Differential Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder Versus Language Disorder in Children Ages 2 to 5 Years: Contributions of Parent-Reported Development and Behavior

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 1232-1238
Author(s):  
Annette E. Richard ◽  
Elise K. Hodges ◽  
Martha D. Carlson

Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has focused on differentiating children with ASD from neurotypical children. However, many children presenting with concern for ASD are ultimately diagnosed with language disorder (LD). This study aimed to identify differences in parent-rated development and behavior among children ages 2 to 5 years presenting with concern for ASD who were diagnosed with either ASD or LD. Children with ASD were rated as more socially withdrawn and more delayed in social development and self-help skills than those with LD. Parent-rated developmental delays were positively correlated with scores on an autism screening measure and with social withdrawal and pervasive developmental problems among children with ASD. Among those with LD, parent-rated social and self-help development were positively correlated with social withdrawal and attention problems. Thus, parent ratings of social withdrawal and development of social and self-help skills may facilitate differential diagnosis of ASD and LD in children ages 2 to 5 years.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 2156-2162

Technology-assisted intervention has potentials in improving the social, communication and behavior impairments in of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Augmented reality (AR) offers multitude of possibilities and opportunities for the intervention of children with ASD. Therefore, this study identifies 13 researches from 2012 to 2018 that documented the efficacy of augmented reality applications in supporting the intervention of children with ASD. This study reviews the applications of augmented reality that nhanced the intervention for children with autism in (i) social skills, (ii) communication skills, and (iii) behavior skills. The conclusion reports the significant roles of augmented reality as technology-assisted intervention for children with ASD.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Ridhoyanti Hidayah ◽  
Retno Lestari

Coping strategies were significant predictors of psychosocial adaptation in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Self-help groups could be effective resources for parents in dealing with problems wile caring for children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of self-help groups on coping strategies in parents of children with ASD. This study used pre and post quasi-experimental tests without a control group using self-help group interventions. There were thirty-three participants taken from the Malang City Autism Service Center using purposive sampling. Coping strategies based on cognitive and psychomotor abilities were measured using a questionnaire. The results showed paired t-test in all groups, at 5% significance level, statistically significant difference between mean score before and after self-help group interventions. Coping strategies in groups that received two supervised sessions and four times independently reached higher score compared to other groups. It can be concluded that it is important to implement self-help groups for parents who care for children with special needs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 231
Author(s):  
Allison Gladfelter ◽  
Kacy L. Barron

A local processing bias, often considered a cognitive style unique to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), may influence the types of semantic features acquired by children with ASD and could contribute to weaknesses in word learning. Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) also struggle to learn semantic aspects of words, but this cognitive style has not been ascribed to children with DLD. The purpose of this study was to explore whether global–local processing differences influence the type of semantic features children with ASD, DLD, and their neurotypical peers learn to produce when learning new words. Novel word definitions produced by 36 school-aged children (12 with ASD, 12 with DLD, and 12 with typical language) who participated in an extended word-learning paradigm were used to extract newly learned semantic features. These semantic features were then coded for global and local attributes and analyzed to detect whether there were differences between groups. Results indicated that the children with ASD and DLD produced more global, rather than local, semantic features in their definitions than the children with typical language. An over-reliance on global, rather than local, features in children with ASD and DLD may reflect deficits in depth of word knowledge.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Fioriello ◽  
Andrea Maugeri ◽  
Livio D’Alvia ◽  
Erika Pittella ◽  
Emanuele Piuzzi ◽  
...  

Abstract Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by early impairment in social and communication domains and autonomic nervous system unbalance. This study evaluated heart rate (HR) as a possible indicator of stress response in children with ASD as compared to children with language disorder (LD). Twenty-four patients [mean age = 42.62 months; SD = 8.14 months,12 with ASD (10 M/2F) and 12 with LD (8 M/4F)] underwent clinical [Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, second edition (ADOS-2)] and physiological evaluation (HR monitoring) during five interactive activities, while wearing an HR measurement device. IQ (ASD:IQ = 103.33 ± 12.85 vs. LD:IQ = 111.00 ± 8.88, p = 0.103) and fluid reasoning on the Leiter-R Scale were within the normal range in all subjects. Increased HR during the third activity (ADOS-2 bubble play) significantly correlated with autistic symptoms (r = 0.415; p = 0.044), while correlations between ADOS-2 total score and HR during the first activity (ADOS-2 free play; r = 0.368; p = 0.077), second activity (Leiter-R figure ground subscale; r = 0.373, p = 0.073), and fifth activity (ADOS-2 anticipation of a routine with objects; r = 0.368; p = 0.076) did not quite reach statistical significance. Applying a linear regression model, we found that the ADOS-2 total score significantly influenced HR variations (p = 0.023). HR monitoring may provide a better understanding of the stress-provoking situations for children with ASD. Furthermore, it could help clinicians detect the impact of the stressful condition on the autistic core and adress treatment strategy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s131-s132
Author(s):  
C. Kamuk ◽  
C. Cantio ◽  
N. Bilenberg

IntroductionMost parents to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can report concerns about their child's development within the first year of life. In spite of this, children with ASD are rarely diagnosed before the age of 3–4 years. Early identification allows early intervention, which seems to be substantial for improvement of core behavioural symptoms in children with ASD. The Child Behaviour Checklist for ages 1½ to 5 (CBCL/1½–5) have shown promising utility for early detection of children with ASD.ObjectivesThis study will estimate the positive predictive value of CBCL/1½–5 Pervasive Developmental Problems (PDP) scale in a 2 phase screening study. Furthermore, it will analyse the stability of the CBCL/1½–5 PDP-score in pre-school children from 2½ to 5 years.AimsThe present study aims to validate CBCL/1½–5 for early screening of ASD in a general population sample.MethodsParents, enrolled in the Odense Child Cohort (OCC), answered the CBCL/1½–5 when the child reached 27 months of age. Parents with children above the age of four and a raw score ≥5 (90th percentile) on the PDP scale, received the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) questionnaire. Children with a high score on the SRS were invited to a clinical examination consisting of ADOS and ADI-R. Children in OCC were re-assessed with CBCL/1½–5 again at age five years.ResultsResults will be presented at the EPA conference 2017 in Florence.ConclusionsThe results may contribute to enhance the outcome of treatment by detecting children with ASD at an earlier age.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


CoDAS ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Vasconcelos Rocha Hage ◽  
Lidiane Yumi Sawasaki ◽  
Yvette Hyter ◽  
Fernanda Dreux Miranda Fernandes

ABSTRACT Purpose to assess the pragmatic and social communicative abilities of children with Typical Language Development (TLD), Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) and Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Methods Participants were 40 parents and 29 teachers of 40 children ages between 3 and 6 years. Ten children had DLD, ten had ASD and 20 had typical development. All participants answered to the questionnaire of the “Assessment of Pragmatic Language and Social Communication – APLSC – parent and professional reports – beta research version. Data were submitted to statistical analysis. Results The assessment tool was useful in identifying the difference in performance of children with different social communicative profiles. Conclusion Children with ASD presented social and pragmatic impairments that were more significant than those presented by children with DLD. However, both children with ASD and with DLD presented more social pragmatic difficulties than children with TLD.


Author(s):  
Mary Alice Keller ◽  
Anne Marie Tharpe ◽  
James Bodfish

Purpose The present pilot study aimed to provide estimates of the feasibility and efficacy of a remote microphone (RM) system as an augmentative intervention to improve the functional listening performance of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and language disorder. Method Eight children with ASD and language disorder participated. Efficacy of the RM system was determined by evaluating participants' functional listening performance, as measured by an observational measure in RM-off and RM-on conditions. Responses were evaluated at the individual level using an alternating conditions design. Results Adequate feasibility was demonstrated as all participants were able to complete tasks in the RM-on condition. A subset of participants showed significant improvements in their functional listening performance in the RM-on condition, as demonstrated by visual inspection and effect sizes (nonoverlapping data points and percentage of data points exceeding the mean), indicating that there may be important sources of individual differences in responses to RM use in children with ASD. Conclusion The results of this pilot study provide support for future research on RM systems to target functional listening performance in children with ASD and language disorder.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 73-82
Author(s):  
China I. Parenteau ◽  
Stephen Bent ◽  
Bushra Hossain ◽  
Yingtong Chen ◽  
Felicia Widjaja ◽  
...  

With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place, families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face a unique set of challenges related to a diverse set of issues. A qualitative study was conducted in the form of semi-structured interviews from fifteen parents of children and adolescents from a non-public school for children with ASD. Questions covered the following topic areas: general COVID-19 experiences and concerns, changes in the child’s mood and behavior, changes in parent mood and behavior, and coping/advice. Quotes and descriptions from the participants were reviewed and grouped into thematic areas. Findings showed that parents of children with ASD are facing a wide range of challenges, including explaining COVID-19 and safety precautions to their child in a comprehensible way, assisting with e-learning, and guiding their child back into social situations and the community. As children with ASD have difficulties with transitions, parents stated the importance of creating structure in the home by creating schedules and boundaries, while allowing for flexibility as to not over enforce the rigidity children with autism often face. Advice on coping with the additional stressors were also shared. Parents recommended finding time for themselves to reset, utilizing support systems, and reflecting on daily pleasures as positive coping mechanisms. This study aimed to both develop an initial guide for families, teachers and clinicians caring for children with ASD and to create awareness in the community about the challenges presented by COVID-19 and shelter-in-place.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-178
Author(s):  
Natalia Pleshkova ◽  
◽  
Oksana Tatarenko ◽  
Denis Sevryugin ◽  
◽  
...  

The article presents the results of a study of behavioral features of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in connection to the characteristics of psychological interaction of children and their mothers. It previously has been found that children with ASD demonstrate more communicative and social activity, have less pronounced symptoms of autism, if their parents show a high level of sensitivity to the needs of children and are emotionally involved in interaction with them. The study’s participants consisted of 29 children with ASD (average age: 52,4 ± 8,9 months) who were diagnosed by a psychiatrist during examination in the Stavropol Clinical Psychiatric Hospital no. 1. The comparison group included 36 typically developing children (average age: 39,7 ± 12,1 months). The PCERA method, with a video recording of mother — child interactions, was used for assessing qualities of interaction in children with ASD. Behavioral difficulties were evaluated using the CBCL/1.5-5 questionnaire. The results of the study suggest that low sensitivity to child’s cues, high intrusiveness and negative affect in mothers, and low level of reciprocity and enjoyment in the dyadic relationship are linked to borderline/clinical levels on several DSM-oriented scales (“Affective Disorders”, “Pervasive Developmental Problems”, “Oppositional Defiant Problems”) and syndrome scales (“Emotionally Reactive”, “Anxious/Depressed”, “Aggressive Behavior”) in children with ASD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 327-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Gladfelter ◽  
Cassidy VanZuiden

Purpose Although repetitive speech is a hallmark characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the contributing factors that influence repetitive speech use remain unknown. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if the language context impacts the amount and type of repetitive speech produced by children with ASD. Method As part of a broader word-learning study, 11 school-age children with ASD participated in two different language contexts: storytelling and play. Previously collected language samples were transcribed and coded for four types of repetitive speech: immediate echolalia, delayed echolalia, verbal stereotypy, and vocal stereotypy. The rates and proportions of repetitive speech were compared across the two language contexts using Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests. Individual characteristics were further explored using Spearman correlations. Results The children produced lower rates of repetitive speech during the storytelling context than the play-based context. Only immediate echolalia differed between the two contexts based on rate and approached significance based on proportion, with more immediate echolalia produced in the play-based context than in the storytelling context. There were no significant correlations between repetitive speech and measures of social responsiveness, expressive or receptive vocabulary, or nonverbal intelligence. Conclusions The children with ASD produced less immediate echolalia in the storytelling context than in the play-based context. Immediate echolalia use was not related to social skills, vocabulary, or nonverbal IQ scores. These findings offer valuable insights into better understanding repetitive speech use in children with ASD.


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