scholarly journals Theory of Mind Indexes the Broader Autism Phenotype in Siblings of Children with Autism at School Age

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tawny Tsang ◽  
Kristen Gillespie-Lynch ◽  
Ted Hutman
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
School Age ◽  
Autism Symptoms ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Social Communicative ◽  
Autism Phenotype

Subclinical variants of the social-communicative challenges and rigidity that define autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are known as the broader autism phenotype (BAP). The BAP has been conceptualized categorically (as specific to a subset of relatives of individuals with ASD) and dimensionally (as continuously distributed within the general population). The current study examined the compatibility of these two approaches by assessing associations among autism symptoms and social-communicative skills in young school-age children with ASD, children who have a sibling with ASD, and children without a sibling with ASD. Autism symptoms were associated with reduced Theory of Mind (ToM), adaptive skills, cognitive empathy, and language skills across the full sample. Reduced ToM was a core aspect of the BAP in the current sample regardless of whether the BAP was defined categorically (in terms of siblings of children with ASD who exhibited atypical developmental) or dimensionally (in terms of associations with autism symptoms across the entire sample). Early language skills predicted school-age ToM. Findings support the compatibility of categorical and dimensional approaches to the BAP, highlight reduced ToM as a core aspect of the school-age BAP, and suggest that narrative-based approaches to promoting ToM may be beneficial for siblings of children with ASD.

scholarly journals The association between epilepsy and autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 996-1006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma W Viscidi ◽  
Ashley L Johnson ◽  
Sarah J Spence ◽  
Stephen L Buka ◽  
Eric M Morrow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Maladaptive Behaviors ◽  
Autism Symptoms ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Simons Simplex Collection ◽  
Autism Phenotype

Epilepsy is common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but little is known about how seizures impact the autism phenotype. The association between epilepsy and autism symptoms and associated maladaptive behaviors was examined in 2,645 children with ASD, of whom 139 had epilepsy, from the Simons Simplex Collection. Children with ASD and epilepsy had significantly more autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors than children without epilepsy. However, after adjusting for IQ, only hyperactivity symptoms remained significantly increased (13% higher) in the epilepsy group. Among children with ASD without co-occurring intellectual disability, children with epilepsy had significantly more irritability (20% higher) and hyperactivity (24% higher) symptoms. This is the largest study to date comparing the autism phenotype in children with ASD with and without epilepsy. Children with ASD and epilepsy showed greater impairment than children without epilepsy, which was mostly explained by the lower IQ of the epilepsy group. These findings have important clinical implications for patients with ASD.

The trend of association between autism traits in mothers and severity of autism symptomatology in children

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asmita Karmakar ◽  
Manisha Bhattacharya ◽  
Jayeeta Adhya ◽  
Susmita Chatterjee ◽  
Atanu Kumar Dogra
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Genetic Liability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Autism Traits ◽  
Autism Symptomatology ◽  
Autism Phenotype ◽  
Shared Genetic

Purpose Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are heterogeneous disorders, and heterogeneity lies both at genetic and phenotypic levels. To better understand the etiology and pathway that may contribute to autism symptomatology, it is important to study milder expressions of autism characteristics – autistic traits or milder expressions of autism phenotype, especially in intergenerational context. This study aims to see the trend of association, if any, between child autism symptom and mothers’ autism phenotype as well as mothers’ theory of mind and to see if mothers’ theory of mind was associated with their own autistic traits. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 96 mothers of children with varying symptom severity of autism (mild, moderate and severe) using Autism Spectrum Quotient and faux pas recognition test. Analysis of variance, trend analysis and t-test were done. Findings Results showed a linear trend of relationship between mothers’ autism phenotype and child symptom severity. However, the groups did not have significant differences in theory of mind. Only a few components of theory of mind were found to be associated with autistic traits. These findings question the prevailing idea that theory of mind can be a reliable endophenotype of autism. Research limitations/implications There has been a lack of research assessing the possible link between parents’ autism phenotype and symptom severity of ASD children. This study is a preliminary step towards that direction. This study indicates a probability of shared genetic liability between mothers and offspring, which would have important consequences for understanding the mechanisms that lead to autism. Practical implications This study offers implications for treatment planning of those with clinical ASD. An awareness of parental factors is critical for any holistic intervention plan when a family seeks treatment for their child. This study suggests that while individualising interventions, clinicians may consider possible presence of high levels of autistic traits and related cognitive features present in the probands’ parents. Originality/value There has been lack of research assessing the possible link between parents’ autism phenotype and symptom severity of ASD children. This study, even though preliminary, is a step towards that direction. This study suggests that autism traits might be influenced by common genetic variation and indicates a probability of shared genetic liability between mothers and offspring, which would have important consequences for understanding the mechanisms that lead to autism.

Quantity-based reasoning in the broader autism phenotype: A web-based study

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1373-1403 ◽  
Author(s):  
BOB VAN TIEL ◽  
MIKHAIL KISSINE
Keyword(s):  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Counterfactual Reasoning ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Autism Quotient ◽  
Pragmatic Inference ◽  
Autism Phenotype

ABSTRACTWe conducted a web-based study investigating whether the probability of deriving four types of pragmatic inferences depends on the degree to which one has traits associated with the autism spectrum, as measured by the autism spectrum quotient test (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, & Clubley, 2001). In line with previous research, we show that, independently of their autism spectrum quotient, participants are likely to derive those pragmatic inferences that can be derived by reasoning solely about alternatives that the speaker could have used. However, if the derivation of the pragmatic inference draws upon more complex counterfactual reasoning about what the speaker could have said, the probability that it is derived decreases significantly with one’s autism quotient. We discuss the consequences for theories of pragmatics in autism and for linguistic theorizing in general.

Context counts

Gesture ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley B. de Marchena ◽  
Inge-Marie Eigsti
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Communicative Gestures ◽  
Social Communicative

Co-speech gestures in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are poorly understood. Historically, all gestures were thought to be reduced in this social-communicative disorder; however, reduced gestures have not been consistently demonstrated in the empirical literature. Just as protodeclarative pointing is reduced in young children with ASD, while protoimperative pointing is not, the varied functions of co-speech gesture may explain these mixed findings. Verbally fluent adolescents with ASD (n = 18) and controls (n = 18) completed a narrative task and a standardized executive function task. Gestures on the narrative task, which serve a wide range of social and cognitive functions, were reduced in ASD. Gestures on the executive function task, which serve primarily cognitive functions, were increased in ASD. Gesture function may be the best predictor of the presence or absence of gesture in ASD. Despite reduced social-communicative gestures, individuals with ASD may benefit from gesture’s internal, cognitive functions.

scholarly journals Broader Autism Phenotype in Siblings of Children with ASD—A Review

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 13217-13258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Pisula ◽  
Karolina Ziegart-Sadowska
Keyword(s):  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Autism Phenotype

scholarly journals Theory of Mind Deficit is Associated with Pretend Play Performance, but not Playfulness, in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping-Chen Chan ◽  
Cheng-Te Chen ◽  
Hua Feng ◽  
Ya-Chen Lee ◽  
Kuan-Lin Chen
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Pretend Play ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Asd

Objective/Background This study aimed to examine the relationships of theory of mind (ToM) to both pretend play and playfulness in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods Twenty children with ASD aged between 3 years and 7.11 years were assessed with the ToM test, and then placed in a free play condition and a pretend play condition to assess pretend play and playfulness with the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment and Test of Playfulness, respectively. In addition, the children's symptom severities of ASD and verbal abilities were also assessed with the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test—second edition, respectively. Results The results of the regression analysis confirmed that ToM significantly predicted pretend play variables, namely, Number of Object Substitutions (R2 = .158, p = .002) and Number of Imitated Actions (R2 = .175, p = .001), but not playfulness. The CARS score was a significant predictor of the Percentage of Elaborate Pretend Play Actions of pretend play (R2 = .075, p = .034), as well as the internal control (R2 = .125, p = .006) and framing (R2 = .071, p = .039) variables of playfulness. Conclusion The findings support the idea that children with ASD who have better ToM might be able to develop better pretend play, but not better playfulness, which might be more strongly related to their autistic severity.

scholarly journals Children’s Pronoun Interpretation Problems Are Related to Theory of Mind and Inhibition, But Not Working Memory

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanne J. M. Kuijper ◽  
Catharina A. Hartman ◽  
Petra Hendriks
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Object Pronouns

In several languages, including English and Dutch, children’s acquisition of the interpretation of object pronouns (e.g., him) is delayed compared to that of reflexives (e.g., himself). Various syntactic and pragmatic explanations have been proposed to account for this delay in children’s acquisition of pronoun interpretation. This study aims to provide more insight into this delay by investigating potential cognitive mechanisms underlying this delay. Dutch-speaking children between 6 and 12 years old with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 47), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n = 36) or typical development (TD; n = 38) were tested on their interpretation and production of object pronouns and reflexives and on theory of mind, working memory, and response inhibition. It was found that all three groups of children had difficulty with pronoun interpretation and that their performance on pronoun interpretation was associated with theory of mind and inhibition. These findings support an explanation of object pronoun interpretation in terms of perspective taking, according to which listeners need to consider the speaker’s perspective in order to block coreference between the object pronoun and the subject of the same sentence. Unlike what is predicted by alternative theoretical accounts, performance on pronoun interpretation was not associated with working memory, and the children made virtually no errors in their production of object pronouns. As the difficulties with pronoun interpretation were similar for children with ASD, children with ADHD and typically developing children, this suggests that certain types of perspective taking are unaffected in children with ASD and ADHD.

scholarly journals Left hemispheric deficit in the sustained neuromagnetic response to periodic click trains in children with ASD.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana A Stroganova ◽  
Kirill S Komarov ◽  
Olga V Sysoeva ◽  
Dzerasa E Goiaeva ◽  
Tatiana S Obukhova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Autism Symptoms ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Pitch Processing ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Vocal Pitch ◽  
Auditory Response ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background: Deficits in perception and production of vocal pitch are often observed in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the neural basis of these abnormalities is unknown. In magnetoencephalogram (MEG), spectrally complex periodic sounds trigger two continuous neural responses – the auditory steady state response (ASSR) and the sustained field (SF). It has been shown that the SF in neurotypical individuals is associated with low-level analysis of pitch in the ‘pitch processing center’ of the Heschl’s gyrus. Therefore, this auditory response may reflect vocal pitch processing abnormalities in ASD. The SF, however, has never been studied in people with this disorder. Methods: We used MEG and individual brain models to investigate the ASSR and SF evoked by monaural 40 Hz click trains in boys with ASD (N=35) and neurotypical (NT) boys (N=35) aged 7-12-years.Results: In agreement with the previous research in adults, the cortical sources of the SF in children were located in the left and right Heschl’s gyri, anterolateral to those of the ASSR. In both groups, the SF and ASSR dominated in the right hemisphere and were higher in the hemisphere contralateral to the stimulated ear. The ASSR increased with age in both NT and ASD children and did not differ between the groups. The SF amplitude did not significantly change between the ages of 7 and 12 years. It was moderately attenuated in both hemispheres and was markedly delayed and displaced in the left hemisphere in boys with ASD. The SF delay in participants with ASD was present irrespective of their intelligence level and severity of autism symptoms.Limitations: We did not test the language abilities of our participants. Therefore, the link between SF and processing of vocal pitch in children with ASD remains speculative.Conclusion: Children with ASD demonstrate selective left-hemispheric abnormalities at the level of the core auditory cortex when processing spectrally complex periodic sound. The observed neural deficit may contribute to speech perception difficulties experienced by children with ASD, including their poor perception and production of linguistic prosody.

scholarly journals Variability in correction and speech therapy work with the children of primary school age with ASD and intellectual disability

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 16-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.V. Andreeva
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Speech Disorders ◽  
School Age ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Primary School Age

Speech disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders are variable and polymorphic, which creates the need for variability in correctional approaches in speech therapy. Present article shows the techniques which are used in practice of language correction therapy, especially in correction of speech underdevelopment at the stage of the formation of phrasal speech in children with ASD in conjecture with intellectual disability. The importance of social development of children, perceptivity in the formation of higher mental functions, in particular, speech and thinking, is stressed.

scholarly journals Theory of Mind, Executive Functions, and Syntax in Bilingual Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Languages ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Maria Andreou ◽  
Ianthi Maria Tsimpli ◽  
Stephanie Durrleman ◽  
Eleni Peristeri
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Sentence Repetition ◽  
Adverbial Clause ◽  
Repetition Task

Impairments in Theory of Mind (ToM) are a core feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ToM may be enhanced by various factors, including bilingualism, executive functions (EF), and complex syntax. This work investigates the language-cognition interface in ASD by exploring whether ToM can be enhanced by bilingualism, whether such ToM boosts would be due to EF or syntax, and whether routes to mentalizing would differ between bilinguals and monolinguals on the spectrum. Twenty-seven monolingual Greek-speaking and twenty-nine bilingual Albanian-Greek children with ASD were tested on ToM reasoning in verbal and low-verbal ToM tasks, an executive function 2-back task, and a sentence repetition task. Results revealed that bilingual children with ASD performed better than monolinguals with ASD in the low-verbal ToM and the 2-back tasks. In the sentence repetition task, bilinguals scored higher than monolinguals in complex sentences, and specifically in adverbials and relatives. Regarding the relations between ToM, EF, and sentence repetition, the monolingual group’s performance in the verbal ToM tasks was associated with complement syntax, whereas, for the bilingual children with ASD, performance in both verbal and low-verbal ToM tasks was associated with EF and adverbial clause repetition. The overall pattern of results suggests that mentalizing may follow distinct pathways across the two groups.

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