Review
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Chaxiong Pang, Adele F. Dimian, Jason J. Wolff
Summary: Early differences in restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) are evident in autistic children before the age of 2, including differences in frequency and intensity. The relationship between early RRB and functional outcomes is mixed, and the level of RRB is unrelated to autism severity in young autistic children. Various types of RRB, such as repetitive motor behaviors, atypical sensory behaviors, insistence on sameness, and self-injurious behaviors, can be observed in autistic children during the first years of life. Early RRB might be valuable for early screening efforts.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Xin-Jie Xu, Ji-Dong Lang, Jun Yang, Bo Long, Xu-Dong Liu, Xiao-Feng Zeng, Geng Tian, Xin You
Summary: This study found altered immune function and gut microbiota in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and the severity of autistic symptoms was higher in the high IFN-gamma group. Analysis of gut microbiota revealed overrepresentation of certain bacterial species and underrepresentation of others in the high IFN-gamma group. The results suggest that IFN-gamma level could serve as a potential biomarker to subtype ASD individuals and understanding the associations among immune function, gut microbiota, and metabolism abnormalities could lead to personalized biomedical treatment for ASD.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Diane Seguin, Sara Pac, Jianan Wang, Rob Nicolson, Julio Martinez-Trujillo, Emma G. Duerden
Summary: This study investigated the amygdala subnuclei development in adolescents with ASD and found that they had larger basolateral amygdala volumes compared to typically-developing adolescents. The growth of amygdala subnuclei was associated with ASD symptomatology, indicating potential implications for interventions in adolescents with ASD, especially in social communication skills.
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Julio Plaza-Diaz, Katherine Flores-Rojas, Maria Jose de la Torre-Aguilar, Antonio Rafael Gomez-Fernandez, Pilar Martin-Borreguero, Juan Luis Perez-Navero, Angel Gil, Mercedes Gil-Campos
Summary: Children with ASD exhibit dietary patterns characterized by high energy and fat intake, low intake of vegetables and fruits, and frequent consumption of processed foods with poor nutritional quality, such as beverages, sweets, snacks, and bakery products. Their meat and dairy intake is associated with increased consumption of fish, grains, and pasta. Nutrient adequacy comparisons show higher intake for energy, saturated fat, calcium, and vitamin C, but lower intake for iron, iodine, and B group vitamins in children with ASD compared to control children. This study emphasizes the importance of assessing dietary patterns and nutrient intake in children with ASD to address nutritional deficiencies and prevent potential health issues.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Paulina Gatarek, Joanna Kaluzna-Czaplinska
Summary: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are associated with metabolic and nutritional abnormalities. Supplementation was found to affect the levels of HVA and VMA, and potentially influence the behavior of children with ASD. Further research on the effects of supplementation on these metabolites and their impact on ASD children's levels, behavior, and physical symptoms is needed.
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Isabella S. Kaestel, Leonora Vllasaliu, Sophia Wellnitz, Hannah Cholemkery, Christine M. Freitag, Nico Bast
Summary: The study examined the psychometric properties of the German version of RBS-R in 948 participants aged 4 to 17 with ASD, ID, MD, and TD, finding good internal consistency, external validity, as well as group, age, and sex effects.
JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Payal Chakraborty, Kimberly L. H. Carpenter, Samantha Major, Megan Deaver, Saritha Vermeer, Brianna Herold, Lauren Franz, Jill Howard, Geraldine Dawson
Summary: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder are more likely to experience gastrointestinal abnormalities, which can exacerbate repetitive behaviors. However, social and communication difficulties are not significantly associated with gastrointestinal symptoms.
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Aaron J. Myers, Elizabeth Cleveland, Peggy J. Schaefer Whitby, Allison Ames Boykin, Karan Burnette, Renee Holmes, Nnamdi Ezike
Summary: The effectiveness of a statewide Medicaid program providing in-home Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention services to young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder was evaluated using the ABLLS-R. Variations were found among children's initial scores and growth trajectories, with Hispanic children showing lower initial scores but similar growth compared to non-Hispanic peers. Older children at program start had higher initial composite scores and growth trajectories, while children in more populous counties had higher initial scores but similar growth rates to those in more rural counties.
JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kerstin Meints, Victoria L. Brelsford, Mirena Dimolareva, Laetitia Marechal, Kyla Pennington, Elise Rowan, Nancy R. Gee
Summary: Prolonged or excessive stress has negative effects on learning, behavior, and health. To alleviate stress in school children, stressors should be reduced and effective interventions provided. Animal-assisted interventions, such as dog-assisted interventions, have shown to reduce stress and support learning and wellbeing in children.
Article
Psychiatry
Alan Patricio da Silva, Italla Maria Pinheiro Bezerra, Thaiany Pedrozo Campos Antunes, Matheus Paiva Emidio Cavalcanti, Luiz Carlos de Abreu
Summary: This study observed 16 children diagnosed with ASD who received ABA-based treatment, and found that there were improvements in their skill performance during the treatment period.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stefanie Grabrucker, Jessica Pagano, Johanna Schweizer, Carolina Urrutia-Ruiz, Michael Schoen, Kevin Thome, Guenter Ehret, Andreas M. Grabrucker, Rong Zhang, Bastian Hengerer, Juergen Bockmann, Chiara Verpelli, Carlo Sala, Tobias M. Boeckers
Summary: Shank2 deficiency in mice leads to a lack of social bonding behavior towards pups, but enhancing activity in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus can restore social bonding behavior.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maryam Rezaei, Azam Rezaei, Aliakbar Esmaeili, Samaneh Nakhaee, Nemam Ali Azadi, Borhan Mansouri
Summary: This study investigated the associations between the risk of ASD development in children and exposure to trace elements, finding that certain trace elements showed significantly higher levels among ASD children.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Tianbi Li, Yewei Li, Yixiao Hu, Yuyin Wang, Cheuk Man Lam, Wei Ni, Xueqin Wang, Li Yi
Summary: Previous studies have found that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show atypical visual preferences to repetitive movements and deficient perception of biological movements. This current study further investigated the heterogeneity of visual preferences within the ASD group, revealing that while the majority preferred repetitive movements, a significant portion preferred biological movements. These visual preferences were also correlated with autistic symptoms, particularly socio-communicative impairments, indicating the complexity of visual attention in individuals with ASD.
Review
Psychology, Developmental
Maria Carmen Gallardo-Carrasco, Jose Antonio Jimenez-Barbero, Maria del Mar Bravo-Pastor, David Martin-Castillo, Maria Sanchez-Munoz
Summary: The deficiency of vitamin and fatty acids in children diagnosed with autism may be related to the etiology and course of the disease. A review of 20 studies found lower levels of vitamin D in children with ASD compared to the control group. It is suggested that the nutritional status of patients diagnosed with ASD should be taken into account for potential improvement in the course of the disease.
JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Abagail Hennessy, Diane Seguin, Susana Correa, Jianan Wang, Julio C. Martinez-Trujillo, Rob Nicolson, Emma G. Duerden
Summary: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have higher levels of anxiety, which may be associated with alterations in amygdala structure, specifically the basal and paralaminar nuclei. These findings highlight the importance of studying the specific subnuclei of the amygdala in relation to anxiety in ASD.
