Validating Three Common Self-Report Measures of Social Functioning: Implications for Autism Research

Social functioning difficulties are a core diagnostic feature of autism spectrum condition (ASC) and are commonly assessed in ASC research. Many measures have been created to assess the various dimensions of social functioning; thus, it is important to evaluate how each scale captures these latent constructs in order to integrate results from studies using different measures. The current brief report assessed the convergent validity (at the subscale level) of three commonly used social functioning scales in ASC research: The Autism Quotient, the Multidimensional Social Competence Scale, and the Social Responsiveness Scale. Amongst a sample of nonclinical adults, the scales showed robust convergent validity between theoretically related subscales, indicating sensitivity to variation in social functioning abilities across diagnostic labels.

Transdiagnostic Patterns of Sensory Processing in Autism and ADHD

Sensory processing abilities are highly variable within and across people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study examined the transdiagnostic nature of sensory processing abilities, and their association with features of ASD and ADHD, in a large sample of autistic people (n = 495) and people with ADHD (n = 461). Five similar data-driven sensory phenotypes characterized sensory processing abilities, and showed similar patterns of association with features of ASD and ADHD, across both diagnostic groups. These results demonstrate the transdiagnostic nature of sensory processing abilities, while contributing to a growing body of literature that suggests the ASD and ADHD diagnostic labels have poor explanatory power.

Using a Transdiagnostic Perspective to Disrupt White Supremacist Applications of the DSM

White supremacist applications of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) result in the disproportionate labeling of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color as violent or severely mentally ill. Racial diagnostic disparities and misdiagnoses are endemic in social work practice, in part because of the DSM’s categorical classification system, which encourages reductive thinking and reinforces implicit racial biases. While courses on psychopathology are common requirements for clinical field placements, the mental health field’s reliance on the DSM often contradicts antiracist curricula. In an effort to address this paradox, we utilize pedagogical approaches that seek to critique and deconstruct White Supremacist applications of the DSM while simultaneously preparing students to enter a field that relies so heavily on diagnostic labels. This is done in part by teaching students to shirk the DSM’s categorical perspective in favor of a transdiagnostic perspective—identifying symptoms or traits underlying human suffering that occur across diagnostic categories and are informed by macro systems of privilege and oppression. Teaching students to adopt a transdiagnostic perspective may disrupt White Supremacist practices in diagnostics by encouraging an acknowledgement of multisystem factors underlying human suffering without relying on discrete diagnostic categories that are prone to racial interpretations.

Here I sit, making men in my own image: how learning disorder labels affect teacher student’s expectancies

Teacher’s evaluation of students is sometimes negatively affected by diagnostic labels. We explored such negative effects caused by the labels “dyscalculia”, “dyslexia”, and “ADHD” in teacher students. In Experiment 1, we varied the presence of the dyscalculia and dyslexia label in vignettes between participants. The dyslexia but not the dyscalculia label had a negative effect on participant’s academic expectations. In our preregistered Experiment 2, the presence of the ADHD label in vignettes was manipulated within participants. To understand the cognitive mechanisms driving label effects, we explored participants’ attributions regarding the students’ problems. Furthermore, a short dissonance-based intervention for counteracting negative label effects was implemented. Unexpectedly, we found both negative and positive label effects. The label led to more positive performance expectations and to more negative ratings of problem stability and problem control. The dissonance-based intervention led to more positive evaluations regardless of whether the ADHD label was mentioned or not. Overall, our findings suggest that learning-disorder labels affect teachers’ expectations in different ways.

Classifying patients with depressive and anxiety disorders according to symptom network structures: A Gaussian graphical mixture model-based clustering

Patients with mental disorders often suffer from comorbidity. Transdiagnostic understandings of mental disorders are expected to provide more accurate and detailed descriptions of psychopathology and be helpful in developing efficient treatments. Although conventional clustering techniques, such as latent profile analysis, are useful for the taxonomy of psychopathology, they provide little implications for targeting specific symptoms in each cluster. To overcome these limitations, we introduced Gaussian graphical mixture model (GGMM)-based clustering, a method developed in mathematical statistics to integrate clustering and network statistical approaches. To illustrate the technical details and clinical utility of the analysis, we applied GGMM-based clustering to a Japanese sample of 1,521 patients (Mage = 42.42 years), who had diagnostic labels of major depressive disorder (MDD; n = 406), panic disorder (PD; n = 198), social anxiety disorder (SAD; n = 116), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; n = 66), comorbid MDD and any anxiety disorder (n = 636), or comorbid anxiety disorders (n = 99). As a result, we identified the following four transdiagnostic clusters characterized by i) strong OCD and PD symptoms, and moderate MDD and SAD symptoms; ii) moderate MDD, PD, and SAD symptoms, and weak OCD symptoms; iii) weak symptoms of all four disorders; and iv) strong symptoms of all four disorders. Simultaneously, a covariance symptom network within each cluster was visualized. The discussion highlighted that the GGMM-based clusters help us generate clinical hypotheses for transdiagnostic clusters by enabling further investigations of each symptom network, such as the calculation of centrality indexes.

‘Braining’ psychiatry: an investigation into how complexity is managed in the practice of neuropsychiatric research

Neuropsychiatry searches to understand mental disorders in terms of underlying brain activity by using brain imaging technologies. The field promises to offer a more objective foundation for diagnostic processes and to help developing forms of treatment that target the symptoms of a specific mental disorder. However, brain imaging technologies also reveal the brain as a complex network, suggesting that mental disorders cannot be easily linked to specific brain areas. In this paper, we analyze a case study conducted at a neuropsychiatry laboratory to explore how the complexity of the human brain is managed in light of the project of explaining mental disorders in terms of their neurological substrates. We use a combination of ethnomethodology and conversation analysis to show how previously assigned diagnostic labels are constitutive of interpretations of experimental data and, therefore, remain unchallenged. Furthermore, we show how diagnostic labels become materialized in experimental design, in that the linking of symptoms of mental disorders to specific brain areas is treated as indicative of successfully designed experimental stimuli. In conclusion, we argue that while researchers acknowledge the complexity of the brain on a generic level, they do not grant this complexity to the brains of individuals diagnosed with a mental disorder.

Noninflammatory musculoskeletal pain

Noninflammatory musculoskeletal pain is common in children and adolescents, and when persistent or widespread, can have a negative impact on physical and psychological well-being. Diagnostic labels and criteria are not uniform in the current literature, but musculoskeletal pain may present as widespread pain or juvenile fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, or in association with joint hypermobility. Chronic musculoskeletal pain, irrespective of its trigger, can bring persistent and recurrent distress, disability, and widespread family disruption. Once serious medical causes have been excluded by history, examination, and relevant investigations, the focus should be on rehabilitation. Multidisciplinary team management to facilitate cohesive working and the introduction of psychological and physical therapies can improve outcome. Further research is required to define the role of pharmacological interventions.