Effects Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Articles

Effects of autism spectrum disorder on parents labour market: Productivity loss and policy evaluation in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan has witnessed a significant increase in the number of Autism Spectrum Disorder cases due to the implementation of mechanisms for early detection. However, despite these efforts, accessing quality services and effective interventions for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder remains challenging. While the government has implemented various policies to address the impact of Autism Spectrum Disorder on the labour market, especially for those with disabilities, the effectiveness of these policies needs to be evaluated. Therefore, this article aims to estimate the loss of productivity by calculating the cost of non-working for parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. To achieve this goal, we combine data from official sources with data from our own survey to estimate the loss of productivity using human capital models. In addition, we conduct policy simulations to assess the impact of the existing policy implemented in Kazakhstan that recognises the time of caring for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and disability as working in the paid labour market. Our results reveal that the productivity loss is substantial, with mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder being particularly affected. Furthermore, based on the outcomes of the policy simulations, it becomes evident that policies solely targeting parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and disability are insufficient to address the labour market gaps and the consequent loss of productivity. To effectively mitigate the impact of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the labour market, a more comprehensive approach is needed. This approach should encompass a broader range of interventions and support mechanisms, including those for individuals without disabilities and parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

A systematic review: nutritional status and the effect in autism spectrum disorder

A systematic review: nutritional status and the effect in autism spectrum disorder

Data-driven dissection of the fever effect in autism spectrum disorder.

Some individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate marked behavioral improvements during febrile episodes, in what is perhaps the only present-day means of modulating the core ASD phenotype. Understanding the nature of this so-called fever effect is therefore essential for leveraging this natural temporary relief of symptoms to a sustained efficacious intervention. Toward this goal, we used machine learning to analyze the rich clinical data of the Simons Simplex Collection, in which one out of every six children with ASD was reported to improve during febrile episodes, across multiple ASD domains. Reported behavioral improvements during febrile episodes were associated with maternal infection in pregnancy (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = [1.42, 2.03], P = 4.24 × 10-4 ) and gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = [1.15, 1.81], P = 1.94 × 10-3 ). Family members of children reported to improve when febrile have an increased prevalence of autoimmune disorders (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = [1.23, 1.67], P = 3.0 × 10-6 ), language disorders (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = [1.29, 2.04], P = 2.5 × 10-5 ), and neuropsychiatric disorders (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = [1.34, 1.89], P < 1 × 10-6 ). Since both GI abnormalities and maternal immune activation have been linked to ASD via proinflammatory cytokines, these results might suggest a possible involvement of immune dysregulation in the fever effect, consistent with findings in mouse models. This work advances our understanding of the fever-responsive ASD subtype and motivates the future studies to directly test the link between proinflammatory cytokines and behavioral modifications in individuals with ASD.

The Effect of Autism Spectrum Disorder on the Processing of Neural Response Metaphors

Objective: The aim of this research is to describe the processing of neural response metaphors in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) speaking Turkish as their native language and to form the basis for further research in this field.&#x0D; Methods: In this study, a single case study method was used. The data was collected by means of a structured questionnaire. The answers were recorded with the “Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts” (SALT) program, and the data obtained was summarised using descriptive analysis.&#x0D; Results: It was found out that the participant had difficulty comprehending, interpreting and using mimics and gestures. He struggled matching emotions and situations with expressions denoting them as well as determining how a person experiencing these emotions and situations might look like. The participant turned out to have reduced ability to interpret idioms and proverbs related to emotions, decide on what actions can be performed at the given place, and form a situation-effect relationship. The participant experienced problems interpreting and using new, formulaic, and malformed metaphors as well metaphors with literal meaning, and could hardly identify and correctly interpret conceptual metaphors within idioms and proverbs.&#x0D; Conclusion: People with ASD experience difficulty with processing of neural response metaphors by the native speakers of Turkish. The disorders identified within the scope of our research result from the deficiencies of the theory of mind in individuals with ASD, which is supported by other studies on individuals with ASD having different mother tongues.

Placebo effects in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Placebo responses are frequently observed in research studies and clinical contexts, yet there is limited knowledge about the placebo effect among children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we review the placebo effect in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Placebo responses are widely evident in ASD clinical trials and could partly operate via so-called placebo-by-proxy, whereby caregivers or clinicians indirectly shape patient outcomes. Understanding the role of placebo effects in ASD may help discern genuine treatment effects from contextual factors in clinical trials. The much less studied nocebo effect, or negative placebo, might contribute to the experience of side effects in ASD treatments but empirical data is missing. Better knowledge about placebo and nocebo mechanisms may contribute to the development of more effective research designs, such as three-armed designs that account for natural history, and improved treatments for ASD symptoms. At a clinical level, deeper knowledge about placebo and nocebo effects may optimize the delivery of care for individuals with ASD in the future. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Placebo responses are evident in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) clinical trials. Placebo responses in ASD are likely dependent on a placebo-by-proxy mechanism.

Challenges and coping strategies of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in Eswatini

Background: Research shows that the debilitating effects of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) not only have an impact on the child, but on the parents and caregivers as well. This study aimed to explore the challenges and coping strategies of parents of children with ASD in Eswatini. Methodology: An exploratory, descriptive qualitative study that used purposive sampling to interview parents of children with ASD was utilised. Data were gathered using two focus groups, three dyads, and two semi-structured interviews. There were 18 participants in this study. Data were interpreted by thematic analysis, and considered according to Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. Findings: The themes were in alignment with the aim of this study, namely the “challenges of parents of children with ASD” and “coping strategies of parents of children with ASD”. Significant personal and societal difficulties, the severity of the symptoms of ASD, and challenges in the health and education systems were subthemes identified under the “challenges of parents” theme. The subthemes that emerged from the “coping strategies” theme were adaptive coping and maladaptive coping. Factors associated with adaptive coping included acceptance of the ASD diagnosis, optimism and faith in God, social support, and celebrating milestones. Maladaptive coping strategies encompassed using corporal punishment, avoidance, social withdrawal, and keeping the child locked in. Conclusion: Recommendations made to mitigate the challenges included strengthening research into ASD, increasing awareness in communities, and training professionals working in the field of ASD.

Humulus japonicus rescues autistic‑like behaviours inthe BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J mouse model of autism.

Humulus japonicus (HJ) is a traditional herbal medicine that exhibits anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anti-tumor effects that is used for the treatment of hypertension, pulmonary disease and leprosy. Recently, it has also been reported that HJ demonstrates neuroprotective properties in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. The current study hypothesised that the administration of HJ would exhibit therapeutic effects in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder with lifelong consequences. The BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J mouse model of ASD was used to investigate the anti-autistic like behavioural effects of HJ. Chronic oral administration of the ethanolic extract of HJ significantly increased social interaction, attenuated repetitive grooming behaviour and improved novel-object recognition in BTBR mice. Anti-inflammatory effects of HJ in the brain were analysed using immunohistochemistry and reverse-transcription quantitative PCR analysis. Microglia activation was markedly decreased in the striatum and hippocampus, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 2, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6, were significantly reduced in the hippocampus following HJ treatment. Moreover, HJ treatment normalised the phosphorylation levels of: N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subtype 2B and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type II subunit α in the hippocampus of BTBR mice. The results of the present study demonstrated that the administration of HJ may have beneficial potential for ameliorating behavioural deficits and neuroinflammation in ASD.

Exploring the Relationship Between Psychiatric Traits and the Risk of Mouth Ulcers Using Bi-Directional Mendelian Randomization

BackgroundAlthough the association between mouth ulcers and psychiatric traits has been reported by observational studies, their causal relationship remains unclear. Mendelian randomization (MR), powered by large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS), provides an opportunity to clarify the causality between mouth ulcers and psychiatric traits.MethodsWe collected summary statistics of mouth ulcers (sample size n = 461,106) and 10 psychiatric traits from the largest publicly available GWAS on Europeans, including anxiety disorder (n = 83,566), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (n = 53,293), autism spectrum disorder (n = 46,350), bipolar disorder (n = 51,710), insomnia (n = 1,331,010), major depressive disorder (n = 480,359), mood instability (n = 363,705), neuroticism (n = 168,105), schizophrenia (n = 105,318), and subjective wellbeing (n = 388,538). We applied three two-sample bi-directional MR analysis methods, namely the Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW) method, the MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) method, and the weighted median method, to assess the causal relationship between each psychiatric trait and mouth ulcers.ResultsWe found significant effects of autism spectrum disorder, insomnia, major depressive disorder, and subjective wellbeing on mouth ulcers, with the corresponding odds ratio (OR) from the IVW method being 1.160 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.066–1.261, P = 5.39 × 10–4], 1.092 (1.062–1.122, P = 3.37 × 10–10), 1.234 (1.134–1.342, P = 1.03 × 10–6), and 0.703 (0.571–0.865, P = 8.97 × 10–4), respectively. We also observed suggestive evidence for mood instability to cause mouth ulcers [IVW, OR = 1.662 (1.059–2.609), P = 0.027]. These results were robust to weak instrument bias and heterogeneity. We found no evidence on causal effects between other psychiatric traits and mouth ulcers, in either direction.ConclusionOur findings suggest a protective effect of subjective wellbeing and risk effects of autism spectrum disorder, insomnia, major depressive disorder, and mood instability on mouth ulcers. These results clarify the causal relationship between psychiatric traits and the development of mouth ulcers.

Autism Adversely Affects Auditory Joint Engagement During Parent-toddler Interactions.

This study documents the early adverse effects of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on auditory joint engagement-the sharing of sounds during interactions. A total of 141 toddlers (49 typically developing [TD], 46 with ASD, and 46 with non-ASD developmental disorders [DD]; average age 22.6 months) were observed during a semi-naturalistic play session with a parent. Reactions to four types of sounds-speech about the child, instrumental music, animal calls, and mechanical noises-were observed before and as parents tried to scaffold joint engagement with the sound. Toddlers with ASD usually appeared aware of a new sound, often alerting to and orienting toward it. But compared to TD toddlers and toddlers with DD, they alerted and oriented less often to speech, a difference not found with the other sounds. Furthermore, toddlers with ASD were far less likely to spontaneously try to share the sound with the parents and to engage with the parent and the sound when parents tried to share it with them. These findings reveal how ASD can have significant effects on shared experiences with nonvisible targets in the environment that attract toddlers' attention. Future studies should address the association between auditory joint engagement difficulties and variations in multimodal joint engagement, sensory profiles, and ASD severity and the reciprocal influence over time of auditory joint engagement experience and language development. LAY SUMMARY: Like most toddlers, toddlers with autism spectrum disorder often alert when they hear sounds like a cat's meow or a train's rumble. But they are less likely to alert when they hear their own name, and they are far less likely to share new sounds with their parents. These findings raise important questions about how toddlers with autism spectrum disorder experience their everyday auditory world, including how they share it with parents who can enrich this experience.

Psychiatric Traits and Risk of Mouth Ulcers: A Two-Sample Bi-Directional Mendelian Randomization Study

Background: The association between mouth ulcers and psychiatric traits has been reported by observational studies. However, their causal relationship remains unclear. Methods: We collected summary statistics of mouth ulcers and ten psychiatric traits from the largest publicly available genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on Europeans, including anxiety disorder (sample size n=83,566), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (n=53,293), autism spectrum disorder (n=46,350), bipolar disorder (n=51,710), insomnia (n=1,331,010), major depressive disorder (n=480,359), mood instability (n=363,705), neuroticism (n=168,105), schizophrenia (n=105,318), and subjective well-being (n=388,538). For each psychiatric trait, we conducted two-sample bi-directional Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to assess its causal relationship with mouth ulcers. Findings: We found strong evidence that autism spectrum disorder, insomnia, major depressive disorder, mood instability, and subjective well-being had causal effects on mouth ulcers, and the corresponding odds ratio (OR) (95% CI ) were 1.160 (95% CI : 1.066-1.261, P=5.39×10-4), 1.092 (1.062-1.122, P=3.37×10-10), 1.234 (1.134-1.342, P=1.03×10-6), 1.662 (1.059-2.609, P=0.027), and 0.703 (0.571-0.865, P=8.97×10-4), respectively. These results were robust to weak instrument bias and heterogeneity. We found no evidence on causal effects between other psychiatric traits and mouth ulcers, in either direction. Interpretation: Our findings suggest a protective effect of subjective well-being, and risk effects of autism spectrum disorder, insomnia, major depressive disorder, and mood instability on mouth ulcers. Our results clarify the causal relationship between psychiatric traits and the development of mouth ulcers. Funding Statement: This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 81973148) and the Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: Because this study used published GWAS summary statistics available in the public domain, specific ethical review or consent from study participants was not sought.

Depression-Anxiety Symptoms and Stigma Perception in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

In our study, the effect of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on the internalized stigma perception, symptoms of depression and anxiety and the quality of life is investigated in the mothers of children with this disorder. Our research includes 69 patients who applied to Dicle University Medical School Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department polyclinic between April 20-December 25, 2017 and were followed-up at least 6 months with ASD diagnosis. Socio-demographic data form assessing the personal and familial characteristics of the patients were filled out by the clinician. Patients' mothers were applied Beck Depression Scale (BDS), Beck Anxiety Scale (BAS), Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) Scale and Autism Quality of Life Questionnaire - Parent Version (AQoLQPV). Of the 69 patients participated in the study, 58 patients were boys (84%) and 11 patients were girls (16%) and the mean age was 4,5±1,3 years. Perception of internalized stigma, depression and anxiety symptoms of the patients' mothers were detected as moderate. Patients' mothers' quality of life and life satisfaction score were found to be low. A significant positive relationship was found between the internalized stigma perception and the symptoms of anxiety and depression. A significant positive correlation was detected between the anxiety symptoms and the depression symptoms. A significant negative relationship was found between internalized stigma perception, symptoms of anxiety and depression and mother quality of life sub-scale, sub-scale of how the autism-specific challenges are perceived as problems by the parents and life satisfaction score. With this study it was detected that as the education level of the mothers of the children followed-up with autism diagnosis increased, their internalized stigma perception decreased. It was demonstrated that there was a significant positive relationship between the internalized stigma perception and the symptoms of anxiety and depression in mothers. It was also detected that as the mothers' internalized stigma perception increased, their quality of life decreased. Investigating the internalized stigma perception, symptoms of anxiety-depression and quality of life of the mothers of the children diagnosed with autism, our study emphasizes the necessity for handling these problems.

A functional but atypical self: Influence of self-relevant processing on the gaze cueing effect in autism spectrum disorder.

The present study aimed to determine whether the impairments in joint attention observed in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in clinical studies were influenced by self-relevant processing. To investigate this possibility, participants were trained to associate two cues (a female face and male face) with distinct words ("self" and "other"). The ASD and typically developing (TD) groups both demonstrated a significant self-relevant effect, responding more quickly to self-pairs than to other pairs. Then, two types of sound (voice and tone) used as targets were manipulated to determine whether the influence of self-relevance on the cueing effect would be similar between individuals with ASD and TD individuals. Individuals with ASD exhibited reduced cueing effect to voice vs. tone targets, whereas TD individuals showed an enhanced cueing effect to voice vs. tone targets when using self-relevant, but not other-relevant, gaze cues. The present results suggest that individuals with ASD exhibit intact self-relevant processing but that the self-relevant processing affects the attentional system of individuals with ASD in a manner different from that of TD individuals and that this difference depends on the self-relevance of the specific target stimuli. Autism Research 2018, 11: 1522-1531. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Observing another person's eye gaze induces attentional shift in the onlooker. Clinical studies have reported that social interaction, including gaze-triggered attention, is impaired in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), while psychological studies have generally reported intact gaze-triggered attention in ASD. This study provided new evidence indicating that gaze-triggered attention is influenced by self-relevant processing in a different manner in ASD individuals than it is in TD individuals. The magnitude of attentional shift triggered by the self-relevant gaze cue was associated with symptom severity in ASD. The functional but atypical self-relevant processing might be able to explain discrepancies in social attention between experimental and real situations.

Influence of self-relevant processing on the gaze cueing effect in autism spectrum disorder

Influence of self-relevant processing on the gaze cueing effect in autism spectrum disorder

Processing Speed as a marker to stimulants effect in Autism Spectrum Disorder (P3.304)

Processing Speed as a marker to stimulants effect in Autism Spectrum Disorder (P3.304)

Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Short-Term Outcome Study.

Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS) is a relatively new therapeutic approach that has shown beneficial effects in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). One question to be answered is how enduring its neuromodulatory effect could be. Twenty-four patients with ASD (mean age: 12.2 years) received 20 sessions of NIBS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC). They were randomized into two groups with two (G1) or three (G2) clinical evaluations before NIBS. Both groups had a complete follow-up at six months after the intervention, with the aim of determining the short-term outcome using the total score on the Autism Behavior Checklist, Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist, and the Autism Diagnostic Interview. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) was used in ASD patients aged <11 years, and repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for 11–13-year-olds. Observation points were at one, three, and six months after completing all the sessions of NIBS. A significant reduction in the total score on the three clinical scales was observed and maintained during the first six months after treatment, with a slight and non-significant tendency to increase the scores in the last evaluation. Twenty sessions of NIBS over the L-DLPFC improves autistic symptoms in ASD children, with a lasting effect of six months.

A Literature Review of the Likely Effects of Autism Spectrum Disorder on Adolescent Driving Abilities

Young drivers are consistently overrepresented in road-crash statistics globally. Increased road-risk for young drivers is principally associated with age and driving inexperience, however this risk can be further increased for young drivers with autism spectrum disorder through autism-related characteristics and comorbidities. Using a systematic literature review, this study reviewed the extant literature on drivers with autism, and how their driving abilities and experiences are potentially affected by their symptoms. The literature revealed that drivers with autism (particularly males) were less likely to identify social hazards (e.g., pedestrians), had slower reaction times, more tactical driving difficulties, reported more traffic crashes, citations and intentional driving violations, and had poorer situation awareness skills than drivers without autism. Such driving-related challenges can be concerning and require strategic approaches.

Immune Contributions to Cause and Effect in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that appears during the first 3 years of life and presents with a variable set of symptoms that include impairments in social communication, narrow and restricted interests, and repetitive behavior. ASD is the most rapidly increasing neurodevelopmental disorder and current estimates are alarming: 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys in the United States are on the spectrum ( 1 Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Year 2010 Principal Investigators, Centers for Disease Control and PreventionPrevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years - autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 11 sites, United States, 2010. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2014; 63: 1-21 Google Scholar ). Despite this growing public health emergency, few effective treatments exist for ASD and more research is needed to identify new therapies and alleviate the enormous personal, social, and economic costs of ASD to our society.

A genome-wide investigation into parent-of-origin effects in autism spectrum disorder identifies previously associated genes including SHANK3.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is known to be a heritable neurodevelopmental disorder affecting more than 1% of the population but in the majority of ASD cases, the genetic cause has not been identified. Parent-of-origin effects have been highlighted as an important mechanism in the pathology of neurodevelopmental disorders such as Prader-Willi and Angelman syndrome, with individuals with these syndromes often exhibiting ASD symptoms. Consequently, systematic investigation of these effects in ASD is clearly an important line of investigation in elucidating the underlying genetic mechanisms. Using estimation of maternal, imprinting and interaction effects using multinomial modelling (EMIM), we simultaneously investigated imprinting, maternal genetic effects and associations in the Autism Genome Project and Simons Simplex Consortium genome-wide association data sets. To avoid using the overly stringent genome-wide association study significance level, we used a Bayesian threshold that takes into account the sample size, allele frequency and any available prior knowledge. Between the two data sets, we identified a total of 18 imprinting effects and 68 maternal genetic effects that met this Bayesian threshold criteria, but none met the threshold in both data sets. We identified imprinting and maternal genetic effects for regions that have previously shown evidence for parent-of-origin effects in ASD. Together with these findings, we have identified maternal genetic effects not previously identified in ASD at a locus in SHANK3 on chromosome 22 and a locus in WBSCR17 on chromosome 7 (associated with Williams syndrome). Both genes have previously been associated with ASD.

Effects of autism spectrum disorder on parental employment in the United States: evidence from the National Health Interview Survey

ABSTRACTUsing results of the US National Health Interview Survey (US-NHIS) for the years 1998–2013 we investigated the impact of having a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on parents’ work behavior. After controlling for numerous background characteristics, we found that having a child with ASD lowered the number of hours of market work per week and the number of months of market work in the previous year for mothers. For fathers, having a child with ASD also reduced the number of hours of market work per week and the number of months of market work in the previous year. However, the magnitude of the effects were smaller for fathers than for mothers, and more sensitive depending on whether the estimates were derived from a linear regression model or propensity score models. Some evidence was also found that the impact of having a child with ASD on parents’ market work depended on whether or not the child with ASD also had an intellectual disability, the parent’s education level, immigration status, and parent race/ethnicity.

Emotional influences on the identity composite effect in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Emotional influences on the identity composite effect in Autism Spectrum Disorder