the ages of 3 and 15 who are diagnosed with classic CAH who were followed at the Pediatric Endocrinology Department of Duzce University Medical Faculty Hospital. For the control group, 30 healthy children and adolescents equalized with CAH patients in terms of age and gender will be taken. Al patients and controls examined for psychiatric disorders. by clinicians Patients and control groups filled Autism Behavior Checklist and semistructured sociodemographic form that evaluated the gender, age, pregnancy and birth complications, history of mothers’ cigarette and alcohol use. 2D:4D ratios were measured in both of control and CAH groups. Findings: KAH group right and left hand 2D:4D ratios were statistically lower compared to controls and also lower 2D:4D ratios had association with high ABC scores. When compared with control group, CAH group ABC scores were significantly higher. In KAH group there was a positive correlation between 2D:4D ratios and ABC scores. Conclusion: In light of present study findings, suggest that high androgen may have effect on low 2D:4D ratios and high ASD symptoms. Further researches with a large sample are needed in this field.

T6 - An Investigation Of Assortative Mating Patterns And Underlying Genetic Correlates In Parents Of Offspring With Asd

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a complex genetic etiology. Little is known about the role of inherited common variants in the development of ASD and it’s persistent, and perhaps increased, frequency in our population, despite decreased fecundity in ASD individuals. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is assortative mating. Individuals with elevated, but sub-diagnostic ASD behaviors may be more likely than chance to mate, and thus increase the likelihood of their offspring of inheriting an underlying genetic load that pushes them over the ASD diagnostic threshold. In parents of children with ASD, we investigate 1) If genetic risk for ASD, schizophrenia (SCZ) or height can predict ASD-like behaviors 2) If they are more similar than chance in their ASD-like behaviors and their genetic risk for ASD, SCZ or height and 3) If there is a correlation between ASD behavioral and genetic similarity. Analyses were performed on 2727 Caucasian parental pairs of children with ASD in the Simons Simplex Collection. All parents completed the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ) and were genotyped via microarray. After standard quality control measures, Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) were calculated in PLINK using summary data from published GWAS for SCZ, ASD, and height. Linear regression was performed in R to predict individual PRS based on individual BAPQ scores for all phenotypes. Degree of correlation between mothers and fathers was calculated for both BAPQ scores and PRS for SCZ, ASD, and height. Finally, the degree of correlation was calculated between the squared difference of mother and father BAPQ scores and the squared difference between mother and father PRS for all phenotypes. For parents of children with ASD, individual PRS for ASD, SCZ or height did not predict individual BAPQ total or subscale scores (b = -0.06 – 0.3 , p > 0.01). Total BAPQ score and BAPQ pragmatic subscale scores were strongly correlated between parents (r = 0.14 , p = 1.4e-12 ; r = 0.11 , p = 2.4e-8). PRS for both ASD and SCZ were also strongly correlated between parents (r = 0.16, p = 1.1e-9; r = 0.19, p = 3.9e-14). Height PRS were more weakly correlated (r = 0.08, p = 0.003). Squared difference of parental PRS scores for all phenotypes were not predictive of the squared difference of parental total BAPQ scores or any subscales (b = -0.07 – 0.02, p ≥ 0.01). Assortative mating is an established phenomenon in individuals with ASD. Here, we show that parents of individuals with ASD are also more likely than chance to highly correlate on broad autism phenotype measures, primarily on pragmatic language measures. Pragmatic language measures are, for example, when someone says inappropriate or unrelated things during conversations or has little variety in language use. Further, we found that parents of children with ASD have highly correlated PRS for both ASD and SCZ, but not height (our non-psychiatric control phenotype). Therefore, we hypothesized that the degree of correlation between ASD and SCZ genetic risk may predict correlation on total BAPQ measures or on the BAPQ pragmatic language subscale. However, the results of this analysis found that there was no significant correlation between these measures. This suggests that the genetic similarity we captured through PRS may reflect assortative mating in parents of ASD individuals due to factors other than autistic-like behaviors and that there are yet unknown factors underlying BAPQ similarities between parents of ASD individuals.

Moderators of Parent Training for Disruptive Behaviors in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

We conducted a 6month, randomized trial of parent training (PT) versus a parent education program (PEP) in 180 young children (158 boys, 22 girls), ages 3-7years, with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). PT was superior to PEP in decreasing disruptive and noncompliant behaviors. In the current study, we assess moderators of treatment response in this trial. Thirteen clinical and demographic variables were evaluated as potential moderators of three outcome variables: the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Irritability subscale (ABC-I), Home Situations Questionnaire (HSQ), and Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale (CGI-I). We used an intent-to-treat model and random effects regression. Neither IQ nor ASD severity moderated outcome on the selected outcome measures. Severity of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and anxiety moderated outcomes on the ABC-I and HSQ. For instance, there was a 6.6 point difference on the ABC-I between high and low ADHD groups (p = .05) and a 5.3 point difference between high and low Anxiety groups (p = .04). Oppositional defiant disorder symptoms and household income moderated outcomes on the HSQ. None of the baseline variables moderated outcome on the CGI-I. That IQ and ASD symptom severity did not moderate outcome suggests that PT is likely to benefit a wide range of children with ASD and disruptive behavior.

Risk Factors for Behavioral and Emotional Difficulties in Siblings of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This study examined risk factors for behavioral and emotional problems in 1973 siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Results revealed six correlates of sibling internalizing and externalizing problems: male gender, smaller family size, older age of the child with ASD, lower family income, child with ASD behavior problems, and sibling Broader Autism Phenotype. Siblings with few risk factors were at low risk for behavioral and emotional problems. However, siblings with many risk factors were at increased risk for both internalizing and externalizing problems. These results highlight the need to assess risk for individual siblings to best identify a sub-population of siblings who may be in need of additional support.

Alterations in the functional neural circuitry supporting flexible choice behavior in autism spectrum disorders.

Restricted and repetitive behaviors, and a pronounced preference for behavioral and environmental consistency, are distinctive characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Alterations in frontostriatal circuitry that supports flexible behavior might underlie this behavioral impairment. In an functional magnetic resonance imaging study of 17 individuals with ASD, and 23 age-, gender- and IQ-matched typically developing control participants, reversal learning tasks were used to assess behavioral flexibility as participants switched from one learned response choice to a different response choice when task contingencies changed. When choice outcome after reversal was uncertain, the ASD group demonstrated reduced activation in both frontal cortex and ventral striatum, in the absence of task performance differences. When the outcomes of novel responses were certain, there was no difference in brain activation between groups. Reduced activation in frontal cortex and ventral striatum suggest problems in decision-making and response planning, and in processing reinforcement cues, respectively. These processes, and their integration, are essential for flexible behavior. Alterations in these systems may therefore contribute to a rigid adherence to preferred behavioral patterns in individuals with an ASD. These findings provide an additional impetus for the use of reversal learning paradigms as a translational model for treatment development targeting the domain of restricted and repetitive behaviors in ASD.

Feasibility of parent-mediated behavioural intervention for behavioural problems in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Nigeria: a pilot study.

BackgroundAutism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a disabling and lifelong neuro-developmental disorder. Challenging behaviours such as aggression and self injury are common maladaptive behaviours in ASD which adversely affect the mental health of both the affected children and their caregivers. Although there is evidence-base for parent-delivered behavioural intervention for children with ASD and challenging behaviours, there is no published research on the feasibility of such an intervention in sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the feasibility of parent-mediated behavioural intervention for challenging behaviour in children with ASD in Nigeria.MethodsThis was a pre-post intervention pilot study involving 20 mothers of children with DSM-5 diagnosis of ASD recruited from a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service out-patient Unit. All the mothers completed five sessions of weekly manualised group-based intervention from March to April, 2015. The intervention included Functional Behavioural Analysis for each child followed by an individualised behaviour management plan. The primary outcome measure was the Aggression and Self Injury Questionnaire, which assessed both Aggression towards a Person and Property (APP) and Self Injurious Behaviour (SIB). The mothers’ knowledge of the intervention content was the secondary outcome. All outcome measures were completed at baseline and after the intervention. The mothers’ level of satisfaction with the programme was also assessed. Treatment effect was evaluated with Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests of baseline and post-intervention scores on outcome measures.ResultsThe children were aged 3–17 years (mean = 10.7 years, SD 4.6 years), while their mothers’ ages ranged from 32 to 52 years (mean 42.8 years, SD 6.4 years). The post intervention scores in all four domains of the APP and SIB were significantly reduced compared with pre-intervention scores. The mothers’ knowledge of the intervention content significantly increased post-intervention. The intervention was well received with the vast majority (75 %) of participants being very satisfied and all (100 %) were willing to recommend the programme to a friend whose child has similar difficulties.ConclusionsParent-mediated behavioural intervention is a feasible and promising treatment for challenging behaviour in children with ASD in Nigeria. Behavioural intervention should be an integral component in scaling up services for children with ASD in Nigeria.

Anatomical imbalance between cortical networks in autism.

Influential psychological models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have proposed that this prevalent developmental disorder results from impairment of global (integrative) information processing and overload of local (sensory) information. However, little neuroanatomical evidence consistent with this account has been reported. Here, we examined relative grey matter volumes (rGMVs) between three cortical networks, how they changed with age, and their relationship with core symptomatology. Using public neuroimaging data of high-functioning ASD males and age-/sex-/IQ-matched controls, we first identified age-associated atypical increases in rGMVs of the regions of two sensory systems (auditory and visual networks), and an age-related aberrant decrease in rGMV of a task-control system (fronto-parietal network, FPN) in ASD children. While the enlarged rGMV of the auditory network in ASD adults was associated with the severity of autistic socio-communicational core symptom, that of the visual network was instead correlated with the severity of restricted and repetitive behaviours in ASD. Notably, the atypically decreased rGMV of FPN predicted both of the two core symptoms. These findings suggest that disproportionate undergrowth of a task-control system (FPN) may be a common anatomical basis for the two ASD core symptoms, and relative overgrowth of the two different sensory systems selectively compounds the distinct symptoms.

Wellbeing of mothers of children with “A-U-T-I-S-M” in Malaysia: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study

ABSTRACTBackground This qualitative study aimed to explore how mothers gave meaning to their experiences of raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Malaysia.Methods Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 Malaysian mothers from different ethnic backgrounds (4 Chinese, 3 Malays, and 1 Indian).Results Three themes for the mothers’ adaptation and wellbeing development were identified, including Problem realisation within the context: Learning to spell A-U-T-I-S-M in Malaysia, WE are living with autism, and Resilient overcoming: Climbing Mount Kinabalu. The mothers viewed their child’s ASD symptoms and behaviour problems (e.g., hyperactivity and sleep difficulties) as taking a toll on wellbeing. However, coping strategies, including acceptance, proactive mindset, character growth, spirituality, and parent support networks, fostered wellbeing.Conclusion Both intrapersonal and interpersonal protective processes were important. The findings suggested that Seligman’s (2011) PERMA framework may be applicable to understanding parental wellbeing. Clinical, policy, and research suggestions were discussed.

Interaction between passive smoking and folic acid supplement during pregnancy on autism spectrum disorder behaviors in children aged 3 years

To explore the interaction between passive smoking and folic acid supplement during pregnancy on children autism spectrum disorder(ASD)behaviors. Children aged about 3 years were enrolled at kindergarten entrance in Longhua district of Shenzhen in 2014. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by their primary caregivers and the information about children' s age, gender, history of preterm birth and low birth weight, parents' education level, parents' reproductive age and family income were collected. The children ASD behaviors were assessed with Autism Behavior Checklist(ABC). According to the cut point of ABC, the children were divided into normal group with score less than 31, sub-clinical group with score ranging from 31 to 61 and suspect clinical group with score no less than 62. After controlling for potential confounders, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the main effects and the interaction between passive smoking and folic acid supplement during pregnancy on children ASD behaviors. Maternal passive smoking during pregnancy was significantly associated with children ASD behaviors(sub-clinical group: OR=1.48; suspect clinical group: OR= 2.85), and maternal folic acid supplement during pregnancy was not related to children ASD behaviors(sub-clinical group: OR=1.04; suspect clinical group: OR=0.75). Stratified analysis showed that folic acid supplement during pregnancy was negatively associated with children ASD behaviors(suspect clinical group: OR=0.30)among children without mothers' passive smoking during pregnancy, and that mothers' passive smoking during pregnancy was positively associated with children ASD behaviors(sub-clinical group: OR=1.52; suspect clinical group: OR=4.45)among the children whose mothers had folic acid supplement during pregnancy. Furthermore, an interaction effect on children ASD behaviors was found between passive smoking and folic acid supplement during pregnancy(suspect clinical group: OR=5.30). Passive smoking and folic acid supplement during pregnancy were related to children ASD behaviors and had an interaction on children ASD behaviors.

Characterization of the Statistical Signatures of Micro-Movements Underlying Natural Gait Patterns in Children with Phelan McDermid Syndrome: Towards Precision-Phenotyping of Behavior in ASD

Background: There is a critical need for precision phenotyping across neurodevelopmental disorders, especially in individuals who receive a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Phelan-McDermid deletion syndrome (PMS) is one such example, as it has a high penetrance of ASD. At present, no biometric characterization of the behavioral phenotype within PMS exists.Methods: We introduce a data-type and statistical framework that permits the personalized profiling of naturalistic behaviors. Walking patterns were assessed in 30 participants (16 PMS, 3 idiopathic-ASD and 11 age- and sex-matched controls). Each individual's micro-movement signatures were recorded at 240 Hz. We empirically estimated the parameters of the continuous Gamma family of probability distributions and calculated their ranges. These estimated stochastic signatures were then mapped on the Gamma plane to obtain several statistical indexes for each child. To help visualize complex patterns across the cohort, we introduce new tools that enable the assessment of connectivity and modularity indexes across the peripheral network of rotational joints.Results: Typical walking signatures are absent in all children with PMS as well as in the children with idiopathic-ASD (iASD). Underlying these patterns are atypical leg rotational acceleration signatures that render participants with PMS unstable with rotations that are much faster than controls. The median values of the estimated Gamma parameters serve as a cutoff to automatically separate children with PMS 5–7 years old from adolescents with PMS 12–16 years old, the former displaying more randomness and larger noise. The fluctuations in the arm's motions during the walking also have atypical statistics that separate males from females in PMS and show higher rates of noise accumulation in idiopathic ASD (iASD) children. Despite high heterogeneity, all iASD children have excess noise, a narrow range of probability-distribution shapes across the body joints and a distinct joint network connectivity pattern. Both PMS and iASD have systemic issues with noise in micro-motions across the body with specific signatures for each child that, as a cohort, selectively deviates from controls.Conclusions: We provide a new methodology for precision behavioral phenotyping with the potential to use micro-movement output noise as a natural classifier of neurodevelopmental disorders of known etiology. This approach may help us better understand idiopathic neurodevelopmental disorders and personalize the assessments of natural movements in these populations.