Impairments In Social Communication Research Articles

Enhancing Robotics and Neurocybernetics with Brain-Computer Interfacing for Special Child Care

Special Child Care is poised for a revolutionary change as a result of the ongoing advancements in technology. Robotics and neurocybernetics with BCI will be used to bring about this transformation, which has the unparalleled potential to improve the standard of care given to children with special needs. This can be achieved by delivering personalized and tailored support that addresses their unique needs and abilities. Furthermore, for children with autism or other social communication impairments, robotic companions can promote social contact and provide emotional support. These artificially intelligent companions can be trained to exhibit sympathetic actions and react suitably to the child's feelings, providing a level of understanding and connection that may be absent from traditional caregiving techniques. The objective of this paper is to delve into the ways in which robotics and neurocybernetics with BCI are revolutionizing Special Child Care. It explores cutting-edge technologies, such as customized therapies, enhanced learning environments, and devices that facilitate the growth and development of children with disabilities. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of robotics and neurocybernetics with BCI in the domain of special Child Care. The summary underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical considerations, and prioritizing the needs of the users. In conclusion, robotics and neurocybernetics with BCI hold immense potential to significantly improve the lives of children with special needs within the care system.

Behavioral Management of Children With Autism in the Emergency Department.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impaired social communication in conjunction with patterned behaviors. Often associated with emotional dysregulation, irritability, aggression, depression, and suicidality, ASD youth frequently present to the emergency department for behavioral and mental health evaluation. Psychiatric comorbidities, agitation, and depression are commonly encountered. During these visits, practitioners must thoughtfully consider organic etiologies for presenting symptoms, formulate plans to address risk of agitation, and understand how to effectively formulate disposition options in this patient population.

GABAergic synaptic transmission and cortical oscillation patterns in the primary somatosensory area of a valproic acid rat model of autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impaired social communication and interaction associated with repetitive or stereotyped behaviour. Prenatal valproic acid (VPA) exposure in rodents is a commonly used model of ASD. Resveratrol (RSV) has been shown to prevent interneuronal and behavioural impairments in the VPA model. We investigated the effects of prenatal VPA exposure and RSV on the GABAergic synaptic transmission, brain oscillations and on the genic expression of interneuron-associated transcription factor LHX6 in the primary somatosensory area (PSSA). Prenatal VPA exposure decreased the sIPSC and mIPSC frequencies and the sIPSC decay kinetics onto layers 4/5 pyramidal cells of PSSA. About 40% of VPA animals exhibited absence-like spike-wave discharge (SWD) events associated with behaviour arrest and increased power spectrum density of delta, beta and gamma cortical oscillations. VPA animals had reduced LHX6 expression in PSSA, but VPA animals treated with RSV had no changes on synaptic inhibition or LHX6 expression in the PSSA. SWD events associated with behaviour arrest and the abnormal increment of cortical oscillations were also absent in VPA animals treated with RSV. These findings provide new venues to investigate the role of both RSV and VPA in the pathophysiology of ASD and highlight the VPA animal model as an interesting tool to investigate pathways related to the aetiology and possible future therapies to this neuropsychiatric disorder.

Inter-individual heterogeneity of functional brain networks in children with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with considerable clinical heterogeneity. This study aimed to explore the heterogeneity of ASD based on inter-individual heterogeneity of functional brain networks.MethodsResting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange database were used in this study for 105 children with ASD and 102 demographically matched typical controls (TC) children. Functional connectivity (FC) networks were first obtained for ASD and TC groups, and inter-individual deviation of functional connectivity (IDFC) from the TC group was then calculated for each individual with ASD. A k-means clustering algorithm was used to obtain ASD subtypes based on IDFC patterns. The FC patterns were further compared between ASD subtypes and the TC group from the brain region, network, and whole-brain levels. The relationship between IDFC and the severity of clinical symptoms of ASD for ASD subtypes was also analyzed using a support vector regression model.ResultsTwo ASD subtypes were identified based on the IDFC patterns. Compared with the TC group, the ASD subtype 1 group exhibited a hypoconnectivity pattern and the ASD subtype 2 group exhibited a hyperconnectivity pattern. IDFC for ASD subtype 1 and subtype 2 was found to predict the severity of social communication impairments and the severity of restricted and repetitive behaviors in ASD, respectively.LimitationsOnly male children were selected for this study, which limits the ability to study the effects of gender and development on ASD heterogeneity.ConclusionsThese results suggest the existence of subtypes with different FC patterns in ASD and provide insight into the complex pathophysiological mechanism of clinical manifestations of ASD.

Social Outcomes of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder Following a Listening Protocol

ABSTRACT Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presents with a variety of symptoms. More common symptoms present as sensory processing disturbances, social communication, behavioral issues, and motor impairments. This study aimed to determine if the Safe and Sound Listening Protocol© used to accompany occupational therapy intervention is an effective approach to elicit self-regulatory skills within social communication. A single-subject ABAB study design with a 20-month-old child with moderate ASD received the Safe and Sound listening program protocol for a total of 12 weeks on the protocol (A1, A2) and 12 weeks off the protocol (B1, B2). A three-month post measure was taken to determine the sustainability of the results. This study found changes within the social communication in the categories of language, facial expression, listening, emotional regulation, and behavior at every phase of the ABAB study including the three-month posttest phase. This was a 12-week study with one participant. The parent assisted in data collection possibly compromising the validity of the results due to possible subjective contributions during the data collecting. Results of this study indicate that this listening protocol combined with other interventions may help in improving the social communication and behavioral skills of a child with moderate ASD.

Designing and deploying a virtual social sandbox for autistic children

Purpose This exploratory study was intended to investigate the design and feasibility of using a web virtual reality based social learning space for autistic children at home. Materials and methods The researchers of the current study developed and implemented an open-source, web virtual reality based learning program for children with autism. Endorsing mixed-method convergent parallel design, we collected both qualitative and quantitative data from four autistic children, including repeated measures of social skills performance, self- and parent-reported social and communication competence, observation notes, and individual interviews. Results The study found preliminary evidence for a positive impact of deploying a virtual reality-based social sandbox on the practice and development of complex social skills for autistic children. All participants showed significant reduced social communication impairments from the pre- to the post-intervention phases. Nevertheless, participants’ social skills performance in the virtual world was mediated by two social task design features—external goal structure and individualization. Conclusions Play- and design-oriented social tasks in the three-dimensional virtual world framed meaningful social experiences or the naturalistic intervention for social skills development.

Sialic acid and anti-ganglioside M1 antibodies are invaluable biomarkers correlated with the severity of autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorders (ASD) are devastating neurodevelopmental disorders that showed global increased prevalence. They are characterized by impairment of social communication and stereotyped patterns. ObjectiveThis study aimed at measuring the levels of total sialic acid (SA) and anti-ganglioside M1 (anti- GM1) IgG antibodies as essential biomarkers in a cohort of children with ASD to identify their diagnostic yield as well as their correlation with the severity of autistic behaviors. MethodsThe demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and clinical data were recorded. The levels of total plasma SA and serum anti-GM1 IgG antibodies levels were measured in 100 children with ASD and 100 healthy controls. The severity of ASD-related symptoms was assessed by using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). ResultsChildren with ASD had significantly higher levels of both SA and anti-GM1 antibodies than healthy controls (p < 0.001). SA showed a statistically significant moderate diagnostic performance while anti-GM1 antibody showed a statistically significant high diagnostic in differentiating severe from mild to moderate autism. Moreover, both SA and anti-GM1 antibodies levels were significantly correlated to the severity of ASD symptoms (p < 0.001). ConclusionThe significantly increased levels of SA and anti-GM1 antibodies in children with ASD and their correlation with autism-related symptoms suggest their possible etiopathogenic role in autism as one of the pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders. However, further large-scale studies are still needed to explore their possible bidirectional relationship as biomarkers for autism.

A new Autism Spectrum Disorder Discovery (ASDD) strategy using data mining techniques based on blood tests

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) represents a heterogeneous developmental disability characterized by impairments in social communication and behavioral challenges. The problem of ASD begins with childhood and continues into adolescence as well as adulthood. The number of children suffering from ASD is constantly increasing, so a modern method must be found to make a quick and early diagnosis or discovery of ASD patients with high accuracy. Early discovery of ASD patients aims to quickly take the necessary measures with patients and take care of them until their speedy recovery. During this paper, a new Autism Spectrum Disorder Discovery (ASDD) strategy is provided to give a fast and delicate diagnosis for autism patients. The ASDD composes of two main layers, which are; (i) Pre-processing Layer (PL) and (ii) Autism Discovery Layer (ADL). In the PL, two approaches called feature selection and outlier rejection are used to filter the used data from any non-informative data before starting to train the diagnostic model in the ADL for providing delicate diagnosis. Hybrid Rejection Technique (HRT) as a new outlier rejection method is the main contribution of this paper. HRT includes two main stages called Quick Rejection Stage (QRS) as a fast stage and Precise Rejection Stage (PRS) as a delicate stage. QRS uses a standard deviation to quickly remove outliers and then PRS uses a Hybrid Bio-inspired Optimization Method (HBOM) that combines Binary Genetic Algorithm (BGA) and Binary Gray Wolf Optimizer (BGWO) to delicately eliminate the rest of outliers. According to PL in ASDD strategy, Fisher Score (FS) is applied to select the best subset of features and then HRT is used to reject bad training data. Finally, an Ensemble Technique (ET)that includes three classifiers called Naïve Bayes (NB), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), and Deep Learning (DL) is used in ADL to diagnose ASD patients based on the filtered data from PL. The ASDD strategy has been compared to many modern strategies using ASD dataset that includes blood tests from children [1]. Experimental results proven that the ASDD strategy outperforms the other strategies in terms of many metrics called accuracy, error, sensitivity, precision, and execution-time with values 0.92, 0.08, 0.85, 0.80, and 2 s.

Correlation between maternal and fetal heart rate increases with fetal mouse age in typical development and is disturbed in autism mouse model treated with valproic acid.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is considered a significant behavioral problem that is characterized by impairment in social interaction and communication. It is believed that some cases of ASD originate in the intrauterine maternal environment. Therefore, we hypothesized that there might be qualitative changes in the interaction between the mother and fetus in ASD during the prenatal period, hence, we investigated the similarity patterns between maternal and fetal heart rate (HR). In this study, we first demonstrate the presence and formation of similarities between maternal and fetal RR interval (RRI) collected from typical developmental mice at different embryonic days (EDs), ED13.5, ED15.5, ED17.5, and ED18.5. The similarities were quantified by means of cross-correlation (CC) and magnitude-squared coherence (MSC) analyses. Correlation analysis between the CC coefficients and EDs and between MSC coefficients and EDs showed that the same coefficients increase with EDs, suggesting that similarities between maternal and fetal RRI are associated with typical fetal development. Next, because maternal and fetal similarities were indicative of development, a comparison analysis between the autism mouse model (injected with valproic acid (VPA)), and the control group (injected with saline) was performed for ED15.5 and ED18.5. The results of the comparison showed that the CC and MSC coefficients of VPA fetuses were significantly lower than that of the control group. The lower coefficients in VPA-treated mice suggest that they could be one of the features of ASD symptoms. The findings of this study can assist in identifying potential ASD causes during the prenatal period.

Microglia: Synaptic modulator in autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by variable impairment of social communication and repetitive behaviors, highly restricted interests, and/or sensory behaviors beginning early in life. Many individuals with ASD have dysfunction of microglia, which may be closely related to neuroinflammation, making microglia play an important role in the pathogenesis of ASD. Mounting evidence indicates that microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, are required for proper brain function, especially in the maintenance of neuronal circuitry and control of behavior. Dysfunction of microglia will ultimately affect the neural function in a variety of ways, including the formation of synapses and alteration of excitatory-inhibitory balance. In this review, we provide an overview of how microglia actively interact with neurons in physiological conditions and modulate the fate and functions of synapses. We put a spotlight on the multi-dimensional neurodevelopmental roles of microglia, especially in the essential influence of synapses, and discuss how microglia are currently thought to influence ASD progression.

Autism spectrum disorder is associated with multifold risks in the process of pregnancy: Imbalance of nutritional, environmental and social behavioral aspects

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by qualitative impairments in social interaction, communication, and stereotyped behavior patterns. The cost burden for health coverage for ASD is focused on educational applied behavioral analysis and psychotropic drugs to decrease maladaptive behaviors and support learning and development. Determinants of either risk factors or prevention related to ASD covering environmental, social-behavioral, and genetic are still unknown. This review focuses on the multifold risks of Autistic disorder (ASD), including environmental, genetic, and food supplemental concerns and health policies and regulations.

Application of intervention strategies for behavior management in autism spectrum disorder in childhood and adolescence. a systematic review

Introduction and objectives: autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which exhibits symptoms such as early-onset impairment of interaction and social communication, as well as repetitive and restricted sensory and motor behavior. This study aims to carry out a systematic review regarding the application of intervention strategies for behavior management in autism spectrum disorder in childhood and adolescence. Methods: A systematic search of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials conducted between January 2016 and June 2021 found in PubMed, Scient direct y Scopus was performed. Keywords used were “Psychomotor, disorder, autism, behavior, intervention”. Results: 2 845 records were found, and, after further analysis, 45 articles were obtained for the final analysis, with a number of participants (n=3 439), age range: 8-17 years of age, confirmed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. As a result, we found The use of technological resources is associated with a significant reduction in clinical severity of ASD, functioning global assessment, and social manifestations of anxiety. Conclusions: the authors to conclude that there are several strategies used for behavior management in autism spectrum disorder, the use of technological tools stands as a promising option as they are highly beneficial and contribute to achieve behavioral therapeutic objectives. Keywords: Psychomotor, disorder, autism, behavior, intervention.

Cntnap2-dependent molecular networks in autism spectrum disorder revealed through an integrative multi-omics analysis

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a major neurodevelopmental disorder in which patients present with core symptoms of social communication impairment, restricted interest, and repetitive behaviors. Although various studies have been performed to identify ASD-related mechanisms, ASD pathology is still poorly understood. CNTNAP2 genetic variants have been found that represent ASD genetic risk factors, and disruption of Cntnap2 expression has been associated with ASD phenotypes in mice. In this study, we performed an integrative multi-omics analysis by combining quantitative proteometabolomic data obtained with Cntnap2 knockout (KO) mice with multi-omics data obtained from ASD patients and forebrain organoids to elucidate Cntnap2-dependent molecular networks in ASD. To this end, a mass spectrometry-based proteometabolomic analysis of the medial prefrontal cortex in Cntnap2 KO mice led to the identification of Cntnap2-associated molecular features, and these features were assessed in combination with multi-omics data obtained on the prefrontal cortex in ASD patients to identify bona fide ASD cellular processes. Furthermore, a reanalysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data obtained from forebrain organoids derived from patients with CNTNAP2-associated ASD revealed that the aforementioned identified ASD processes were mainly linked to excitatory neurons. On the basis of these data, we constructed Cntnap2-associated ASD network models showing mitochondrial dysfunction, axonal impairment, and synaptic activity. Our results may shed light on the Cntnap2-dependent molecular networks in ASD.

Aberrant Emotional Prosody Circuitry Predicts Social Communication Impairments in Children With Autism

BackgroundEmotional prosody provides acoustical cues that reflect a communication partner’s emotional state and is crucial for successful social interactions. Many children with autism have deficits in recognizing emotions from voices; however, the neural basis for these impairments is unknown. We examined brain circuit features underlying emotional prosody processing deficits and their relationship to clinical symptoms of autism. MethodsWe used an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging task to measure neural activity and connectivity during processing of sad and happy emotional prosody and neutral speech in 22 children with autism and 21 matched control children (7–12 years old). We employed functional connectivity analyses to test competing theoretical accounts that attribute emotional prosody impairments to either sensory processing deficits in auditory cortex or theory of mind deficits instantiated in the temporoparietal junction (TPJ). ResultsChildren with autism showed specific behavioral impairments for recognizing emotions from voices. They also showed aberrant functional connectivity between voice-sensitive auditory cortex and the bilateral TPJ during emotional prosody processing. Neural activity in the bilateral TPJ during processing of both sad and happy emotional prosody stimuli was associated with social communication impairments in children with autism. In contrast, activity and decoding of emotional prosody in auditory cortex was comparable between autism and control groups and did not predict social communication impairments. ConclusionsOur findings support a social-cognitive deficit model of autism by identifying a role for TPJ dysfunction during emotional prosody processing. Our study underscores the importance of tuning in to vocal-emotional cues for building social connections in children with autism.

Gender differences in psychosocial function and self-reported health status in late-diagnosed autistic adults: results from the FACE-ASD national cohort.

While adult outcome in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is generally measured using socially valued roles, it could also be understood in terms of aspects related to health status - an approach that could inform on potential gender differences. We investigated gender differences in two aspects of outcome related to health-status, i.e. general functioning and self-perceived health status, and co-occurring health conditions in a large multi-center sample of autistic adults. Three hundred and eighty-three participants were consecutively recruited from the FondaMental Advanced Centers of Expertise for ASD cohort (a French network of seven expert centers) between 2013 and 2020. Evaluation included a medical interview, standardized scales for autism diagnosis, clinical and functional outcomes, self-perceived health status and verbal ability. Psychosocial function was measured using the Global Assessment of Functioning scale. While autistic women in this study were more likely than men to have socially valued roles, female gender was associated with poorer physical and mental health (e.g. a 7-fold risk for having three or more co-occurring physical health conditions) and a poorer self-perceived health status. Psychosocial function was negatively associated with depression and impairment in social communication. Half of the sample had multiple co-occurring health conditions but more than 70% reported that their visit at the Expert Center was their first contact with mental health services. To improve objective and subjective aspects of health outcome, gender differences and a wide range of co-occurring health conditions should be taken into account when designing healthcare provision for autistic adults.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Alleviates Social Behavior Dysfunction and Neuroinflammation in a Mouse Model for Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifactorial neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) characterized by impaired social communication and repetitive behavior, among other symptoms. ASD is highly heritable, with SHANK3 being one of the high-risk genes for ASD. In recent years, knowledge has been growing regarding the neuroplasticity effect induced by hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and its potential use for ASD. Here, we characterized the effect of HBOT on a mouse model for ASD with the human genetic condition of InsG3680 mutation in the Shank3 gene. As compared to placebo, HBOT improved social behavior and reduced neuroinflammation in the cortex of the InsG3680(+/+) mice. Specifically, HBOT induced upregulation of Insulin-like growth factor 1 (Igf1) expression levels and reduced the number of Iba1-positive cells in the mouse model for ASD compared to placebo control. Together, our research suggests that HBOT has the potential to improve the clinical outcome of ASD by ameliorating some of the core pathophysiological processes responsible for the development of the disorder.

Knowledge and Attitude Towards Autism Among the General Public in Malaysia

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a range of neurodevelopmental disorders predominantly characterized by impaired social functioning and communication disturbances. Symptoms of autistic children may include repetitive movements, intense focus on one item, severe tantrum or self-abusive like behavior. In Malaysia, autism is still not clear and the public seems to lack good information or experience with people with ASD. Therefore, this study was investigated to describe the level of knowledge and attitude on ASD among public in Malaysia. A cross sectional study was conducted and Google link questionnaires containing demographic data, level of knowledge and attitude was distributed online via social media. Of 385 respondents, only 296 that meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Collected data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2013 and IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The findings suggested that public in Malaysia have a moderate level of knowledge (72%) and low level of positive attitude (57%) towards ASD. Even there are many Malaysian people have heard about autism but still many of them do not really understand the nature of children with autism. Some of them even cannot recognize the physical appearance of autistic children. We can conclude that lack of knowledge can lead to the negative attitudes towards autistic individuals and families. Further awareness strategy and giving the right information of the autism via social media and educational campaign can decrease the discrimination and stigmatization on ASD among public.

PHYSICAL COMORBIDITIES IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by two core symptoms; impairments in social communication and restricted or repetitive behavior. ASD is a broad group of conditions where patients have a variety of abilities and needs. Their ASD related-physical and psychological comorbidities also affect their mortality risk. This study wished to investigate physical comorbidities associated with ASD in the national reference hospital in Indonesia. This is a descriptive study with a cross-sectional approach on children with ASD who visited RSUP Dr. Mohammad Hoesin, Palembang, during 2014-2018. Data were obtained from the medical records and telephone interviews with the parents. Of all the 60 participants included in the study, most are male (n=52;86,7%). The most prevalent ASD-related physical comorbidities were gastrointestinal disorders (n=27;45%), followed by nervous system disorders (n=35;58,3%), and immune system disorders (n=11;18,3%). Despite the small sample size, the prevalence of ASD-related physical comorbidities in children with ASD is profoundly high, implying the need to do early detection from both parents and health professionals to prevent morbidity and complications that may occur. Children with autism can benefit from various therapies start in early childhood and continue throughout their lives to improve their development, and quality of life.

Prenatal stress and fluoxetine exposure in mice differentially affect repetitive behaviors and synaptic plasticity in adult male and female offspring

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by social communication impairments with restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs). The increase in prevalence of ASD and the heterogeneity of symptom severity may arise from a complex interaction of environmental and genetic factors that alter synaptic plasticity. Maternal stress during pregnancy, which is linked to depression, may be one risk factor for an ASD phenotype in offspring. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment can be effective in alleviating maternal depression but prenatal SSRI exposure itself may be a risk factor for autism in offspring. The present study investigated in C57BL/6J pregnant mice whether restraint stress (G4–18) and/or treatment with the SSRI fluoxetine (G8–18) affects autism-related behaviors and hippocampal synaptic plasticity in male and female offspring. The findings indicate that restraint stress reduces preference for sucrose reward in pregnant dams that is reversed by fluoxetine. In adult male offspring, combined prenatal stress and SSRI exposure increased self-grooming and impaired spatial reversal learning. In adult female offspring, the prenatal experiences did not affect self-grooming, but restraint stress alone or SSRI exposure alone impaired spatial reversal learning. Prenatal stress reduced anxiety-related behavior in male and female offspring. Further, LTP induced by theta-burst stimulation of Schaffer-commissural afferents in field CA1 was significantly reduced in female offspring exposed to prenatal stress alone or combination with fluoxetine. Together, these findings suggest that exposure to prenatal stress, SSRI treatment or the combination differentially affects male and female offspring in autism-like behaviors and synaptic plasticity.

Impairments in operant probabilistic reversal learning in BTBR T+tf/J male and female mice

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents with two core symptoms, impairments in social communication and the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviors (RRBs). RRBs are commonly linked to a lack of behavioral flexibility, having a significant negative impact on daily functioning for ASD individuals and their caregivers. Commonly utilized tests of behavioral flexibility employ a traditional deterministic reward approach where choices are either correct or incorrect throughout testing. The incorporation of an 80 %/20 % probabilistic reversal learning paradigm allows for the examination of flexible behavior in the face of variable outcomes, a more ecologically relevant approach. In this task, one specific choice is reinforced on 80 % of trials and the opposite or incorrect choice is reinforced on 20% of trials. Upon successful discrimination learning, the reward contingencies are switched so that the correct choice is now reinforced 20% of trials and the incorrect choice reinforced 80 % of trials, making it the new optimal choice. This translational task has been previously validated in ASD individuals and animal models of ASD, including the BTBR T + tf/J strain. Our lab and others have demonstrated that male BTBR T + tf/J mice have higher expression of lower order RRBs and display deficits in spatial probabilistic reversal learning tasks using a T-maze apparatus. Instead, female BTBR mice do not express the same lower order RRBs and results are mixed on whether females demonstrate similar probabilistic reversal learning deficits in a T-maze. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the validity of using operant chambers to examine BTBR mouse performance on an 80 %/20 % probabilistic reversal learning task and to also examine the sex-specific differences in reversal learning performance in both mouse strains. Results show that BTBR mice, irrespective of sex, were impaired on the reversal learning, requiring more days and trials to reach reversal criterion compared to C57BL/6J mice. These results parallel previous strain findings in the spatial dependent T-maze task in male mice. Further error analysis showed that the impaired behavioral flexibility was due to elevated regressive errors and lose-shift probabilities. BTBR mice have more difficulty maintaining new choice patterns compared to C57BL/6J mice, which supports findings utilizing a spatial T-maze task. Together, these findings further support the use of the BTBR mouse as preclinical models of ASD due to their validity as an ASD model.