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

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

Author(s):  
Ana Gentil-Gutiérrez ◽  
José Luis Cuesta-Gómez ◽  
Paula Rodríguez-Fernández ◽  
Jerónimo Javier González-Bernal

(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.


Author(s):  
Christine Van der Merwe ◽  
Juan Bornman ◽  
Dana Donohue ◽  
Michal Harty

Background: Understanding how the cognitive, emotional and behavioural components of sibling attitudes interact with one another at various stages of a sibling’s lifespan will allow clinicians to provide better support to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. However, no research exists which focusses on describing the attitudes of adolescent siblings of children with ASD within the South African context towards their sibling with an ASD. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how typically developing adolescents recall their past attitudes and describe their present attitudes towards their sibling with an ASD.Methods: Thirty typically developing adolescents who have siblings with ASD were selected to complete the survey instrument, the Lifespan Sibling Relationship Scale, using a cross-sectional design.Results: Results indicate that the measure has internal consistency within this sample. Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests were used to test for significant differences between the mean values for the two self-reported time periods. Friedman analysis of variances (ANOVAs) was used to test for significant differences in the three components of attitudes, namely affect, behaviour and cognition. Results indicate that participants held more positive attitudes towards their siblings with ASD as adolescents compared with when they were younger and that adolescents rated their current emotions towards and beliefs about their sibling with ASD to be more positive than their current interaction experiences.Conclusion: As siblings’ attitudes appear to change over time, clinicians should use a lifespan approach to sibling attitudes when designing and implementing supports for siblings of children with ASD.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping-Chen Chan ◽  
Cheng-Te Chen ◽  
Hua Feng ◽  
Ya-Chen Lee ◽  
Kuan-Lin Chen

Objective/Background This study aimed to examine the relationships of theory of mind (ToM) to both pretend play and playfulness in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods Twenty children with ASD aged between 3 years and 7.11 years were assessed with the ToM test, and then placed in a free play condition and a pretend play condition to assess pretend play and playfulness with the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment and Test of Playfulness, respectively. In addition, the children's symptom severities of ASD and verbal abilities were also assessed with the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test—second edition, respectively. Results The results of the regression analysis confirmed that ToM significantly predicted pretend play variables, namely, Number of Object Substitutions (R2 = .158, p = .002) and Number of Imitated Actions (R2 = .175, p = .001), but not playfulness. The CARS score was a significant predictor of the Percentage of Elaborate Pretend Play Actions of pretend play (R2 = .075, p = .034), as well as the internal control (R2 = .125, p = .006) and framing (R2 = .071, p = .039) variables of playfulness. Conclusion The findings support the idea that children with ASD who have better ToM might be able to develop better pretend play, but not better playfulness, which might be more strongly related to their autistic severity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevser Nalbant ◽  
Semih Erden ◽  
Abdullah Yazar ◽  
İbrahim Kılınç

Abstract Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by limitations in mutual communication and social interaction as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, or activities. A number of biological abnormalities have been reported in ASD. Therefore the possible role of biological abnormalities in etiopathogenesis arouses research interest in this area. This is a case-control design study evaluating epithelial barrier function by comparing serum concentrations of occludin and zonulin in children with ASD (n = 60) and controls (n = 30). The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was used to evaluate autistic symptom levels of all children. Serum occludin and zonulin levels were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum occludin was significantly lower in children with ASD than in control subjects. In children with ASD, a decrease in occludin level was significantly associated with the disorder symptom levels item mean score (CARS total scores). Our findings showed that children with ASD had alterations in epithelial barrier function compared to the control group. The investigation of the mechanism underlying the different levels of occludin between ASD and controls may be of importance in clarifying the etiopathogenesis of ASD, as well as its follow-up and treatment.


Author(s):  
Soccalingam Artchoudane ◽  
Meena Ramanathan ◽  
Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani ◽  
Partheeban Muruganandam ◽  
Lakshmi Jatiya

Autism is characterized by dysfunction in motor execution and sensory perception that are linked with neuromuscular function (fN) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This article aims to evaluate effectiveness of yoga therapy (YT) on fN and autism severity in children with ASD. Sixty children were screened (age 6 to 18) using childhood autism rating scale (CARS); 40 were allocated randomly (n=20) into yoga (YG) and control (CG) groups; both followed regular school routine, and YG received 10 YT sessions (60 min/session). Visual reaction time (VRT), handgrip strength (HGS), and CARS were measured. YG showed significant changes in VRT and CARS after YT and intergroup comparisons revealed significant differences between groups at the end of the study (VRT,p=0.008; CARS,p=0.011). YT resulted in small but statistically significant changes in CARS and significant improvement in VRT. This implies that YT can be used as an adjuvant modality for children with ASD, reducing co-morbidities with regard to the neuromuscular function.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeid Sadeghi ◽  
Hamid Reza Pouretemad ◽  
Reza Shervin Badv

Abstract Background: Executive Functions (EFs) deficit in Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been mainly investigated, while less is known about the EFs in toddlers. The study aimed was to investigate the relationship between EFs deficits and repetitive and restricted behaviors (RRBs) in toddlers with ASD symptoms. Finally, we examined whether EFs deficits were predictive of RRBs.Method: Cross-sectional data were collected from mothers of forty-five toddlers under 36 months old. The modified checklist for autism in toddlers (M-CHAT). The Gilliam autism rating scale (GARS-2), the behavior rating inventory of executive functioning-preschool version (BRIEF-P), and repetitive behavior scale- revised (RBS-R) administered to mothers.Findings: We found significant associations between parent-reported executive functions problems and (1) stereotyped behaviors, (2) self-injurious behaviors, (3) ritualistic behaviors, (4) sameness behaviors, (5) restricted behaviors, (6) compulsive behaviors, and (7) repetitive behaviors total score. There was a lack of association between M-CHAT and social interactions deficits of GARS-2 and the repetitive behaviors total score. Increases in the degree of EFs deficits predicted increments in repetitive behaviors.Discussion: These results support a link between executive disfunction and RRBs. Future research on RRBs in ASD may benefit from focusing on specific executive functioning abilities rather than general categories.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Anum Farooq ◽  
Shoaib Ahmed

Objective: To investigate the frequency of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by screening 16 to 30 months old children, reporting to a tertiary care hospital. Study Design: Cross sectional study.Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Paediatrics Outpatient Department of Military Hospital, Rawalpindi from November 2017 to August 2018.Materials and Methods: A total of 163 children between the age of 16-30 months were screened using Urdu translated version of Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, revised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/FTM). Those who screened positive on MCHAT-R were assessed using Childhood Autism Rating Scale-2 (CARS 2) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5 (DSM-5) as diagnostic tools.Results: Among the 163 children screened with MCHAT, 33 were found positive for autism. The positive individuals were further assessed on CARS-2 and DSM-5; five children were diagnosed with ASD at moderate to severe level.  This study has shown that 3% of children visiting the hospital for various reasons suffer from ASD.Conclusion: This study concluded that 3% of the children coming to the hospital for any purpose were found to have ASD. There is a need to make Level 1 screening an essential part of regular check-ups of children in Paediatrics outpatient clinics. How to cite this: Farooq A, Ahmed S. Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children up to Age 2.5 years in a Tertiary Care Hospital. Life and Science. 2020; 1(1): 12-16.  doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/L&S.1.1.74


2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Elena Hartley-McAndrew ◽  
Arie Weinstock

The relationship between epilepsy, epileptiform discharges, cognitive, language and behavioral symptoms is not clearly understood. Since difficulties with socialization and maladaptive behaviors are found in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), we inquired whether epileptiform activity and seizures are associated with adverse behavioral manifestations in this population. We reviewed our EEG database between 1999-2006, and identified 123 children with ASD. EEG abnormalities were found in 39 children (31%). A control group of age and gender matched ASD children with normal EEG’s was obtained. Packets of questionnaires including the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale II (VABS), Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) were sent by mail. Out of 21 packets received, 11 had normal and 10 had abnormal EEG’s. There were no statistically significant differences in behavior between the two groups. Statistical analysis of discharge location and frequency did not reveal a significant trend. However, children with ASD and seizures had statistically significant lower scores in VABS daily living (P=0.009) and socialization (P=0.007) as compared to those without seizures. ASD children with seizures had higher ABC levels of hyperactivity and irritability. Differences in irritability scores nearly reached statistical significance (P=0.058). There was no significant difference in the degree of CARS autism rating between the groups. Our study did not reveal statistically significant differences in behaviors between ASD children with and without EEG abnormalities. However, ASD children with seizures revealed significantly worse behaviors as compared to counterparts without seizures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aminat Y. Oduyemi ◽  
Ifeoma P. Okafor ◽  
Ugochukwu T. Eze ◽  
Babatunde A. Akodu ◽  
Alero A. Roberts

Abstract Background Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) has uniquely stigmatizing aspects because children with ASD have no physical markers of their condition. Parents are usually blamed and judgment from others is often internalized (felt stigma). Aim This study was conducted to determine knowledge about ASD, negative experiences (enacted stigma), internalization of stigma (felt or self stigma) and its correlates among parents of children with ASD in Lagos, Nigeria. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 230 parents in Lagos, Nigeria employing mixed-method data collection methods. Quantitative data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed with Epi- Info™ version 7.0 statistical package. Data were summarized with proportions, mean and standard deviation. Chi square and Spearman’s correlation tests were done, and the level of significance was pre-determined at 5% (p < 0.05). In-depth interviews were also conducted among six parents to further explore the topic. The interviews were analyzed narratively. Results The proportion of mothers and fathers were 175 (76.1%) and 55 (23.9%) respectively. The mean age of respondents was 42 ± 8.5 years. Overall knowledge of ASD was very poor as only 3(1.3%) had good knowledge. Overall, 122(53%) usually had negative experience of parenting a child with ASD (enacted stigma), mothers (17.1%) more than fathers (9.1%). Majority 192(83.5%) internalized stigma. There was a low–moderate correlation between ‘enacted’ stigma and ‘internalized’ stigma (ρ- 0.400, p < 0.001). From in-depth interviews, many parents revealed that their child’s condition had negative effects on the family. Many also recounted negative experience of stigma. Conclusion Overall, parents of children with ASD had poor knowledge of the condition. Majority internalized stigma and this increases with negative treatment from others. Parents should be properly educated about ASD. Community-based education to increase awareness about ASD in addition to encouraging people to show empathy and reduce stigmatizing behaviour towards parents of children with ASD are recommended.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zilin Chen ◽  
Kai Shi ◽  
Xin Liu ◽  
Yuan Dai ◽  
Yuqi Liu ◽  
...  

Background and Objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a heterogeneous set of neurodevelopmental disorders with diverse symptom severity and comorbidities. Although alterations in gut microbiota have been reported in individuals with ASD, it remains unclear whether certain microbial pattern is linked to specific symptom or comorbidity in ASD. We aimed to investigate the associations between gut microbiota and the severity of social impairment and cognitive functioning in children with ASD.Methods: A total of 261 age-matched children, including 138 children diagnosed with ASD, 63 with developmental delay or intellectual disability (DD/ID), and 60 typically developing (TD) children, were enrolled from the Shanghai Xinhua Registry. The children with ASD were further classified into two subgroups: 76 children diagnosed with ASD and developmental disorder (ASD+DD) and 62 with ASD only (ASD-only). The gut microbiome of all children was profiled and evaluated by 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing.Results: The gut microbial analyses demonstrated an altered microbial community structure in children with ASD. The alpha diversity indices of the ASD+DD and ASD-only subgroups were significantly lower than the DD/ID or TD groups. At the genus level, we observed a decrease in the relative abundance of Prevotella. Simultaneously, Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium were significantly increased in ASD compared with DD/ID and TD participants. There was a clear correlation between alpha diversity and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) total score for all participants, and this correlation was independent of IQ performance. Similar correlations with the CARS total score were observed for genera Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium, and Oscillospira. However, there was no single genus significantly associated with IQ in all participants.Conclusions: Specific alterations in bacterial taxonomic composition and associations with the severity of social impairment and IQ performance were observed in children with ASD or ASD subgroups, when compared with DD/ID or TD groups. These results illustrate that gut microbiota may serve as a promising biomarker for ASD symptoms. Nevertheless, further investigations are warranted.


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