Autism Research and Treatment

This study aims to increase the accuracy of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis based on cognitive and behavioral phenotypes through multiple neuroimaging modalities. We apply machine learning (ML) algorithms to classify ASD patients and healthy control (HC) participants using structural magnetic resonance imaging (s-MRI) together with resting state functional MRI (rs-f-MRI and f-MRI) data from the large multisite data repository ABIDE (autism brain imaging data exchange) and identify important brain connectivity features...

Approximately 50,000 youths with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exit U.S. high schools yearly to enter adult systems of care, many of whom remain dependent on family for day-to-day care and service system navigation. As part of a larger study, 174 family caregivers for adolescents or young adults with ASD were asked what advice they would give service providers about how to improve services for youth with ASD. Reflexive thematic analysis identified a framework of five directives: (1) provide a roadmap to services; (2) improve service access; (3) fill gaps to address unmet needs; (4) educate themselves, their families, and society about autism; and (5) operate from a relationship-building paradigm with families...

BACKGROUND: Postural instability is a prevalent issue among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that affects the development of their perceptual-motor skills and social functioning. Visual and somatosensory processing deficits, hypotonia, basal ganglia dysfunction, and anxiety are some of the concurrent disorders in individuals with ASD. Nevertheless, a definite management protocol for postural instability in ASD has not been introduced yet. Hence, we aim to shed light on the available intervention strategies for postural instability in individuals with ASD...

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) not only have communication and social difficulties, but also exhibit poor balance and motor control ability, which frequently affect daily activities. Effective balance and motor control rely on the integration of somatosensory, visual, and vestibular inputs. Although reports of balance dysfunction in ASD have been documented, comprehensive studies of balance and vestibular function in children with ASD are scarce. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed 36 pediatric patients diagnosed with ASD who underwent balance/vestibular laboratory testing in our speciality clinic...

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship between parenting stress and autistic symptom severity in the U.S. and Japan. Fifty-two U.S. and 51 Japanese mothers of children aged 2-12 with autism completed measures of parenting stress and child characteristics, including the parenting stress index (PSI), the social communication questionnaire (SCQ), and social responsiveness scale-2 (SRS-2). There was a nonlinear relationship between the child's autistic symptom severity and parenting stress in both countries...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at examining the effectiveness of treating children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who present with irritability, aggression, and disruptive behavior at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat, Oman, with risperidone, and to note any sex-based differences among this cohort. METHOD: This was a retrospective study conducted at the Department of Behavioral Medicine at SQUH over two years from January 2017 to December 2018...

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a higher prevalence of pain compared to those without ASD. Pain is a leading cause of morbidity and disability worldwide and may contribute to adverse health outcomes in people with ASD, thus warranting further research on this special population. The present study used data from 1,423 children with ASD and 46,023 children without ASD and their mothers from the combined 2016-2017 National Survey of Children's Health. Mothers reported child pain and ASD status and their own mental health status...

Background: Autism is a neurodevelopmental problem that is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. Rearing and caring for children with autism depends upon the perception of mothers and various factors associated with it. There is a gap in the literature regarding the detailed accounts of mother's experiences regarding autism in Nepal. Hence, this study was undertaken to explore lived experiences of mothers raising children with autism. Materials and Methods: Qualitative phenomenological study design was used and nine mothers with autistic children were selected using purposive sampling technique...

Adult referrals to specialist autism spectrum disorder diagnostic services have increased in recent years, placing strain on existing services. It was proposed that the Ritvo Autism Asperger's Diagnostic Scale could be used as a screening tool, in order to identify and prioritise patients most likely to receive an ASD diagnosis. This study evaluates the validity of the RAADS-R as a screening tool for ASD in an adult population. Retrospective case note analysis was used to evaluate the efficacy of the RAADS-R as a screening tool to predict ASD diagnostic outcomes in 50 service users of a NHS specialist autism service...

Mutations affecting the synaptic-scaffold gene SHANK3 represent the most common genetic causes of autism with intellectual disability, accounting for about 1-2% of cases. Rare variants of this gene have also been associated with schizophrenia, and its deletion results in the autistic condition known as Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Despite the importance of SHANK3 as a paradigmatic gene mediating neurodevelopmental disorders, its psychological effects in nonclinical populations have yet to be studied. We genotyped the nonsynonymous, functional SHANK3 SNP rs9616915 in a large population of typical individuals scored for autism spectrum traits (the Autism Quotient, AQ) and schizotypy spectrum traits (the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, SPQ-BR)...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly prevalent and impairing neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 1 : 54 persons. Over the last several decades, the reported incidence of ASD in the US has increased potentially due to increased awareness and improved diagnostic measurement. Although ASD prevalence is increasing, the etiology of ASD remains relatively unknown. To better understand the neurological basis of ASD, rodent models of ASD have been developed for research. Currently, there is not a standardized set of behavioral tests to quantify ASD-like behavior in rodents...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that consists of difficulties with social communication and language, as well as the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors. These deficits tend to present in early childhood and usually lead to impairments in functioning across various settings. Moreover, these deficits have been shown to negatively impact adaptive behavior and functioning. Thus, early diagnosis and intervention is vital for future success within this population...

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers such as oxidative stress, folate receptor alpha (FR α ) autoimmunity, and abnormal brain serotonin turnover are common in autism. METHODS: Oxidative stress biomarkers with pro- and antioxidants were measured in the severe form of infantile autism ( n  = 38) and controls ( n  = 24). Children and parents had repeated testing for serum FR autoantibodies, spinal fluid dopamine and serotonin metabolites, pterins, and N5 -methyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF)...

Although the conventional wisdom is that "earlier is better" when it comes to intervention for children with ASD, it is not clear what evidence exists to support this notion. This review examined a group of studies that addressed outcomes for young children with ASD who started early intervention at a range of ages. The review was selective by including only papers that examined the age of initiation of treatment as well as baseline cognitive, language, or adaptive level and, in addition, employed a method to control for the covariance between early ability level and age of beginning intervention...

Previous studies examining the neural substrates of reward processing in ASD have explored responses to rewards for oneself but not rewards earned for others (i.e., vicarious reward). This omission is notable given that vicarious reward processing is a critical component of creating and maintaining social relationships. The current study examined the neural mechanisms of vicarious reward processing in 15 adults with ASD and 15 age- and gender-matched typically developing controls. Individuals with ASD demonstrated attenuated activation of reward-related regions during vicarious reward processing...

The extreme male brain theory of autism posits that its male bias is mediated by exaggeration of male-biased sex differences in the expression of autism-associated traits found in typical populations. The theory is supported by extensive phenotypic evidence, but no genes have yet been described with properties that fit its predictions. The autophagy-associated gene AMBRA1 represents one of the top genome-wide "hits" in recent GWAS studies of schizophrenia, shows sex-differential expression, and has been linked with autism risk and traits in humans and mice, especially or exclusively among females...

Few studies have explored neural mechanisms of reward learning in ASD despite evidence of behavioral impairments of predictive abilities in ASD. To investigate the neural correlates of reward prediction errors in ASD, 16 adults with ASD and 14 typically developing controls performed a prediction error task during fMRI scanning. Results revealed greater activation in the ASD group in the left paracingulate gyrus during signed prediction errors and the left insula and right frontal pole during thresholded unsigned prediction errors...

Background: In contrast to multiple rare monogenetic abnormalities, a common biomarker among children with infantile autism and their parents is the discovery of serum autoantibodies directed to the folate receptor alpha (FR α ) localized at blood-brain and placental barriers, impairing physiologic folate transfer to the brain and fetus. Since outcome after behavioral intervention remains poor, a trial was designed to treat folate receptor alpha (FR α ) autoimmunity combined with correction of deficient nutrients due to abnormal feeding habits...

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the long-term risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in individuals who are born preterm and full-term using both observational instruments and parental reports. Neonatal risk factors and developmental characteristics associated with ASD risk were also examined. Method: Participants included 110 preterm children (born at a gestational age of ≤ 34 weeks) and 39 full-term children assessed at ages 18, 24, and 36 months...

Children with ASD often exhibit early difficulties with action imitation, possibly due to low-level sensory or motor impairments. Impaired cortical rhythms have been demonstrated in adults with ASD during motor imitation. While those oscillations reflect an age-dependent process, they have not been fully investigated in youth with ASD. We collected magnetoencephalography data to examine patterns of oscillatory activity in the mu (8-13 Hz) and beta frequency (15-30 Hz) range in 14 adolescents with and 14 adolescents without ASD during a fine motor imitation task...