Gestational Exposure to Toxicants and Autistic Behaviors using Bayesian Quantile Regression

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua D Alampi ◽  
Bruce P Lanphear ◽  
Joseph M Braun ◽  
Aimen Chen ◽  
Tim K Takaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantile Regression ◽  
Polychlorinated Biphenyl ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Environmental Chemicals ◽  
Social Responsiveness ◽  
Bayesian Quantile Regression ◽  
The Social ◽  
First Trimester Of Pregnancy ◽  
Autistic Behaviors

Abstract Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is characterized by impaired social communication and stereotypic behaviors, affects 1-2% of children. While prenatal exposure to toxicants has been associated with autistic behaviors, most studies have focused on shifts in mean behavior scores. We used Bayesian quantile regression to assess the associations between log2-transformed toxicant concentrations and autistic behaviors across the distribution of behaviors. We used data from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals study, a pan-Canadian cohort (2008-2011). We measured metal, pesticide, polychlorinated biphenyl, phthalate, bisphenol-A, and triclosan concentrations in blood or urine samples collected during the first trimester of pregnancy. Autistic behaviors were assessed in 478 3-4-year-old children using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), where higher scores denote more autistic-like behaviors. Lead, cadmium, and most phthalate metabolites were associated with mild increases in SRS scores at the 90th percentile of the SRS distribution. Manganese and some pesticides were associated with mild decreases in SRS scores at the 90th percentile of the SRS distribution. We identified several monotonic trends where associations increased in magnitude from the bottom to the top of the SRS distribution. These results suggest that Quantile regression can reveal nuanced relationships and should thus be more widely used by epidemiologists.

scholarly journals Gestational Exposure to Phthalates and Social Responsiveness Scores in Children Using Quantile Regression: The EARLI and HOME Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1254
Author(s):  
Marisa A. Patti ◽  
Craig Newschaffer ◽  
Melissa Eliot ◽  
Ghassan B. Hamra ◽  
Aimin Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantile Regression ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Responsiveness ◽  
Gestational Exposure ◽  
The Social ◽  
General Population Cohort ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Butyl Phthalate ◽  
Ethylhexyl Phthalate

Linear regression is often used to estimate associations between chemical exposures and neurodevelopment at the mean of the outcome. However, the potential effect of chemicals may be greater among individuals at the ‘tails’ of outcome distributions. Here, we investigated distributional effects on the associations between gestational phthalate exposure and child Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)-related behaviors using quantile regression. We harmonized data from the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI) (n = 140) Study, an enriched-risk cohort of mothers who had a child with ASD, and the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study (n = 276), a general population cohort. We measured concentrations of 9 phthalate metabolites in urine samples collected twice during pregnancy. Caregivers reported children’s ASD-related behaviors using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) at age 3–8 years; higher scores indicate more ASD-related behaviors. In EARLI, associations between phthalate concentrations and SRS scores were predominately inverse or null across SRS score quantiles. In HOME, positive associations of mono-n-butyl phthalate, monobenzyl phthalate, mono-isobutyl phthalate, and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate concentrations with SRS scores increased in strength from the median to 95th percentile of SRS scores. These results suggest associations between phthalate concentrations and SRS scores may be stronger in individuals with higher SRS scores.

scholarly journals Assessing the Relation between Plasma PCB Concentrations and Elevated Autistic Behaviours using Bayesian Predictive Odds Ratios

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Bernardo ◽  
Bruce Lanphear ◽  
Scott Venners ◽  
Tye Arbuckle ◽  
Joseph Braun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latent Variable ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Environmental Chemicals ◽  
Social Responsiveness ◽  
Odds Ratios ◽  
Restricted Interests ◽  
Variable Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
Autistic Behaviour ◽  
The Mean

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impaired social communication and repetitive or stereotypic behaviours. In utero exposure to environmental chemicals, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), may play a role in the etiology of ASD. We examined the relation between plasma PCB concentrations measured during pregnancy and autistic behaviours in a subset of children aged 3–4 years old in the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) Study, a pregnancy and birth cohort of 546 mother-infant pairs from Canada (enrolled: 2008–2011). We quantified the concentrations of 6 PCB congeners that were detected in >40% of plasma samples collected during the 1st trimester. At age 3–4 years, caregivers completed the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS), a valid and reliable measure of children’s reciprocal social and repetitive behaviours and restricted interests. We examined SRS scores as both a continuous and binary outcome, and we calculated Bayesian predictive odds ratios for more autistic behaviours based on a latent variable model for SRS scores >60. We found no evidence of an association between plasma PCB concentrations and autistic behaviour. However, we found small and imprecise increases in the mean SRS score and odds of more autistic behaviour for the highest category of plasma PCB concentrations compared with the lowest category; for instance, an average increase of 1.4 (95%PCI: −0.4, 3.2) in the mean SRS (exposure contrast highest versus lowest PCB category) for PCB138 translated to an odds ratio of 1.8 (95%PCI: 1.0, 2.9). Our findings illustrate the importance of measuring associations between PCBs and autistic behaviour on both continuous and binary scales.

scholarly journals Modifying and validating the social responsiveness scale edition 2 for use with deaf children and young people

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243162
Author(s):  
Barry Wright ◽  
Helen Phillips ◽  
Ann Le Couteur ◽  
Jennifer Sweetman ◽  
Rachel Hodkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Responsiveness Scale ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Social Responsiveness ◽  
Deaf People ◽  
Delphi Consensus ◽  
The Social ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

A Delphi consensus methodology was used to adapt a screening tool, the Social Responsiveness Scale– 2 (SRS-2), for use with deaf children including those whose preferred communication method is sign language. Using this approach; 27 international experts (The Delphi International Expert Panel), on the topic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in deaf people, contributed to the review of item content. A criterion for agreement was set at 80% of experts on each item (with 75% acceptable in the final fourth round). The agreed modifications are discussed. The modified SRS-2 research adaptation for deaf people (referred to here as the “SRS-2 Deaf adaptation”) was then translated into British Sign Language using a robust translation methodology and validated in England in a sample of 198 deaf children, 76 with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and 122 without ASD. The SRS-2 Deaf adaptation was compared blind to a NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guideline standard clinical assessment. The area under the Receiver Operating (ROC) curve was 0.811 (95% CI: 0.753, 0.869), with an optimal cut-off value of 73, which gave a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 67%. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient was 0.968 suggesting high internal consistency. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient was 0.897, supporting test-retest reliability. This performance is equivalent to similar instruments used for screening ASD in the hearing population.

Vitamine D en het risico op ASS

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huub F.J. Savelkoul
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Maternal Serum ◽  
Immune Reactivity ◽  
Anti Oxidant ◽  
First Trimester Of Pregnancy ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a heterogeneous group of behavioral disorders in which a disturbed immune reactivity can contribute to the etiology. In retrospective research we found an association between the risk to develop ASD and the month of birth with a peak in July pointing at a possible decreased exposure to sunlight during the first two semesters of pregnancy. This could point to an important role of vitamin D which has important anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities and thereby regulates the proper functioning of the immune system in these individuals. Maternal serum levels of vitamin D double during the first trimester of pregnancy and therefore decreased exposure to sunlight resulting in diminished levels of vitamin D production can be an important risk factor for the development of ASD. However, there is a need for more integrated multidisciplinary studies in families where all siblings are also studied to elucidate the contribution of their genetic risk factors.

Outcomes of an emotion regulation intervention group in young adults with autism spectrum disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin Hartmann ◽  
Maria R. Urbano ◽  
C. Teal Raffaele ◽  
Nicole L. Kreiser ◽  
Takeshia V. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Group Treatment ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Social Responsiveness ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
The Social

Individuals on the autism spectrum experience difficulties in social relationships and emotion regulation. The aim of the present exploratory research study was to develop and explore the effectiveness of a manualized emotion regulation group intervention for autistic adults to improve emotion regulation and social communication. The group participants included seven young adults (age > 18 years) on the autism spectrum. Primary outcome measures were the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Group participants reported significant improvements on the Social Communication and Interaction subscale (SCI; t = 2.601, p = .041), the Social Awareness (AWR; t = 3.163, p = .019), and the Social Cognition (COG; t = 4.861, p = .003) subscales of the SRS-2: Self Report. Overall, this study provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of a group treatment approach that focuses on emotion regulation to improve social interactions for young adults on the autism spectrum.

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