Asperger's Syndrome Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Asperger's Syndrome, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, medication. | ||||||
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Developmental profiles in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders referred for intervention.Fernell E, Hedvall A, Norrelgen F, Eriksson M, Höglund-Carlsson L, Barnevik-Olsson M, Svensson L, Holm A, Westerlund J, Gillberg C Autism Centre for Young Children, Handicap and Habilitation and Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden; Unit of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Skaraborg's Hospital, Mariestad and FoU Centre, Skövde, Sweden; Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The aim was to characterize the panorama of developmental disorders in 208 preschool children with a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), referred to a specialized centre, the Autism Centre for Young Children (ACYC), for intervention. At the centre, a research team examined all children according to structured protocols and interviews. All available test data from their assessments prior to referral were scrutinized. The boy:girl ratio was 5.5:1. In 22% of the total group a period of regression, including speech and language, had occurred. Epilepsy had been diagnosed in 6% of the children. In 38% of the children there was a definite or highly suspected learning disability/mental retardation according to cognitive test results. About the same proportion had a developmental delay that at the time of assessment could not be definitely classified and in 23% there were clear indications of a normal intellectual function. About 40% of the group exhibited hyperactivity. Differences in expressive vocabulary and adaptive functioning were strongly related to cognitive level. About 20% of the group had AD as the dominating developmental disorder, i.e., they represented a clinical picture of "classic" autism. The majority in this group also had learning disability. Another 20%, had ASD combined with a normal intellectual level, some of these conformed to the clinical picture of Asperger syndrome. In a relatively large group (more than half) learning disability or a general developmental delay was as evident as the ASD. In a smaller group (8%) ASD criteria were questionably met. In this group attention deficits in connection with speech and language problems were prominent. The highly individual developmental profiles seen in children with ASDs have to be taken into account when planning intervention and follow-up. The children's medical characteristics also vary considerably and will be detailed in a further report. Published 8 March 2010 in Res Dev Disabil. Articles on Asperger's Syndrome published 3 March 2010: Promoting social behavior with oxytocin in high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 107(9): 4389-94. Social adaptation requires specific cognitive and emotional competences. Individuals with high-functioning autism or with Asperger syndrome cannot understand or engage in social situations despite preserved intellectual abilities. Recently, it has been suggested that oxytocin, a hormone known to promote mother-infant bonds, may be implicated in the social deficit of autism. We investigated the behavioral effects of oxytocin in 13 subjects with autism. In a simulated ball game where participants ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Articles on Asperger's Syndrome published 2 March 2010: Multirater Congruence on the Social Skills Assessment of Children with Asperger Syndrome: Self, Mother, Father, and Teacher Ratings. J Autism Dev Disord. Children with Asperger Syndrome (AS) who attend mainstream settings face social skills deficits that have not been adequately explored. This study aims to examine social skills through self-reports of children with AS (N = 21) and a matched group of typically developing peers, as well as reports from their mothers, fathers, and teachers. Results showed that children with AS had more social skills deficits according to all raters and that they reported more aggressiveness/antisocial behavior, ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Articles on Asperger's Syndrome published 1 March 2010: Cholinergic Abnormalities in Autism: Is There a Rationale for Selective Nicotinic Agonist Interventions? Clin Neuropharmacol. The core dysfunctions of autism spectrum disorders, which include autistic disorder, Asperger disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, include deficits in socialization and communication and a need for the preservation of "sameness;" intellectual impairment and epilepsy are common comorbidities. Data suggest that pathological involvement of cholinergic nuclei and altered expression of acetylcholine receptors, particularly nicotinic acetylcholine ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Articles on Asperger's Syndrome published 26 February 2010: Evidence for the involvement of genetic variation in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) in the etiology of autistic disorders on high-functioning level. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet, 153(2): 629-39. An increasing number of animal studies advert to a substantial role of the neuropeptide oxytocin in the regulation of social attachment and affiliation. Furthermore, animal studies showed anxiety and stress-reduced effects of oxytocin. First human studies confirm these findings in animal studies and implicate a crucial role of oxytocin in human social attachment behavior and in social interactions. Thus, the oxytocin system might be involved in the impairment of social interaction and ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Articles on Asperger's Syndrome published 24 February 2010: Autobiographical memory, autonoetic consciousness, and identity in Asperger syndrome. Neuropsychologia, 48(4): 900-8. Previous results from research on individuals with Asperger syndrome (AS) suggest a diminished ability for recalling episodic autobiographical memory (AM). The primary aim of this study was to explore autobiographical memory in individuals with Asperger syndrome and specifically to investigate whether memories in those with AS are characterized by fewer episodic 'remembered' events (due to a deficit in autonoetic consciousness). A further aim was to examine whether such changes in AM might also ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Articles on Asperger's Syndrome published 23 February 2010: Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders Associated with Asperger Syndrome/High-functioning Autism: A Community- and Clinic-based Study. J Autism Dev Disord. The present study identifies the prevalence and types of comorbid psychiatric disorders associated with Asperger syndrome (AS)/high-functioning autism (HFA) in a combined community- and clinic-based sample of fifty 9- to 16-year-old subjects using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children, Present and Lifetime Version. The level of functioning was estimated using the Children's Global Assessment Scale. The results support common (prevalence 74%) and often ... [Abstract] [Full-text] The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders: impact of diagnostic instrument and non-response bias. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 45(3): 319-27. BACKGROUND: A large part of the variability in rates of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) across studies is non-aetiologic, and can be explained by differences in diagnostic criteria, case-finding method, and other issues of study design. AIM: To investigate the effects on ASD prevalence of two methodological issues; non-response bias and case ascertainment. We compared the findings of using a semi-structured parent interview versus in-depth clinical assessment, including an ASD specific ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Articles on Asperger's Syndrome published 22 February 2010: Asperger syndrome in adolescent and young adult males. Interview, self- and parent assessment of social, emotional, and cognitive problems. Res Dev Disabil, 31(2): 287-98. Descriptive and comparative follow-up studies of young adult males with Asperger syndrome (AS) diagnosed in childhood, using both interview, self- and parent assessment instruments for the study of aspects of emotional well-being, social functioning, and cognitive-practical skills have not been performed in the past. One-hundred males with AS diagnosed in childhood were approached for the assessment using the Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Interview (ASDI), (personal and parent interview), the ... [Abstract] [Full-text] © 2004-2010 Asperger's Syndrome Research Today. All Rights Reserved. |
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