Atypical Neural Responses of Cognitive Flexibility in Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Impaired cognitive flexibility has been repeatedly demonstrated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is strong evidence for genetic involvement in ASD. First-degree relatives of individuals with ASD may show mild deficits in cognitive inflexibility. The present study investigated cognitive flexibility and its neuroelectrophysiological mechanisms in first-degree relatives of individuals with ASD to assess its potential familiality. Forty-five biological parents of individuals/children with ASD (pASD) and thirty-one biological parents of typically developing individuals/children (pTD), matched by gender, age, and IQ, were enrolled. The broad autism phenotype questionnaire (BAPQ) and cognitive flexibility inventory (CFI) were used to quantitatively assess autistic traits and cognitive flexibility in daily life, respectively. The task-switching paradigm was used to evaluate the behavioral flexibility in a structured assessment situation. Event-related potentials (ERPs) induced by this paradigm were also collected. Results showed that compared with the pTD group, the pASD group had lower CFI scores (t = −2.756, p < 0.01), while both groups showed an equivalent “switch cost” in the task-switching task (p > 0.05). Compared with the pTD group, the pASD group induced greater N2 amplitude at F3, F4, Fz, and C4 (F = 3.223, p < 0.05), while P3 amplitude and latency did not differ between the two groups. In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between the CFI total scores and BAPQ total scores in the pASD group (r = −0.734, p < 0.01). After controlling for age and IQ, the N2 amplitude in the frontal lobe of pASD was negatively correlated with the CFI total scores under the repetition sequence (r = −0.304, p = 0.053). These results indicated that pASD had deficit in cognitive flexibility at the self-reported and neurological levels. The cognitive flexibility difficulties of parents of children with ASD were related to autistic traits. These findings support that cognitive flexibility is most likely a neurocognitive endophenotype of ASD, which is worthy of further investigation.

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Cognitive Underpinnings of Symbolic Pretend Play and Impossible Entity Drawings: Imaginative Ability in Typical Development and Autism Spectrum Disorder

10.26686/wgtn.16948144 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Steven Den-Kaat

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Executive Function ◽

Theory Of Mind ◽

Cognitive Flexibility ◽

Pretend Play ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

False Belief ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Belief Theory

<p>The individual differences in imagination ability in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were tested in a sample of 14 children with ASD and 14 matched typically developing (TD) children. Analysis was conducted on the extent of imagination in symbolic pretend play and impossible entity drawings. Aside from difficulties with imagination, children with ASD showed significant group deficits in executive function (generativity, visuospatial planning and cognitive flexibility) and false belief theory of mind understanding. Amongst children with ASD, executive function abilities (generativity and visuospatial planning) related to imaginative play and drawings. In contrast, amongst participants in the TD group, a mixture of both executive function (cognitive flexibility) and false belief theory of mind understanding predicted imaginative ability. These results are discussed in terms of how executive control plays a broad and important role in imaginative ability across groups, but the contributions appear to be expressed and routed differently in ASD. The discussion also highlights the theoretical implications of not having theory of mind that underpin imagination in ASD.</p>

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Cognitive Underpinnings of Symbolic Pretend Play and Impossible Entity Drawings: Imaginative Ability in Typical Development and Autism Spectrum Disorder

10.26686/wgtn.16948144.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Steven Den-Kaat

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Executive Function ◽

Theory Of Mind ◽

Cognitive Flexibility ◽

Pretend Play ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

False Belief ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Belief Theory

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The Influence of Language Context on Repetitive Speech Use in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2019_ajslp-19-00003 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 327-334 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Allison Gladfelter ◽

Cassidy VanZuiden

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Receptive Vocabulary ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

School Age Children ◽

Social Responsiveness ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Language Context

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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Parents’ Perceptions of Early Interventions and Related Services for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia

International Education Studies ◽

10.5539/ies.v9n10p128 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 128 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Faihan Alotaibi ◽

Nabil Almalki

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Early Intervention ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Early Interventions ◽

Related Services ◽

Children With Asd ◽

The Government

<p class="apa">The present study sought to examine parents’ perceptions of early interventions and related services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Saudi Arabia. In this study a survey was distributed to a sample of 80 parents with children who have ASD. Parents also were asked open-ended questions to enable them to provide suggestions. The findings indicate that parents have varying perceptions of early interventions and related services. However, they seem to agree that these services are important in assisting their children. Accordingly, parents have suggested that the government needs to increase these services by providing more centers for children with ASD in Saudi Arabia, providing more specialists to deal with children with ASD, promoting inclusion in regular schools and providing more information on early intervention.</p>

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Implication of the Sensory Environment in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Perspectives from School

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147670 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7670

Author(s):

Ana Gentil-Gutiérrez ◽

José Luis Cuesta-Gómez ◽

Paula Rodríguez-Fernández ◽

Jerónimo Javier González-Bernal

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Sensory Processing ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Sensory Profile ◽

School Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Sensory Stimuli ◽

Children With Asd

(1) Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) frequently have difficulties in processing sensory information, which is a limitation when participating in different contexts, such as school. The objective of the present study was to compare the sensory processing characteristics of children with ASD in the natural context of school through the perception of professionals in the field of education, in comparison with neurodevelopmental children (2) Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study as conducted with study population consisting of children between three and ten years old, 36 of whom were diagnosed with ASD and attended the Autismo Burgos association; the remaining 24 had neurotypical development. The degree of response of the children to sensory stimuli at school was evaluated using the Sensory Profile-2 (SP-2) questionnaire in its school version, answered by the teachers. (3) Results: Statistically significant differences were found in sensory processing patterns (p = 0.001), in sensory systems (p = 0.001) and in school factors (p = 0.001). Children with ASD who obtained worse results. (4) Conclusions: Children with ASD are prone to present sensory alterations in different contexts, giving nonadapted behavioral and learning responses.

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Review of Cognitive Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Performance on Six Subtests on Four Versions of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders ◽

10.1007/s10803-021-04932-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mizuho Takayanagi ◽

Yoko Kawasaki ◽

Mieko Shinomiya ◽

Hoshino Hiroshi ◽

Satoshi Okada ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Block Design ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Intelligence Scale ◽

Cognitive Characteristics ◽

Children With Asd ◽

The Right ◽

The Impact

AbstractThis study was a systematic review of research using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to examine cognitive characteristics of children with ASD beyond the impact of revisions based on WISC and diagnostic criteria changes. The classic “islets of ability” was found in individuals with full-scale IQs < 100. The “right-descending profiles” were observed among high IQ score individuals. High levels on the Block Design and low Coding levels were consistently found regardless of the variation in intellectual functioning or diagnosis. This review identified patterns of cognitive characteristics in ASD individuals using empirical data that researchers may have previously been aware of, based on their experiences, owing to the increased prevalence of ASD.

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Dysfunctions in Infants’ Statistical Learning are Related to Parental Autistic Traits

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders ◽

10.1007/s10803-021-04894-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Bettoni Roberta ◽

Valentina Riva ◽

Chiara Cantiani ◽

Elena Maria Riboldi ◽

Massimo Molteni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Social Skills ◽

Statistical Learning ◽

Crucial Role ◽

Autistic Traits ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Statistical Structure ◽

The Relationship ◽

Visual Habituation

AbstractStatistical learning refers to the ability to extract the statistical relations embedded in a sequence, and it plays a crucial role in the development of communicative and social skills that are impacted in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Here, we investigated the relationship between infants’ SL ability and autistic traits in their parents. Using a visual habituation task, we tested infant offspring of adults (non-diagnosed) who show high (HAT infants) versus low (LAT infants) autistic traits. Results demonstrated that LAT infants learned the statistical structure embedded in a visual sequence, while HAT infants failed. Moreover, infants’ SL ability was related to autistic traits in their parents, further suggesting that early dysfunctions in SL might contribute to variabilities in ASD symptoms.

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A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Immunoglobulin G Abnormalities and the Therapeutic Use of Intravenous Immunoglobulins (IVIG) in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Personalized Medicine ◽

10.3390/jpm11060488 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 488

Author(s):

Daniel A Rossignol ◽

Richard E Frye

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Immunoglobulin G ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Intravenous Immunoglobulins ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Effect Sizes ◽

Aberrant Behavior ◽

Children With Asd

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting approximately 2% of children in the United States. Growing evidence suggests that immune dysregulation is associated with ASD. One immunomodulatory treatment that has been studied in ASD is intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG). This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the studies which assessed immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations and the therapeutic use of IVIG for individuals with ASD. Twelve studies that examined IgG levels suggested abnormalities in total IgG and IgG 4 subclass concentrations, with concentrations in these IgGs related to aberrant behavior and social impairments, respectively. Meta-analysis supported possible subsets of children with ASD with low total IgG and elevated IgG 4 subclass but also found significant variability among studies. A total of 27 publications reported treating individuals with ASD using IVIG, including four prospective, controlled studies (one was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study); six prospective, uncontrolled studies; 2 retrospective, controlled studies; and 15 retrospective, uncontrolled studies. In some studies, clinical improvements were observed in communication, irritability, hyperactivity, cognition, attention, social interaction, eye contact, echolalia, speech, response to commands, drowsiness, decreased activity and in some cases, the complete resolution of ASD symptoms. Several studies reported some loss of these improvements when IVIG was stopped. Meta-analysis combining the aberrant behavior checklist outcome from two studies demonstrated that IVIG treatment was significantly associated with improvements in total aberrant behavior and irritability (with large effect sizes), and hyperactivity and social withdrawal (with medium effect sizes). Several studies reported improvements in pro-inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-alpha). Six studies reported improvements in seizures with IVIG (including patients with refractory seizures), with one study reporting a worsening of seizures when IVIG was stopped. Other studies demonstrated improvements in recurrent infections, appetite, weight gain, neuropathy, dysautonomia, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Adverse events were generally limited but included headaches, vomiting, worsening behaviors, anxiety, fever, nausea, fatigue, and rash. Many studies were limited by the lack of standardized objective outcome measures. IVIG is a promising and potentially effective treatment for symptoms in individuals with ASD; further research is needed to provide solid evidence of efficacy and determine the subset of children with ASD who may best respond to this treatment as well as to investigate biomarkers which might help identify responsive candidates.

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Exploring Growth in Expressive Communication of Infants and Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Early Intervention ◽

10.1177/1053815121995578 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 105381512199557

Author(s):

Jay Buzhardt ◽

Anna Wallisch ◽

Dwight Irvin ◽

Brian Boyd ◽

Brenda Salley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Progress Monitoring ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Future Research ◽

Infants And Toddlers ◽

Early Communication ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Language Growth

One of the earliest indicators of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is delay in language and social communication. Despite consensus on the benefits of earlier diagnosis and intervention, our understanding of the language growth of children with ASD during the first years of life remains limited. Therefore, this study compared communication growth patterns of infants and toddlers with ASD to growth benchmarks of a standardized language assessment. We conducted a retrospective analysis of growth on the Early Communication Indicator (ECI) of 23 infants and toddlers who received an ASD diagnosis in the future. At 42 months of age, children with ASD had significantly lower rates of gestures, single words, and multiple words, but significantly higher rates of nonword vocalizations. Children with ASD had significantly slower growth of single and multiple words, but their rate of vocalization growth was significantly greater than benchmark. Although more research is needed with larger samples, because the ECI was designed for practitioners to monitor children’s response to intervention over time, these findings show promise for the ECI’s use as a progress monitoring measure for young children with ASD. Limitations and the need for future research are discussed.

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Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition Profiles of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Using a Classification and Regression Trees Analysis

Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment ◽

10.1177/07342829211025924 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 073428292110259

Author(s):

Brittany A. Dale ◽

W. Holmes Finch ◽

Kassie A. R. Shellabarger ◽

Andrew Davis

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Language Impairment ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Intelligence Scale ◽

Cart Analysis ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Classification And Regression ◽

Pattern Of Performance

The Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC) are the most widely used instrument in assessing cognitive ability, especially with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous literature on the WISC has demonstrated a divergent pattern of performance on the WISC for children ASD compared to their typically developing peers; however, there is a lack of research concerning the most recent iteration, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V). Due to the distinctive changes made to the WISC-V, we sought to identify the pattern of performance of children with ASD on the WISC-V using a classification and regression (CART) analysis. The current study used the standardization sample data of the WISC-V obtained from NCS Pearson, Inc. Sixty-two children diagnosed with ASD, along with their demographically matched controls, comprised the sample. Results revealed the Comprehension and Letter-Number Sequencing subtests were the most important factors in predicting group membership for children with ASD with an accompanying language impairment. Children with ASD without an accompanying language impairment, however, were difficult to distinguish from matched controls through the CART analysis. Results suggest school psychologists and other clinicians should administer all primary and supplemental subtests of the WISC-V as part of a comprehensive assessment of ASD.

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