Oxytocin not effective for social function in youths with autism spectrum disorder

2022 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-6
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-75
Author(s):  
Maki Miyajima ◽  
Hidetoshi Omiya ◽  
Kiyoko Yamashita ◽  
Kenji Yambe ◽  
Mie Matsui ◽  
...  

Introduction Studies on autism spectrum disorder in recent years have controversially indicated similarities with schizophrenia. Cognitive dysfunction is present in both disorders, and while there is a rich array of interventions for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia, there are few such treatments for autism spectrum disorder. In this study, we have investigated a potentially useful approach in autism spectrum disorder by comparing autism spectrum disorder with schizophrenia in regard to the characteristics of cognitive dysfunction and therapeutic response to cognitive remediation therapy. Method We studied seven patients with autism spectrum disorder and eight patients with schizophrenia, using a frontal/executive programme as the intervention. The characteristics of cognitive dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder before frontal/executive programme and the therapeutic response to frontal/executive programme in autism spectrum disorder patients were compared with those in schizophrenia patients, based on evaluation of cognitive function and social function. The changes in cognitive and social function after treatment in each patient group were compared using the Mann–Whitney’s U test. Results The severity of cognitive dysfunction did not differ significantly between autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Frontal/executive programme was effective in autism spectrum disorder, with subjects showing about the same therapeutic response as in schizophrenia. Conclusion Frontal/executive programme appears to be useful for patients with autism spectrum disorder. Furthermore, the similarities in cognitive dysfunction and therapeutic response between autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia are highly relevant to the recent debate concerning the similarity between these two disease concepts.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita K. Chisholm ◽  
Vicki A. Anderson ◽  
Natalie A. Pride ◽  
Stephanie Malarbi ◽  
Kathryn N. North ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (s1) ◽  
pp. 72-72
Author(s):  
Stacey Elkhatib Smidt ◽  
Arpita Ghorai ◽  
Brielle Gehringer ◽  
Holly Dow ◽  
Zoe Smernoff ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties in communication and social interaction as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors. Sleep problems are a common concern in children with ASD that can persist into adulthood. This study aims to further explore sleep in ASD without intellectual disability (ASD w/o ID). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We recruited individuals of both sexes with ASD w/o ID (probands) and relatives as part of the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence (ASPE) at the University of Pennsylvania. Actimetry data were collected via a wrist-worn tri-axial accelerometer for 21 days. Data from 212 participants were considered. We analyzed sleep data using the algorithms GGIR, ChronoSapiens, and PennZzz. The sleep traits of proband and sibling pairs were compared using paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. We used the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2) to assess social impairment and restricted/repetitive traits. We compared SRS-2 scores to sleep traits using partial Spearman or Pearson correlations adjusting for age (171 participants). RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Probands demonstrated later sleep onset (p = 0.03), decreased M10 average (10-hour period of highest activity/day; p = 0.006), decreased relative amplitude (measure of rest-activity rhythm; p <0.001), and decreased total daytime activity (p = 0.005) compared to siblings. Regarding social function and restricted/repetitive traits, adult males showed an inverse correlation between SRS-2 total score and sleep efficiency (r = −0.2, p = 0.04) and a positive correlation between SRS-2 total score and intradaily variability (r = 0.3, p = 0.02). Adult females showed an inverse correlation between SRS-2 total score and M10 average (r = −0.3, p = 0.02) and between SRS-2 total score and relative amplitude (self-report r = −0.4, p = 0.001; informant r = −0.3, p = 0.005). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: This study focuses on the analysis of sleep traits in ASD including the relationship between social function and sleep. Thus far, the most robust findings are decreased daytime activity and relative amplitude in individuals with ASD w/o ID compared to siblings. We have also shown that ASD social impairment may be related to sleep dysfunction.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anyi Zhang ◽  
Le Shi ◽  
Xiao Lin ◽  
Suhua Chang ◽  
Peng Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a set of neurodevelopmental disorders with high heterogeneity. The co-occurrence of social deficits and executive dysfunction is frequently reported in individuals with ASD. The present study evaluated the association between social deficit and executive dysfunction in ASD subjects and explored the underlying neural mechanisms that may mediate this association.Methods: A total of 186 patients with ASD, 5-18 years old (10.25 ± 2.72 years old), from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange II database were enrolled in the final sample. Social function was evaluated by the parent-reported Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and executive function (EF) was measured by the parent-reported Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). We selected bilateral amygdala, caudate and putamen as regions of interests, and used the region of interest-based resting-state functional connectivity (FC) analysis to explore the shared and specific brain mechanisms underlying EF and social function. The association analysis of EF, social deficits and FC was conducted using linear regression by controlling covariates, including age, gender, full IQ, handedness, and current medication. Results: The result showed that social functions in ASD children and adolescents were positively associated with EF (r = 0.612, p <0.01). Additionally, 14 and 21 FC links were associated with social deficits and executive dysfunction separately, in which five FC links (right amygdala and right inferior frontal gyrus opercular part, left caudate and right supramarginal gyrus, left putamen and right superior frontal gyrus medial orbital, right putamen and left gyrus rectus, and right putamen and left paracentral lobule) were simultaneously correlated with social function and EF in ASD subjects. We also found that connectivity between the right amygdala and right inferior frontal gyrus mediated the effects of EF on social deficit. Limitations: All the included participants in the present study were ASD patients and male participants, which might limit the generalization of our findings.Conclusion: We found a significant association between social deficits and executive dysfunction in ASD subjects. This association might be mediated by FC between the right amygdala and the right inferior frontal gyrus, which may further illustrate the underlying mechanism of ASD and co-occurrence of social deficits and executive dysfunction in this population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1783-1797
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Coburn ◽  
Diane L. Williams

Purpose Neurodevelopmental processes that begin during gestation and continue throughout childhood typically support language development. Understanding these processes can help us to understand the disruptions to language that occur in neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method For this tutorial, we conducted a focused literature review on typical postnatal brain development and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, magnetoencephalography, and electroencephalography studies of the neurodevelopmental differences that occur in ASD. We then integrated this knowledge with the literature on evidence-based speech-language intervention practices for autistic children. Results In ASD, structural differences include altered patterns of cortical growth and myelination. Functional differences occur at all brain levels, from lateralization of cortical functions to the rhythmic activations of single neurons. Neuronal oscillations, in particular, could help explain disrupted language development by elucidating the timing differences that contribute to altered functional connectivity, complex information processing, and speech parsing. Findings related to implicit statistical learning, explicit task learning, multisensory integration, and reinforcement in ASD are also discussed. Conclusions Consideration of the neural differences in autistic children provides additional scientific support for current recommended language intervention practices. Recommendations consistent with these neurological findings include the use of short, simple utterances; repetition of syntactic structures using varied vocabulary; pause time; visual supports; and individualized sensory modifications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 890-902
Author(s):  
Lynn Kern Koegel ◽  
Katherine M. Bryan ◽  
Pumpki Lei Su ◽  
Mohini Vaidya ◽  
Stephen Camarata

Purpose The purpose of this systematic review was to identify parent education procedures implemented in intervention studies focused on expressive verbal communication for nonverbal (NV) or minimally verbal (MV) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parent education has been shown to be an essential component in the habilitation of individuals with ASD. Parents of individuals with ASD who are NV or MV may particularly benefit from parent education in order to provide opportunities for communication and to support their children across the life span. Method ProQuest databases were searched between the years of 1960 and 2018 to identify articles that targeted verbal communication in MV and NV individuals with ASD. A total of 1,231 were evaluated to assess whether parent education was implemented. We found 36 studies that included a parent education component. These were reviewed with regard to (a) the number of participants and participants' ages, (b) the parent education program provided, (c) the format of the parent education, (d) the duration of the parent education, (e) the measurement of parent education, and (f) the parent fidelity of implementation scores. Results The results of this analysis showed that very few studies have included a parent education component, descriptions of the parent education programs are unclear in most studies, and few studies have scored the parents' implementation of the intervention. Conclusions Currently, there is great variability in parent education programs in regard to participant age, hours provided, fidelity of implementation, format of parent education, and type of treatment used. Suggestions are made to provide both a more comprehensive description and consistent measurement of parent education programs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 327-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Gladfelter ◽  
Cassidy VanZuiden

Purpose Although repetitive speech is a hallmark characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the contributing factors that influence repetitive speech use remain unknown. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if the language context impacts the amount and type of repetitive speech produced by children with ASD. Method As part of a broader word-learning study, 11 school-age children with ASD participated in two different language contexts: storytelling and play. Previously collected language samples were transcribed and coded for four types of repetitive speech: immediate echolalia, delayed echolalia, verbal stereotypy, and vocal stereotypy. The rates and proportions of repetitive speech were compared across the two language contexts using Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests. Individual characteristics were further explored using Spearman correlations. Results The children produced lower rates of repetitive speech during the storytelling context than the play-based context. Only immediate echolalia differed between the two contexts based on rate and approached significance based on proportion, with more immediate echolalia produced in the play-based context than in the storytelling context. There were no significant correlations between repetitive speech and measures of social responsiveness, expressive or receptive vocabulary, or nonverbal intelligence. Conclusions The children with ASD produced less immediate echolalia in the storytelling context than in the play-based context. Immediate echolalia use was not related to social skills, vocabulary, or nonverbal IQ scores. These findings offer valuable insights into better understanding repetitive speech use in children with ASD.


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