scholarly journals The impact of social complexity on the visual exploration of others' actions in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Robain ◽  
N. Kojovic ◽  
S. Solazzo ◽  
B. Glaser ◽  
M. Franchini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fixation Duration ◽  
Social Complexity ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Attention ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Visual Exploration ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Communicative Skills ◽  
Socially Relevant ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Typical development of socio-communicative skills relies on keen observation of others. It thus follows that decreased social attention negatively impacts the subsequent development of socio-communicative abilities in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In addition, studies indicate that social attention is modulated by context and that greater social difficulties are observed in more socially demanding situations. Our study aims to investigate the effect of social complexity on visual exploration of others’ actions in preschoolers. Methods To investigate the impact of social complexity, we used an eye-tracking paradigm with 26 typically developing preschoolers (TD, age = 3.60 ± 1.55) and 37 preschoolers with ASD (age = 3.55 ± 1.21). Participants were shown videos of two children engaging in socially simple play (parallel) versus socially complex play (interactive). We subsequently quantified the time spent and fixation duration on faces, objects, bodies, as well as the background and the number of spontaneous gaze shifts between socially relevant areas of interest. Results In the ASD group, we observed decreased time spent on faces. Social complexity (interactive play) elicited changes in visual exploration patterns in both groups. From the parallel to the interactive condition, we observed a shift towards socially relevant parts of the scene, a decrease in fixation duration, as well as an increase in spontaneous gaze shifts between faces and objects though there were fewer in the ASD group. Limitations Our results need to be interpreted cautiously due to relatively small sample sizes and may be relevant to male preschoolers, given our male-only sample and reported phenotypic differences between males and females. Conclusion Our results suggest that similar to TD children, though to a lesser extent, visual exploration patterns in ASD are modulated by context. Children with ASD that were less sensitive to context modulation showed decreased socio-communicative skills or higher levels of symptoms. Our findings support using naturalistic designs to capture socio-communicative deficits in ASD.

scholarly journals The Emergence of ADHD Comorbidity in School-Aged Children with ASD Impacts Resting-State Brain Networks Dynamics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie Bochet ◽  
Fiona Journal ◽  
Holger Franz Sperdin ◽  
Marie Schaer
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Transition Probabilities ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Temporal Parameters ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: EEG microstates are defined in the literature as quasi-stable topographies of the electric fields in the ongoing EEG, lasting approximately 100 milliseconds and representing the sub-second coherent activation within global functional brain networks. Recently, we found early alterations in the spatio-temporal dynamics and syntax of brain states in toddlers and preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to their typically developing (TD) peers.Method: Here, we investigated how these alterations evolve over time and how they are impacted by the emergence of comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in ASD among 49 school-aged children (19 children with ASD-only, 15 children with ASD+ADHD, and 15 TD children). Results: We found a decreased prevalence of all temporal parameters of microstate map B in school-aged children with ASD compared to TD peers. Children with ASD+ADHD had a significantly lower prevalence of map B compared to children with ASD-only. Moreover, children with ASD+ADHD had a higher prevalence in time coverage and occurrence for microstate map A than children with ASD-only and TD children. Map E of the ASD+ADHD group has a weaker spatial correlation with map E of ASD-only and TD groups. Moreover, the GEV of map E was significantly decreased for the ASD+ADHD group compared to the ASD-only group. We found that the transition probabilities between maps of the ASD+ADHD group, particularly for map B, differed from ASD-only and TD groups. Exploratory longitudinal analysis showed an increase in all temporal parameters of map B in TD children but a decrease in children with ASD, regardless of the ADHD comorbidity.Limitations: The present study has a small sample size and does not include a group of children with ADHD-only. Conclusion: Our results show that ADHD comorbidity in school-aged children with ASD impacts the spatial organization and the temporal dynamics of whole-brain networks. Further longitudinal studies are needed to understand better the impact of the emergence of ADHD comorbidity in ASD across ages.

Employment programmes and interventions targeting adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review of the literature

Autism ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 929-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Hedley ◽  
Mirko Uljarević ◽  
Lauren Cameron ◽  
Santoshi Halder ◽  
Amanda Richdale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Family System ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Impact

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder face significant challenges entering the workforce; yet research in this area is limited and the issues are poorly understood. In this systematic review, empirical peer-reviewed studies on employment programmes, interventions and employment-related outcomes in individuals with autism spectrum disorder over 18 years with and without intellectual disability were identified and evaluated. The review was prefaced by a summary of previous systematic reviews in the area. Web of Science, Medline, PsychINFO, ERIC and Scopus databases were systematically searched through to October 2015. From 32,829 records identified in the initial search, 10 review and 50 empirical articles, comprising N = 58,134 individuals with autism spectrum disorder, were included in the review. Selected articles were organised into the following themes: employment experiences, employment as a primary outcome, development of workplace skills, non-employment-related outcomes, assessment instruments, employer-focused and economic impact. Empirical studies were limited by poor participant characterisation, small sample size and/or a lack of randomisation and use of appropriate controls. Poor conceptualisation and measurement of outcomes significantly limited study quality and interpretation. Future research will require a multidisciplinary and multifaceted approach to explore employment outcomes on the individual, the family system, co-workers and the employer, along with the impact of individual differences on outcome.

scholarly journals Differential attention to faces in infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder and associations with later social and language ability

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer B. Wagner ◽  
Rhiannon J. Luyster ◽  
Hana Moustapha ◽  
Helen Tager-Flusberg ◽  
Charles Alexander Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Attention ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Infant Siblings ◽  
Communicative Behavior

A growing body of literature has begun to explore social attention in infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with hopes of identifying early differences that are associated with later ASD or other aspects of development. The present study used eye-tracking to familiar (mother) and unfamiliar (stranger) faces in two groups of 6-month-old infants: infants with no family history of ASD (low-risk controls; LRC), and infants at high risk for ASD (HRA), by virtue of having an older sibling with ASD. HRA infants were further characterized based on autism classification at 24 months or older as HRA- (HRA without an ASD outcome) or HRA+ (HRA with an ASD outcome). For time scanning faces overall, HRA+ and LRC showed similar patterns of attention, and this was significantly greater than in HRA-. When examining duration of time spent on eyes and mouth, all infants spent more time on eyes than mouth, but HRA+ showed the greatest amount of time looking at these regions, followed by LRC, then HRA-. LRC showed a positive association between 6-month attention to eyes and 18-month social-communicative behavior, while HRA- showed a negative association between attention to eyes at 6 months and expressive language at 18 months (all correlations controlled for non-verbal IQ; HRA- correlations held with and without the inclusion of the small sample of HRA+). Differences found in face scanning at 6 months, as well as associations with social communication at 18 months, point to potential variation in the developmental significance of early social attention in children at low and high risk for ASD.

scholarly journals Crianças com autismo, família e espiritualidade

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Nilton Eliseu Herbes Liane Rossales Dalprá
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Repetitive Behaviors ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Family Coping ◽  
Communicative Skills ◽  
The Family ◽  
De Se ◽  
Family Based ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

O Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA) é uma condição neurodesenvolvimental caracterizada pelo comprometimento de duas áreas do desenvolvimento: habilidades sociocomunicativos e comportamentos restritos e repetitivos, os quais têm influência nas relações e nas trocas estabelecidas com o meio. A família é o grupo social primário, constituindo um suporte de extrema importância para que o indivíduo se desenvolva, se forme e aprenda a viver em sociedade. Quando nasce um filho com autismo, o impacto do diagnóstico nos pais faz com que o ciclo de vida familiar se altere, acarretando um esforço adicional para os pais, pois têm de se reorganizar para se adaptarem à família com uma realidade nova. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo, investigar quais as implicações que o diagnóstico de transtorno do espectro autista (TEA) traz à família. Trata-se de um estudo de descritivo, bibliográfico, documental, realizado através de uma revisão da literatura. Para a revisão foram selecionados os estudos que respondessem à questão norteadora: Quais as implicações que o diagnóstico de TEA traz à família? Baseado na pesquisa, conclui-se que quando nasce um filho com autismo, o impacto do diagnóstico na família faz com que o ciclo de vida familiar se altere, acarretando um esforço conjunto para se reorganizar e se adaptar a uma realidade nova. As adaptações e mudanças efetuadas ao nível familiar e social são significativas. As redes de apoio e as estratégias de coping familiar facilitam o ajustamento e diminuem a angústia e a ansiedade da família que convive com um membro autista.Autism Spectrum Disorder (TEA) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impairment of two areas of development: socio-communicative skills and restricted and repetitive behaviors which influence the relations and the exchanges established with the surroundings. The family is the primary social group, constituting an extremely important support system for the individual to develop, to be formed and to learn to live in society. When a child is born with autism the impact of the diagnostic on the parents causes a change in the cycle of the family life, demanding additional effort for the parents since they have to reorganize in order to adapt to the family with a new reality. The goal of this research is to investigate what implications the diagnostics of autism spectrum disorder have on the family. It is a descriptive, bibliographic, documental study carried out through a review of literature. For this review studies that answered the following guiding question were selected: What are the implications of a diagnostic of TEA on the family? Based on the research the conclusion is that when a child is born with autism, the impact of the diagnostic on the family causes alterations in the family cycle, demanding joint effort to reorganize and to adapt to a new reality. The adaptations and changes that take place at the family and social level are significant. The support networks and the strategies of family coping facilitate adjustment and diminish the anguish and anxiety of the family living with an autistic member.

scholarly journals Altered Salience Network Connectivity in 6-Week-Old Infants at Risk for Autism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tawny Tsang ◽  
Shulamite Green ◽  
Janelle Liu ◽  
Katherine Lawrence ◽  
Shafali Jeste ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Attention ◽  
Salience Network ◽  
Socially Relevant

Converging evidence implicates disrupted brain connectivity in autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, the mechanisms linking altered connectivity early in development to the emergence of ASD symptomatology remain poorly understood. Here we examined whether atypicalities in the Salience Network (SN) -- an early-emerging neural network involved in orienting attention to the most salient aspects of one's internal and external environment -- may predict the development of ASD markers such as reduced social attention and atypical sensory processing. Six-week-old infants at high-risk for ASD exhibited stronger SN connectivity with sensorimotor regions; low-risk infants demonstrated stronger SN connectivity with prefrontal regions involved in social attention. Infants with higher connectivity with sensorimotor regions had lower connectivity with prefrontal regions, suggesting a direct tradeoff between attention to basic sensory versus socially-relevant information. Early alterations in SN connectivity predicted subsequent ASD symptomatology, providing a plausible mechanistic account for the unfolding of atypical developmental trajectories associated with ASD risk.

Aviation and the Microbiome

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 651-661
Author(s):  
Joshua T. Davis ◽  
Hilary A. Uyhelji
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Aviation Safety ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Microbial Colonization ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Aerospace Medicine ◽  
Medical Certification ◽  
Physical Disorders ◽  
The Impact

INTRODUCTION: Although the impact of microorganisms on their hosts has been investigated for decades, recent technological advances have permitted high-throughput studies of the collective microbial genomes colonizing a host or habitat, also known as the microbiome. This literature review presents an overview of microbiome research, with an emphasis on topics that have the potential for future applications to aviation safety. In humans, research is beginning to suggest relationships of the microbiome with physical disorders, including type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease. The microbiome also has been associated with psychological health, including depression, anxiety, and the social complications that arise in autism spectrum disorders. Pharmaceuticals can alter microbiome diversity, and may lead to unintended consequences both short and long-term. As research strengthens understanding of the connections between the microbiota and human health, several potential applications for aerospace medicine and aviation safety emerge. For example, information derived from tests of the microbiota has potential future relevance for medical certification of pilots, accident investigation, and evaluation of fitness for duty in aerospace operations. Moreover, air travel may impact the microbiome of passengers and crew, including potential impacts on the spread of disease nationally and internationally. Construction, maintenance, and cleaning regimens that consider the potential for microbial colonization in airports and cabin environments may promote the health of travelers. Altogether, the mounting knowledge of microbiome effects on health presents several opportunities for future research into how and whether microbiome-based insights could be used to improve aviation safety.Davis JT, Uyhelji HA. Aviation and the microbiome. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(8):651–661.

An influence of social isolation on the level of physical activity as well as on well-being and mental state of people during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic

2019 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 127-131
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Parfin ◽  
Krystian Wdowiak ◽  
Marzena Furtak-Niczyporuk ◽  
Jolanta Herda
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIntroduction. The COVID-19 is the name of an infectious disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2). It was first diagnosed in December 2019 in patients in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The symptoms are dominated by features of respiratory tract infections, in some patients with a very severe course leading to respiratory failure and, in extreme cases to death. Due to the spread of the infection worldwide, the WHO declared a pandemic in March 2020.Aim. An investigation of the impact of social isolation introduced due to the coronavirus pandemic on selected aspects of life. The researchers focused on observing changes in habits related to physical activity and their connections with people’s subjective well-being and emotional state.Material and methods. The study was carried out within the international project of the group „IRG on COVID and exercise”. The research tool was a standardized questionnaire.Results. Based on the data collected and the analysis of the percentage results, it can be observed that the overwhelming majority of people taking up physical activity reported a better mood during the pandemic. However, statistical tests do not confirm these relationships due to the small sample size.Conclusions. Isolation favours physical activity. Future, in-depth studies, by enlarging the population group, are necessary to confirm the above observations.

Method development for the determination of textural properties of sugar beet roots

2019 ◽  
pp. 392-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunnar Kleuker ◽  
Christa M. Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Beet ◽  
Compression Test ◽  
Storage Period ◽  
Textural Properties ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Root Tip ◽  
Flexural Test ◽  
Sample Distribution ◽  
The Impact

The harvest of sugar beet leads to root tip breakage and surface damage through mechanical impacts, which increase storage losses. For the determination of textural properties of sugar beet roots with a texture analyzer a reliable method description is missing. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of washing, soil tare, storage period from washing until measurement, sample distribution and number of roots on puncture and compression measurements. For this purpose, in 2017 comprehensive tests were conducted with sugar beet roots grown in a greenhouse. In a second step these tests were carried out with different Beta varieties from a field trial, and in addition, a flexural test was included. Results show that the storage period after washing and the sample distribution had an influence on the puncture and compression strength. It is suggested to wash the roots by hand before the measurement and to determine the strength no later than 48 h after washing. For reliable and comparable results a radial distribution of measurement points around the widest circumference of the root is recommended for the puncture test. The sample position of the compression test had an influence on the compressive strength and therefore, needs to be clearly defined. For the puncture and the compression test it was possible to achieve stable results with a small sample size, but with increasing heterogeneity of the plant stand a higher number of roots is required. The flexural test showed a high variability and is, therefore, not recommended for the analysis of sugar beet textural properties.

MHealth Applications for People with Cognitive Impairment and Their Caregivers: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Zhao ◽  
Pei Chen ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Haining Liu ◽  
Xianwen Li
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Caregiver Support ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Mobile health application has become an important tool for healthcare systems. One such tool is the delivery of assisting in people with cognitive impairment and their caregivers. OBJECTIVE This scoping review aims to explore and evaluate the existing evidence and challenges on the use of mHealth applications that assisting in people with cognitive impairment and their caregivers. METHODS Nine databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, PsycARTICLES, CINAHL, Web of Science, Applied Science & Technology Source, IEEE Xplore and the ACM Digital Library were searched from inception through June 2020 for the studies of mHealth applications on people with cognitive impairment and their caregivers. Two reviewers independently extracted, checked synthesized data independently. RESULTS Of the 6101 studies retrieved, 64 studies met the inclusion criteria. Three categories emerged from this scoping review. These categories are ‘application functionality’, ‘evaluation strategies’, ‘barriers and challenges’. All the included studies were categorized into 7 groups based on functionality: (1) cognitive assessment; (2) cognitive training; (3) life support; (4) caregiver support; (5) symptom management; (6) reminiscence therapy; (7) exercise intervention. The included studies were broadly categorized into four types: (1) Usability testing; (2) Pilot and feasibility studies; (3) Validation studies; and (4) Efficacy or Effectiveness design. These studies had many defects in research design such as: (1) small sample size; (2) deficiency in active control group; (3) deficiency in analyzing the effectiveness of intervention components; (4) lack of adverse reactions and economic evaluation; (5) lack of consideration about the education level, electronic health literacy and smartphone proficiency of the participants; (6) deficiency in assessment tool; (7) lack of rating the quality of mHealth application. Some progress should be improved in the design of smartphone application functionality, such as: (1) the design of cognitive measurements and training game need to be differentiated; (2) reduce the impact of the learning effect. Besides this, few studies used health behavior theory and performed with standardized reporting. CONCLUSIONS Preliminary results show that mobile technologies facilitate the assistance in people with cognitive impairment and their caregivers. The majority of mHealth application interventions incorporated usability outcome and health outcomes. However, these studies have many defects in research design that limit the extrapolation of research. The content of mHealth application is urgently improved to adapt to demonstrate the real effect. In addition, further research with strong methodological rigor and adequate sample size are needed to examine the feasibility, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of mHealth applications for people with cognitive impairment and their caregivers.

The Impact of Green Labels on U.S. Hotel Net Operating Income: Operating Statements Analyses

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-173
Author(s):  
Spenser Robinson ◽  
A.J. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Design ◽  
Green Buildings ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Operating Income ◽  
Energy Star ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Industry Professionals

This paper shows Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified hospitality properties exhibit increased expenses and earn lower net operating income (NOI) than non-certified buildings. ENERGY STAR certified properties demonstrate lower overall expenses than non-certified buildings with statistically neutral NOI effects. Using a custom sample of all green buildings and their competitive data set as of 2013 provided by Smith Travel Research (STR), the paper documents potential reasons for this result including increased operational expenses, potential confusion with certified and registered LEED projects in the data, and qualitative input. The qualitative input comes from a small sample survey of five industry professionals. The paper provides one of the only analyses on operating efficiencies with LEED and ENERGY STAR hospitality properties.

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