The broad autism phenotype in real-life: clinical and functional correlates of autism spectrum symptoms and rumination among parents of patients with autism spectrum disorder

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 765-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Carpita ◽  
Claudia Carmassi ◽  
Sara Calderoni ◽  
Dario Muti ◽  
Alessia Muscarella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Response Scale ◽  
Global Functioning ◽  
History Of

AbstractObjectiveIncreasing literature reported higher rates of psychiatric disorders in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as of autistic-like features in social and cognitive functioning. However, little attention has been paid to the association between autistic traits (AT) and global functioning in this population. The aim of the present work was to investigate clinical and functional correlates of AT among parents of ASD children, with a specific focus on ruminative thinking.MethodsOne hundred and twenty parents of ASD children were assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum), the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS), the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS).ResultsSubjects with at least 1 psychiatric disorder (39.2%) showed significantly higher AdAS Spectrum and RRS scores. Subjects with a history of school difficulties and with language development alterations scored significantly higher on specific AdAS Spectrum domains. A significant negative correlation was found between SOFAS and AdAS Spectrum scores, as well as between SOFAS and RRS scores. AdAS Spectrum nonverbal communication domain score was identified has a statistically predictive variable for the presence of psychiatric disorders and lower SOFAS scores. Finally, we found a significant indirect effect of AdAS total score on SOFAS score, which was fully mediated by RRS total score.ConclusionsAT in parents of ASD children seem to be associated with a higher vulnerability toward psychopathology and with a lower global functioning. Ruminative thinking may play a role in the relationship between AT and functional outcome.

scholarly journals Dysfunctions in Infants’ Statistical Learning are Related to Parental Autistic Traits

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettoni Roberta ◽  
Valentina Riva ◽  
Chiara Cantiani ◽  
Elena Maria Riboldi ◽  
Massimo Molteni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Statistical Structure ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Visual Habituation

AbstractStatistical learning refers to the ability to extract the statistical relations embedded in a sequence, and it plays a crucial role in the development of communicative and social skills that are impacted in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Here, we investigated the relationship between infants’ SL ability and autistic traits in their parents. Using a visual habituation task, we tested infant offspring of adults (non-diagnosed) who show high (HAT infants) versus low (LAT infants) autistic traits. Results demonstrated that LAT infants learned the statistical structure embedded in a visual sequence, while HAT infants failed. Moreover, infants’ SL ability was related to autistic traits in their parents, further suggesting that early dysfunctions in SL might contribute to variabilities in ASD symptoms.

scholarly journals Implicit Semantic Processing of Linguistic and Non-linguistic Stimuli in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emme O’Rourke ◽  
Emily L. Coderre
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Priming Task ◽  
Adults With Asd

AbstractWhile many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience difficulties with language processing, non-linguistic semantic processing may be intact. We examined neural responses to an implicit semantic priming task by comparing N400 responses—an event-related potential related to semantic processing—in response to semantically related or unrelated pairs of words or pictures. Adults with ASD showed larger N400 responses than typically developing adults for pictures, but no group differences occurred for words. However, we also observed complex modulations of N400 amplitude by age and by level of autistic traits. These results offer important implications for how groups are delineated and compared in autism research.

scholarly journals A systematic PRISMA review of individuals with autism spectrum disorder in secure psychiatric care: prevalence, treatment, risk assessment and other clinical considerations

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare S. Allely
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Care ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secure Psychiatric Care

Purpose Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with specific assessment, specific difficulties, needs and therapeutic issues and therefore are a challenging group for forensic services. Given the challenge that individuals with ASD present to forensic services, the suggested increase in the number of this group within this setting and the relatively little amount of research which suggests they face a number of difficulties within the prison environment, the purpose of this paper is to identify and review all the studies which have been carried out investigating any aspect of ASD in relation to secure hospital settings. Design/methodology/approach Seven internet-based bibliographic databases were used for the present review. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Findings A total of 12 studies were included in this review; 3 looked at the prevalence of ASD in secure psychiatric hospitals. One study evaluated the clinical utility of the AQ screening tool to assess self-reported autistic traits in secure psychiatric settings. Three explored any type of characteristics of patients with ASD detained in secure psychiatric hospitals. One study investigated the experiences or quality of life of patients with an ASD detained in secure psychiatric care. Two studies investigated awareness, knowledge and/or views regarding patients with ASD held by staff working within secure psychiatric hospitals. Lastly, three studies (one of which was also included in the prevalence category above) looked at the effectiveness of interventions or treatment of patients with ASD in secure psychiatric hospitals. Clinical recommendations and future research directions are discussed. Originality/value To the author’s knowledge, this is the first review to explore what research has been carried out looking specifically at patients with ASD in relation to secure forensic settings.

scholarly journals Prediction of response to drug therapy in psychiatric disorders

Open Biology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 180031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shani Stern ◽  
Sara Linker ◽  
Krishna C. Vadodaria ◽  
Maria C. Marchetto ◽  
Fred H. Gage
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Major Depression ◽  
Personalized Medicine ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Patient Reported

Personalized medicine has become increasingly relevant to many medical fields, promising more efficient drug therapies and earlier intervention. The development of personalized medicine is coupled with the identification of biomarkers and classification algorithms that help predict the responses of different patients to different drugs. In the last 10 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several genetically pre-screened drugs labelled as pharmacogenomics in the fields of oncology, pulmonary medicine, gastroenterology, haematology, neurology, rheumatology and even psychiatry. Clinicians have long cautioned that what may appear to be similar patient-reported symptoms may actually arise from different biological causes. With growing populations being diagnosed with different psychiatric conditions, it is critical for scientists and clinicians to develop precision medication tailored to individual conditions. Genome-wide association studies have highlighted the complicated nature of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression and autism spectrum disorder. Following these studies, association studies are needed to look for genomic markers of responsiveness to available drugs of individual patients within the population of a specific disorder. In addition to GWAS, the advent of new technologies such as brain imaging, cell reprogramming, sequencing and gene editing has given us the opportunity to look for more biomarkers that characterize a therapeutic response to a drug and to use all these biomarkers for determining treatment options. In this review, we discuss studies that were performed to find biomarkers of responsiveness to different available drugs for four brain disorders: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, major depression and autism spectrum disorder. We provide recommendations for using an integrated method that will use available techniques for a better prediction of the most suitable drug.

scholarly journals Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder and autistic traits in children with anorexia nervosa and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Inoue ◽  
Ryoko Otani ◽  
Toshiyuki Iguchi ◽  
Ryuta Ishii ◽  
Soh Uchida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Eating Attitudes ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Multicenter Cohort Study ◽  
Feeding And Eating Disorders

Abstract Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and feeding and eating disorders (FEDs) such as anorexia nervosa (AN) are strongly linked as evidenced by frequent comorbidity and overlapping traits. However, eating and social behaviors are shaped by culture, so it is critical to examine these associations in different populations. Moreover, FEDs are heterogeneous, and there has been no examination of autistic traits in avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Methods Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of ASD and autistic traits among Japanese children with AN (n = 92) or ARFID (n = 32) from a prospective multicenter cohort study using the Autism Spectrum Quotient Children’s version (AQC) and Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT26). Results ASD prevalence was high in both AN and ARFID (16.3 and 12.5%, respectively). The AN group exhibited significantly higher scores on all AQC subscales than an age-matched healthy control (HC) group, but there were no significant correlations between AQC scores and ChEAT26 scores. In the AFRID group, AQC scores did not differ from HCs, but significant correlations were found between total AQC and ChEAT26 scores and between several AQC and ChEAT26 subscales. Conclusions Both the AN and ARFID groups had high prevalence rates of ASD. The AN group showed a significantly higher degree of autistic traits than the HC group; however, no difference was found between the ARFID and HC groups. Clinicians need to be aware of these rates when working with children with ED.

scholarly journals The dysregulation profile in preschoolers with and without a family history of autism spectrum disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 516-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan Miller ◽  
Ana‐Maria Iosif ◽  
Gregory S. Young ◽  
Laura J. Bell ◽  
A.J. Schwichtenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Family History ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dysregulation Profile

scholarly journals An exploration of concomitant psychiatric disorders in children with autism spectrum disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 88 ◽  
pp. 57-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Lecavalier ◽  
Courtney E. McCracken ◽  
Michael G. Aman ◽  
Christopher J. McDougle ◽  
James T. McCracken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder

scholarly journals Autism Spectrum Disorder and International Travel

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wee Xuan Neo ◽  
Gerard Thomas Flaherty
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Travel Medicine ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Travel Health ◽  
Travel Experience ◽  
Travel Industry

The literature on international travellers with psychiatric disorders is limited. This perspective article highlights various travel-related aspects of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including its aetiological association with maternal migration, the difficulties faced by longterm travelers with autistic children, and the facilitation of international travel for autistic individuals by the travel industry. Depending on the severity of their condition, autistic individuals may find specific aspects of the travel experience particularly distressing. Travel medicine practitioners should be aware of the unique needs of autistic travelers when providing pre-travel health counseling. There is also an onus on the travel industry to facilitate safe and enjoyable travel and remove barriers faced by autistic travellers.

scholarly journals Altered interpersonal distance regulation in autism spectrum disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kinga Farkas ◽  
Orsolya Pesthy ◽  
Anna Guttengeber ◽  
Anna Szonja Weigl ◽  
Andras Veres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Experimental Design ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Eye Contact ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Interpersonal Distance ◽  
Incidental Condition ◽  
Distance Regulation

Interpersonal distance regulation is an essential element of social communication. Its impairment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is widely acknowledged among practitioners, but only a handful of studies reported empirical research in real-life settings focusing only on children. However, these studies did not measure the alterations of vegetative functions related to interpersonal distance. Here, we introduced a new experimental design to systematically measure interpersonal distance along with heart rate variability (HRV) in adults with ASD and tested the modulatory effect of intentionality, eye contact, moving activity, and attribution. Twenty-two adults diagnosed with ASD and 21 matched neurotypical controls participated in our study from 2019 October to 2020 February. Our new experimental design combined the modified version of the stop distance paradigm with HRV measurement controlling for eye contact between the experimenter and the participant to measure interpersonal distance in incidental and intentional conditions. Our results showed greater preferred distance in ASD in the intentional but not in the incidental condition. These results were altered with eye contact and the participant's role (active vs. passive) in the stop distance task. Moreover, we found lower baseline HRV and reduced HRV reactivity in ASD; however, these vegetative measurements could not predict preferred interpersonal distance. Our study highlights the importance of interpersonal space regulation in ASD and the need for sophisticated experimental designs to grasp the complexity and underlying factors of distance regulation in typical and atypical populations.

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