Repetitive Patterns Of Behavior Research Articles

Visual Evoked Potential Findings and Correlation between Visual Evoked Potential and Clinical Severity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous behavioral disorder that is characterized by qualitative deficits in social communication and interaction and restricted, repetitive behavioral patterns, activities, and interests. For an optimum outcome in children with autism, early intervention (preferably before three years of age) is essential. Hence, there is a critical need to improve the awareness of ASD to enable earlier detection and intervention. The present study aims at achieving the following: (1) Investigating neural transmission within the visual system using visual evoked potentials (VEPs) as an index of the myelination process of the visual pathway. (2) Correlating the changes in the VEPs with the clinical severity of autism. (3) Investigating the possible gender differences in VEPs in autistic children. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 60 preschool children (11 females and 49 males) who were recruited from the autism center and the pediatric neurology ward and who met the DSM-V criteria for autism in the Pediatric Hospital for the period from 12 December 2019 to 1 June 2021. Their mean age was 4.5±1.17 years. Another 50 (40 males and 10 females) age- and gender-matched normally developed children served as the control group. Both groups were subjected to a detailed history, as well as complete physical and neurological examinations. The VEPs were assessed for all of them. The autistic children were excluded from the study if they had any motor, visual impairment, inborn errors of metabolism, epilepsy, other chronic medical or neurological disorders, or if they were taking medications during the period of study. Results: The P100 wave latency of the VEPs was significantly prolonged in both eyes of autistic children as compared with that of the control group. The N75-P100 amplitude was significantly lower in the left but not the right eye of patients when compared with those of normally developed children. Neither the P100 wave latency nor the N75-P100 amplitude of both eyes was associated with the gender or severity of illness. Conclusion: There are distinct changes in VEPs in autistic children, especially the abnormal prolongation of conduction time, suggesting that autistic children may have brainstem and visual pathway dysfunction. Gender and disease severity score have no impact on VEPs.

Patterns of Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in Toddlers and Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

ObjectivesRestricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are a core symptom in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The complexity of behavioral patterns has called for the creation of phenotypically homogeneous subgroups among individuals with ASD. The purpose of this study was 1) to investigate the different types of RRBs and 2) to explore whether subgroups created by RRBs would show unique levels of functioning in toddlers and young children with ASD.MethodsA total of 313 children with ASD, aged 12–42 months were included in the analysis. The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised was used to obtain information on the different types of RRBs by grouping 15 items into six categories. The Vineland Adaptive Behaviors Scale, a parent-reported questionnaire, was used to measure adaptive functioning. A portion of the children were analyzed separately for verbal-related RRBs based on their expressive language level. Two-step cluster analysis using RRB groups as features was used to create subgroups. Analysis of covariance while covarying for age and language was performed to explore the clinical characteristics of each cluster group.ResultsSensory-related RRBs were the most prevalent, followed by circumscribed interests, interest in objects, resistance to change, and repetitive body movements. A subset of the children was analyzed separately to explore verbal-related RRBs. Four cluster groups were created based on reported RRBs, with multiple RRBs demonstrating significant delays in adaptive functioning.ConclusionHeterogeneity of RRBs emerges at a young age. The different patterns of RRBs can be used as valuable information to determine developmental trajectories with better implications for treatment approaches.

A case-control study on the relationship between urine trace element levels and autism spectrum disorder among Iranian children.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a type of neurodevelopmental disorder characterized mainly by qualitative deficiencies in social communication skills, accompanied by repetitive and restricted behavior patterns. This study was conducted to investigate the associations between the risk of ASD development in children and exposure to trace elements (arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn)). Two groups of children, including 44 ASD and 35 typically developing (TD) children, were selected, and their fasting urine samples were obtained. The concentration levels of trace elements were assayed using ICP-MS. The results showed that as compared to the TD group, the concentration levels of As (p = 0.002) and Pb (p < 0.001) and also Cr (p < 0.001), Cu (p = 0.001), and Ni (p < 0.001) were significantly higher among ASD children. In terms of gender, boys with ASD showed elevated levels of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb, whereas the urine levels of As, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb were markedly higher among girls when compared to the non-ASD children. Under the logistic regression model, the risk difference for As, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn remained significant when adjustment was applied for age and gender confounders.

Targeted Tshz3 deletion in corticostriatal circuit components segregates core autistic behaviors

We previously linked TSHZ3 haploinsufficiency to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and showed that embryonic or postnatal Tshz3 deletion in mice results in behavioral traits relevant to the two core domains of ASD, namely social interaction deficits and repetitive behaviors. Here, we provide evidence that cortical projection neurons (CPNs) and striatal cholinergic interneurons (SCINs) are two main and complementary players in the TSHZ3-linked ASD syndrome. In the cerebral cortex, TSHZ3 is expressed in CPNs and in a proportion of GABAergic interneurons, but not in cholinergic interneurons or glial cells. In the striatum, TSHZ3 is expressed in all SCINs, while its expression is absent or partial in the other main brain cholinergic systems. We then characterized two new conditional knockout (cKO) models generated by crossing Tshz3flox/flox with Emx1-Cre (Emx1-cKO) or Chat-Cre (Chat-cKO) mice to decipher the respective role of CPNs and SCINs. Emx1-cKO mice show altered excitatory synaptic transmission onto CPNs and impaired plasticity at corticostriatal synapses, with neither cortical neuron loss nor abnormal layer distribution. These animals present social interaction deficits but no repetitive patterns of behavior. Chat-cKO mice exhibit no loss of SCINs but changes in the electrophysiological properties of these interneurons, associated with repetitive patterns of behavior without social interaction deficits. Therefore, dysfunction in either CPNs or SCINs segregates with a distinct ASD behavioral trait. These findings provide novel insights onto the implication of the corticostriatal circuitry in ASD by revealing an unexpected neuronal dichotomy in the biological background of the two core behavioral domains of this disorder.

Questions Raised by the Controversy Over Recovered Memories of Incest.

The controversy in the mental health community over recovered memory has been heated. The devastation to families falsely accused of incest has been profound. A fortunate consequence, however, has been the vigorous pursuit of answers to a variety of mind-behavior questions raised by the controversy. In this article I raise some of the important questions and in reply I review and summarize some of the data. Some questions deal with the nature of memory and of unconscious processes, especially the role of implicit memory; the techniques of recovered memory therapy and the evolution of pseudo-memories and its relevance to clinical practice; the effects, real and alleged, of trauma; the place of dreams, flashbacks, and repetitive patterns of behavior in the understanding of memory and behavior; and finally, questions dealing with the definition of reality. All of these are important issues for the psychoanalyst.

Analysis of recent shared ancestry in a familial cohort identifies coding and noncoding autism spectrum disorder variants

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a collection of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior or interests. ASD is highly heritable, but genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous, reducing the power to identify causative genes. We performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) in an ASD cohort of 68 individuals from 22 families enriched for recent shared ancestry. We identified an average of 3.07 million variants per genome, of which an average of 112,512 were rare. We mapped runs of homozygosity (ROHs) in affected individuals and found an average genomic homozygosity of 9.65%, consistent with expectations for multiple generations of consanguineous unions. We identified potentially pathogenic rare exonic or splice site variants in 12 known (including KMT2C, SCN1A, SPTBN1, SYNE1, ZNF292) and 12 candidate (including CHD5, GRB10, PPP1R13B) ASD genes. Furthermore, we annotated noncoding variants in ROHs with brain-specific regulatory elements and identified putative disease-causing variants within brain-specific promoters and enhancers for 5 known ASD and neurodevelopmental disease genes (ACTG1, AUTS2, CTNND2, CNTNAP4, SPTBN4). We also identified copy number variants in two known ASD and neurodevelopmental disease loci in two affected individuals. In total we identified potentially etiological variants in known ASD or neurodevelopmental disease genes for ~61% (14/23) of affected individuals. We combined WGS with homozygosity mapping and regulatory element annotations to identify candidate ASD variants. Our analyses add to the growing number of ASD genes and variants and emphasize the importance of leveraging recent shared ancestry to map disease variants in complex neurodevelopmental disorders.

Autism: an 'epidemic' of contemporary times?

The text discusses the growing incidence of autism in the world, presents an understanding of autism from the point of view of analytical psychology, and reflects on the treatment of autistic patients. Today, it is understood that autism is part of a continuum of characteristics on a spectrum with biological and congenital causes. It is a non-specific picture resulting from multiple causations of non-linear factors. Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder characterized by a triad of symptoms: persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviours, interests, or activities. Autism spectrum disorder must be considered as a clinical entity, with current clearly defined characteristics. It is an extremely complex condition, which requires multidisciplinary approaches aiming at the possibility of prognosis and effective therapeutic approaches. This paper explores how a disturbance may occur from the intra-uterine phase, in which matriarchal experiences do not constellate. The structuring function of the patriarchal organization can then become dominant, and people with autism need understanding and help to organize their world and learn to live in it. As they don't have the capacity to structure consciousness through the matriarchal archetype, they rely entirely on the structuring and organizing capacity of the Father archetype.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Therapy in the Era of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with a reported prevalence in the United States of around 1.7%. The core deficits of ASD were identified in 2 domains: social communication/interaction and restrictive, repetitive behavior patterns. Children and adolescents with ASD have service needs in behavior, education, health, recreation, family support, and other areas. For individuals with autism spectrum disorders, school and therapy services can serve various essential functions, from delivering academic instruction to developing effective communication and building social skills.Objective: This study is to examine ASD during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researcher has emphasized the importance of specific therapies for children with ASD and has repeatedly shown their association with positive outcomes across various skill domains.Method: The literature review is processed based on academic journals published on Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar, from 2019 to 2020.Results: The study found various methods and learning methods for children with ASD in the COVID-19 pandemic.Conclusion: Many obstacles have been overcome for children with ASD and therapists during the COVID-19 period. Suggestions and tips for parents and therapists to take further action on children.

Recognition of Emotions for People with Autism: An Approach to Improve Skills

Autism spectrum disorder refers to a neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by repetitive behavior patterns, impaired social interaction, and impaired verbal and nonverbal communication. The ability to recognize mental states from facial expressions plays an important role in both social interaction and interpersonal communication. Thus, in recent years, several proposals have been presented, aiming to contribute to the improvement of emotional skills in order to improve social interaction. In this paper, a game is presented to support the development of emotional skills in people with autism spectrum disorder. The software used helps to develop the ability to recognize and express six basic emotions: joy, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise, and fear. Based on the theory of facial action coding systems and digital image processing techniques, it is possible to detect facial expressions and classify them into one of the six basic emotions. Experiments were performed using four public domain image databases (CK+, FER2013, RAF-DB, and MMI) and a group of children with autism spectrum disorder for evaluating the existing emotional skills. The results showed that the proposed software contributed to improvement of the skills of detection and recognition of the basic emotions in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Investigation of the Relation between Epithelial Barrier Function and Autism Symptom Severity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by limitations in mutual communication and social interaction as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, or activities. The possible role of biological abnormalities in the etiopathogenesis of this disorder arouses research interest in this area. This is a case-control study evaluating epithelial barrier function by comparing serum concentrations of occludin and zonulin in children with ASD (n = 60) and controls (n = 30). The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was used to evaluate autism symptom levels in all children. Serum occludin and zonulin levels were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum occludin was significantly lower in children with ASD than in control subjects. In children with ASD, a decrease in occludin level was significantly associated with the disorder symptom levels items mean score (CARS total scores). Our findings showed that children with ASD had alterations in epithelial barrier function compared to the control group. The investigation of the mechanism underlying the different levels of occludin between ASD and controls may be of importance in clarifying the etiopathogenesis of ASD, as well as its follow-up and treatment.

Assessment of Workplace Discrimination against Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a genetic / neurological condition, impacting about 2% of young children in the United States, which causes certain challenges in one’s communication, learning, socialization, and even stress management coping skills. Children with autism tend to demonstrate the presence of constrained, confined, or repetitive patterns of behaviors, activities, and interests. People with ASD learn differently than others, and their attention can be gained and maintained through repetition and routine. Individuals who have a mild or extreme form of ASD often experience more difficulty adjusting to changes in the work environment and society in general. Consequently, even though many individuals with ASD can perform their jobs successfully, they are often discriminated against and not afforded reasonable accommodations for them to gain and maintain steady employment. In this paper, we provide an overview of ASD to create awareness, along with recommendations so that more autistic adults can be employed in the workplace. Employers and manager should know that autism spectrum disorder involves a range of symptoms that cause difficulty communicating, such as flat affect (or diminished emotional expression), poor eye contact, and difficulty understanding nonverbal cues. These symptoms make it difficult to find and maintain employment, and people with autism regularly deal with discrimination and prejudice, both in and out of the workplace. Employers show less interest in hiring neurodivergent employees even if they are qualified and capable of performing the required work, and many do not provide sufficient accommodations to those that they do hire.

A Guideline for Designing Mobile Applications for Children with Autism within Religious Boundaries

Autism spectrum disorder is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socialises with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) develop at a different rate and don’t necessarily develop skills in the same order as typically developing children. Nowadays, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are having difficulties in gaining religious skills. This is due to the lack of schools that provide special religious education for disabled children. Many technologies have been developed to help children with autism for education. Mobile applications have extensively been used to enhance their daily learning. Researchers are extremely trailing their applications but not many applications are able to meet the requirements and needs of children with autism, especially in the religious context. The lack of religious mobile application guidelines is crucial as a reference for researchers. This paper aims to propose a guideline to design a mobile application for children with autism in religious context. A systematic review of previous literature on mobile application guidelines for autism and religious mobile application guidelines was conducted. This study resulted in two key findings: (1) elements of multimedia consist of text, images and sounds (2) features of application consist of interface, navigation, customisation and interaction. The proposed guidelines are potentially to be used by researchers who are interested in designing religious mobile applications for children with autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Therapy: Analysis of Artificial Intelligence integrated Robotic Approach

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder that may manifest in a myriad of ways such as difficulties in social interaction and a tendency to engage in repetitive patterns of behaviour. Over the years, several kinds of treatment protocols have been proposed and implemented. One such area that is attracting the attention of researchers in the field is a robot-based approach in the treatment of children diagnosed with the disorder. Here we propose a viable method via the integration of apex technological methods like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Medical Robotics, coupling it with problem specific algorithms in OpenCV along with principles of Applied Behavioural Analysis to help possibly alleviate a key symptom displayed by children in terms of level of social interaction - that of eye-contact. This would be achieved via an AI-integrated Robotic Framework. The project also considers the possibility of inclusion of the growing research field of Quantum Computing to realize the process and investigates its viability as a potential source of innovation in the future.

Oblicza funkcjonowania społeczno-emocjonalnego adolescentów z zaburzeniami ze spektrum autyzmu – studium przypadku

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are disorders with a neurodevelopmental background. Their characteristic features are stereotypical: constant and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests, as well as difficulties in social communication and interpersonal relations. Research works on adolescents with ASD show that building relationships with other people is a challenge for them because – even though they might have very good general knowledge of social principles – they have insufficiently developed skills to recognize signals in human behavior and to respond adequately to them. Moreover, these difficulties in the emotional and social spheres are initially often overlooked in children who are on the autism spectrum but function on an average or high level. The main aim of the work is to present the situation of two adolescent brothers who both present the symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome (AS). At the time of the examination, the younger boy (Wojtek) was 14 years old and had been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. The older brother (Tomek) was 18 years old and had started a series of meetings with a psychologist. Both teenagers were tested with tools that assess the development of social competencies, intelligence and emotional intelligence. The conducted tests and interviews showed that the boy without a confirmed diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome had greater difficulties than his younger brother in understanding the emotions and intentions of other people. The younger brother felt much better in the interpersonal area and functioned more effectively in social situations, despite the fact that he also has intra- and interpersonal problems. Perhaps due to his timely diagnosis, the younger brother obtains more support from his family and probably also received support at key moments in his social and emotional development. The presented case study emphasizes the importance of the proper socio-emotional assessment of people in the diagnostic process. Its limitations are the lack of assessment of the boys’ mood and temperamental differences. These issues should be addressed in subsequent research.

The Approach of the Albanian Reality to Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities. The ways in which autism, culture and the education system interact have not yet been explored sufficiently, even more so when it comes to Albania. Through literature reviews, interviews, and case studies we aim to further investigate how autism is assessed and treated within the Albanian school system and how culture can affect the parent-teacher-child triangle. We also investigate the implementation of laws and policies regarding inclusive education, and its benefits to autistic individuals, specifically in the development of social skills that further help them to integrate into society. We also try to figure out the difficulties autistic individuals face within the school system and in their day-to-day life in Albania, as well as how Autism Spectrum Disorder affects the families of these individuals. This qualitative study found that the reality in Albania is not supportive enough towards autistic individuals. With further research into the field, we might be able to back this statement up with empirical data as well as figure out how this condition can be improved.

A systematic review of the effect of robot mediated interventions in challenging behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in social and communication skills as well as restrictive and repetitive behavioral patterns. A variety of challenging behaviors in children with ASD and persistent non-compliance with daily requirements may be associated with delay in the development of social skills and impairing social relations, with an adverse effect on the educational process and on the self-esteem of individuals. To this aim, there is a need for appropriate interventions, targeted at reducing these behaviors. Robot-mediated interventions (ROMI) can be advantageous for children with ASD, who often show an increased interest in technology enhanced interventions. Research focusing on the effect of ROMI on challenging behaviors in children with ASD has been limited. For this purpose, it was conducted a review of studies that empirically tested the usefulness of ROMI in managing challenging behaviors in children with ASD. A literature search was made in five databases using keywords pertaining to robots, ASD, challenging behaviors, and interventions. Nine studies were reviewed which met the inclusion criteria. The findings of these studies indicate that ROMI show promise in reducing challenging behaviors such as tantrums, repetitive and stereotyped behaviors, inappropriate behaviors in transitions. In terms of noncompliance, mixed results were presented. Further research is needed to explore the usefulness of robots both in reducing challenging behaviors of children with ASD and in preventive exercises in early intervention programs for this population.

Effectiveness of Competitive Memory Training (COMET) for low self-esteem in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A randomized controlled pilot study

Introduction Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive neurodevelopmental disorders, affecting 1 in 160 children worldwide [1]. The core features that characterize individuals within this spectrum are deficits in social communication and interaction as well as the presence of repetitive patterns of behavior [2]. Several underlying mechanisms have been proposed that can

Autism and Related Syndromes

This review summarize that autism is a complicated disorder that develops from the union of chromosomal and environmental factors by fundamental discoveries from the genetic and epidemiological research departments. Specific alleles identification has contributed significantly to the autism puzzle. As centers to the centers for disease-based control and prevention(CDC), ASD is diagnosed more in boys than girls. This neurobehavioural disorder is usually seen by the age of 3 years. Intense difficulties in social interaction and communication with other people, restricted interests, stereotyped responses to situations, and other repetitive morphological patterns of behavior are symptoms or signs related to autism. Complicated, multigenic interactivity and practicable environmental offerings are to be involved by Etiology. For more distant comprehension of the complicated etiology for autism, research fixating on the consequence of gene by gene interactivities or genetic vulnerability to detrimental environmental challenges can be mentioned. The mouse model system uses environmental challenges to divergent gene expression and cell pathology as early in development and supplies an efficient way to manipulate candidate or constituent genes for autism susceptibility experimentally.

Altered dynamic functional connectivity of insular subregions could predict symptom severity of male patients with autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social communication and restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior. This disorder was characterized by widespread abnormalities involving distributed brain networks. As one such key network node, the insular cortex has been regarded as a research focus of ASD neuropathology. The insula is a functionally complex brain structure. However, it is not fully clear if dynamic characteristics of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) signals in insular heterogeneous could be used to depict abnormalities in ASD. To address this question, we investigated dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) of 12 insular subregions. Data were obtained from 44 individuals with ASD and 65 typically developing age-matched controls (TDC). We assessed dFC by sliding-window method and quantified its temporal variability. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to determine whether dFC support complementary information about symptom severity of individuals with ASD rather than static functional connectivity (sFC). The results showed that individuals with ASD exhibited dFC and sFC alterations in distinct insular subregions. Some brain regions showed only abnormal dFC but not sFC with insular subregions. These abnormal dFC could significantly predict the symptom severity of individuals with ASD. Our findings might advance our knowledge about the potential of insular heterogeneity and dynamic characteristics in understanding the neuropathology mechanism of ASD and in developing neuroimaging biomarkers for clinical applications.

Effect of training program on sexual knowledge and social skills of adolescents with high-functioning autism in puberty

PurposeAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by repetitive and characteristic patterns of behavior and difficulties with social communication and interaction. Puberty is an important period for teenagers with ASD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of educational program on increasing social skills (SS) and sexual knowledge (SK) in adolescent boys with high-functioning autism (HFA) disorder.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted using a single-subject design. Participants were three boys diagnosed with HFA disorder, selected using purposive sampling. The social skills improvement system scale and the sexual knowledge questionnaire were used to measure SS and SK. The training program consisted of 49 sessions.FindingsResults showed that, given the comparison of scores before and after the intervention, the training program was effective in improving SS and SK.Originality/valueWith regard to the importance of puberty, training programs for parents and adolescents play an effective role in increasing SS and SK of adolescents with HFA disorder.