Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders最新文献

Although first described in 1944 (the year the description of infantile autism), Asperger’s syndrome attracted little attention until the publication by Lorna Wing in early 1980. Over time, different views of the definition of Asperger’s syndrome developed. By the time of the Third Edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and the Tenth Edition of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Disease, enough information had accumulated to include the condition within the broader autism category. Asperger’s syndrome remained a focus of research interest and debate until its exclusion in the DSM-5 in 2013. We argue that the decision to remove Asperger’s syndrome 10 years ago as a distinct condition was premature. A discussion of the tensions around defining Asperger’s and concerns now arising due to the lack of this diagnostic category for new cases is provided.

Little is known about how policy—laws, regulations, procedures, administrative actions, incentives, or voluntary practices of governments or other institutions—shapes access to early autism services including diagnosis before age three. Early diagnosis and treatment are considered critical to improve outcomes. Understanding how policy influences such services could have substantial impact on outcomes for autistic children. We conducted a narrative literature review to determine what is known on how policy impacts early autism diagnosis and treatment. We found 17 articles that describe policy factors promoting early diagnosis and seven articles that identify policy factors affecting variability in autism services. We identified the following themes: (1) state policy factors influence access to diagnosis and other autism services, (2) innovative screening models affect early diagnosis, (3) provider training programs increase autism screening and diagnosis, (4) insurance policy influences autism services variability, and (5) resource availability affects geographic variability in autism services. Although common themes exist, more robust investigation is needed on policy impacting early autism services—beyond insurance and early intervention—and utilizing more rigorous designs.

Interventions based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) have been determined to be evidenced-based practices and are widely used with individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) across the world. Originally developed in the USA, implementation of these interventions has become widespread in the last decade in Turkey. Given the significance of culture in guiding ABA practices, this meta-analysis investigated the prevalence and the magnitude effects of ABA-based interventions and whether specific participant and intervention characteristics moderated such effects in Turkey. Seventy-one ABA-based intervention studies were assessed based on What Works Clearinghouse (WWC, Kratochwill et al., Remedial and Special Education, 34(1), 26–38, 2013) design standards (DSs) including (a) systematic manipulation of independent variables, (b) interrater reliability, (c) three demonstrations of the intervention effect, and (d) adequate number of data points collected for each condition. Forty-three studies that met WWC (Kratochwill et al., Remedial and Special Education, 34(1), 26–38, 2013) DSs were analyzed and calculated with baseline-corrected tau (Tarlow, Behavior Modification, 41(4), 427–467, 2017). Furthermore, performance-criteria-based effect size values (PCES; Aydin and Tanious, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2021) were calculated for 27 studies that had mastery criteria. While the overall tau appeared to be large 0.71 (p = 0.072, se = 0.254), the overall effect size for PCES revealed a small effect of 0.73. The comparisons of all sub-categories’ effect sizes of moderator variables were not statistically significant based on Kruskal Wallis or Mann Whitney U tests. Additionally, findings revealed that studies were predominantly implemented by highly trained researchers in segregated one-on-one settings, and did not include adults with ASD nor challenging behavior. Overall, there has been significant growth in ABA-based interventions in Turkey that show promise in improving the lives of individuals with ASD. However, further research and cultural considerations are essential for a comprehensive understanding of their impact in the Turkish context. Findings from two different effect size analyses and recommendations for future studies are discussed.

While research on the prevalence of co-occurring autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and trans gender modality (TGM) is available, less is known about the underlying mechanism of this association. Insight is needed to improve treatment of trans autistic people. This review provides an overview of theories on the ASC-TGM link and the available evidence for/against them published between January 2016 and October 2020. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. This resulted in 36 studies, in which 15 theories were identified. Results indicate all theories lack substantial empirical support. Unlikely and promising theories were identified. The most promising theories were those on resistance to social norms and weakened sex differences. Future directions are provided.

Social communication, like all inter-human behaviors, are highly affected by an individual’s intersectional identities and memberships of diverse communities. The current systematic literature review investigated the reporting practices of participant demographics and the extent to which under-represented autistic groups were included in social communication intervention studies in the 2020 National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice report. Results show inconsistencies and gaps in reporting participant variables as well as a general lack of representation of diverse autistic communities in social communication intervention research. The results highlight the limitations of current racial categories and considerations for complex intersectional identities. Recommendations for future researchers are also discussed.

Reflecting the significant delays in autism assessments globally, studies have explored whether autism assessments conducted via telehealth are feasible and accurate. This systematic review investigated the psychometric properties of autism assessment tools for children administered via telehealth and examined the diagnostic accuracy of telehealth assessment procedures compared to care-as-usual in-person assessments. Relevant databases (MEDLINE, Embase and PsycInfo) were searched for eligible studies (PROSPERO: CRD42022332500). In total, 18 studies were included, collectively assessing 1593 children for autism. Telehealth assessments for autism were largely comparable to in-person assessments, with a diagnostic agreement of 80–88.2%. Individual behavioral observation tools, diagnostic interviews, and clinician-administered screening tools demonstrated acceptable validity. For many children, diagnostic decision-making can be expedited without loss of validity using telehealth.

We conducted a network meta-analysis to assess and rank the efficacy of different physical activities on motor function, social function, communication, and stereotyped behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder. PubMed, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched through May 25, 2023. A total of 37 studies involving 1200 participants and 17 interventions were included in our study. Based on the ranking probabilities, Tai Chi Chuan and fundamental motor skill intervention were ranked as possibly the most effective intervention for motor function and communication, respectively. Kata techniques had the highest probability of being best for stereotyped behavior and social function. This review provides valuable information that physical activity can be a useful strategy in the management of autism spectrum disorder.

Autistic females often present differently to autistic males, which can lead to difficulties obtaining a diagnosis and subsequent support. Parenting an autistic daughter has been linked to additional parenting stress compared to parenting an autistic son. However, research in this area is limited. A systematic review was undertaken to synthesise qualitative studies on parental experiences of raising autistic females. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria and thematic synthesis was completed. Six themes were created. The analysis found issues with diagnosis and differences in lived experience compared to autistic males can present significant challenges. Parents can struggle with a range of negative emotions or feel overwhelmed. However, studies also found benefits to parenting an autistic daughter, such as increased confidence in parenting.

Autistic adolescents are increasingly educated in inclusive settings. This likely affects their education and experiences in a variety of ways, yet their opinions on their inclusive educational experiences are rarely sought. Autistic adolescents should be given the opportunity to share their opinions on their inclusive experiences to help identify structural issues that limit their success, as well as the school supports they desire. This literature review synthesizes the opinions of autistic adolescents on their experiences in inclusive education. After identifying 23 eligible studies in a systematic search, five overarching themes were identified relating to (1) negotiating identity, (2) peer interactions, (3) teacher characteristics, (4) instructional practices, and (5) classroom and school environment. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed, including the need to conduct studies on this topic in the USA and to solicit the perspectives of female autistic adolescents more actively.

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of telehealth social communication intervention on language skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty-one studies were included, among which 17 were single subject experimental design (SSED). Language outcomes were categorized into five linguistic domains (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics), and meta-analysis was planned for each domain. Meta-analysis was only performed for pragmatic outcomes, due to the small number of studies that included outcomes in other domains. The results showed significant pre- to post-intervention improvement, thus supporting the use of telehealth social communication intervention to improve pragmatic skills among children with ASD. More diverse measures should be used to target linguistic domains beyond pragmatics. The predominant use of SSED warrants large-scale studies for robust evidence in the future.