Parental Reports on Early Autism Behaviors in Their Children with Fragile X Syndrome as a Function of Infant Feeding

This study evaluates the prevalence of autistic behaviors in fragile X syndrome as a function of infant diet. Retrospective survey data from the Fragile X Syndrome Nutrition Study, which included data on infant feeding and caregiver-reported developmental milestones for 190 children with fragile X syndrome enrolled in the Fragile X Online Registry with Accessible Database (FORWARD), were analyzed. Exploratory, sex-specific associations were found linking the use of soy-based infant formula with worse autistic behaviors related to language in females and self-injurious behavior in males. These findings prompt prospective evaluation of the effects of soy-based infant formula on disease comorbidities in fragile X syndrome, a rare disorder for which newborn screening could be implemented if there was an intervention. Gastrointestinal problems were the most common reason cited for switching to soy-based infant formula. Thus, these findings also support the study of early gastrointestinal problems in fragile X syndrome, which may underly the development and severity of disease comorbidities. In conjunction with comorbidity data from the previous analyses of the Fragile X Syndrome Nutrition Study, the findings indicate that premutation fragile X mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed.

Blood Markers in Detection of Autism

The current paper gives a brief description of the relationship of biomarkers with autistic spectrum disorder, we discuss autism, study the biomarkers which can be traced by medical tests, their association with the triggering of autistic behaviors, and finally we discuss how the regulation and balance of these biomarkers could reduce the autistic symptoms.

Gestational Exposure to Toxicants and Autistic Behaviors using Bayesian Quantile Regression

Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is characterized by impaired social communication and stereotypic behaviors, affects 1-2% of children. While prenatal exposure to toxicants has been associated with autistic behaviors, most studies have focused on shifts in mean behavior scores. We used Bayesian quantile regression to assess the associations between log2-transformed toxicant concentrations and autistic behaviors across the distribution of behaviors. We used data from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals study, a pan-Canadian cohort (2008-2011). We measured metal, pesticide, polychlorinated biphenyl, phthalate, bisphenol-A, and triclosan concentrations in blood or urine samples collected during the first trimester of pregnancy. Autistic behaviors were assessed in 478 3-4-year-old children using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), where higher scores denote more autistic-like behaviors. Lead, cadmium, and most phthalate metabolites were associated with mild increases in SRS scores at the 90th percentile of the SRS distribution. Manganese and some pesticides were associated with mild decreases in SRS scores at the 90th percentile of the SRS distribution. We identified several monotonic trends where associations increased in magnitude from the bottom to the top of the SRS distribution. These results suggest that Quantile regression can reveal nuanced relationships and should thus be more widely used by epidemiologists.

Maternal folic acid supplementation prevents autistic behaviors in a rat model induced by prenatal exposure to valproic acid

Maternal vitamin supplementation has been demonstrated to reduce risks of a number of neurodevelopmental diseases in children. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopment defects with high prevalence...

1082 Offsprings Autistic Behaviors Modify The Relationships Between Maternal Peritraumatic Distress And Sleep Disturbance Following Trauma Exposure

Introduction Neurodevelopmental impairments may alter parents’ sleep and add tremendous stress to their families’ routine. This study examined the relationship between peritraumatic distress, and sleep disturbances among mothers who were exposed to the 2010 Haitian earthquake during pregnancy and whether this relationship is moderated by offspring‘s autistic behaviors. Methods Sample includes 361 mother-offspring dyads [mean (SD) age= 27.31 (5.93); 3.1/2(3.88)] who survived the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Maternal data were collected 3 years following the event via the Earthquake Experience Questionnaire (EEQ), the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI), and the sleep items of the PTSD Checklist (PCL-S) (such as trouble falling or staying asleep, and repeated disturbed dreams in response to the disaster exposure). Child-related data were obtained from maternal completion of the Echelle d’Evaluation des Comportements Autistiques Revisee (ECAR) (Autistic Behaviors Scale Revised). Pearson Correlations, multilinear regression and interaction effect analyses were conducted to explore the association between peritraumatic distress, offspring’s autistic behaviors and sleep disturbance among the participants. Results 10.7% of mothers were caught under rubble or were seriously injured during the event. Three years later, 56.83% and 52.9% of them had consequent disturbed sleep and nightmares, respectively. Maternal sleep disturbance correlated positively with peritraumatic distress (r=.38, p=.01) and offspring autistic behaviors (r=.13, p=.05). As hypothesized, adjusting for covariates, peritramatic distress was the strongest predictor of maternal sleep disturbance (B=.310, p<.001). The relationship between maternal peritraumatic distress and sleep disturbance was modified by offspring autistic behaviors (B=.138, p= .015). Conclusion This is the first study to document the prolonged effect of peritraumatic distress during the 2010 Haitian earthquake on mother’s sleep disturbance and whether this relationship is moderated by offspring autistic behaviors. The findings support the importance of a sleep component in maternal and child health in disaster preparedness program. Support This study was supported by funding from the NIH: T32HL129953