Feedback training can increase detection of happiness in ambiguous facial expressions in children and adults with autism spectrum disorders

AbstractRecognition of subtle emotional facial expressions is challenging for some individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Training that targets recognition of low intensity emotional expressions may therefore be effective as an intervention to improve social-emotional skills. This paper reports the results of two randomised controlled experiments looking at the effect of a training methodology designed to increase the recognition of happy emotion in low intensity happy facial expressions. The first study implements this training with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, N = 14) and the second study implements this training with adults with ASD (N = 27). The training paradigm used images from a morph sequence that mixed a happy expression with a mixed-emotion ‘norm’ expression to create a sequence of varying intensity happy expressions. Participants were asked to say whether or not individual faces from the sequence were happy, to measure their happiness detection threshold. Participants that received active training were given biased feedback to shift their detection threshold, while participants that received control training were given feedback consistent with their baseline threshold. There was some statistical evidence that thresholds in the active training group shifted more than in the control group. This suggests training was successful in increasing the number of expressions that individuals identified as happy. However, there was no evidence that training increased facial expression recognition accuracy, as measured by the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task completed after training (Study 2).

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Can Neurotypical Individuals Read Autistic Facial Expressions? Atypical Production of Emotional Facial Expressions in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Research ◽

10.1002/aur.1508 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 262-271 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

Rebecca Brewer ◽

Federica Biotti ◽

Caroline Catmur ◽

Clare Press ◽

Francesca Happé ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Emotional Facial Expressions ◽

Spectrum Disorders

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Perception of dynamic facial emotional expressions in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

Translational Neuroscience ◽

10.2478/v10134-010-0033-8 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Roy Kessels ◽

Pieter Spee ◽

Angelique Hendriks

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Recognition Task ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Emotional Expressions ◽

Intensity Level ◽

Emotional Facial Expressions ◽

High Functioning ◽

Spectrum Disorders ◽

Expression Of Emotions

AbstractPrevious studies have shown deficits in the perception of static emotional facial expressions in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but results are inconclusive. Possibly, using dynamic facial stimuli expressing emotions at different levels of intensities may produce more robust results, since these resemble the expression of emotions in daily life to a greater extent. 30 Young adolescents with high-functioning ASD (IQ>85) and 30 age- and intelligence-matched controls (ages between 12 and 15) performed the Emotion Recognition Task, in which morphs were presented on a computer screen, depicting facial expressions of the six basic emotions (happiness, disgust, fear, anger, surprise and sadness) at nine levels of emotional intensity (20–100%). The results showed no overall group difference on the ERT, apart from a slightly worse performance on the perception of the emotions fear (p<0.03) and disgust (p<0.05). No interaction was found between intensity level of the emotions and group. High-functioning individuals with ASD perform similar to matched controls on the perception of dynamic facial emotional expressions, even at low intensities of emotional expression. These findings are in agreement with other recent studies showing that emotion perception deficits in high-functioning ASD may be less pronounced than previously thought.

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Electromyographic Responses to Emotional Facial Expressions in 6–7 Year Olds with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders ◽

10.1007/s10803-013-1890-z ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 354-362 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

P. K. H. Deschamps ◽

L. Coppes ◽

J. L. Kenemans ◽

D. J. L. G. Schutter ◽

W. Matthys

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Emotional Facial Expressions ◽

Spectrum Disorders

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Paternal and maternal age at pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders in offspring

Paediatrica Indonesiana ◽

10.14238/pi55.6.2015.345-51 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 55 (6) ◽

pp. 345 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Luh Putu Rihayani Budi ◽

Mei Neni Sitaresmi ◽

I Gusti Ayu Trisna Windiani

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Maternal Age ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Paternal Age ◽

Control Group ◽

Smoking During Pregnancy ◽

Past Half Century ◽

Spectrum Disorders ◽

Paternal Smoking

Background The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders(ASDs) has increased 10 times over the past half century,while paternal and maternal age at pregnancy has alsoincreased. Studies looking for an association between paternalor maternal age at pregnancy and ASDs in offspring have notbeen conclusive.Objective To assess for possible associations between paternaland maternal age at pregnancy and ASDs in offspring.Methods This case-control study had 50 case and 100control subjects, each case was matched for age and genderto two controls. Case subjects were obtained by consecutivesampling of patients aged 18 months to 7 years who visited theDevelopmental Behavioral & Community Pediatrics OutpatientClinic and private growth and development centers from Januaryto April 2013, while control group were children of the sameage range and same gender who visited pediatric outpatientclinic at Sanglah Hospital mostly due to acute respiratory tractinfection, without ASDs as assessed by the DSM-IV-TR criteria.We interviewed parents to collect the following data: maternaland paternal age at pregnancy, child’s birth weight, historyof asphyxia, hospital admission during the neonatal period,pathological labor, maternal smoking during pregnancy, paternalsmoking, and gestational age. Data analysis was performed withChi-square and Fisher’s exact tests.Results Multivariable analysis showed that higher paternal ageat pregnancy was associated with ASDs in offspring (OR 6.3;95%CI 2.0 to 19.3; P 0.001). However, there was no significantassociation between maternal age during pregnancy and theincidence of ASDs. Asphyxia and paternal smoking were alsoassociated with higher incidence of ASDs in the offspring (OR10.3; 95%CI 1.9 to 56.5; P 0.007 and OR 3.2; 95%CI 1.5 to 6.9;P 0.003, respectively).Conclusion􀀃􀀳􀁄􀁗􀁈􀁕􀁑􀁄􀁏􀀃􀁄􀁊􀁈􀀃􀂕􀀗􀀓􀀃􀁜􀁈􀁄􀁕􀁖􀀃􀁌􀁑􀁆􀁕􀁈􀁄􀁖􀁈􀁇􀀃􀁗􀁋􀁈􀀃􀁕􀁌􀁖􀁎􀀃􀁒􀁉􀀃􀀤􀀶'􀁖􀀃in offspring by 6.3 times. In addition, paternal smoking increased the risk of ASDs in offspring by 3.2 times and asphyxia increasedthe risk of ASDs in offspring by 10.3 times.

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FEATURES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND INTONATION OF CHILDREN OF PRIMARY SCHOOL AGE WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Современные наукоемкие технологии (Modern High Technologies) ◽

10.17513/snt.37686 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 163-169

Author(s):

L.A. Tishina ◽

D.P. Ermolova

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Primary School ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

School Age ◽

Spectrum Disorders ◽

Primary School Age

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Improvement of sleep patterns and serum melatonin levels in children with autism spectrum disorders after consumption of beta-1,3/1,6-glucan in a pilot clinical study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-701988/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kadalraja Raghavan ◽

Vidyasagar Devaprasad Dedeepiya ◽

Ramesh Shankar Kandaswamy ◽

Mangaleswaran Balamurugan ◽

Nobunao Ikewaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Conventional Therapy ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Sleep Pattern ◽

Control Group ◽

Melatonin Level ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Sleep Patterns ◽

Spectrum Disorders

Abstract Study objectives: Poor sleep quality is a major problem that patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) face, which is attributed to their low melatonin levels. Melatonin supplementation is recommended, but its effectiveness is varied. Beta-glucans have previously been reported to improve melatonin levels in animal studies. Therefore, we examined the effectiveness of Aureobasidium pullulans (Nichi Glucan), a species of black yeast that contains beta-1,3/1,6-glucan, in a pilot study of children with ASD. Methods Thirteen children (age = 2.5 to 13 years) with ASD were recruited into the study. The control group consisted of four patients (Gr. 1), while nine patients were in the treatment group (Gr. 2). Gr. 2 received 1 g of Nichi Glucan along with conventional therapy, whereas Gr. 1 underwent conventional therapy alone for 90 days. The serum melatonin levels and sleep patterns, assessed using a subjective questionnaire, were evaluated before and after treatment. Results In Gr. 2, the average serum melatonin level increased from 238.85 ng/dl pre-intervention to 394.72 ng/dl post-intervention. Eight out of nine subjects (88%) in Gr. 2 group showed and improvement in their sleep pattern and quality, while this improvement was not observed in the control group. Conclusions Our study is the first in the literature to report that consumption of Nichi Glucan for 90 days showed visible improvement in sleep quality, sleep pattern, and serum melatonin levels. A larger multicentre study is warranted to validate our findings.

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