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Pharmacological inhibition of the primary endocannabinoid producing enzyme, DGL‐α, induces autism spectrum disorder‐like and co‐morbid phenotypes in adult C57BL/J mice Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-04-21 William Fyke, Juan Marcos Alarcon, Milen Velinov, Kathryn K. Chadman
Accumulating evidence links dysfunction in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) with the pathology of neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Variants in ECS genes CNR1 and DAGLA are associated with neurological phenotypes in humans. The endocannabinoids (eCBs), 2‐AG and AEA, which act at the primary cannabinoid receptor (CB1), mediate behaviors relevant to neurodevelopmental
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Assessing general and autism‐relevant quality of life in autistic adults: A psychometric investigation using item response theory Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-04-19 Zachary J. Williams, Katherine O. Gotham
Although many interventions and services for autistic people have the ultimate goal of improving quality of life (QoL), there is relatively little research on how best to assess this construct in the autistic population, and existing scales designed for non‐autistic individuals may not assess all meaningful facets of QoL in the autistic population. To address this need, the autism spectrum QoL form
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Needs assessment in unmet healthcare and family support services: A survey of caregivers of children and youth with autism spectrum disorder in Delaware Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-04-19 Sudha Srinivasan, Annalisa Ekbladh, Brian Freedman, Anjana Bhat
The study aimed to collect data from families of children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the state of Delaware, USA to understand their ongoing needs and challenges in accessing child healthcare and family support services. We analyzed responses from 263 caregivers of children and youth with ASD from 3 to 24 years using a statewide needs assessment survey. Over 50% caregivers indicated
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Differential effects by sex with Kmt5b loss Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-04-19 Rochelle N. Wickramasekara, Brynn Robertson, Jason Hulen, Jodi Hallgren, Holly A. F. Stessman
Lysine methyl transferase 5B (KMT5B) has been recently highlighted as a risk gene in genetic studies of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), specifically, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID); yet, its role in the brain is not known. The goal of this work was to neurodevelopmentally characterize the effect(s) of KMT5B haploinsufficiency using a mouse model. A Kmt5b gene‐trap
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Perceived helpfulness of depression treatments among young adults with autism Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-04-14 Shuting Zheng, Julie Lounds Taylor, Ryan Adams, Florencia Pezzimenti, Somer L. Bishop
Currently available treatments for depression show limited effectiveness in adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) based on measures of symptom changes and clinician impressions. Perceived helpfulness is another metric that has been found to be useful for understanding treatment outcomes in the general population, but it has not yet been explored in adults with ASD. Thus, the current study collected
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Dysfunction in interpersonal neural synchronization as a mechanism for social impairment in autism spectrum disorder Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-04-13 Laura E. Quiñones‐Camacho, Frank A. Fishburn, Katherine Belardi, Diane L. Williams, Theodore J. Huppert, Susan B. Perlman
Social deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been linked to atypical activation of the mentalizing network. This work, however, has been limited by a focus on the brain activity of a single person during computerized social tasks rather than exploring brain activity during in vivo interactions. The current study assessed neural synchronization during a conversation as a mechanism for social
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Assessment of medical morbidities in a rhesus monkey model of naturally occurring low sociality Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-04-12 Adam K. Myers, Catherine F. Talbot, Laura A. Del Rosso, Alyssa C. Maness, Sierra M. V. Simmons, Joseph P. Garner, John P. Capitanio, Karen J. Parker
People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit a variety of medical morbidities at significantly higher rates than the general population. Using an established monkey model of naturally occurring low sociality, we investigated whether low‐social monkeys show an increased burden of medical morbidities compared to their high‐social counterparts. We systematically reviewed the medical records of N
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Prediction in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Empirical Evidence Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-11 Jonathan Cannon, Amanda M. O'Brien, Lindsay Bungert, Pawan Sinha
According to a recent influential proposal, several phenotypic features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be accounted for by differences in predictive skills between individuals with ASD and neurotypical individuals. In this systematic review, we describe results from 47 studies that have empirically tested this hypothesis. We assess the results based on two observable aspects of prediction: learning
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Somatosensory Temporal Discrimination in Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-01 Dicle Buyuktaskin, Elvan Iseri, Esra Guney, Zafer Gunendi, Bulent Cengiz
Sensory differences are common in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While there is no well‐accepted method to measure sensory differences objectively, there is accumulating evidence from recent years concerning sensory perception, including data concerning temporal discrimination thresholds of individuals with ASD as measured by different measures. The somatosensory temporal discrimination (STD) test
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Structural and contextual priors affect visual search in children with and without autism Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-04-02 Sander Van de Cruys, Lisa Lemmens, Laurie‐Anne Sapey‐Triomphe, Andrey Chetverikov, Ilse Noens, Johan Wagemans
Bayesian predictive coding theories of autism spectrum disorder propose that impaired acquisition or a broader shape of prior probability distributions lies at the core of the condition. However, we still know very little about how probability distributions are learned and encoded by children, let alone children with autism. Here, we take advantage of a recently developed distribution learning paradigm
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Neural coding of formant‐exaggerated speech and nonspeech in children with and without autism spectrum disorders Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-31 Fei Chen, Hao Zhang, Hongwei Ding, Suiping Wang, Gang Peng, Yang Zhang
The presence of vowel exaggeration in infant‐directed speech (IDS) may adapt to the age‐appropriate demands in speech and language acquisition. Previous studies have provided behavioral evidence of atypical auditory processing towards IDS in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), while the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain unknown. This event‐related potential (ERP) study investigated
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Short caregiver interview and play observation for early screening of autism spectrum disorder: Behavior development screening for toddlers (BeDevel) Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-31 Guiyoung Bong, So Yoon Kim, Da‐Yea Song, Jeong‐heun Kim, Yoohwa Hong, Nan‐He Yoon, Hyunjung Sunwoo, Jeong Yun Jang, Miae Oh, Jong Myeong Kim, Kyung‐Sook Lee, Seokjin Jung, Chang Won Choi, Ju Seok Ryu, Hee Jeong Yoo
This study validates behavior development screening for toddlers (BeDevel), which utilizes a combination of short caregiver interviews (BeDevel‐I) and semistructured play observations (BeDevel‐P). The data of 431 toddlers (male 66.2%; mean age (SD) = 29.11 (8.59) months; ASD, n = 201; developmental delay, n = 46; typically developing, n = 184), aged 18 ~ 42 months, were included in the validation of
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Dietary intake and growth deficits in Rett syndrome—A cross‐section study Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-31 Lee Chin Wong, Yen‐Tsz Chen, Shu‐Mei Tsai, Yen‐Ju Lin, Chia‐Jui Hsu, Hsin‐Pei Wang, Su‐Ching Hu, Hsiu‐Yu Shen, Wen‐Che Tsai, Wang‐Tso Lee
Growth deficit is a common comorbidity and one of the supportive criteria in Rett syndrome (RTT). This study aimed to investigate the impact of dystonia, dietary intakes, and clinical severities on growth patterns in a Taiwanese cohort of RTT. We recruited 44 RTT patients with MECP2 mutation for analysis. For individuals ≤18 years of age, in comparison to the RTT‐specific growth chart which comprised
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Sex differentiation of brain structures in autism: Findings from a gray matter asymmetry study Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-26 Zhizhou Deng, Suiping Wang
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is diagnosed much more often in males than females. This male predominance has prompted a number of studies to examine how sex differences are related to the neural expression of ASD. Different theories, such as the “extreme male brain” theory, the “female protective effect” (FPE) theory, and the gender incoherence (GI) theory, provide different explanations for the mixed
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Age differences in broader autism phenotype traits from young adulthood to older adulthood Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-25 William J. Chopik, Jeewon Oh, Amy K. Nuttall, Katharine N. Thakkar, Brooke Ingersoll
Much of past research has been dedicated to refining the operationalization and correlates of the broader autism phenotype (BAP) and less on how the BAP differs by socio‐demographic characteristics, like age—particularly after midlife. This gap is important because other nonclinical trait‐like characteristics (e.g., personality) have shown considerable age differences, leading to work assessing the
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A lost generation? The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on early career ASD researchers Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-24 Clare Harrop, Vanessa Bal, Kimberly Carpenter, Alycia Halladay
The COVID‐19 pandemic has disrupted autism research and services. Early career researchers (ECRs) are particularly vulnerable to the impact of the pandemic on job security and career development. The goal of this study was to capture the challenges ECRs are facing during the pandemic and the supports that are needed for career development and research. ECRs were invited to complete an online survey
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Predictors of adaptive functioning in preschool aged children with autism spectrum disorder Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-22 Marie Antoinette Hodge, Kelsie A. Boulton, Rebecca Sutherland, Diana Barnett, Beverley Bennett, Esther Chan, Jane Cramsie, Suzi Drevensek, Valsamma Eapen, Kalaichelvi Ganesalingam, Anne Masi, Natalie Ong, Marcia Williamsz, Adam J. Guastella, Natalie Silove
Difficulties in adaptive functioning are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and contribute to negative outcomes across the lifespan. Research indicates that cognitive ability is related to degree of adaptive functioning impairments, particularly in young children with ASD. However, the extent to which other factors, such as socioeconomic status (SES) and ASD symptom severity, predict impairments
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The N170 event‐related potential reflects delayed neural response to faces when visual attention is directed to the eyes in youths with ASD Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-22 Termara C. Parker, Michael J. Crowley, Adam J. Naples, Max J. Rolison, Jia Wu, Julie A. Trapani, James C. McPartland
Atypical neural response to faces is thought to contribute to social deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Compared to typically developing (TD) controls, individuals with ASD exhibit delayed brain responses to upright faces at a face‐sensitive event‐related potential (ERP), the N170. Given observed differences in patterns of visual attention to faces, it is not known whether slowed neural processing
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PLXNA2 and LRRC40 as candidate genes in autism spectrum disorder Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-22 Jordi Pijuan, Juan Darío Ortigoza‐Escobar, Juan Ortiz, Adrián Alcalá, María José Calvo, Mariona Cubells, Cristina Hernando‐Davalillo, Francesc Palau, Janet Hoenicka
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disability with high heritability yet the genetic etiology remains elusive. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate new genotype–phenotype relationships for ASD to improve both the etiological knowledge and diagnosis. In this work, a copy‐number variant and whole‐exome sequencing analysis were performed in an ASD patient with a complex neurobehavioral
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Eating disturbances in adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disabilities Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-18 Benedetta Demartini, Veronica Nisticò, Vincenzo Bertino, Roberta Tedesco, Raffaella Faggioli, Alberto Priori, Orsola Gambini
There is a growing interest in the relationship between autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and eating disorders (EDs), two relatively common conditions lying on a spectrum from mild to severe clinical features. However, only limited data are available about pathological eating behaviors throughout adults on the autistic spectrum. The aim of the present study is to assess dysfunctional eating behaviors
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Prenatal maternal infection and risk for autism in offspring: A meta‐analysis Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-15 Nina Tioleco, Anna E. Silberman, Katharine Stratigos, Sharmila Banerjee‐Basu, Marisa N. Spann, Agnes H. Whitaker, J. Blake Turner
While prenatal maternal infection has received attention as a preventable and treatable risk factor for autism, findings have been inconsistent. This paper presents the results of a meta‐analysis to determine whether the weight of the evidence supports such an association. Studies with a categorical diagnosis of autism as the outcome and an assessment of its association with prenatal maternal infection
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Children with autism spectrum disorder show altered functional connectivity and abnormal maturation trajectories in response to inverted faces Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-11 Fahimeh Mamashli, Nataliia Kozhemiako, Sheraz Khan, Adonay S. Nunes, Nicole M. McGuiggan, Ainsley Losh, Robert M. Joseph, Jyrki Ahveninen, Sam M. Doesburg, Matti S. Hämäläinen, Tal Kenet
The processing of information conveyed by faces is a critical component of social communication. While the neurophysiology of processing upright faces has been studied extensively in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), less is known about the neurophysiological abnormalities associated with processing inverted faces in ASD. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to study both long‐range and local functional
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Investigating automatic emotion processing in boys with autism via eye tracking and facial mimicry recordings Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-11 Stephanie Van der Donck, Sofie Vettori, Milena Dzhelyova, Soha Sadat Mahdi, Peter Claes, Jean Steyaert, Bart Boets
Difficulties in automatic emotion processing in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might remain concealed in behavioral studies due to compensatory strategies. To gain more insight in the mechanisms underlying facial emotion recognition, we recorded eye tracking and facial mimicry data of 20 school‐aged boys with ASD and 20 matched typically developing controls while performing an explicit
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Assessing the validity of administrative health data for the identification of children and youth with autism spectrum disorder in Ontario Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-10 Jennifer D. Brooks, Jasleen Arneja, Longdi Fu, Farah E. Saxena, Karen Tu, Virgiliu Bogdan Pinzaru, Evdokia Anagnostou, Kirk Nylen, Natasha R. Saunders, Hong Lu, John McLaughlin, Susan E. Bronskill
Population‐level identification of children and youth with ASD is essential for surveillance and planning for required services. The objective of this study was to develop and validate an algorithm for the identification of children and youth with ASD using administrative health data. In this retrospective validation study, we linked an electronic medical record (EMR)‐based reference standard, consisting
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New approaches to social skills training: Blended group interventions for girls with social communication difficulties Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-10 Jeanne Wolstencroft, Eleanor Kerry, Hayley Denyer, Alice Watkins, William Mandy, David Skuse
Social skills group interventions are increasing popular for children with social communication disorders but there is little evidence of their acceptability or effectiveness when delivered online. We report a feasibility study that adapted the Program for Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) to provide an intensive 8 week online delivery to female adolescents, blended with some face‐to‐face
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Evidence‐based use of scalable biomarkers to increase diagnostic efficiency and decrease the lifetime costs of autism Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-08 Thomas W. Frazier, Daniel L. Coury, Kristin Sohl, Kayla E. Wagner, Richard Uhlig, Steven D. Hicks, Frank A. Middleton
Challenges associated with the current screening and diagnostic process for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the US cause a significant delay in the initiation of evidence‐based interventions at an early age when treatments are most effective. The present study shows how implementing a second‐order diagnostic measure to high risk cases initially flagged positive from screening tools can further inform
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Replication study of ADOS‐2 Toddler Module cut‐off scores for autism spectrum disorder classification Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-08 Ji Su Hong, Vini Singh, Luke Kalb, Ahlam Ashkar, Rebecca Landa
The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS‐2) has been regarded as the gold standard assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While clinical validity of ADOS‐2 Modules 1–4 have been extensively studied, there has been very limited research examining the clinical validity of ADOS‐2 Toddler Module. The goal of this study was to examine alignment of the ADOS‐2 Toddler Module
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Educational classifications of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability among school‐aged children in North Carolina: Associations with race, rurality, and resource availability Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-01 Eunsoo Timothy Kim, Lauren Franz, Danai Kasambira Fannin, Jill Howard, Gary Maslow
Disparities exist in the recognition of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) in racial/ethnic minorities in the United States. This study examined whether rurality, race/ethnicity, and low resource availability are associated with disparities in primary educational classifications of ASD and ID in North Carolina (NC). Descriptive maps were created. Multilevel logistic regression
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Early developmental trajectories of expressive vocabulary and gesture production in a longitudinal cohort of Italian infants at high‐risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-03-01 Valentina Riva, Angela Caruso, Fabio Apicella, Giovanni Valeri, Stefano Vicari, Massimo Molteni, Maria Luisa Scattoni
Delays in language are a hallmark feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, little is known about the predictive role of language developmental trajectories on ASD. The present study aimed at identifying early different language developmental profiles of infants at high familial risk for ASD (HR‐ASD) and testing their predictive role on ASD symptoms at 2 years. The role of gestures on socio‐communicative
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A Systematic Literature Review of Autism Research on Caregiver Talk Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2020-12-29 Kristen Bottema‐Beutel, So Yoon Kim
Describing how caregivers' talk to their autistic children, and how their talk may influence social and language outcomes, has important implications for developmental theory and intervention research. In this systematic literature review, we examine 294 caregiver talk variables extracted from 65 studies, provide a narrative overview of research findings, and link measurement approaches to various
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Fear Potentiated Startle in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Association With Anxiety Symptoms and Amygdala Volume Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2020-12-29 David Hessl, Lauren Libero, Andrea Schneider, Connor Kerns, Breanna Winder‐Patel, Brianna Heath, Joshua Lee, Cory Coleman, Natasha Sharma, Marjorie Solomon, Christine Wu Nordahl, David G. Amaral
Atypical responses to fearful stimuli and the presence of various forms of anxiety are commonly seen in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The fear potentiated startle paradigm (FPS), which has been studied both in relation to anxiety and as a probe for amygdala function, was carried out in 97 children aged 9–14 years including 48 (12 female) with ASD and 49 (14 female) with typical development
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Prevalence and Age of Onset of Regression in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analytical Update Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-01-24 Christine Tan, Veronica Frewer, Georgina Cox, Katrina Williams, Alexandra Ure
A systematic review published in 2013 reported 32% of children on the autism spectrum experience skill loss, known as autistic regression. However, the frequency varied depending on definition and measures used to capture skills. Retrospective parent report and prospective observation indicate loss of language and/or social skills, with motor skills typically unaffected. Our aim was to update the prevalence
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Age‐related parietal GABA alterations in children with autism spectrum disorder Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-25 Marilena M. DeMayo, Ashley D. Harris, Yun Ju C. Song, Izabella Pokorski, Rinku Thapa, Shrujna Patel, Zahava Ambarchi, Emma E. Thomas, Ian B. Hickie, Adam J. Guastella
GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and is essential to the balance of cortical excitation and inhibition. Reductions in GABA are proposed to result in an overly excitatory cortex that may cause, or contribute to, symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study employed a cross‐sectional design to explore GABA+ differences in ASD and the impact of age, comparing 4–12 year
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Examining factors related to the age of diagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorder from immigrant and non‐immigrant backgrounds in a diverse clinical sample Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-24 Sandra B. Vanegas
A timely diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is important for children as that may help inform the best services and supports needed for optimal outcomes. However, disparities in the identification of ASD have been consistently documented for racial/ethnic minority and immigrant populations. The majority of studies of immigrant populations have focused on the qualitative experience of ASD,
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Alexithymia is related to poor social competence in autistic and nonautistic children Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-22 Nichole E. Scheerer, Troy Q. Boucher, Grace Iarocci
Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying and describing one's own emotions and the emotions of others. These challenges with understanding emotions in people with alexithymia may give rise to difficulties with social interactions. Given that alexithymia frequently co‐occurs with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and that both populations have difficulties with social interactions, it
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Altered patterns of brain dynamics linked with body mass index in youth with autism Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-22 Lauren Kupis, Zachary T. Goodman, Leigha Kircher, Celia Romero, Bryce Dirks, Catie Chang, Jason S. Nomi, Lucina Q. Uddin
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have higher rates of overweight and obesity (OWOB) compared with typically developing (TD) children. Brain functional connectivity differences have been shown in both ASD and OWOB. However, only one study to date has examined ASD and OWOB concurrently, so little is known regarding the neural mechanisms associated with the higher prevalence of OWOB and its
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Autism: Screening of inborn errors of metabolism and unexpected results Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-19 Aslı İnci, Ahmet Özaslan, İlyas Okur, Gürsel Biberoğlu, Esra Güney, Fatih Süheyl Ezgü, Leyla Tümer, Elvan İşeri
In this study, the aim was to examine patients with inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) who presented with only autism, without any other findings, to suggest any other neurological and genetic disorders. To investigate IEM, data of the hospital records of 247 patients who were referred from pediatric psychiatric to pediatric metabolism outpatient clinics due to further evaluation of autism spectrum
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Building Meaning: Meta‐analysis of Component Skills Supporting Reading Comprehension in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-13 Tamara Sorenson Duncan, Manasi Karkada, S. Hélène Deacon, Isabel M. Smith
The ability to understand what one reads, or reading comprehension, is central to academic success. For many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), reading comprehension is a noted area of challenge. For children with typical development, it is well established that successful reading comprehension requires two broad skills: word reading and oral language. For children with ASD, word reading
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What Can Performance in the IEDS Task Tell Us About Attention Shifting in Clinical Groups? Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-11 James M. Yearsley, Sebastian B. Gaigg, Dermot M. Bowler, Melanie Ring, Corinna Haenschel
The Intra‐Extra‐dimensional set shift task (IEDS) is a widely used test of learning and attention, believed to be sensitive to aspects of executive function. The task proceeds through a number of stages, and it is generally claimed that patterns of errors across stages can be used to discriminate between reduced attention switching and more general reductions in rates of learning. A number of papers
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Adaptive and Maladaptive Bodily Awareness: Distinguishing Interoceptive Sensibility and Interoceptive Attention from Anxiety‐Induced Somatization in Autism and Alexithymia Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2020-12-18 Dominic A. Trevisan, Wolf E. Mehling, James C. McPartland
There is growing interest in “interoception” (i.e., detection and interpretation of internal body signals) as a relevant mechanism contributing to certain symptoms and features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and alexithymia. However, inconsistent measurement and operationalization of interoception has led to confusion and inconsistent findings in the literature. In this commentary, we present alternative
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Differences in Brain Structural Covariance Network Characteristics in Children and Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-01-02 Suping Cai, Xuwen Wang, Fan Yang, Dihui Chen, Liyu Huang
Systematically describing the structural topological configuration of human brain during development is an essential task. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a powerful challenge for psychiatry and neuroscience researchers. In this study, we investigated variations in the structural covariance network properties of 441 patients with ASD ranging in age from 7 to 45 years and in 426 age‐matched
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Utility of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the Brief Observation of Social and Communication Change for Measuring Outcomes for a Parent‐Mediated Early Autism Intervention Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2020-12-04 Sophie Carruthers, Tony Charman, Nicole El Hawi, Young Ah Kim, Rachel Randle, Catherine Lord, Andrew Pickles
Measuring outcomes for autistic children following social communication interventions is an ongoing challenge given the heterogeneous changes, which can be subtle. We tested and compared the overall and item‐level intervention effects of the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS‐2) algorithm, and ADOS‐2 Calibrated Severity Scores (CSS)
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Early Pandemic Experiences of Autistic Adults: Predictors of Psychological Distress Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-08 Vanessa H. Bal, Ellen Wilkinson, L. Casey White, J. Kiely Law, , Pamela Feliciano, Wendy K. Chung
The COVID‐19 pandemic has disrupted lives around the world. Autistic adults are at higher risk for co‐occurring medical and psychiatric conditions and may be more prone to difficulties adapting to pandemic‐related changes and social distancing mandates and coping with ongoing uncertainties. On the other hand, the pandemic may lead to greater understanding and acceptance of accommodations in the broader
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Differential Item Functioning Based on Autism Features, IQ, and Age on the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) Among Youth on the Autism Spectrum Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-05 Hillary K. Schiltz, Brooke E. Magnus
Anxiety commonly occurs among youth on the autism spectrum, yet measurement of anxiety in this population is complicated by a number of factors, including potentially overlapping symptomatology, the child's intellectual functioning, and changes in anxiety across development. Moreover, few studies have examined the psychometric properties of anxiety measures in this population, and no study to date
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Atypical Head Movement during Face‐to‐Face Interaction in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-02-02 Zhong Zhao, Zhipeng Zhu, Xiaobin Zhang, Haiming Tang, Jiayi Xing, Xinyao Hu, Jianping Lu, Qiongling Peng, Xingda Qu
The present study implemented an objective head pose tracking technique—OpenFace 2.0 to quantify the three dimensional head movement. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typical development (TD) were engaged in a structured conversation with an interlocutress while wearing an eye tracker. We computed the head movement stereotypy with multiscale entropy analysis. In addition, the head rotation
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Autism Research: Thank You to Our 2020 Reviewers Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-01-29
Autism Research relies on the autism research community to provide careful reviews of submitted manuscripts. The journal endeavors to publish the highest quality papers and is only able to publish a fraction of the submissions received. We depend on peer review from experts in the field to establish the priority of submitted papers. We understand that reviewing a paper is an added burden on everyone's
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Heart Rate Variability in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Associations With Medication and Symptom Severity Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2020-11-22 Rinku Thapa, Izabella Pokorski, Zahava Ambarchi, Emma Thomas, Marilena Demayo, Kelsie Boulton, Slade Matthews, Shrujna Patel, Indra Sedeli, Ian B. Hickie, Adam J. Guastella
Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) is considered a common marker of autonomic dysfunction that contributes to poor health outcomes. While some studies have suggested that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show reduced HRV, research is yet to consider whether this may be associated with medication use and symptom severity. This study examined the relationship between resting state HRV
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Camouflaging in Autism: Examining Sex‐Based and Compensatory Models in Social Cognition and Communication Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2020-11-21 Blythe A. Corbett, Jessica M. Schwartzman, Erin J. Libsack, Rachael A. Muscatello, Matthew D. Lerner, Grace L. Simmons, Susan W. White
Camouflaging refers to behavioral adaptations that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), especially females, use to mask symptoms during social situations. Compensation is a component of camouflaging in which an individual's observed behavior is considerably better than actual ability. The study explored diagnostic, sex‐based, and compensatory differences using the Contextual Assessment
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Sex Differences in Gender‐Diverse Expressions and Identities among Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2020-12-07 Ludivine Brunissen, Eli Rapoport, Katarzyna Chawarska, Andrew Adesman
A growing body of evidence supports a potential link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and gender dysphoria, yet few studies have looked at sex differences in the co‐occurrence of gender diversity and ASD. The aim of this study was to characterize sex differences in gender‐diverse expressions and identities, as well as gender‐related concerns, in youth with ASD. Parents of youth with ASD ages
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Do Biological Sex and Early Developmental Milestones Predict the Age of First Concerns and Eventual Diagnosis in Autism Spectrum Disorder? Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2020-12-04 Clare Harrop, Erin Libsack, Raphael Bernier, Mirella Dapretto, Allison Jack, James C. McPartland, John D. Van Horn, Sara J. Webb, Kevin Pelphrey
Despite advances in early detection, the average age of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis exceeds 4 years and is often later in females. In typical development, biological sex predicts inter‐individual variation across multiple developmental milestones, with females often exhibiting earlier progression. The goal of this study was to examine sex differences in caregiver‐reported developmental
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Emotion Dysregulation is Substantially Elevated in Autism Compared to the General Population: Impact on Psychiatric Services Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2020-12-08 Caitlin M. Conner, Josh Golt, Rebecca Shaffer, Giulia Righi, Matthew Siegel, Carla A. Mazefsky
Emerging evidence suggests that emotion regulation (ER) impairment in those with ASD is associated with poor mental health. This study used the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory, a new norm‐referenced ER measure with clinical cut‐offs, developed and validated in ASD and non‐ASD samples, to establish rates of ER impairment and understand its association with psychiatric service use in ASD. Parents of
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Motor Impairment Increases in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder as a Function of Social Communication, Cognitive and Functional Impairment, Repetitive Behavior Severity, and Comorbid Diagnoses: A SPARK Study Report Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2020-12-09 Anjana N. Bhat
Eighty‐seven percent of a large sample of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk for motor impairment (Bhat, Physical Therapy, 2020, 100, 633–644). In spite of the high prevalence for motor impairment in children with ASD, it is not considered among the diagnostic criteria or specifiers within DSM‐V. In this article, we analyzed the SPARK study dataset (n = 13,887) to examine associations
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Association between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Food Allergy: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2020-12-08 Lei Wang, Weimin Shen, Hao Yao, Rongying Zheng, Wenshu Chen, Weixi Zhang
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and food allergy (FA) are global public health problems. Several studies have explored the association between ASD and FA, but the conclusions were inconsistent. The aim of this review was to evaluate the relationship between ASD and FA. The PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to February 2, 2020. Studies investigating the association
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Phonetic Inflexibility in Autistic Adults Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-01-23 Mikhail Kissine, Philippine Geelhand, Marie Philippart De Foy, Bernard Harmegnies, Gaétane Deliens
This study examined whether the atypical speech style that is frequently reported in autistic adults is underpinned by an inflexible production of phonetic targets. In a first task, 20 male autistic adults and 20 neuro‐typicals had to read and produce native vowels. To assess the extent to which phonetic inflexibility is due to an overall fine‐grained control of phonetic behavior or to a lack of flexibility
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A Data Driven Approach Reveals That Anomalous Motor System Connectivity is Associated With the Severity of Core Autism Symptoms Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-01-22 Daniel E. Lidstone, Rebecca Rochowiak, Stewart H. Mostofsky, Mary Beth Nebel
This study examined whether disruptions in connectivity involving regions critical for learning, planning, and executing movements are relevant to core autism symptoms. Spatially constrained ICA was performed using resting‐state fMRI from 419 children (autism spectrum disorder (ASD) = 105; typically developing (TD) = 314) to identify functional motor subdivisions. Comparing the spatial organization
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Understanding the Effects of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions: A Project AIM Meta‐analysis Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-01-22 Jenna E. Crank, Micheal Sandbank, Kacie Dunham, Shannon Crowley, Kristen Bottema‐Beutel, Jacob Feldman, Tiffany G. Woynaroski
We examined the quality of evidence supporting the effects of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NBDIs) for facilitating change in young children with autism. We also investigated whether effects varied as a function of specific features of the intervention, samples, and outcomes measured. Twenty‐seven studies testing the effects of NDBIs were extracted from data collected for the
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Identification of UBE3A Protein in CSF and Extracellular Space of the Hippocampus Suggest a Potential Novel Function in Synaptic Plasticity Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-01-20 Andie Dodge, Jonathan Willman, Matthew Willman, Austin W. Nenninger, Nicole K. Morrill, Kristina Lamens, Hayden Greene, Edwin J. Weeber, Kevin R. Nash
Disruptions to the maternally inherited allele UBE3A, encoding for an E3 ubiquitin ligase, leads to the manifestation of Angelman Syndrome (AS). While this disorder is rare, the symptoms are severe and lifelong including but not limited to: intractable seizures, abnormal EEG's, ataxic gait, lack of speech, and most notably an abnormally happy demeanor with easily provoked laughter. Currently, little
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Parent‐reported Autism Diagnostic Stability and Trajectories in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-01-14 Tamara May, Amanda Brignell, Katrina Williams
This study aimed to explore the stability of parent‐reported diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and factors influencing the trajectories in two cohorts from the prospective Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Parent‐reported ASD diagnosis was collected for children from 6 years of age in a Birth cohort and 10 years of age in a Kinder cohort; allowing for exploration of diagnostic
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The Relationship Between Developmental Coordination Disorder and Concurrent Deficits in Social Communication and Repetitive Behaviors Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-01-09 Leah R. Ketcheson, E. Andrew Pitchford, Chandler F. Wentz
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), characterized by core deficits in social communication and restrictive behaviors, can exhibit concurrent motor incoordination and/or intellectual disability (ID). While pervasive delays in motor behavior are common, formal diagnosis of Development Coordination Disorder (DCD) is uncommon. It is not clear how DCD and ID impact core deficits in ASD. This study
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Executive Function Skills Are Linked to Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors: Three Correlational Meta Analyses Autism Res. (IF 3.727) Pub Date : 2021-01-06 Rebecca Kvisler Iversen, Charlie Lewis
There is a consensus on the centrality of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) in the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), yet the origins of these behaviors are still debated. We reconsider whether executive function (EF) accounts of RRBs should be revisited. EF deficits and high levels of RRBs are often pronounced in individuals with ASD and are also prevalent in young typically developing
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