scholarly journals The Weak Link: Hypotonia in Infancy and Autism Early Identification

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidia V. Gabis ◽  
Meirav Shaham ◽  
Odelia Leon Attia ◽  
Shahar Shefer ◽  
Ruth Rosenan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Muscle Tone ◽  
Weak Link ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Presenting Symptoms ◽  
Intensive Intervention ◽  
Red Flag

Background: Presenting symptoms and age specific differential diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), determine the age of initial assessment and the age of a definite diagnosis. The AAP recommends screening all children for ASD at 18 and 24 months followed by a comprehensive evaluation for children with developmental concerns. More recently it has been recommended that the evaluation should be performed at a younger age, with a diagnosis being made as early as the beginning of the second year of life resulting in earlier intensive intervention.Objective: To assess early developmental milestones in a cohort of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in order to find an objective and reliable early marker. We suggest that low muscle tone- hypotonia, is a sign that meets the above criteria of consistency and reliability and may be related to early diagnosis.Methods: We compared age distributions of ASD diagnosis in the presence of hypotonia in a dataset of 5,205 children diagnosed at Keshet Center. One thousand, one hundred eighty-two children (953 males) were diagnosed with ASD and compared to other developmental diagnoses. Within the ASD cohort we further analyzed for gender and pre-maturity differences.Results: In the presence of hypotonia, the mean age for ASD diagnosis was significantly lower (by 1.5 years for males and females) and this effect increased in children born at term as compared to pre-maturity.Conclusions: Hypotonia is a recognizable marker of ASD and may serve as a “red flag” to prompt earlier recognition and neurodevelopmental evaluation toward an autism diagnosis.

scholarly journals Changes in Developmental Trajectories of Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder during Parental Based Intensive Intervention

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianna Bentenuto ◽  
Giulio Bertamini ◽  
Silvia Perzolli ◽  
Paola Venuti
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Intensive Intervention ◽  
Experimental Group

Background: Research highlights the positive effects of early intensive intervention with parent and school involvement for preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on general developmental outcomes and social skills in randomized controlled trials. However, given the inter-individual variability in the response to treatment, it is necessary to investigate intervention effects in terms of mediators and moderators in order to explain variability and to highlight mechanisms of change. Methods: 25 children in the experimental group were exposed to early intensive intervention and 14 children in the control group were subjected to “as usual” intervention. The initial assessment was obtained at the time of diagnosis (T1) and the follow-up assessment was conducted after 15 months of intervention (T2) in both groups. Results: Participants in the experimental group achieved more prominent gains in both cognitive and socio-interactive skills. The role of specific factors able to predict general quotient and language quotient after intervention were investigated, pointing out the contribution of personal–social and performance abilities. Conclusions: The findings support the importance of parental involvement in targeting ASD core symptoms. Further, results informed our understanding of early predictors in order to identify specific elements to be targeted in the individualized intervention design.

scholarly journals Integrating the Early Start Denver Model into Israeli community autism spectrum disorder preschools: Effectiveness and treatment response predictors

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 2081-2093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yana Sinai-Gavrilov ◽  
Tali Gev ◽  
Irit Mor-Snir ◽  
Giacomo Vivanti ◽  
Ofer Golan
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Early Start ◽  
Early Start Denver Model ◽  
Intensive Intervention ◽  
Developmental Intervention

Early intensive intervention has been shown to significantly affect the development of children with autism spectrum disorder. However, the costly implementation of such interventions limits their wide dissemination in the community. This study examined an integration of the Early Start Denver Model into community preschool programs for children with autism spectrum disorder in Israel. Four community preschools implemented the preschool-based Early Start Denver Model and four implemented a multidisciplinary developmental intervention which is widely applied in Israeli community autism spectrum disorder preschools. Fifty-one children (aged 33–57 months) participated in the study. Twenty-six attended the preschool-based Early Start Denver Model preschools and twenty-five attended the multidisciplinary developmental intervention settings. Groups were comparable on age, developmental functioning, and socio-economic status. Compared to the multidisciplinary developmental intervention group, children in the preschool-based Early Start Denver Model treatment made greater gains on blinded measures of overall cognitive development, receptive and expressive language skills, as well as on parent- and teacher-reported adaptive communication and socialization abilities. In the preschool-based Early Start Denver Model group, children with lower symptom severity, higher adaptive functioning, and receptive language abilities at pre-treatment showed greater improvement. This study documents the successful integration of an Early Start Denver Model intervention into pre-existing community preschools, underlining the importance of disseminating evidence-based early intervention in community settings. Lay Abstract Early intensive intervention has been shown to significantly affect the development of children with Autism. However, the costly implementation of such interventions limits their wide dissemination in the community. This study examined an integration of a research-supported early intensive intervention model called the Early Start Denver Model into community preschool programs for children with Autism in Israel. Four community preschools implemented the preschool-based Early Start Denver Model and four implemented the existing multidisciplinary developmental intervention which is widely applied in Israeli community preschools for children with autism. Fifty-one children (aged 33–57 months) participated in the study. Twenty-six attended the preschool-based Early Start Denver Model preschools and twenty-five attended the multidisciplinary developmental intervention preschools. Before the intervention began, groups were comparable on children’s age and developmental functioning and on families’ socio-economic status. Results showed that, compared to the multidisciplinary developmental intervention group, children in the preschool-based Early Start Denver Model treatment group made greater gains on measures of overall cognitive development, language skills, as well as on parent- and teacher-reported adaptive communication and socialization abilities. Children who had lower autism symptom severity, higher adaptive functioning and better language understanding abilities before taking part in the preschool-based Early Start Denver Model program showed greater improvements following it. This study documents the successful implementation of an intensive early intervention program in pre-existing community preschools, underlining the importance of the integration of research-supported intervention programs into community settings.

Chiari malformation I and autism spectrum disorder: an underrecognized coexistence

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayur Jayarao ◽  
Kristin Sohl ◽  
Tomoko Tanaka
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Chiari Malformation ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Symptom Improvement ◽  
Type I ◽  
Presenting Symptoms ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Cranial Mri

OBJECT Patients with symptomatic Chiari malformation Type I (CM-I) frequently present with headaches, neck pain, difficulty swallowing, and balance disturbances. In children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), diagnosing CM-I can be a challenging task. Moreover, even if symptomatic, some patients do not undergo further evaluation or management, as their presentations are attributed to autism and its myriad symptoms. Therefore, cranial MRI findings were reviewed after evaluating and treating patients with coexisting ASD and CM-I. In this paper, the authors report on 5 children with ASD and symptomatic CM-I, including their clinical presentation, imaging studies, management, and outcomes, and discuss the likely underrecognized coexistence of these conditions. METHODS All pediatric patients with ASD and cranial MRI conducted for any reason in the period from 1999 to 2013 were considered for analysis. All cases with concomitant symptomatic CM-I were eligible for this retrospective analysis. RESULTS One hundred twenty-five pediatric patients diagnosed with ASD had undergone MRI, and 9 of them had evidence of cerebellar tonsillar herniation. Five patients were symptomatic and underwent suboccipital craniectomy, a C-1 or a C-1 and C-2 laminectomy, and duraplasty with bovine pericardium or Type I collagen allograft. There were no intraoperative complications. All patients showed symptom improvement and/or resolution of presenting symptoms, which included headache, dysphasia, speech, and irritability. CONCLUSIONS There is no identified cause of autism. Children with ASD can be difficult to assess specifically in a neurological examination. Thus, cranial MRI considered when completing a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. While cranial MRI is not a routine part of ASD evaluation, this study demonstrates that CM-I and ASD may coexist and be underrecognized. The study reinforces the importance of a comprehensive medical evaluation designed to elucidate neurological findings in children with impaired communication abilities and suggests the judicious use of neuroimaging.

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG CHILDREN AGED 24-72 MONTHS IN QUANG NGAI PROVINCE

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 218-225
Author(s):  
Duc Nguyen Tan ◽  
Khue Luong Ngoc ◽  
Vu Nguyen Thanh Quang ◽  
Thang Vo Van
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Red Flag

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a disability developed in the young age and lasts during the lifetime. Early diagnosis and timely interventions will help improve the situation and reduce consequences caused to persons with ASD, their families and society. Objectives: (1) To describe the prevalence of ASD of the children aged 24 – 72 months Quang Ngai Province; (2) To analyse some factors related to ASD of the children aged 24 – 72 months in Quang Ngai Province. Methodology: Cross sectional research on a total sample size of 74,308 children aged 24 – 72 months in Quang Ngai Province in a period of September to December 2016; doing interview the parents or care givers on the children’s family socio-economic characteristics; all the children were screened to examine ASD signs and standards using red flag signs, Modified-Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Children were finally examined and clinically diagnosed using criteria Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition (DSM-5). Results: 280 children aged 24 – 72 months, account for 3.8‰, were detected as ASD. Among the children with ASD, 63.57% were diagnosed severe, 36.34% diagnosed medium and slight. The boys with ASD is 3.1 times higher than girls (p<0.01). The children with ASD in urban areas is almost two times higher than those in rural areas (p<0.01). No any statistically significant association between factors of ethnicity, religion, ages of pregnant mothers or mother’s smoking habits with the children with ASD. Conclusions: Children aged 24 – 72 months with ASD in Quang Ngai Province accounted for 3.8‰, rather similar to the ASD prevalence in other similar studies over the world. It is a need to more deeply study on some factors related to ASD among children aged 24-72 months in Quang Ngai province. Key words: Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, Red flag signs, M-CHAT, CARS

scholarly journals Heterogeneity within autism spectrum disorder in forensic mental health: the introduction of typologies

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 201-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regi Alexander ◽  
Peter E. Langdon ◽  
Verity Chester ◽  
Magali Barnoux ◽  
Ignatius Gunaratna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Forensic Mental Health ◽  
Prognostic Information ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Individuals with diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within criminal justice settings are a highly heterogeneous group. Although studies have examined differences between those with and without ASD in such settings, there has been no examination of differences within the ASD group. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the findings of a service evaluation project, this paper introduces a typology of ASD within forensic mental health and intellectual disability settings. Findings The eight subtypes that are described draw on clinical variables including psychopathy, psychosis and intensity/frequency of problem behaviours that co-occur with the ASD. The initial assessment of inter-rater reliability on the current version of the typology revealed excellent agreement, multirater Kfree =0.90. Practical implications The proposed typology could improve understanding of the relationship between ASD and forensic risk, identify the most appropriate interventions and provide prognostic information about length of stay. Further research to refine and validate the typology is ongoing. Originality/value This paper introduces a novel, typology-based approach which aims to better serve people with ASD within criminal justice settings.

scholarly journals Rethinking the idea of late autism spectrum disorder onset

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 553-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Bacon ◽  
Eric Courchesne ◽  
Cynthia Carter Barnes ◽  
Debra Cha ◽  
Sunny Pence ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Standardized Assessments ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Observational Measures

AbstractA common theory of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptom onset includes toddlers who do not display symptoms until well after age 2, which are termed late-onset ASD cases. Objectives were to analyze differences in clinical phenotype between toddlers identified as ASD at initial evaluations (early diagnosed) versus those initially considered nonspectrum, then later identified as ASD (late diagnosed). Two hundred seventy-three toddlers recruited from the general population based on a failed developmental screening form or parent or physician concerns were followed longitudinally from 12 months and identified as early- and late-diagnosed cases of ASD, language delayed, or typically developing. Toddlers completed common standardized assessments and experimental eye-tracking and observational measures every 9–12 months until age 3. Longitudinal performance on standardized assessments and experimental tests from initial evaluations were compared. Delay in social communication skills was seen in both ASD groups at early-age initial assessment, including increased preference for nonsocial stimuli, increased stereotypic play, reduced exploration, and use of gestures. On standardized psychometric assessments, early-diagnosed toddlers showed more impairment initially while late-diagnosed toddlers showed a slowing in language acquisition. Similar social communication impairments were present at very early ages in both early-detected ASD and so-called late-onset ASD. Data indicate ASD is present whether detected or not by current methods, and development of more sensitive tools is needed.

Adjusting Intervention Intensity to Support Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
pp. 105345122110325
Author(s):  
Zijie Ma ◽  
Jason C. Travers
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Teacher Burnout ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Student Responses ◽  
Opportunities To Respond ◽  
Intensive Intervention ◽  
Intervention Intensity ◽  
Students With Autism ◽  
Support Students

Special education and related professionals often understand the importance of adhering to intervention procedures (i.e., fidelity), but may be less familiar with concepts of intervention intensity. In some cases, professionals may correctly apply an intervention, but with insufficient intensity. This can result in an intervention failing to produce the expected benefit, which can add to student frustration, lost resources, and teacher burnout. Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often benefit from intensive intervention that contains high rates of opportunities to respond. This article provides an overview of a practical guide for adjusting intervention intensity for students with ASD through a three-step process that includes identifying when to adjust intensity along with three ways to adjust intervention intensity. Additional considerations are included for analyzing student responses for data-based decision-making.

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