Impaired Verbal Communication Research Articles

Key Synaptic Pathology in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Genetic Mechanisms and Recent Advances.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interactions and verbal communication, accompanied by symptoms of restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior or interest. Over the past 30 years, the morbidity of ASD has increased in most areas of the world. Although the pathogenesis of ASD is not fully understood, it has been associated with over 1000 genes or genomic loci, indicating the importance and complexity of the genetic mechanisms involved. This review focuses on the synaptic pathology of ASD and particularly on genetic variants involved in synaptic structure and functions. These include SHANK, NLGN, NRXN, FMR1, and MECP2 as well as other potentially novel genes such as CHD8, CHD2, and SYNGAP1 that could be core elements in ASD pathogenesis. Here, we summarize several pathological pathways supporting the hypothesis that synaptic pathology caused by genetic mutations may be the pathogenic basis for ASD.

A Spectrotemporal EEG Mapping Approach for Decoding Imagined Marathi Language Phonemes

Individuals facing verbal communication impairments resulting from brain disorders like paralysis or autism encounter significant challenges when unable to articulate speech. This research proposes the design and development of a wearable system capable of decoding imagined speech using electroencephalogram (EEG) signals obtained during the mental process of speech generation. The system’s main objective is to offer an alternative communication method for individuals who can hear and think but face challenges in articulating their thoughts verbally. The design suggested includes user-friendliness, wearability, and comfort for seamless integration into daily life. A minimal number of electrodes are strategically placed on the scalp to minimize invasiveness. Achieving precise localization of the cortical areas responsible for generating the EEG patterns during imagined speech is vital for accurate decoding. Literature studies are utilized to determine the cortical positions associated with speech processing. Due to the inherent limitations in EEG spatial resolution, meticulous experiments are conducted to map the scalp positions onto their corresponding cortical counterparts. Specifically, we focus on identifying the scalp location over the superior temporal gyrus (T3) using the internationally recognized 10-20 electrode placement system by employing a circular periphery movement with a 2 cm distance increment. Our research involves nine subjects spanning various age groups, with the youngest being 23 and the oldest 65. Each participant undergoes ten iterations, during which they imagine six Marathi syllables. Our work contributes to the development of wearable assistive technology, enabling mute individuals to communicate effectively by translating their imagined speech into actionable commands. This innovation ultimately enhances their social participation and overall well-being.

Анализ четырехфакторной модели симптомов аутизма у детей 3–6 лет

<p>The work is devoted to the empirical analysis of age shifts within the framework of the factor model of autism for preschool children. In the 2020–2022 studies, we obtained a factor model of autism and identified 4 vectors of autism — typical subtypes of ASD in 3–4 years old children. Among them are: 1) difficulties in establishing emotional contact, expressing one's emotions and decoding other people's emotions in the context of social interaction; 2) sensory disintegration; 3) impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication and social skills; 4) hyperactivity, including excessive movements, motor disinhibition and restless behavior. It should be emphasized that the first three vectors correspond to the core symptoms of ASD in accordance with the DSM-5. While the hyperactivity factor goes beyond the main symptoms of ASD. In this paper, a comparative analysis of the severity and stability of symptoms was carried out within the framework of a 4-factor model of autism for 3–4 and 5–6-year-old children with autism. Sensory and communication impairments have been found to decrease with age, however, emotional impairments and hyperactivity remain at a high level. The theoretical foundations of emotional disorders and hyperactivity in children with ASD are analyzed in detail. Brief practical recommendations are presented for effective early intervention in order to improve the potential trajectory of development of preschool children with ASD.</p>

Prevalence and clustering of NANDA-I nursing diagnoses in the pre-hospital emergency care setting: A retrospective records review study.

To determine the prevalence and clustering of NANDA-International nursing diagnoses in patients assisted by pre-hospital emergency teams. Retrospective descriptive study of electronic record review. Episodes recorded during 2019, including at least a nursing diagnosis, were recovered from the electronic health records of a Spanish public emergency agency (N = 28,847). Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and determine prevalence. A two-step cluster analysis was used to group nursing diagnoses. A comparison between clusters in sociodemographic and medical problems was performed. Data were accessed in November 2020. Risk for falls (00155) (27.3%), Anxiety (00146) (23.2%), Acute pain (00132), Fear (00148) and Ineffective breathing pattern (00032) represented 96.1% of all recorded diagnoses. A six-cluster solution (n = 26.788) was found. Five clusters had a single high-prevalence diagnosis predominance: Risk for falls (00155) in cluster 1, Anxiety (00146) in cluster 2, Fear (00148) in cluster 3, Acute pain (00132) in cluster 4 and Ineffective breathing pattern (00032) in cluster 6. Cluster 5 had several high prevalence diagnoses which co-occurred: Risk for unstable blood glucose level (00179), Ineffective coping (00069), Ineffective health management (00078), Impaired comfort (00214) and Impaired verbal communication (00051). Five nursing diagnoses accounted for almost the entire prevalence. The identified clusters showed that pre-hospital patients present six patterns of nursing diagnoses. Five clusters were predominated by a predominant nursing diagnosis related to patient safety, coping, comfort, and activity/rest, respectively. The sixth cluster grouped several nursing diagnoses applicable to exacerbations of chronic diseases. Knowing the prevalence and clustering of nursing diagnoses allows a better understanding of the human responses of patients attended by pre-hospital emergency teams and increases the evidence of individualized/standardized care plans in the pre-hospital clinical setting. What problem did the study address? There are different models of pre-hospital emergency care services. The use of standardized nursing languages in the pre-hospital setting is not homogeneous. Studies on NANDA-I nursing diagnoses in the pre-hospital context are scarce, and those available are conducted on small samples. What were the main findings? This paper reports the study with the largest sample among the few published on NANDA-I nursing diagnoses in the pre-hospital care setting. Five nursing diagnoses represented 96.1% of all recorded. These diagnoses were related to patients' safety/protection and coping/stress tolerance. Patients attended by pre-hospital care teams are grouped into six clusters based on the nursing diagnoses, and this classification is independent of the medical conditions the patient suffers. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? Knowing the prevalence of nursing diagnoses allows a better understanding of the human responses of patients treated in the pre-hospital setting, increasing the evidence of individualized and standardized care plans for pre-hospital care. STROBE checklist has been used as a reporting method. Only patients' records were reviewed without further involvement.

Relationship between Total Communication and Social Relationship among Learners with ASDs

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that results in triad of impairments in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction and repetitive behavior. These core deficits hinder the holistic development of learners with ASDs. Unless they are effectively addressed through strategies such as total communication, these core deficits may lead to learners not acquiring social interaction skills that are quite vital for their normal development. The purpose of the study was to establish relationship between total communication and development of social relationship skills among learners with Autistic Spectrum Disorders in Emuhaya sub-county Kenya. The population of the study comprised of six special schools with a teacher population of sixteen ten regular primary schools with special units with a teacher population of five each and three officials from the Ministry of Education. Due to small number of respondents, saturated sampling technique was used. Instruments for data collection were; semi structured questionnaires, check lists. Semi structured interview schedules, and observation schedules. Content validity was determined by presenting tools to experts in the school of education who judged their validity. Tools were refined based on their comments. Reliability of the study was established through test retest methods. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Quantitative data was analyzed by use of descriptive and inferential statistics. The finding of the study indicated that that there was relationship between Total Communication and social interaction and the use of Total Communication had influence on development of social relationships among children with ASDs. Based on this finding it is recommended that training of teachers in Total communication and preparation of IEP be intensified in schools to facilitate the development of social relationship among learners with ASDs.

Pain in older adults with dementia: Brazilian validation of Pain Intensity Measure for Persons with Dementia (PIMD).

Although there are several ways to assess pain in dementia, there is still a need for tools with better items to assess the presence of pain intensity in these individuals. To validate to Brazilian version of the "Pain Intensity Measure for Persons with Dementia - PIMD-p. Older adults, all demented with impaired verbal communication and exposed to potentially painful situations, were selected from an outpatient clinic and long-term care facility (LTCF). The PIMD-p was applied independently by 2 researchers (E1 and E2) on the same day. Within 14 days, the instrument was reapplied by one of the 2 researchers (E3). The pain intensity reported by participants' caregivers and LTCF nurses were recorded on a verbal numeric pain scale. For the statistical analysis, Cronbach's Alpha, Spearman's Coefficient and intraclass correlation Index were calculated. A total of 50 older individuals were selected (mean age 86 years), majority with musculoskeletal pain. The PIMD-p demonstrated good internal consistency according to Cronbach's α (0.838), excellent intra and interobserver reproducibility (0.927 and 0.970, respectively; p < 0.001), and convergent validity (strong significant correlations between reported pain intensities and pain indicators on the PIMD-p (except for expressive eyes; corr = 0.106 and p = 0.462). A ROC curve was plotted to determine the best cut-off for the PIMD-P, and a score of 7.5 predicted moderate-to-severe pain, with 77.8% sensitivity and 95.7% specificity (p < 0.001). The PIMD-p showed satisfactory psychometric properties for measuring intensity of pain in demented older adults with impaired verbal communication.

Syringic acid alleviates valproic acid induced autism via activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase: Possible molecular approach.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifactorial neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by restrictive and repetitive behavior followed by impairment in social, verbal, and non-verbal interaction and communication. Valproic acid (VPA) is a well-known anti-epileptic drug, but its prenatal exposure to animals causes social impairment, neurotransmitters imbalance, and neuroinflammation with ASD-like phenotypes. Syringic acid (SA) is a polyphenolic compound with anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and neuromodulator activity. The purpose of study was to investigate the protective effect of Syringic acid (SA) in prenatal VPA-treated rats through behavioral, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, neurotransmitters, neuronal integrity, and apoptotic marker. Single dose of VPA was administered 600 mg/kg, i.p. on a gestational day (GD) 12th and SA was administrated from PnD 26th to 54th at the dose of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, p.o. On PnD 56th behavioral parameters (Pain sensitivity, open field test, narrow beam walks test and social impairment test) were performed and all animals were sacrificed, and brain tissue was isolated for oxidative stress (GSH, CAT, and LPO), neuroinflammation (TNF-α and IL-6) and neurotransmitters (GABA and Glutamate), histopathology (H&E, Nissl), immunohistochemistry (p38 MAPK) analysis. Rat treated with SA dose-dependently prevented behavioral alteration, restored antioxidant enzymes, neurotransmitters level, decreased neuroinflammatory markers, and improved neuronal integrity. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry confirmed the reduced p38 MAPK marker expression by SA in VPA induced autistic behavior.

Neurofeedback Recuperates Cognitive Functions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and behaviors or interests. Besides behavioral, psychopharmacological and biomedical interventions there is increasing evidence of non-invasive treatments like neurofeedback (NFB) that can improve brain activity. In this study, we have investigated whether NFB can improve cognitive functions in children with ASD. Thirty-five children with ASD (7-17years) were selected by purposive sampling. The subjects underwent 30 sessions of NFB training for 20min over 10weeks' period. Psychometric tests i.e. Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), IQ scoring and Reward sensitivity tests were administered at baseline. Pre and post NFB intervention assessment of executive functions, working memory and processing speed were done by NIH Toolbox Cognition Batteries. Friedman test revealed that children showed a statistically significant improvement in the NIH Tool Box cognitive assessments, including the Flankers Inhibitory Control and Attention Test (Pre-test = 3.63, Post-test = 5.22; p = 0.00), the Dimensional Change Card Sorting Test (Pre-test = 2.88, Post-test = 3.26; p = 0.00), the Pattern Comparison Processing Speed Test (Pre-test = 6.00, Post-test = 11:00; p = 0.00) and the List Sorting Working Memory Test (Pre-test = 4.00, Post-test = 6:00; p = 0.00), and displayed a trend of improvement at 2-month follow-up (Flankers Inhibitory Control and Attention Test (Post-test = 5.11 ± 2.79, Follow-Up = 5.31 ± 2.67; p = 0.21), the Dimensional Change Card Sorting Test (Post-test = 3.32 ± 2.37, Follow-Up = 3.67 ± 2.35; p = 0.054), the Pattern Comparison Processing Speed Test (Post-test = 13.69 ± 9.53, Follow-Up = 14.42 ± 10.23 p = 0.079) and the List Sorting Working Memory Test (Post-test = 6.17 ± 4.41, Follow-Up = 5.94 ± 4.03; p = 0.334). Our findings suggest NFB intervention for 10weeks produce improvement in executive functions (Inhibitory Control and Attention and Cognitive Flexibility), Processing Speed and Working Memory in ASD Children.

Explanatory Models of Dementia among Caregivers of Elderly Persons with Dementia – Analysis of Secondary Data

Rising life expectancy is associated with an increased prevalence of chronic diseases like dementia. The prevalence of dementia is significantly higher in low- and middle-income countries. The public's awareness of dementia in India is low. Help-seeking is largely dependent on one’s socio-cultural perspective of a sickness episode and one’s beliefs about the aetiology, course, and outcome of the illness. Dementia is still not conceptualised as a health problem, and it is believed to be a consequence of normal ageing. So carers are not concerned about seeking help. We interviewed 35 carers of persons with dementia (as per ICD-10) using the Short Explanatory Model Interview (SEMI). We explored the explanatory models of dementia given by caregivers of people with dementia. Qualitative data analysis was done using ATLAS.ti. We identified four main themes that carers expressed, namely, I) Problems of the patient: Many caregivers reported that memory loss, behavioural problems, and impaired biological functioning were their main concerns. II) Cause of problem: caregivers expressed that psychosocial stress, ageing, and black magic were causes of dementia. III) Reason to visit and expectation: most caregivers consulted doctors due to the worsening of their relatives' problems, and they were advised by others to visit. They expected medicines, better treatment, and a cure from doctors, and IV) Outcome of problem: caregivers were worried about problems with appetite, memory loss, impaired verbal communication, difficulty at work, and their relatives going missing. Caregivers have the idea that their relative had some problem that involved the brain, but most of them attribute this to the consequences of ageing due to psychosocial factors like excessive stress, bad interpersonal relationships, life events, economic crises, and black magic. There is a need for an awareness-raising campaign for dementia in the community at large concerning its cause, symptoms, course, progression, and most importantly, locally available services.

Effectiveness of Art Therapy in Autism Spectrum Disorders Focusing on Sensory and Motor Aspects: Review of Literature

Background and Objective: Autism Spectrum Disorder is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impaired verbal and non-verbal communication in addition to repetitive stereotypical behaviour. The Art therapy intervention is a performance based intervention that is used as a treatment for vast categories of mental health problems. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers any one of a group of disorders with an onset typically occurring during the preschool years and characterized by difficulties with social communication and social interaction and restricted and repetitive patterns in behaviours, interests, and activities. The Effectiveness of the art therapy is proved in treating vast categories of mental health problems. The Aim of this study is to review and summarize the Severity of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Effectiveness of Art therapy in reducing the Symptoms of Art therapy. Methods: An electronic search was made through published scholarly articles in Goggle scholar and Semantic Scholar. The Studies were filtered to last 15 years and with the following key words Art therapy, Autism spectrum disorder, Sensory and motor aspects 22 articles were sorted according to the selection criteria. Conclusions: Art based therapies were widely used in the recent times. Art therapy can be used for the reduction of symptoms of ASD and develop sensory and motor aspects. Based on the results of the available literature, Art therapy interventions can be useful in reducing the symptoms of Autism spectrum disorder and in developing the sensory and motor aspects.

Scoping review of methods for engaging long-term care residents living with dementia in research and guideline development

ObjectivesTo describe: (1) methods used to engage long-term care (LTC) residents living with dementia in research and guideline development; (2) the outcomes of engagement; and (3) barriers and facilitators to...

Is Telehealth a Feasible Mode of Intervention Delivery to Improve Social Communication Skills in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder? Results From a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate impaired verbal and nonverbal communication, deficits in emotional regulation, higher rates of repetitive behaviors, and poor motor planning and body coordination. Our past studies have demonstrated that engaging in rhythmic movement interventions can advance gross motor skills while promoting spontaneous verbalization, joint attention, and improved behavioral regulation in children with ASD. Objective This study compares the effects of 2 whole-body movement interventions to a standard-of-care intervention on social communication skills in children with ASD. Due to the pandemic, the study transitioned from face-to-face intervention (F2F) to a telehealth (TH) format. This poster will compare the efficacy of F2F and TH intervention delivery modes in promoting social communication skills. Methods A total of 45 children with ASD between 5 and 14 years old participated in a 10-week study. Children were randomly assigned to receive 8 weeks (2 sessions/week, 60-75 minutes/session) of creative movement (play), general movement (move), or seated play (create) training. Training sessions involved interactions between the child, an expert trainer, an adult model, and caregivers. Outcome measures include training-specific measures of the percent duration of socially directed and self-directed verbalization (with respect to the total verbalization time) measured during early and late training sessions as well as the type of verbalization (spontaneously initiated versus in response to partner bidding or prompting). We will also compare the magnitude of training-related change in verbalization in children seen F2F versus via TH. Results In all groups, children engaged in greater social versus self-directed verbalization during early and late training sessions. The move group showed an increase in social verbalization with respect to the total session duration from early to late sessions (mean early 11.4, SE 1.5; mean late 15.6, SE 2.0; P=.02). These improvements were in children seen F2F (67% of children) and via TH (80% of children). Within social verbalization, children in all groups verbalized more toward the researchers compared to family members during training sessions. Specifically, children in the play group demonstrated an increase in percent duration of social verbalization toward the researchers (trainer and model) from early to late session (mean early 61.9, SE 6.8; mean late 70, SE 6.8; P=.03). Children seen via TH started at lower baseline levels of social verbalization, compared to their F2F counterparts, but showed a significant increase from early to late sessions (TH: 71% and F2F: 62.5% of children improved). In terms of verbalization type, the move and create groups engaged in greater responsive verbalization compared to the play group across early and late sessions. The create group did not show any increase in social verbalization with training irrespective of intervention delivery mode. Conclusions Our preliminary data suggest that the whole-body movement interventions can be used to foster social verbalization in children with ASD. The study adds to the prepandemic evidence on the feasibility of implementation and utility of TH-based intervention delivery in the care of children with ASD. Clinicians may choose TH-based intervention delivery to build a rapport with children to address the core impairments in ASD, provided that caregivers are available during TH sessions to ensure child engagement and compliance. Conflicts of Interest None declared. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04258254; https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT04258254

FMR1 deletion in rats induces hyperactivity with no changes in striatal dopamine transporter availability

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder emerging in early life characterized by impairments in social interaction, poor verbal and non-verbal communication, and repetitive patterns of behaviors. Among the best-known genetic risk factors for ASD, there are mutations causing the loss of the Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1 (FMRP) leading to Fragile X syndrome (FXS), a common form of inherited intellectual disability and the leading monogenic cause of ASD. Being a pivotal regulator of motor activity, motivation, attention, and reward processing, dopaminergic neurotransmission has a key role in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including ASD. Fmr1Δexon 8 rats have been validated as a genetic model of ASD based on FMR1 deletion, and they are also a rat model of FXS. Here, we performed behavioral, biochemical and in vivo SPECT neuroimaging experiments to investigate whether Fmr1Δexon 8 rats display ASD-like repetitive behaviors associated with changes in striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) availability assessed through in vivo SPECT neuroimaging. At the behavioral level, Fmr1Δexon 8 rats displayed hyperactivity in the open field test in the absence of repetitive behaviors in the hole board test. However, these behavioral alterations were not associated with changes in striatal DAT availability as assessed by non-invasive in vivo SPECT and Western blot analyses.

Nursing Diagnosis Frequently Enforced by Nurse to Clients with Ischemic Stroke

Aims : This study is to find out the most diagnoses in stroke patients so that they can arrange appropriate interventions. Design: This study is a retrospective study using the descriptive anaysis. Methods :. The population of this study were all medical records of patients with stroke in 2018 - 2019 in Installation of Tanjungpura University Hospital. The study sample was selected using a purposive sampling method with inclusion criteria, namely patients with ischemic stroke, active patients undergoing outpatient care. The number of samples used was 100 medical record documents of stroke patients. The method of data collection is carried out by checklist instrument. Results : The results of the study were 6 nursing diagnoses that were often enforced by nurses in ischemic stroke patients, namely nursing diagnoses of . Impaired physical mobility ( 59 %), acute pain ( 24%), activity intolerance ( 7%), risk for ineffective cerebral tissue perfusion (5%), impaired verbal communication (3%) and impaired skin integrity (2%). However, of the 6 diagnoses, there were 2 nursing diagnoses written that were not in accordance with the labels on the 2015-2017 NANDA, however namely impaired skin integrity (100%) and impaired verbal communication (46%). Conclusions : It is recommended to increase the socialization of nursing diagnoses so that nurses write a diagnosis according to the diagnosis label used as a reference for writing documentation.

Probiotic Ameliorating Effects of Altered GABA/Glutamate Signaling in a Rodent Model of Autism.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) comprise a heterogeneous group of pathological conditions, mainly of genetic origin, characterized by stereotyped behavior, such as marked impairment in verbal and nonverbal communication, social skills, and cognition. Excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) imbalances have been recorded as an etiological mechanism of ASD. Furthermore, GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in adult life, is known to be much lower in both patients and rodent models of ASD. We propose correcting GABA signaling as a therapeutic strategy for ASD. In this study, 40 young male western Albino rats, 3–4 weeks in age, weighing about 60–70 g, were used. The animals were randomly assigned into six experimental groups, each including eight rats. Group I served as the control group and was orally administered phosphate-buffered saline. Groups II and III served as rodent models of ASD and were orally administered a neurotoxic dose of propionic acid (PPA). The rats in the three therapeutic groups (IV, V, and IV) received the same doses of PPA, followed by 0.2 g/kg body weight of pure Bifidobacterium infantis, a probiotic mixture of ProtexinR, and pure Lactobacillus bulgaricus, respectively, for 3 weeks. Selected variables related to oxidative stress, glutamate excitotoxicity, and gut bacteria were measured in the six groups. Both pure and mixed Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were effective in ameliorating glutamate excitotoxicity as an autistic feature developed in the PPA-induced rodent model. Their therapeutic effects mostly involved the correction of oxidative stress, restoration of depleted GABA, and up-regulation of GABA receptor gene expression. Pure Bifidobacterium was the most effective, followed by the mixture of probiotics and finally lactobacillus. In conclusion, Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli can be used independently or in combination as psychobiotics to ameliorate oxidative stress and glutamate excitotoxicity as two confirmed etiological mechanisms through the gut–brain axis.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy: A Potential Treatment Targeting Pathological Manifestations of Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) makes up a large proportion of acute brain injuries and is a major cause of disability globally. Its complicated etiology and pathogenesis mainly include primary injury and secondary injury over time, which can cause cognitive deficits, physical disabilities, mood changes, and impaired verbal communication. Recently, mesenchymal stromal cell- (MSC-) based therapy has shown significant therapeutic potential to target TBI-induced pathological processes, such as oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, apoptosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction. In this review, we discuss the main pathological processes of TBI and summarize the underlying mechanisms of MSC-based TBI treatment. We also discuss research progress in the field of MSC therapy in TBI as well as major shortcomings and the great potential shown.

Evaluation and Analysis of the Intervention Effect of Systematic Parent Training Based on Computational Intelligence on Child Autism.

Autism, also known as pervasive developmental disorder or autism spectrum disorder, is a group of clinical syndromes of developmental delay or impairment. Social impairment, verbal communication impairment, and behavioral impairment are the three conditions for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, according to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. According to relevant statistics, about 1 in 100 children is now diagnosed with autism, and their rehabilitation treatment is also valued by people from all walks of life. In the rehabilitation training of autistic children, it is found that the rehabilitation training of autistic children should pay attention to the role of parents and family environment. It is crucial that parents receive systematic training and act as partners in the development of the intervention plan. Research shows that a specific structured education and skills training program for parents of children with autism can be beneficial in improving behavioral problems, functional communication, and symptoms of autism in children with autism. To this end, this paper has completed the following work: Secondly, a portion of the systematic training of CA parents is discussed, followed by an explanation of the structure and principles of BPNN. Finally, the BPNN is utilized to create a model for assessing the impact of systematic parent instruction on CA. The experimental findings suggest that the proposed BPNN outperforms the competition.

Real-Life Social-Skills Training and Motor-Skills Training in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Con-Tatto Project Walking Down the Francigena Route.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an early onset and a genetic and epigenetic component. ASD is characterized by deficits in socio-emotional reciprocity, impaired verbal and non-verbal communication skills, and specific difficulties in developing and maintaining adequate social relationships with peers. Indeed, restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities are required by DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Autistic people usually need an unchanging environment (or in any case predictable and stable) and may have hypo- or hyper-sensitivity to sensory inputs. The onset of clinical symptoms occurs during the early years of life. Social skills competence is a significant therapeutic aim to be pursued when addressing ASD core symptoms. Several considerable motor difficulties (87%) in people with autism spectrum disorder in adulthood have been found. The Con-tatto project developed a project addressing social, physical, and mental health difficulties in real-life walking down the Francigena route for 9 days with 12 autistic people, by (1) Implementing daily sessions of social skills training program whose abilities were addressed to be immediately generalized and used throughout the day. (2) Educational movement and walking activity programs were led by a fitness coach. (3) The creation of walking peers’ social community with a strong and relevant impact on adults with ASD social life respecting every person’s individuality. (4) Provision of social reinforcers to reduce the stigma of people with autism and the experienced perception of low self-esteem, especially when they are bullied.

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.

Quality of life of 8- to 12-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder in Colombo district, Sri Lanka; perspective of primary caregivers

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and a restricted repertoire of activities and interests. As it is a condition which persists in one's entire life, maintaining a good Quality of Life (QoL) in such children is essential. The objective of the study was to assess the QoL in 8 to12- year- old children diagnosed with ASD who are attending autism clinics in two major hospitals in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive study was carried out among the caregivers of 8 to12- year-old children with ASD attending two major hospitals in Colombo. Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) was used to assess the QoL in the children, according to the perception of the caregivers. Results: Thirty-five caregivers were included in the study. Majority of the caregivers were mothers. Mean (SD) age of the children studied was 9.6 (±1.6) years. The median total score was 64.44. The median physical functioning, median emotional functioning, the median social functioning and the median social functioning scores were 81.25, 65.0, 40.0 and 35.0 respectively. The median psychosocial functioning score derived by combined scores of emotional, social and school functioning was 48.0, and it was lower than the median physical functioning score. Conclusion: The QoL of this group of children with ASD attending autism clinics in two major hospitals in Colombo district were poor with the psychosocial component being more affected than the physical component.