The Relation of Parental Emotion Regulation to Child Autism Spectrum Disorder Core Symptoms: The Moderating Role of Child Cardiac Vagal Activity

: Vitamin D is a neurosteroid hormone crucially involved in neurodevelopment. Neural cell proliferation, neurotransmission, oxidative stress and immune function represent the main mechanisms mediated by vitamin D in the Central Nervous System. Therefore, its deficiency during pregnancy and early childhood may significantly impact on a developing brain, leading to possible adverse neuropsychological outcomes including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Significant vitamin D deficiency is described within children affected by ASD and in pregnant mothers whose offspring will later develop ASD, suggesting a possible role of the hormone as a contributing risk factor in the etiopathogenesis of ASD. We reviewed the actual literature on the potential contributing role of prenatal and early postnatal vitamin D deficiency in ASD etiopathogenesis, at both genetic and environmental levels, and the possible effect of vitamin D supplementation in autistic children. Conflicting but promising results emerged on the topic. : Further Randomized Controlled Trials studies carried out during pregnancy and early infancy are necessary for better understanding the possible contribution of vitamin D deficiency in the etiopathogenesis of autism and the potential efficacy of the hormone supplementation in the improvement of ASD core symptoms.

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Social Media Use, Friendship Quality, and the Moderating Role of Anxiety in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders ◽

10.1007/s10803-017-3201-6 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 (9) ◽

pp. 2805-2813 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Gerrit I. van Schalkwyk ◽

Carla E. Marin ◽

Mayra Ortiz ◽

Max Rolison ◽

Zheala Qayyum ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Social Media ◽

Media Use ◽

Friendship Quality ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Social Media Use ◽

Adolescents With Autism ◽

Moderating Role

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The role of emotion regulation and core autism symptoms in the experience of anxiety in autism

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361320904217 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 931-940 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Caitlin M Conner ◽

Susan W White ◽

Lawrence Scahill ◽

Carla A Mazefsky

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Emotion Regulation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Autism Symptoms ◽

Verbal Abilities ◽

Moderating Factors ◽

Wide Range

Youth with autism spectrum disorder are at elevated risk for impaired emotion regulation and clinically impairing anxiety. A prior developmental framework posited that impaired emotion regulation leads to co-occurring psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, with outcome determined in part by autism spectrum disorder–specific moderating factors. Using measures developed and validated in autism spectrum disorder, this study evaluated (1) the association between emotion regulation and anxiety in a large, community-based sample of youth with autism spectrum disorder and a wide range of intellectual and verbal abilities and (2) whether greater core autism spectrum disorder symptoms strengthened the association between impaired emotion regulation and anxiety. Parents of 1107 children with a community diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (881 boys; age 6–17 years) participated in an online survey assessing their child’s emotion regulation, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorder symptoms. Emotion regulation impairment significantly predicted whether participants had elevated levels of anxiety, after controlling for demographic variables and autism spectrum disorder symptoms; however, there was no interaction of emotion regulation and autism spectrum disorder symptoms. This study is the first to support the anxiety–emotion regulation association with measures developed and validated specifically for autism spectrum disorder, in a large sample with co-occurring intellectual disability and minimally verbal youth with autism spectrum disorder. Lay abstract Many children with autism spectrum disorder have problems with managing their emotions (emotion regulation) and anxiety. In this study, over 1000 parents completed an online survey which showed that emotion regulation and anxiety are closely linked. Although emotion regulation and anxiety are inter-connected, the results also show that autism symptoms play an important role in anxiety in autism spectrum disorder. Emotion regulation problems may be an important target for the treatment of anxiety in autism.

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The Moderating Role of Self-Disclosure Among Typically Developing Siblings of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Child and Family Studies ◽

10.1007/s10826-020-01846-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Megan Murrin ◽

Jenna H. Beffel ◽

Amy K. Nuttall

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Self Disclosure ◽

Moderating Role ◽

Typically Developing Siblings

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The Role of Emotion Regulation in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.jaac.2013.05.006 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 52 (7) ◽

pp. 679-688 ◽

Cited By ~ 288

Author(s):

Carla A. Mazefsky ◽

John Herrington ◽

Matthew Siegel ◽

Angela Scarpa ◽

Brenna B. Maddox ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Emotion Regulation ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder

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Reasoning through the Gut: The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis and its Role in the Pathogenesis of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Student Research ◽

10.47611/jsrhs.v10i2.1771 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Shreyas Singh ◽

Avan Erhunmwunsee Dalton

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Treatment Options ◽

The United States ◽

Scientific Basis ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Psychological Conditions ◽

Core Symptoms

The age-old phrase ‘gut feeling’ is increasingly finding a scientific basis. The human gut houses a massive colony of microorganisms that not only maintain intestinal function, but also have far-reaching connections to the brain through a complicated ‘microbiota-gut-brain’ (MGB) axis. This axis has now been established to have implications in the management of various neuro-psychological conditions including Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a condition that affects the way people communicate, behave and interact with others. Once considered a rare disorder, it is now estimated to have a prevalence of about 1 in 54 children in the United States. It is unfortunate that the existing cognitive-behavioral therapy protocols for ASD are prolonged and expensive, and that there is no currently approved medication for the core symptoms of the disorder. Scientists are now exploring the MGB axis for establishing possible therapeutic targets to alleviate the symptoms of ASD. This review attempts to highlight how the MGB axis works, and to capture the essence of the mechanisms that implicate the MGB axis in the pathogenesis of ASD. Further research in this direction may convincingly establish the role of novel treatment options for ASD ranging from probiotics and dietary modifications to newer modalities like fecal transplants, vagal nerve stimulation and gene therapy. Microbes, and not just behavioral intervention therapy, may hold the key to treating ASD.

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Robot enhanced interventions and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a scoping review

Research Society and Development ◽

10.33448/rsd-v10i11.20269 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. e564101120269

Author(s):

Christine K. Syriopoulou-Delli ◽

Maria Zygopoulou

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Repetitive Behaviors ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Older Children ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Stereotyped Behaviors ◽

Core Symptoms

Repetitive and stereotyped behaviors (RSBs) are core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and they affect the functionality of individuals with ASD. Robot assisted therapy can be beneficial for children with ASD in various ways, but relevant research focusing specifically on robot enhanced interventions (REIs) for RSBs in children with ASD has been limited. A scoping review was conducted to explore the role of REIs on RSBs of children with ASD and to investigate the components of REIs focusing on RSBs of younger and older children with ASD. A literature search was made in the databases of Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar, using keywords pertaining to robots, ASD, RSBs, and children. Of the 89 studies identified, 10 met the inclusion criteria. They involved 99 participants aged 3-14 years (mean 7.27 years) from six countries on three different continents. These studies varied with respect to sample size, the research design, the robot used, the length of intervention, the training and the type of measurement. Following the application of most REIs, the participants showed reduction in RSBs. Only one study reported that REI led to some increase in stereotyped behaviors in children with ASD and one detected no training-related changes in repetitive behaviors. The review findings indicate the potential of REIs for reducing RSBs in children with ASD, but the relevant studies were diverse, and controlled studies with larger samples of children and rigorous design are needed to clarify their impact.

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Self-stigma and cognitive fusion in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. The moderating role of self-compassion

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.12591 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e12591

Author(s):

Anna Pyszkowska ◽

Krzysztof Rożnawski ◽

Zuzanna Farny

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Social Stigma ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Cognitive Fusion ◽

Self Compassion ◽

The Relationship ◽

Moderating Role

Background Research shows that people with autism spectrum disorder and their families often experience social stigma. The internalization of social stigma can lead to the occurrence of self-stigma, understood as an internalized cognitive-affective self-directed and rigid process that results in individuals agreeing with stigmatizing opinions and applying them to themselves. Experiencing self-stigma can lead to a cognitive fusion with negative thoughts–especially those about oneself. Previous studies show that self-compassion reduces feelings of suffering, shame and self-stigma in a group of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. The aim of this study was to test the relationship between self-stigma and cognitive fusion among parents of children with ASD. The moderating role of self-compassion as a protective factor was also verified. Methods The following questionnaires were used: Perceived Public Stigma Scale, Perceived Courtesy Stigma Scale, Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form, Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. The study included 233 Polish parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (including 218 women). Results The results showed a positive correlation between fusion and both affiliate (r = 0.31, p < 0.001) and public stigma (r = 0.33, p < 0.001). Fusion and self-compassion were significant predictors of affiliate stigma. Self-compassion moderated the relationship between fusion and depression (β = −0.11, p < 0.05) and the relationship between fusion and stress (β = −0.11, p < 0.05). Cognitive fusion with negative beliefs about oneself can contribute to self-stigma. Defusion-oriented actions are an opportunity to distance oneself from emerging thoughts and eliminate their negative consequences. Self-compassion manifests itself in a compassionate and accepting attitude towards oneself and improves the individual’s well-being. Actions taken to strengthen the indicated factors could contribute to a better quality of life of parents of children with ASD.

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