Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders最新文献

Background

Research has highlighted the ways that birth order relates to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence rates. However, little research has focused on how birth order relates to the wellbeing of the family once a child is diagnosed with ASD. Additionally, many family factors (such as measures of parental wellbeing) and elements of child emotional/behavioral symptoms have not yet been investigated when evaluating the potential effects of birth order. The current study aimed to investigate how family birth order may impact caregiver reporting of parental wellbeing/competency and child symptoms.

Method

Three groups were created based on caregivers (N = 155) who have (1) a first-born child with ASD and then child(ren) without ASD, (2) child(ren) without ASD and then a child with ASD, and (3) an only child with ASD. Caregivers completed questionnaires measuring family resources, child symptoms, and parental factors.

Results

Despite comparable ratings on family resources and ASD severity, significant differences based on birth order emerged. Having one or multiple children without ASD before having a child with ASD may enhance feelings of satisfaction and competency as a parent. Parents with an only child with ASD also reported higher ratings of competency, had significantly less ASD knowledge, and demonstrated a significant negative correlation between efficacy and knowledge.

Conclusion

Families with an only child with ASD may require further support to augment their knowledge of ASD. Caregivers who have a first-born child with ASD may benefit from interventions focusing on their feelings of parental competency.

Background

Writing can be used in a variety of communities and for a variety of purposes and is necessary for success in school and the workplace, yet many students, including autistic students, struggle with written communication. There is a need to explore how writing it taught to these students.

Method

This pilot study examined how writing is taught to autistic students, specifically, how frequently teachers and students engaged in activities incorporated into writing instruction, training or preparation in teaching writing to their students and whether training influence teachers’ practices, teachers' experiences teaching writing to autistic students, including the most significant challenges and successes the support they need to teach writing to their autistic students. Responses from 35 online surveys completed by teachers of autistic students were analyzed.

Results

Results indicated that teachers of autistic students incorporate a wide range of strategies and practices into their instruction, and that their students write using a variety of genres and products. Nearly half of all respondents received no formal training in teaching writing to autistic students. In terms of supports, the greatest need was for professional development/training on how specifically to support their autistic students

Conclusions

The diversity of responses reflects the heterogeneous nature of autistic students. Teachers should consider the use of EBPs such as visuals and peer support and include student interest in their writing. Furthermore, teacher preparation programs should look to add coursework in writing instruction, with particular attention paid to meeting the diverse strengths and needs of autistic students.

Background

Previous research suggest that autistic children look less at faces than neurotypically developing children, but this finding is based predominantly on screen-based eye tracking studies, with unfamiliar faces used as stimuli. The aim of the current study was to assess 10-month-olds’ gaze to faces in a more naturalistic context - during free play with a parent - in relation to later autism diagnosis.

Method

Parents were asked to play with their infant ‘as they usually would’ with a set of toys on the floor. During the first 5 min of play, infant gaze to parent’s face was video coded.

Results

Infants at elevated likelihood of autism (N = 18 with later diagnosis; 46 without later diagnosis), regardless of later diagnostic status, produced fewer gaze shifts towards their parents’ faces than infants at low likelihood of autism (N = 18). Infants in all groups spent only ∼3 % of their time looking at parents’ faces, and there was no group difference in terms of the proportion of time spent looking at faces. There was neither a correlation between infant face looking and scores on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2, nor between infant face looking and autistic traits in the parent.

Conclusions

During toy play, all infants – irrespective of later diagnosis – spent very little time looking at parents’ faces. Infants at elevated likelihood of autism made fewer gazes to their parents’ faces than neurotypically developing infants, which could potentially affect opportunities for social learning. The effect was not specifically linked to later autism diagnosis.

Background

Caring for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) poses significant challenges and parents are at increased risk of psychological distress and reduced wellbeing.

Methods

We investigated the impact of having an autistic child on the wellbeing of 103 parents in Pakistan. Data were collected using the Self-Reported Questionnaire (SRQ-20), Autism Parenting Stress Index (APSI) and the WHO’s Quality of Life Brief Version.

Results

Parents reported reduced psychological health and worsened social relationships in comparison with population norms. The mean prevalence of APSI responses indicating frequent stress was 78 % overall; 91 % around core autism behaviours, 77 % around comorbid behaviours and 65 % around comorbid physical problems. SRQ-20 scores suggested that there were moderate mental distress levels in parents of children with ASD; 60 % of participants scored ≥ 8 indicating probable mental disorder. Parenting stress, including stress specific to comorbid behaviours, was modestly associated with (total) levels of (general) mental distress and with poorer physical and psychological health. Mothers reported significantly poorer psychological health and greater levels of mental distress than fathers, while quality of life markers concerning social relationships and environmental health were higher in parents of younger children with ASD.

Conclusions

Parents of children with ASD experience significant ASD-specific parental stress, psychological distress and decreased quality of life and wellbeing. These parents frequently present with reduced energy levels and depressive symptoms. This data provide a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by parents of children with ASD in Pakistan and provides a framework to guide further research and clinical practice.

Objective

Relatively little is known about weight status for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in China. This study examined the weight status of Chinese children and adolescents, as well as the factors that influence it.

Methods

This study describes three weight status (underweight, overweight, obesity) and their influencing factors associated with weight status retrospectively, in a large sample (N = 5910) of Chinese children and adolescents (2–16 years old) (average = 5.4 years, SD=2.6 years). Body mass index (BMI) was used to assess children and adolescents with ASD in 2020. Logit regression was used to investigate the factors that influence weight status.

Results

The prevalence of overweight, obesity was 14.2% and 11.6% respectively. The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity (⩾P 85) was 25.8%, with 22.3% in the 2–5-year-old group, 31.6% in the 6–8-year-old group, 30.8% in the 9–12-year-old group, and 29.0% in the 13–16-year-old group. The prevalence of underweight (<P 5) was 10.0% overall, with 6.3% in 2–5 years old group, 14.3% in 6–8 years old group,17.8% in 9–12 years old group and 24.1% in 13–16 years old group. Overweight and obese individuals were more likely to be older, male, and from low-income families. The older the age, the lower the birth weight, the greater the risk of being underweight. The severity of ASD has no association with BMI.

Conclusions

A high prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity was observed in Chinese children and adolescents, especially for those aged above 6 years.

This study investigated the impact of autistic traits and anxiety on the visual attentional response to angry faces among individuals with varying levels of autistic traits in the general population. Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, eye-tracking methodology was used to compare 26 participants with high autistic traits to 26 individuals with low autistic traits. The latency of the first fixation on images of angry faces, neutral faces, and objects during a free viewing task was measured. Anxiety levels were assessed using the Self-rating Anxiety Scale. Experiment 2 utilized an overlap task to examine attentional response patterns toward angry faces in individuals with high and low autistic traits. The findings revealed that participants with high autistic traits displayed a longer latency to first fixation on angry faces during the free-viewing task compared to those with low autistic traits. However, no significant differences were observed for neutral faces and objects. In the overlap task, the group with high autistic traits demonstrated a significantly prolonged latency to first fixation on angry faces in peripheral positions when the central stimulus was a neutral face and the peripheral stimulus was an angry face, relative to the group with low autistic traits. Importantly, when taking anxiety traits into account as a covariate in both experiments, the previously observed group effects no longer remained significant. These results were discussed within the frameworks of social motivation theory and the autism continuum hypothesis.

Background

Abnormalities pertaining to glycosaminoglycan metabolism have been demonstrated in children with autism spectrum disorder. The aim of the present study was to compare urine excretion of sulfated glycosaminoglycans in children with autism spectrum disorder, with neurotypical controls and explore its association with co-occurring symptoms.

Method

Random urine samples were collected from children with autism spectrum disorder (n = 61) between the ages of 2 and 6 years, and age- and sex-matched neurotypical controls. Urine glycosaminoglycan levels were quantified by the dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) dye-binding assay.

Results

Mean glycosaminoglycan/creatinine ratio of children with autism spectrum disorder was 22.279 ± 13.044 mg/mmol while that of neurotypical controls was 19.121 ± 7.319 mg/mmol. Eight patients with autism spectrum disorder (13.11%) exhibited abnormally high glycosaminoglycan excretion. Unstandardized urine glycosaminoglycan levels are significantly higher (p = 0.019) in the autism spectrum disorder group when covariates such as age, urinary creatinine, and height are taken into consideration by ANCOVA. However, the outcome showed a trend towards significance when glycosaminoglycan/creatinine ratio was used in ANCOVA (p = 0.058). In neurotypical subjects, the urine glycosaminoglycan levels appear to decline with age, height, and weight while this trend was not apparent in subjects with autism spectrum disorder. Glycosaminoglycan excretion did not correlate with the presence of co-occurring symptoms of autism spectrum disorder; frequent gastrointestinal symptoms, self-injurious behaviors, food aversions, or parent-reported sleep problems.

Conclusions

A subset of children with autism spectrum disorder exhibits higher urine glycosaminoglycan excretion. Further research is needed to explore the molecular basis of this finding.

Background

The prevalence of elevated alexithymia trait is notably high among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which will cause emotional and behavioral issues, especially aggressive behavior. However, few studies explored the inter links between autistic traits, alexithymia, sleep disturbance and aggression. Using network analysis, current study explores relationships between these symptoms within a general population sample.

Method

Seven hundred and sixty-one (age 18–30, 351 male, 410 female) participants were recruited through an online platform. Network analysis was used to clarify relationship between these symptoms, and network comparison was conducted to determine whether network pattern differed between male and female.

Results

Discernible patterns linking autistic traits to alexithymia, sleep disturbance and aggression. These patterns exhibited a satisfactory level of stability and consistency when tested and retested. Among the nodes examined, the node with the highest centrality and expected influence in the network is aggression. Network constructed using male and female data show different patterns of structure and strength.

Conclusion

Understanding the association between autism traits and other behavioral and emotional issues, as well as the possible role of gender, can help optimize targeted interventions and improve the quality of life of individuals with autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a diagnosis applicable to a vast range of presentations. However, there are disadvantages to theorizing and communicating about autism as a single spectrum. This paper suggests an alternative or supplementary multi-dimensional approach for diagnosticians and educators – an approach that more accurately reflects our understanding of autism.

Background

Quality of life is an important outcome to autistic individuals. However, the correlates of quality of life in this population are not well known. The purpose of this project was to investigate the extent to which employment, depression, anxiety, and social participation were associated with quality of life in autistic individuals. We also explored potential associations between emotion dysregulation and quality of life.

Method

Baseline data from two randomized control trials were used for analysis. A total of 125 autistic adolescents and adults aged 16–45 (M = 25.40) participated. Linear regression models were constructed to investigate whether employment, depression, anxiety, and social participation were associated with five domains of quality of life: overall, physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environment. Additional linear regression models explored whether emotion dysregulation was associated with the same quality of life domains.

Results

Surprisingly, employment was not significantly associated with any quality of life domain. Greater depression severity was significantly associated with poorer quality of life across all domains. Greater social participation was associated with better quality of life, but only for individuals with lower anxiety. More severe dysphoria was associated with poorer overall quality of life and the psychological and physical health domains.

Conclusions

Results suggest that mental health and emotion dysregulation are important predictors of quality of life for autistic people. They also suggest that anxiety symptoms may attenuate the beneficial effects of social participation. This study provides insight into the unique experiences of autistic individuals and highlights potential unmet need.