Screening methods for autism spectrum disorders in the study of neuropsychological development of preschool children

Aim. To assess the effectiveness of screening methods for diagnosing autism spectrum disorders available to the pediatric service; to prove in practice impossibilities to identify signs of autism spectrum disorders by using the existed pediatric methods. Methods. The neuropsychological development of 187 preschool children (56 years old) was investigated. The neurological status, anxiety according to A.M. Parishioners, level of intelligence using Raven's Progressive Matrices, the presence of hyperactivity according to the method of V.R. Kuchma, mental performance according to V.Ya. Anfimov, screening diagnostics of autism spectrum disorders were studied. Results. Assessment of the neurological status showed an increase in tendon reflexes in 10.22.2% of children, a decrease in 12.32.4%. The study of the intelligence levels in the Ravenna test showed that the average intelligence level was in 47.13.7% of the studied children, the intelligence was below the average in 52.93.7% of children. Screening diagnostics of autism spectrum disorders did not reveal abnormalities, however, 5.31.6% of children had signs of predisposition to the autism spectrum disorder (decreased adaptation to changes, nervousness and fears, verbal and non-verbal communication, level of activity and consistency of intellectual response). The indicator of the productivity of mental performance of preschool children was 5.40.5. Attention deficit was detected in 5.91.7% of children (according to the parent's questionnaire) and 8.62.0% children (according to the teachers' questionnaire). The level of anxiety was 9.60.3 points. Conclusion. The currently known screening methods for detecting autism spectrum disorders, available to the pediatric service, in our opinion, are uninformative; the search for the most sensitive markers of autism should be based on an understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms of autism spectrum disorders.

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Problems in Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Irkutsk Region

International Journal of Biomedicine ◽

10.21103/article11(3)_oa9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 337-341

Author(s):

Elena A. Tkachuk ◽

Lyubov V. Rychkova

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Communication Disorders ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Preschool Age ◽

Educational Institutions ◽

Screening Methods ◽

Irkutsk Region ◽

Pediatric Service ◽

Spectrum Disorders

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of methods for studying the neuropsychiatric development of children in regards to screening for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) with the example of educational institutions in the Irkutsk region. Methods and Results: Two groups of children in educational institutions of the Irkutsk region regional center were studied: 187 children of preschool age (from 5 to 6 years) and 154 children studying at school (from 7 to 11 years). This study used the methods of neuropsychiatric research used by the pediatric service and the methods of screening diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It was shown that the level of obvious anxiety of schoolchildren (according to the scale developed by A.M. Prihozhan) was higher than in preschoolers and was 10.3±0.1% in girls and 10.6±0.2% in boys. Bad appetite was observed in 50.3±3.7% of preschool children and in 56.5±4.0% of schoolchildren. The selective appetite was observed in 16.6±2.7% of preschool children and in 7.1±2.1% of schoolchildren. The study of hyperactive traits showed that only 5.3±1.6% of parents of preschool children noted hyperactivity in their children while educators considered that 22.5±3.1% were hyperactive. The parents noted hyperactivity in 9.7±2.4% of children, and the teachers noted hyperactivity in 21.7±3.4% of children. The intellectual development of children, according to the Raven test, showed that the average IQ was observed in 47.6±3.7% preschoolers, and below-average IQ in 52.9±3.7% preschoolers. At the same time in schoolchildren, below-average IQ was found in 48.7±4.0% and average IQ in 51.3±4.0%. Conclusion: The study of the development of children’s mental processes and behavior is not informative for the early detection of ASD. Likewise, the screening methods for the detection of ASD known today and available to the pediatric service and based on the detection of social and communication disorders are poorly informative. However, if we consider ASD as a manifestation of genetic and cytogenetic pathology, we should look for screening methods in the field of genetics.

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Enriched Home Environment Program for Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Journal of Occupational Therapy Schools & Early Intervention ◽

10.1080/19411243.2015.1018753 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 40-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Divya Sood ◽

Monika Szymanski ◽

Caren Schranz

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Home Environment ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorders

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Oral health among preschool children with autism spectrum disorders: A case-control study

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361314553439 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 746-751 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Rennan Y Du ◽

Cynthia KY Yiu ◽

Nigel M King ◽

Virginia CN Wong ◽

Colman PJ McGrath

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Oral Health ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Case Control ◽

Spectrum Disorders ◽

Control Study

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Psychological Characteristics of Play Activities for Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Психолого-педагогический поиск ◽

10.37724/rsu.2020.56.4.013 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 123-130

Author(s):

И.А. Конева ◽

Т.А. Серебрякова ◽

О.И. Борисова

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Pretend Play ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Quality Analysis ◽

Object Play ◽

Children's Play ◽

Children’S Play ◽

Spectrum Disorders

В статье рассматриваются особенности игровой деятельности дошкольников с расстройствами аутистического спектра (РАС). Данная проблема является недостаточно разработанной в специальной психологии и психокоррекционной практике и очень актуальной с точки зрения оптимизации развития детей с РАС. Анализируются результаты психологических исследований по отмеченной проблеме; описывается методологический аппарат проведенного авторами эмпирического изучения особенностей игровой деятельности дошкольников с расстройствами аутистического спектра (РАС): цель, гипотеза, методики; дается качественный анализ полученных результатов. В процессе сравнения особенностей игры дошкольников с РАС с возрастными нормативами доказано, что игровая деятельность этих детей отличается своеобразием: у большинства преобладает предметно-манипулятивная деятельность; отмечаются трудности в использовании предметов-заместителей в игре, нарушения при использовании свойств игрушки; предпочитаемая игра имеет стереотипный характер, а основным побудителем для игры служит выраженный сенсорный раздражитель. Подтверждена гипотеза о том, что у дошкольников с РАС в игровой деятельности преобладают предметные манипуляции, стереотипные действия, использование игрушек не по назначению. Кроме того, у дошкольников с РАС выявлены индивидуальные особенности игровой деятельности: предпочитаемые игры и игрушки, выбираемые места для игр, наличие или отсутствие ролевой речи. Перспективы дальнейшего исследования особенностей игровой деятельности дошкольников с расстройствами аутистического спектра могут быть связаны с разработкой индивидуально ориентированных коррекционно-развивающих программ с учетом особенностей игры каждого ребенка для оптимизации его общего психического развития. The article treats the characteristics of play activities for preschool children with autism spectrum disorders. This issue of special psychology and psychocorrectional practice is under-investigated and highly relevant as a means to enhance the development of children with autism spectrum disorders. The article analyzes the results of psychological research on the issue. It describes the methodological apparatus for empirical investigation of play activities for preschool children with autism spectrum disorders: the aim, the hypothesis, the methods employed. It also provides a quality analysis of the obtained results. A comparative analysis of autistic children’s play activities and play activities of normotypical children of the same age shows that autistic children’s play activities have some peculiarities: the majority of children engage in object play, they experience difficulties with symbolic play, cannot properly use the properties of a play object, they prefer stereotypical and repetitive play activities, they engage in play activities for the physical sensation it creates. The article proves the hypothesis that preschool children with autism spectrum disorders engage in object manipulations, stereotypical activities, do not use objects the way they are intended to be used. Moreover, preschool children with autism spectrum disorders demonstrate individual peculiarities when engaged in play activities: favorite toys and games, favorite play spots, absence or presence of verbal communication during pretend play. Further investigation of play activities for preschool children with autism spectrum disorders can be associated with the development of individual correctional programs that take into consideration children’s individual play characteristics and enhance children’s psychological development.

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