177. Autism Behavior Inventory – A Novel Tool for Assessment of Changes in Core and Associated Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social and communication abnormalities. Heterogeneity in the expression and severity of the core and associated symptoms poses difficulties in classification and the overall clinical approach. Synaptic abnormalities have been observed in preclinical ASD models. They are thought to play a major role in clinical functional abnormalities and might be modified by targeted interventions. An imbalance in excitatory to inhibitory neurotransmission (E/I imbalance), through altered glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission, respectively, is thought to be implicated in the pathogenesis of ASD. Glutamatergic and GABAergic agents have been tested in clinical trials with encouraging results as to efficacy and tolerability. Further studies are needed to confirm the role of E/I modulators in the treatment of ASD and on the safety and efficacy of the current agents.

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6.11 Clinician and Parent Reporting of Autism Spectrum Disorder Behaviors: Development of a Clinician Version of the Autism Behavior Inventory

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.jaac.2021.09.084 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 60 (10) ◽

pp. S161

Author(s):

Abigail Bangerter ◽

Robin Halter ◽

Martine Meyer ◽

Jeremiah Trudeau ◽

Rachel Ochs-Ross ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Autism Behavior

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AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: A POSSIBLE LINK WITH CHONDROITIN SULFATE

10.1101/2020.10.15.20212910 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Eduardo Listik ◽

Marcia Listik ◽

Clarice Listik ◽

Leny Toma

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Healthy Volunteers ◽

Chondroitin Sulfate ◽

Low Cost ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Clinical Aspect ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Autism Behavior Checklist ◽

Autism Behavior

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to determine discrepancies in the urinary glycosaminoglycan profiles of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients (n=9) when compared with those from healthy volunteers (HVs, n=3). The guardians and/or educators for each participant also returned a validated Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC). The urinary chondroitin sulfate (CS) concentration was 46.1% lower in the ASD group than in the HV group. The ABC score and the urinary CS concentration were negatively correlated (Spearman’s ρ=– 0.2635), indicating that as the severity of the clinical aspect of this disorder increased, the urinary CS concentration decreased. These results suggest that low CS concentrations in the urine may be associated with ASD, and could be measured using a fast and low-cost method for diagnostics.

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Qualitative evaluation of the Autism Behavior Inventory: use of cognitive interviewing to establish validity of a caregiver report scale for autism spectrum disorder

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes ◽

10.1186/s12955-020-01665-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Gahan Pandina ◽

Seth Ness ◽

Jeremiah Trudeau ◽

Sonja Stringer ◽

Naomi Knoble ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Content Validity ◽

Qualitative Evaluation ◽

Patient Reported Outcome ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Cognitive Interviewing ◽

Response Options ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Autism Behavior

Abstract Purpose The Autism Behavior Inventory (ABI) is an observer-reported outcome scale measuring core and associated features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Extensive scale development (reported elsewhere) took place, in alignment with the Food and Drug Administration’s patient-reported outcome guidance, to address the need for instruments to measure change and severity of ASD symptoms. Methods Cognitive interviewing was used to confirm understanding and content validity of the scale prior to its use in clinical trials. Respondents were caregivers of individuals with ASD (N = 50). Interviews used a hybrid of the “think-aloud” and verbal probing approach to assess ABI’s content validity and participant understanding of the instrument, including: item clarity and relevance; item interpretation; appropriateness of response scales; and clarity of instructions. Audio-recordings of the interviews were transcribed for qualitative data analysis. The scale was revised based on participant feedback and tested in a second round of interviews (round 1 N = 38, round 2 N = 12). Results In total, 67/70 items reached ≥ 90% understandability across participants. Caregivers were able to select an appropriate response from the options available and reported finding the examples helpful. Based on participant feedback, instructions were simplified, 8 items were removed, and 10 items were reworded. The final revised 62-item scale was presented in round 2, where caregivers reported readily understanding the instructions, response options, and 61/62 items reached ≥ 90% understandability. Conclusions Cognitive interviews with caregivers of a diverse sample of individuals with ASD confirm the content validity and relevance of the ABI to assess core and associated symptoms of ASD.

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Network analysis of core and associated symptoms in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder

10.21203/rs.3.rs-48456/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaoyi Wang ◽

Lijuan Shi ◽

Jianjun Ou ◽

Yidong Shen ◽

Ying Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Network Analysis ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

The Other ◽

Sleep Habits ◽

Holistic View ◽

Network Analyses ◽

Associated Symptoms ◽

Core Symptoms

Abstract Background: Complex relationships may exist in the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and may interfere with each other. Previous studies investigate the relationships between core and associated symptoms. However, there is still a lack of holistic view, especially in the relationships between core and associated symptoms.Methods: Data were collected from a sample of 474 children with ASD. The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) was used to evaluate the existence and severity of autistic core symptoms of social impairment, Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) to sleep status, and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/1.5-5) to behavior performance of subjects. A network analysis approach was performed to assess the partial relationships of these symptoms.Results: The social communication problem was the most central symptom of ASD. There were broad relationships between the core and associated symptoms, such as the relationships between autistic core symptoms and characteristic symptoms of ADHD and within associated symptoms. All these correlations were positive, except for a negative relationship between anxious/depressed problems and social awareness. The associations between some of these symptoms were stronger than the other associations, and the relationship between emotional problems and aggressive behavior was relatively stronger than the other relationships. The strength centrality and network edges were highly stable.Limitations: Two main limitations exist in current study. First, the network analyses was conducted by using cross-sectional data, so it remains unknown that whether the network structure will change with the progress of the course of the disease or the change of the severity of symptoms. Second, some nodes may actually be measuring overlapping constructs, which could artificially inflate edge weights and centrality.Conclusions: An overall perspective of connections of symptoms of ASD using network analysis indicated that controlling these associated symptoms may improve core symptoms, such as ADHD-related symptoms. It may help identify new ways to improve symptoms in ASD.

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