scholarly journals Air Pollution during Pregnancy and Childhood Autism Spectrum Disorder in Taiwan

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9784
Author(s):  
Shu-Yuan Wang ◽  
Ya-Yun Cheng ◽  
How-Ran Guo ◽  
Yen-Cheng Tseng
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Research Database ◽  
Third Trimester ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazard ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazard Models ◽  
The Government

Air pollutants have been linked to some diseases in humans, but their effects on the nervous system were less frequently evaluated. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurondevelopmental disorders of which the etiology is still unknown. We conducted a study in Taiwan to evaluate the possible associations between prenatal exposure to air pollutants and ASD. From a random sample of one million people in the National Insurance Research Database, we identified all the infants born between 1996 and 2000. We followed them till the end of 2013 and identified cases of ASD. We traced back the mothers’ residence and assessed the exposure to air pollutants using the data obtained from the air quality monitoring database maintained by the government, which included ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matters with diameter less than 10 µm (PM10). Cox proportional hazard models were constructed to evaluate the associations between childhood ASD and exposures to the pollutants in the three trimesters and the whole gestation. We identified a total of 63,376 newborns and included 62,919 as the study cohort. After adjusting for other risk factors, we observed trimester-specific associations between levels of CO, NO2, and PM10 and the risk of childhood ASD. An increase of 1 ppm of CO in the first, second, and third trimester was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.93 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.55–2.39), 1.77 (95%CI: 1.41–2.22), and 1.75 (95%CI: 1.39–2.21), respectively. An increase of 10 ppb in the level of NO2 in the first, second, and third trimester was associated with an HR of 1.39 (95%CI: 1.22–1.58), 1.25 (95%CI: 1.10–1.42), and 1.18 (95%CI: 1.03–1.34), respectively. In conclusion, we found that exposures to CO and NO2 in all three trimesters were associated with increased risks of developing ASD.

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

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
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>

Maternal polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk for autism spectrum disorder in the MARBLES high-risk study

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 1191-1200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunru Huang ◽  
Ana-Maria Iosif ◽  
Robin L Hansen ◽  
Rebecca J Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Fatty Acid Intake ◽  
Third Trimester ◽  
Acid Intake

Prior research studies suggest that maternal polyunsaturated fatty acids could have protective effects on neurodevelopmental outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine associations between maternal polyunsaturated fatty acid intake during pregnancy and risk for autism spectrum disorder and other non-typical development in a prospective cohort. Eligible women already had a child with autism spectrum disorder and were planning a pregnancy or were pregnant with another child. Children were clinically assessed longitudinally and diagnosed at 36 months. Maternal polyunsaturated fatty acid intake during pregnancy was estimated using food frequency questionnaires. Maternal third-trimester plasma polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration was measured by gas chromatography. In all, 258 mother–child pairs were included. Mothers consuming more total omega-3 in the second half of pregnancy were 40% less likely to have children with autism spectrum disorder (relative risk = 0.6, 95% confidence interval: 0.3–0.98). No significant associations were observed between maternal third-trimester plasma polyunsaturated fatty acid subtype concentrations and risk of autism spectrum disorder. However, higher plasma eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid concentrations were associated with lower non-typical development risk (relative risk ranging from 0.47 to 0.88). This study provides suggestive evidence of associations between risk of autism spectrum disorder in the children and maternal omega-3 intake in late pregnancy but not with third-trimester plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids. Further research is needed to evaluate these potential relationships. Lay abstract Prior studies suggest that maternal polyunsaturated fatty acids intake during pregnancy may have protective effects on autism spectrum disorder in their children. However, they did not examine detailed timing of maternal polyunsaturated fatty acid intake during pregnancy, nor did they evaluate plasma concentrations. This study investigates whether maternal polyunsaturated fatty acids in defined time windows of pregnancy, assessed by both questionnaires and biomarkers, are associated with risk of autism spectrum disorder and other non-typical development in the children. Food frequency questionnaires were used to estimate maternal polyunsaturated fatty acid intake during the first and second half of pregnancy. Gas chromatography measured maternal plasma polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in the third trimester. In all, 258 mother–child pairs from a prospective cohort were included. All mothers already had a child with autism spectrum disorder and were planning a pregnancy or pregnant with another child. Children were clinically assessed longitudinally and diagnosed at 36 months. For polyunsaturated fatty acid intake from questionnaires, we only found mothers consuming more omega-3 in the second half of pregnancy were 40% less likely to have children with autism spectrum disorder. For polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in the third-trimester plasma, we did not observe any statistical significance in relation to the risk of autism spectrum disorder. However, our study confirmed associations from previous studies between higher maternal docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid plasma concentrations in the late pregnancy and reduced risk for non-typical development. This study markedly advanced understandings of whether and when maternal polyunsaturated fatty acid intake influences risk for autism spectrum disorder and sets the stage for prevention at the behavioral and educational level.

Associations between exposure to air pollutants and childhood autism spectrum disorder in Taiwan

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Yuan Wang ◽  
Ya-Yun Cheng ◽  
Shao-Wei Yang ◽  
Yen-Cheng Tseng ◽  
How-Ran Guo*
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Childhood Autism ◽  
Spectrum Disorder

Is Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia Exposure Associated with a Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Nationwide Cohort Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tung-Wei Hung ◽  
Jeng-Dau Tsai ◽  
Hui-Hsien Pan ◽  
Hsuan-Ju Chen ◽  
Pen-Fen Liao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Dose Response ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Research Database ◽  
Response Effect ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Dose Response Effect

Abstract Objective This study aimed to determine whether neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is associated with a risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using a large population-based cohort. Study Design This retrospective cohort study used data from the children's database (2000–2012) of the National Health Insurance Research Database (1996–2012) in Taiwan. We included neonates who were born between 2000 and 2004 and aged <1 month diagnosed with and without hyperbilirubinemia. The primary outcome was physician-diagnosed ASD. At the end of 2012, multivariate Cox's regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). Results A total of 67,017 neonates were included. The neonates with hyperbilirubinemia were associated with 1.28-fold increased risk of ASD (HR = 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.57) compared with those without hyperbilirubinemia. In subanalysis to determine how phototherapy and exchange transfusion treatment for hyperbilirubinemia were associated with ASD showed no association between treatment and ASD, suggesting the lack of a dose-response effect of hyperbilirubinemia on the risk of ASD. Boys had a nearly six-fold higher risk of ASD than girls (HR = 5.89, 95% CI: 4.41–7.86). Additionally, neonates born with preterm birth and low birth weight were associated with a risk of ASD (HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.00–2.13). Conclusion We did not observe a dose-response effect of hyperbilirubinemia on ASD, but neonatal hyperbilirubinemia may be an independent risk factor for ASD if there is a residual confounding by other perinatal complications. Therefore, this study does not support a causal link between neonatal hyperbilirubinemia exposure and the risk of ASD.

The concept of autism spectrum disorder: a study on knowledge sharing protocol among parents with autistic children in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Kissi-Abrokwah ◽  
Kwame Kodua-Ntim
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Philosophical Foundations ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify knowledge sharing practices used among parents with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Design/methodology/approach The study was based on qualitative philosophical foundations, where phenomenological case study design was used to make an in-depth understanding of how parents whose children are diagnosed with ASD shared knowledge among themselves. The population for this research consists of parents whose children have been diagnosed with ASD in Ghana. The study sampled for the study was 12 parents and was selected from 4 autism awareness centres in Ghana to obtain data through the use of focus group discussion and analysed with the aid of thematic analysis. Findings The study showed that the dimensions of knowledge sharing practices used by parents with autistic children were after-action review/lesson learnt, brainstorming, mentoring, coaching system, discussion forum, face-to-face meeting, documentation, peer assistance and storytelling. Finally, the study also revealed that knowledge sharing practices used by parents with autistic children help them in their daily engagement. Social implications An aspect of the training of social workers should focus on how to assist parents, family and neighbours of children with ASD. The government through the needed ministries and agencies should create a social support system to assist parents and families with children with ASD. Counsellors should avail their services to parents with children with ASD as early as possible to avoid or ameliorate some of the emotional and psychological challenges of these parents. Originality/value The paper offers a comprehensive overview on how knowledge sharing transforms the individual to learn and accept autistic condition in Ghana.

scholarly journals Autism Society of Kenya

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-50
Author(s):  
Autism Society of Kenya
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
The Government

Autism Society of Kenya (ASK) is an NGO founded in Kenya in 2003 with the objectives to raise awareness about the existence of autism in the country, sensitize the communities and to lobby the Government of Kenya on issues about appropriate policies and acts regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Issues related to strategies were proposed to improve identification, diagnosis, management and support delivery for ASD affected individuals.

scholarly journals E- LEARNING

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 56-68
Author(s):  
Ruth Claire Bustos ◽  
Emily Tan
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Government

The Coronavirus Pandemic has brought about vast changes in the lives of people, from daily routines to social interactions. These abrupt changes hugely affected the education system, bringing about initiatives such as online classrooms and asynchronous activities. This scenario is tough for everyone, but it is more challenging to people with special needs and disabilities, particularly those who have Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. Some mitigating factors that the government has imposed to curb the spread of the virus include social distancing and health protocols, contributing to the struggles faced by the children and their families. With the use of technology, E- Learning has been made possible.  Schools help lighten up the load by creating learning management system which acts as a replacement of traditional learning. Aside from children with disabilities, their parents or guardians should also be taught how to use the e-learning platforms for them to be effective partners of the teachers in guiding and nurturing these students. Through the literature review, this paper seeks to analyze the role of the school and the educators in promoting and fostering a culture of inclusivity for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder during the COVID-19 Pandemic outbreak, and to analyze how the Universal Design for Learning success model as an intervention that can support learners with special needs. The paper gives future directions for educators and researchers.   Keywords: E-learning, Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Inclusion during COVID-19

Familial coaggregation of major psychiatric disorders in first-degree relatives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder: a nationwide population-based study

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Hohui E. Wang ◽  
Chih-Ming Cheng ◽  
Ya-Mei Bai ◽  
Ju-Wei Hsu ◽  
Kai-Lin Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Research Database ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
First Degree Relatives ◽  
Relative Risks ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

Abstract Background Family coaggregation of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia have been presented in previous studies. The shared genetic and environmental factors among psychiatric disorders remain elusive. Methods This nationwide population-based study examined familial coaggregation of major psychiatric disorders in first-degree relatives (FDRs) of individuals with ASD. Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database was used to identify 26 667 individuals with ASD and 67 998 FDRs of individuals with ASD. The cohort was matched in 1:4 ratio to 271 992 controls. The relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of ADHD, ASD, BD, MDD and schizophrenia were assessed among FDRs of individuals with ASD and ASD with intellectual disability (ASD-ID). Results FDRs of individuals with ASD have higher RRs of major psychiatric disorders compared with controls: ASD 17.46 (CI 15.50–19.67), ADHD 3.94 (CI 3.72–4.17), schizophrenia 3.05 (CI 2.74–3.40), BD 2.22 (CI 1.98–2.48) and MDD 1.88 (CI 1.76–2.00). Higher RRs of schizophrenia (4.47, CI 3.95–5.06) and ASD (18.54, CI 16.18–21.23) were observed in FDRs of individuals with both ASD-ID, compared with ASD only. Conclusions The risk for major psychiatric disorders was consistently elevated across all types of FDRs of individuals with ASD. FDRs of individuals with ASD-ID are at further higher risk for ASD and schizophrenia. Our results provide leads for future investigation of shared etiologic pathways of ASD, ID and major psychiatric disorders and highlight the importance of mental health care delivered to at-risk families for early diagnoses and interventions.

Development of Neural Structure and Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Potential Implications for Learning Language

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1783-1797
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Coburn ◽  
Diane L. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Language Intervention ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Neural Structure ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
And Function

Purpose Neurodevelopmental processes that begin during gestation and continue throughout childhood typically support language development. Understanding these processes can help us to understand the disruptions to language that occur in neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method For this tutorial, we conducted a focused literature review on typical postnatal brain development and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, magnetoencephalography, and electroencephalography studies of the neurodevelopmental differences that occur in ASD. We then integrated this knowledge with the literature on evidence-based speech-language intervention practices for autistic children. Results In ASD, structural differences include altered patterns of cortical growth and myelination. Functional differences occur at all brain levels, from lateralization of cortical functions to the rhythmic activations of single neurons. Neuronal oscillations, in particular, could help explain disrupted language development by elucidating the timing differences that contribute to altered functional connectivity, complex information processing, and speech parsing. Findings related to implicit statistical learning, explicit task learning, multisensory integration, and reinforcement in ASD are also discussed. Conclusions Consideration of the neural differences in autistic children provides additional scientific support for current recommended language intervention practices. Recommendations consistent with these neurological findings include the use of short, simple utterances; repetition of syntactic structures using varied vocabulary; pause time; visual supports; and individualized sensory modifications.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document