Shorter average look durations to dynamic social stimuli are associated with higher levels of autism symptoms in young autistic children

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110564
Author(s):  
Samantha Major ◽  
Dmitry Isaev ◽  
Jordan Grapel ◽  
Todd Calnan ◽  
Elena Tenenbaum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Information ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Complex Dynamic ◽  
Autism Symptoms ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Dynamic Stimulus ◽  
Clinical Measures

Prior eye-tracking studies involving autistic individuals have focused on total looking time or proportion of looking time to key regions of interest. These studies have not examined another important feature, the ability to sustain attention to stimuli. In particular, the ability to sustain attention to a dynamic social stimulus might reflect more advanced self-regulatory skills that may enhance engagement with and comprehension of social information. In a sample of 155 autistic children (2–8 years of age), we examined children’s average look duration while they viewed a complex, dynamic stimulus containing both social and nonsocial elements. After accounting for children’s age and intelligence quotient, we found that shorter average look duration was associated with increased autism spectrum disorder severity across multiple clinical measures. To calculate average look duration, we divided the length of total looking time in seconds by the total number of uninterrupted looks to the video media. Thus, the ability to sustain attention while viewing complex dynamic information could be important for comprehending dynamic social information. Lay Abstract Many studies of autism look at the differences in how autistic research participants look at certain types of images. These studies often focus on where research participants are looking within the image, but that does not tell us everything about how much they are paying attention. It could be useful to know more about how well autistic research participants can focus on an image with people in it, because those who can look at images of people for longer duration without stopping may be able to easily learn other skills that help them to interact with people. We measured how long autistic research participants watched the video without breaking their attention. The video sometimes had a person speaking, and at other times had toys moving and making sounds. We measured the typical amount of time autistic research participants could look at the video before they looked away. We found that research participants with more severe autism tended to look at the video for shorter amounts of time. The ability to focus without stopping may be related to social skills in autistic people.

scholarly journals Development and Psychometric Properties of a New Questionnaire to Assess Mental Health and Concerning Behaviors in Children and Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): The Assessment of Concerning Behavior (ACB) Scale

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Tarver ◽  
Silia Vitoratou ◽  
Mathilde Mastroianni ◽  
Natalie Heaney ◽  
Eleanor Bennett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

Abstract Although 70% of autistic children and young people meet criteria for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, there are few screening measures specifically for autistic individuals. We describe the development and validation of the Assessment of Concerning Behavior (ACB), an instrument co-developed with the autistic community to assess mental health and problematic/risky behaviors. Items include descriptions to facilitate symptom recognition by autistic people, and carers/professionals. The ACB was completed by 255 parents, 149 autistic children and young people and 30 teachers. Internal consistency, stability and validity was assessed. The ACB parent-version fit a two-factor model (internalizing and externalizing problems) and showed adequate test–retest reliability, internal consistency and construct validity. The ACB is a promising new measure for research and clinical use in autism.

The information-seeking behaviour of Egyptian parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): a descriptive study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Essam Mansour
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Web Social ◽  
Types Of Information

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the information-seeking behavior of Egyptian parents of autistic children.Design/methodology/approachThe study sample consists of 61 parents across Egypt, divided into six focus groups, as equal as possible, to represent Northern, Middle and Southern Egypt.FindingsDmographically, of the 61 parents, 32 (52.5%) were fathers, and 29 (47.5%) were mothers. A large number of parents' ages ranged from 31 to 45 years old. The highest percentage of them was holding a BA, followed by a high school/diploma, and the highest percentage was found to be married. The parents of autistic children followed many methods and channels to obtain supportive information related to their children's disease. They used many types of information, which varied between formal and informal sources. While just over a quarter of Egyptian parents prefer to use formal sources (books, newspapers, magazines, health publications, pamphlets, as well as specialized libraries), more than three-quarters of them used informal sources, such as mobile/smartphones, the Web, social media and social networking sites. The information related to the search for institutions supporting autistic people came in the first place, then that information related to searching for specialized centers in treating autistic children, then information related to rehabilitation, integration and psychological support centers for these children and then information related to the search for financial aid provided by charitable or even government agencies. Some parents were found to have limited awareness of their children's treatment mechanism, as some of them do not consider the need to treat their children in a systematic, continuous, and systematic manner. Similarly, the lack of basic services and shortage of government centers specializing in the treatment of these children. Parents also emphasized the lack of government support, as well as the lack of curative research centers. Some also pointed out that there was a shortage of workshops for the rehabilitation of their children and themselves as well.Originality/valueThis research is considered to be the first research of its kind at the local and Arab levels, which is also one of the few studies at the regional level that is interested in this community of information seekers. The findings of this research can raise awareness about the information behavior of Egyptian parents of autistic children among those who are interested in the role of the information and its use by specific groups of the information society, as well as decision makers.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-11-2020-0494

scholarly journals Brief Report: The Broad Autism Phenotype in Swedish Parents of Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Bang ◽  
Maria Strömberg ◽  
Shoba S. Meera ◽  
Kajsa Igelström
Keyword(s):  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Genetic Load ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Broad Autism Phenotype ◽  
Autism Spectrum Conditions ◽  
Pragmatic Language ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autism Phenotype

AbstractThe broad autism phenotype (BAP) is a set of characteristics often observed in typically developing people with a genetic load for autism, such as parents of autistic children. The Broad Autism Phenotypic Questionnaire (BAPQ) is a 36-item questionnaire developed to identify the BAP in first-degree relatives of autistic people. We translated the BAPQ into Swedish and examined its psychometric properties in a Swedish sample consisting of 45 parents of children with ASC and 74 parents of non-autistic children. We found support for the original 3-factor structure (aloof, pragmatic language and rigid), good internal consistency and convergent validity with the Autism Quotient. Thus, the Swedish BAPQ exhibits acceptable psychometric properties and may be useful for assessing the BAP in non-clinical populations.

Suicidality and Self-Harm in Autism Spectrum Conditions

2020 ◽  
pp. 348-368
Author(s):  
Jennifer N. Haddock ◽  
Louis P. Hagopian
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
General Population ◽  
Early Death ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Autism Spectrum Conditions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Self Harm

Self-harm and suicidality in autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) have been underresearched. However, there is now convincing evidence that suicide is a leading cause of early death in the autistic community, and the prevalence of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal behaviors is significantly elevated in autistic children and adults compared to the general population and psychiatric groups. Less research is currently available exploring the reasons why (etiology), how to assess or measure self-harm and suicidality, or how to treat these difficulties in autistic people. This chapter will summarize existing evidence on this topic and provide recommendations for future research and clinical practice to improve understanding, assessment, and prevention of self-harm and suicidality in ASD.

scholarly journals Microbiota-Gut-Brain-Axis and Autism Spectrum Disorders

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piranavie Srikantha ◽  
M. Hasan Mohajeri
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Gut Health ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Bacterial Metabolites ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Gastrointestinal Problems ◽  
New Biomarkers

New research points to a possible link between Autism Spectrum Disorder and the gut microbiota as many autistic children have co-occurring gastrointestinal problems. This review focuses on specific alterations of gut microbiota mostly observed in autistic patients. Particularly, the mechanisms through which such alterations may trigger the production of the bacterial metabolites or leaky gut in autistic people are described. Various altered metabolite levels were observed in autistic children, many of those were of bacterial origin such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), indoles and lipopolysaccharides. A less integrative gut-blood-barrier is abundant in autistic individuals. This explains the leakage of bacterial metabolites into the patients triggering new body responses or altered metabolism. Some other co-occurring symptoms such as mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress in the cells, altered tight junctions in the blood brain barrier and structural changes in cortex, hippocampus, amygdala and cerebellum were detected. Moreover, this paper suggests that autism is associated with an unbalanced gut microbiota (dysbiosis). Although the cause-effect relationship between autism and gut microbiota is not yet well established, consumption of specific probiotics may represent a powerful tool to re-establish gut homeostasis and promote gut health. Diagnostic and therapeutic value of new biomarkers leading to the perturbation in the phenylalanine metabolism will be discussed.

scholarly journals Dietary Patterns of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Study Based in Egypt

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nagwa Meguid ◽  
Mona Anwar ◽  
Safaa Zaki ◽  
Wafaa Kandeel ◽  
Nihad Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Data ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Nutritional Therapy ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Growth Chart ◽  
Dietary Reference Intake ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Autism Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Validated Questionnaire

AIM: In the hope to assist in tailoring individualized nutritional therapy, this study aimed to assess the nutritional status of autistic children.MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 80 autistic children, divided into two groups: group 1 (aged 3- 5 years) and group 2 (aged 6-9 years). Diagnosis was performed based on the criteria for autistic disorder as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised and Autism Rating Scale.RESULTS: Socio-demographic data, anthropometric measurements and dietary intake patterns were recorded using a validated questionnaire. The daily intakes of calories and nutrients were converted to percentages of the Recommended Dietary Allowance or Dietary Reference Intake based on age- and gender-normalized DRIs. Plotting on the Egyptian sex-specific growth chart, BMI-z scores of both age groups were slightly overweight. Autistic children suffered inadequate intake of some micronutrients such as vitamin D and C, calcium, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and iron, some deficiencies were highly significant especially at older age.CONCLUSIONS: Tailoring a specially designed balanced diet with appropriate micronutrient supplementation may ameliorate the severity of autism symptoms and related abnormal behaviours.

scholarly journals The Possible Role of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain-Axis in Autism Spectrum Disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 2115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piranavie Srikantha ◽  
M. Hasan Mohajeri
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Gut Health ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Bacterial Metabolites ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Gastrointestinal Problems

New research points to a possible link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the gut microbiota as many autistic children have co-occurring gastrointestinal problems. This review focuses on specific alterations of gut microbiota mostly observed in autistic patients. Particularly, the mechanisms through which such alterations may trigger the production of the bacterial metabolites, or leaky gut in autistic people are described. Various altered metabolite levels were observed in the blood and urine of autistic children, many of which were of bacterial origin such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), indoles and lipopolysaccharides (LPS). A less integrative gut-blood-barrier is abundant in autistic individuals. This explains the leakage of bacterial metabolites into the patients, triggering new body responses or an altered metabolism. Some other co-occurring symptoms such as mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress in cells, altered tight junctions in the blood-brain barrier and structural changes in the cortex, hippocampus, amygdala and cerebellum were also detected. Moreover, this paper suggests that ASD is associated with an unbalanced gut microbiota (dysbiosis). Although the cause-effect relationship between ASD and gut microbiota is not yet well established, the consumption of specific probiotics may represent a side-effect free tool to re-establish gut homeostasis and promote gut health. The diagnostic and therapeutic value of bacterial-derived compounds as new possible biomarkers, associated with perturbation in the phenylalanine metabolism, as well as potential therapeutic strategies will be discussed.

scholarly journals Wearable-Sensors-Based Platform for Gesture Recognition of Autism Spectrum Disorder Children Using Machine Learning Algorithms

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3319
Author(s):  
Uzma Abid Siddiqui ◽  
Farman Ullah ◽  
Asif Iqbal ◽  
Ajmal Khan ◽  
Rehmat Ullah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Gesture Recognition ◽  
Cross Validation ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Repetitive Behaviors ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Autistic People

Autistic people face many challenges in various aspects of daily life such as social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and verbal communication. They feel hesitant to talk with others. The signs of autism vary from one individual to another, with a range from mild to severe. Autistic children use fewer communicative gestures compared with typically developing children (TD). With time, the parents may learn their gestures and understand what is occurring in their child’s mind. However, it is difficult for other people to understand their gestures. In this paper, we propose a wearable-sensors-based platform to recognize autistic gestures using various classification techniques. The proposed system defines, monitors, and classifies the gestures of the individuals. We propose using wearable sensors that transmit their data using a Bluetooth interface to a data acquisition and classification server. A dataset of 24 gestures is created by 10 autistic children performing each gesture about 10 times. Time- and frequency-domain features are extracted from the sensors’ data, which are classified using k-nearest neighbor (KNN), decision tree, neural network, and random forest models. The main objective of this work is to develop a wearable-sensor-based IoT platform for gesture recognition in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We achieve an accuracy of about 91% with most of the classifiers using dataset cross-validation and leave-one-person-out cross-validation.

Development of Neural Structure and Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Potential Implications for Learning Language

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1783-1797
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Coburn ◽  
Diane L. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Language Intervention ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Neural Structure ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
And Function

Purpose Neurodevelopmental processes that begin during gestation and continue throughout childhood typically support language development. Understanding these processes can help us to understand the disruptions to language that occur in neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method For this tutorial, we conducted a focused literature review on typical postnatal brain development and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, magnetoencephalography, and electroencephalography studies of the neurodevelopmental differences that occur in ASD. We then integrated this knowledge with the literature on evidence-based speech-language intervention practices for autistic children. Results In ASD, structural differences include altered patterns of cortical growth and myelination. Functional differences occur at all brain levels, from lateralization of cortical functions to the rhythmic activations of single neurons. Neuronal oscillations, in particular, could help explain disrupted language development by elucidating the timing differences that contribute to altered functional connectivity, complex information processing, and speech parsing. Findings related to implicit statistical learning, explicit task learning, multisensory integration, and reinforcement in ASD are also discussed. Conclusions Consideration of the neural differences in autistic children provides additional scientific support for current recommended language intervention practices. Recommendations consistent with these neurological findings include the use of short, simple utterances; repetition of syntactic structures using varied vocabulary; pause time; visual supports; and individualized sensory modifications.

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