The Short-Term Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Electroencephalography in Children with Autism: A Randomized Crossover Controlled Trial Discrimination of temporal synchrony in intermodal events by children with autism and children with developmental disabilities without autism. Examining the intertwined development of prosocial skills and ASD symptoms in adolescence Impact of comorbid autism spectrum disorders on stimulant response in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a retrospective and prospective effectiveness study. Anatomical differences in the mirror neuron system and social cognition network in autism. A randomized, placebo controlled trial of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of young children with autism A Virtual Week study of prospective memory function in autism spectrum disorders. Clinical assessment of autism in high-risk 18-month-olds A two-year prospective follow-up study of community-based early intensive behavioural intervention and specialist nursery provision for children with autism spectrum disorders. Slipped lips: onset asynchrony detection of auditory-visual language in autism. Cluster Randomized Trial of the Classroom SCERTS Intervention for Elementary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder Two to Ten Years: Developmental Trajectories of Joint Attention in Children With ASD Who Received Targeted Social Communication Interventions Sleep behaviors and sleep quality in children with autism spectrum disorders. Audiovisual speech integration and lipreading in autism. A systematic review of peer-mediated interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder. A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of Oral N-Acetylcysteine in Children with Autism A prospective study of autistic-like traits in unaffected siblings of probands with autism spectrum disorder.
Abnormal synaptic maturation and connectivity are possible etiologies of autism . Previous studies showed significantly less alpha activity in autism than normal children . Therefore , we studied the effects of anodal tDCS on peak alpha frequency ( PAF ) related to autism treatment evaluation checklist ( ATEC ) . Twenty male children with autism were r and omly assigned in a crossover design to receive a single session of both active and sham tDCS stimulation ( 11 mA ) over F3 ( left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex ) . Pre- to postsession changes in a measure of cortical activity impacted by tDCS ( PAF ) and ATEC were compared between groups . We also examined the associations between pre- and postsession changes in the PAF and ATEC . The results show significant pre- to postsession improvements in two domains of ATEC ( social and health/behavior domains ) following active tDCS , relative to sham treatment . PAF also significantly increased at the stimulation site , and an increase in PAF was significantly associated with improvements in the two domains of ATEC impacted by tDCS . The findings suggest that a single session of anodal tDCS over the F3 may have clinical benefits in children with autism and that those benefits may be related to an increase in PAF BACKGROUND This project examined the intermodal perception of temporal synchrony in 16 young children ( ages 4 to 6 years ) with autism compared to a group of children without impairments matched on adaptive age , and a group of children with other developmental disabilities matched on chronological and adaptive age . METHOD A preferential looking paradigm was used , where participants viewed non-linguistic , simple linguistic or complex linguistic events on two screens displaying identical video tracks , but one offset from the other by 3 seconds , and with the single audio track matched to only one of the displays . RESULTS As predicted , both comparison groups demonstrated significant non-r and om preferential looking to violations of temporal synchrony with linguistic and non-linguistic stimuli . However , the group with autism showed an impaired , chance level of responding , except when presented with non-linguistic stimuli . CONCLUSIONS Several explanations are offered for this apparently autism-specific , language -specific pattern of responding to temporal synchrony , and potential developmental sequelae are discussed Autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) and reduced prosocial behaviour are strongly intertwined . However , social interactions with peers may be increasingly practice d over the course of development and may instigate a reduction in ASD symptoms and vice versa . We , therefore , sought to determine if , during adolescence , possible improvements in prosocial behaviours and ASD symptoms may benefit one another over time . Participants were 2773 adolescents from the Tracking Adolescents ’ Individual Lives Survey ( TRAILS ) cohorts . Measurements took place over three waves ( mean ages : 11.1 , 13.4 , and 16.2 years ) . Longitudinal associations between teacher-rated classroom prosocial skills and parent-rated ASD symptoms were examined using the r and om intercept cross-lagged panel model ( RI-CLPM ) . In addition to estimating the stable , between-person associations , the dynamical effects between prosocial skills and ASD symptoms over time were estimated at the within-person level . At the between-person level , prosocial skills and ASD symptoms were substantially negatively correlated . At the within-person level , a small and unexpected positive cross-lagged effect from wave 1 ASD symptoms on wave 2 prosocial skills was observed . We added to the existing literature by showing that , in addition to replicating the already firmly established between-person association between low prosocial skills and ASD , within-person gains in prosocial skills do not lead to subsequent reduction of ASD symptoms , and reductions in ASD symptoms do not lead to subsequent enhancement of prosocial skills . We , therefore , conclude from our findings that the inverse association between autistic symptoms and prosocial skills in adolescence is highly stable BACKGROUND In the recent past , psychiatrists and paediatricians have avoided prescribing stimulant medication , such as methylpheni date and dexamphetamine to patients with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) because of both doubts about efficacy and concern that these medications make stereotypies worse . Recently , a number of small trials have suggested that methypheni date does have a role in the management of hyperactivity in children with autistic spectrum disorders . METHODS Children with ASD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) , and children with ADHD without ASD received st and ard treatment with methypheni date from one specialist centre . A combination of st and ardized and novel outcome tools was used to allow both an exploratory retrospective study of 174 children and then a prospect i ve study of a further 52 children to be carried out . RESULTS After treatment with stimulants , the subjects in both groups showed statistically significant improvements in target symptoms of ' hyperactivity ' , ' impulsivity ' , ' inattention ' , ' oppositionality ' , ' aggression ' and ' intermittent explosive rage ' . The Clinical Global Impression-Improvement and efficacy index measures also improved in each group . In both the retrospective and the prospect i ve studies , there was no statistically significant difference in the degree of improvements between each group . Importantly , neither tics nor repetitive behaviours worsened in either group . Children in the ' ADHD-only ' group who were prescribed stimulants experienced significant ' nausea ' , ' giddiness ' , ' headaches ' and ' sleep difficulties ' , whereas sleep difficulties were the only side effect that emerged in children in the ASD with ADHD group . CONCLUSIONS Both studies presented here support previous findings from smaller studies that show children with autism and ADHD can respond as well to stimulants as children with ADHD alone . Although r and omized controlled trials remain the gold st and ard for efficacy studies , systems like this that allow clinicians to continue rigorous and consistent monitoring for many years have a valuable role to play . Furthermore , such monitoring systems which now exist electronically can easily accumulate large data sets and reveal details about long-term effectiveness and long-term side effects of medication that are unlikely to be discovered in short-term trials Autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with impaired social and emotional skills , the anatomical substrate of which is still unknown . In this study , we compared a group of 14 high-functioning ASD adults with a group of controls matched for sex , age , intelligence quotient , and h and edness . We used an automated technique of analysis that accurately measures the thickness of the cerebral cortex and generates cross-subject statistics in a coordinate system based on cortical anatomy . We found local decreases of gray matter in the ASD group in areas belonging to the mirror neuron system ( MNS ) , argued to be the basis of empathic behavior . Cortical thinning of the MNS was correlated with ASD symptom severity . Cortical thinning was also observed in areas involved in emotion recognition and social cognition . These findings suggest that the social and emotional deficits characteristic of autism may reflect abnormal thinning of the MNS and the broader network of cortical areas subserving social cognition Background Autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting more than 1 % of children . It is characterized by social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors/restricted interests . In the absence of any medications known to improve core symptom domains , parents often use complementary alternative treatments , including omega-3 fatty acid supplements . Methods We conducted a 6-month , r and omized , placebo controlled trial of omega-3 fatty acid supplements ( 1.5 g ) vs placebo in children 2 to 5 years of age with ASD . Primary outcome measures included the autism composite score of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders Behavioral Inventory ( PDDBI ) and the externalizing problems score of the Behavior Assessment System for Children ( BASC-2 ) . Secondary outcome measures included clinical global improvement ( Clinical Global Impression-Improvement ( CGI-I ) ) , adaptive function ( Vinel and Adaptive Behavior Scale ( VABS-II ) ) , and language gains ( Preschool Language Scale ( PLS-4 ) ) , as well as safety . Exploratory analysis investigated potential correlations between changes in cytokine profiles and treatment response . Results Thirty-eight participants were r and omized in a 1:1 fashion . There was no significant difference between groups on the 0- to 24-week change in PDDBI autism composite scores ( p = 0.5 ) . There was a significant group by week interaction on the BASC-2 externalizing problem score , with participants r and omized to the treatment group demonstrating worsening scores ( p = 0.02 ) . There was no statistically significant week by group effect on either adaptive function ( p = 0.09 ) or language ( p = 0.6 ) . Omega-3s were relatively well tolerated . Changes in cytokines during the study did not significantly correlate with treatment response . Conclusions This study does not support high dose supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids in young children with ASD.Trial registration Clinical trials.gov NCT01248728 . Registered 22 November 2010 Prospect i ve memory ( PM ) refers to the implementation of delayed intentions , a cognitive ability that plays a critical role in daily life because of its involvement in goal -directed behavior and consequently the development and maintenance of independence . Emerging evidence indicates that PM may be disrupted in autism spectrum disorders ( ASDs ) , potentially contributing to the functional difficulties that characterize this group . However , the degree , nature , and specificity of ASD-related impairment remains poorly understood . In the current study , children between 8 and 12 years of age who were diagnosed with ASDs ( n=30 ) were compared with typically developing children ( n=30 ) on a child-appropriate version of the Virtual Week board game . This measure provides an opportunity to investigate the different sorts of PM failures that occur . The ASD group showed significant PM impairment on measures of time-based ( but not event-based ) prospect i ve remembering . However , only a subtle difference emerged between regular and irregular PM tasks , and group differences were consistent across these tasks . Because regular and irregular tasks differentially load retrospective memory , these data imply that the PM difficulties seen in ASDs may primarily reflect a monitoring deficit and not an encoding and memory storage deficit . PM performance was poorer under conditions of high ongoing task absorption , but the magnitude of this effect did not vary as a function of group . In both groups , time-based ( but not event-based ) PM difficulties were associated with functional outcomes in daily life , but only an inconsistent association with executive control emerged Earlier intervention improves outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorders ( ASDs ) , but existing identification tools are at the limits of st and ardization with 18-month-olds . We assessed potential behavioural markers of ASD at 18 months in a high-risk cohort of infant siblings of children with ASD . Prospect i ve data were collected using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule ( ADOS ) and Autism Observation Scale for Infants ( AOSI ) on 155 infant siblings and 73 low-risk controls at 18 months . Infants were classified into three groups ( ASD sibs , non-ASD sibs , controls ) based on blind best-estimate diagnosis at age 3 . Fisher 's exact tests , followed by discriminant function analyses , revealed that the majority of informative ADOS items came from the social and behavioural domains , and AOSI items measuring behavioural reactivity and motor control contributed additional information . Findings highlight the importance of considering not only social-communication deficits , but also basic dimensions of temperament including state regulation and motor control when assessing toddlers with suspected ASD BACKGROUND This prospect i ve study compared outcome for pre-school children with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) receiving autism-specific nursery provision or home-based Early Intensive Behavioural Interventions ( EIBI ) in a community setting . METHODS Forty-four 23- to 53-month-old children with ASD participated ( 28 in EIBI home-based programmes ; 16 in autism-specific nurseries ) . Cognitive , language , play , adaptive behaviour skills and severity of autism were assessed at intake and 2 years later . RESULTS Both groups showed improvements in age equivalent scores but st and ard scores changed little over time . At follow-up , there were no significant group differences in cognitive ability , language , play or severity of autism . The only difference approaching significance ( p = .06 ) , in favour of the EIBI group , was for Vinel and Daily Living Skills st and ard scores . However , there were large individual differences in progress , with intake IQ and language level best predicting overall progress . CONCLUSIONS Home-based EIBI , as implemented in the community , and autism-specific nursery provision produced comparable outcomes after two years of intervention BACKGROUND It has frequently been suggested that individuals with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) have deficits in auditory-visual ( AV ) sensory integration . Studies of language integration have mostly used non-word syllables presented in congruent and incongruent AV combinations and demonstrated reduced influence of visual speech in individuals with ASD . The aim of our study was to test whether adolescents with high-functioning autism are able to integrate AV information of meaningful , phrase-length language in a task of onset asynchrony detection . METHODS Participants were 25 adolescents with ASD and 25 typically developing ( TD ) controls . The stimuli were video clips of complete phrases using simple , commonly occurring words . The clips were digitally manipulated to have the video precede the corresponding audio by 0 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 , 12 , or 14 video frames , a range of 0 - 500ms . Participants were shown the video clips in r and om order and asked to indicate whether each clip was in-synch or not . RESULTS There were no differences between adolescents with ASD and their TD peers in accuracy of onset asynchrony detection at any slip rate . CONCLUSION These data indicate that adolescents with ASD are able to integrate auditory and visual components in a task of onset asynchrony detection using natural , phrase-length language stimuli . We propose that the meaningful nature of the language stimuli in combination with presentation in a non-distracting environment allowed adolescents with autism spectrum disorder to demonstrate preserved accuracy for bi-modal AV integration Objective : This cluster r and omized trial ( CRT ) evaluated the efficacy of the Classroom Social , Communication , Emotional Regulation , and Transactional Support ( SCERTS ) Intervention ( CSI ) compared with usual school-based education with autism training modules ( ATM ) . Method : Sixty schools with 197 students with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) in 129 classrooms were r and omly assigned to CSI or ATM .  Mean student age was 6.79 years ( SD 1.05 ) and 81.2 % were male . CSI teachers were trained on the model and provided coaching throughout the school year to assist with implementation . A CRT , with students nested within general and special education classrooms nested within schools , was used to evaluate student outcomes . Results : The CSI group showed significantly better outcomes than the ATM group on observed measures of classroom active engagement with respect to social interaction . The CSI group also had significantly better outcomes on measures of adaptive communication , social skills , and executive functioning with Cohen ’s d effect sizes ranging from 0.31 to 0.45 . Conclusion : These findings support the preliminary efficacy of CSI , a classroom-based , teacher-implemented intervention for improving active engagement , adaptive communication , social skills , executive functioning , and problem behavior within a heterogeneous sample of students with ASD . This makes a significant contribution to the literature by demonstrating efficacy of a classroom-based teacher-implemented intervention with a heterogeneous group of students with ASD using both observed and reported measures This study follows 40 children who were participants in a r and omized controlled early intervention trial ( Kasari et al. ) from early childhood ( 2–5 years of age ) to elementary school age ( 8–10 years ) . To fully utilize the available longitudinal data , the general linear mixed model was the primary analytical approach . The growth trajectories of joint attention skills ( pointing , coordinated joint looking , and showing ) and expressive language outcomes in these children were estimated based on five time points during the measurement period . The children were grouped by diagnosis at the last follow‐up ( autism , autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) , no diagnosis ) and by their original treatment group assignment ( joint attention , symbolic play , control ) , and differences between these groups were evaluated . Results showed that joint attention skills of coordinated joint looking and showing increased over time , and pointing to share interest increased over the first year measured and decreased thereafter . These trajectories were influenced by both original treatment assignment and diagnostic status at follow‐up . In addition , a cross‐lagged panel analysis revealed a causal relationship between early pointing and later language development . This study highlights the longitudinal and developmental importance of measures of early core deficits in autism , and suggests that both treatment and ASD symptomatology may influence growth in these skills over time . Autism Res 2014 , 7 : 207–215 . © 2014 International Society for Autism Research , Wiley Periodicals , STUDY OBJECTIVES ( 1 ) Compare sleep behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) with sleep behaviors of typically developing ( TD ) children using the Children 's Sleep Habits Question naire ( CSHQ ) ; ( 2 ) compare sleep quality --defined as mean activity , sleep latency , number of awakenings , sleep efficiency and total sleep time -- of the cohort of children with ASD and TD , as measured by 10 nights of actigraphy ; and ( 3 ) estimate the prevalence of sleep disturbances in the ASD and TD cohorts . DESIGN Descriptive cross-sectional study . SETTING The Children 's Hospital of Philadelphia . PARTICIPANTS R and omly selected children from the Regional Autism Center . The ASD cohort of 59 children , aged 4 to 10 years , ( 26 with autism , 21 with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified [ PDD-NOS ] , and 12 with Asperger disorder ) were compared with 40 TD control subjects . MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS The  CSHQ  ,  sleep diaries  , and 10 nights of actigraphy  using the Sadeh algorithm of children with ASD and TD control subjects were compared . CSHQ showed 66.1 % of parents of children with ASD ( 62.5 % autism , 76.2 % PDD-NOS , 58.3 % Asperger disorder ) and 45 % of parents of the control subjects reported that their children had sleep problems . Actigraphic data showed that 66.7 % of children with ASD ( 75 % autism , 52.4 % PDD-NOS , 75 % Asperger disorder ) and 45.9 % of the control subjects had disturbed sleep . CONCLUSIONS The prevalence estimate of 45 % for mild sleep disturbances in the TD cohort highlights pediatric sleep debt as a public health problem of concern . The prevalence estimate of 66 % for moderate sleep disturbances in the ASD cohort underscores the significant sleep problems that the families of these children face . The predominant sleep disorders in the ASD cohort were behavioral insomnia sleep-onset type and insomnia due to PDD BACKGROUND During speech perception , the ability to integrate auditory and visual information causes speech to sound louder and be more intelligible , and leads to quicker processing . This integration is important in early language development , and also continues to affect speech comprehension throughout the lifespan . Previous research shows that individuals with autism have difficulty integrating information , especially across multiple sensory domains . METHODS In the present study ,  audiovisual speech integration  was investigated in 18 adolescents with high-functioning autism and 19 well-matched adolescents with typical development using a speech in noise paradigm .  Speech reception thresholds were calculated for auditory only and audiovisual matched speech , and lipreading ability was measured . RESULTS Compared to individuals with typical development , individuals with autism showed less benefit from the addition of visual information in audiovisual speech perception . We also found that individuals with autism were significantly worse than those in the comparison group at lipreading . Hierarchical regression demonstrated that group differences in the audiovisual condition , while influenced by auditory perception and especially by lipreading , were also attributable to a unique factor , which may reflect a specific deficit in audiovisual integration . CONCLUSIONS Combined deficits in audiovisual speech integration and lipreading in individuals with autism are likely to contribute to ongoing difficulties in speech comprehension , and may also be related to delays in early language development BACKGROUND Peer mediated intervention ( PMI ) is a promising practice used to increase social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) .  PMIs engage typically developing peers as social models to improve social initiations , responses , and interactions . METHOD The current study is a systematic review examining PMIs for children and adolescents with ASD conducted using group design s. Five studies met the pre-specified review inclusion criteria : four r and omized controlled trials and one pre- and post-test design . RESULTS Four of the studies were conducted in school setting s , whereas one study was conducted in a camp setting . The studies all reported that participants improved in social skills ( e.g. , social initiations , social responses , social communication ) post intervention . Additionally , sustainment , generalization , and fidelity of implementation were examined . CONCLUSION PMI is a promising approach to address social skills in children with ASD , and this approach can be conducted in meaningful real-word context s , such as schools . Limitations of the studies as well as future directions are discussed BACKGROUND An imbalance in the excitatory/inhibitory systems with abnormalities in the glutamatergic pathways has been implicated in the pathophysiology of autism . Furthermore , chronic redox imbalance was also recently linked to this disorder . The goal of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility of using oral N-acetylcysteine ( NAC ) , a glutamatergic modulator and an antioxidant , in the treatment of behavioral disturbance in children with autism . METHODS This was a 12-week , double-blind , r and omized , placebo-controlled study of NAC in children with autistic disorder . Subjects r and omized to NAC were initiated at 900 mg daily for 4 weeks , then 900 mg twice daily for 4 weeks and 900 mg three times daily for 4 weeks . The primary behavioral measure ( Aberrant Behavior Checklist [ ABC ] irritability subscale ) and safety measures were performed at baseline and 4 , 8 , and 12 weeks . Secondary measures included the ABC stereotypy subscale , Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised , and Social Responsiveness Scale .  RESULTS Thirty-three subjects ( 31 male subjects , 2 female subjects ; aged 3.2 - 10.7 years ) were r and omized in the study . Follow-up data was available on 14 subjects in the NAC  group and 15 in the placebo group . Oral NAC was well tolerated with limited side effects . Compared with placebo , NAC result ed in significant improvements on ABC irritability subscale ( F = 6.80 ; p < .001 ; d = .96 ) . CONCLUSIONS Data from this pilot investigation support the potential usefulness of NAC for treating irritability in children with autistic disorder . Large r and omized controlled investigations are warranted CONTEXT The presence of autistic-like traits in relatives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) is well recognized , but , to our knowledge , the emergence of these traits early in development has not been studied . OBJECTIVE To prospect ively investigate the emergence of autistic-like traits in unaffected ( no ASD diagnosis ) infant siblings of prob and s diagnosed as having ASD . DESIGN Two groups of children unaffected with ASD were assessed prospect ively-siblings of prob and s diagnosed as having ASD ( high risk [ HR ] ) and control subjects with no family history of ASD ( low risk [ LR ] ) . Scores on a measure of autistic-like traits at 12 months of age were used in a cluster analysis of the entire sample . SETTING A prospect i ve study of infant siblings of prob and s with ASD from 3 diagnostic centers in Canada . PARTICIPANTS The study included 170 HR and 90 LR children , none of whom was diagnosed as having ASD at age 3 years . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The Autism Observation Scale for Infants was used to measure autistic-like traits and derive clusters at 12 months of age . Clusters were compared on ASD symptoms , cognitive abilities , and social-emotional difficulties at age 3 years . RESULTS Two clusters were identified . Cluster 1 ( n = 37 ; 14.2 % of total sample ) had significantly higher levels of autistic-like traits compared with cluster 2 . Within cluster 1 , 33 children came from the siblings ( 19.4 % of HR group ) and only 4 came from the control subjects ( 4.5 % of LR group ) . At age 3 years , children from cluster 1 had more social-communication impairment ( effect size > 0.70 ; P < .001 ) , lower cognitive abilities ( effect size = -0.59 ; P < .005 ) , and more internalizing problems ( effect size = 0.55 ; P = .01 ) . Compared with control subjects , HR siblings had a relative risk of 4.3 ( 95 % CI,1.6 - 11.9 ) for membership in cluster 1 . CONCLUSIONS Study findings suggest the emergence of autistic-like traits resembling a broader autism phenotype by 12 months of age in approximately 19 % of HR siblings who did not meet ASD diagnostic criteria at age 3 years
A significant between‐group difference in MSI was evident in the literature , with individuals with ASD demonstrating worse audiovisual integration on average across studies compared to TD controls .
This effect was moderated by mean participant age , such that between‐group differences were more pronounced in younger sample s. The mean correlation between MSI and autism and related symptomatology was also significant , indicating that increased audiovisual integration in individuals with ASD is associated with better language /communication abilities and /or reduced autism symptom severity in the extant literature .
This effect was moderated by whether the stimuli were linguistic versus non‐linguistic in nature , such that correlation magnitudes tended to be significantly greater when linguistic stimuli were utilized in the measure of MSI .
& NA ; An ever‐growing literature has aim ed to determine how individuals with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) differ from their typically developing ( TD ) peers on measures of multisensory integration ( MSI ) and to ascertain the degree to which differences in MSI are associated with the broad range of symptoms associated with ASD .
Findings , however , have been highly variable across the studies carried out to date .
The present work systematic ally review s and quantitatively synthesizes the large literature on audiovisual MSI  in individuals with ASD to evaluate the cumulative evidence for ( a ) group differences between individuals with ASD and TD peers , ( b ) correlations between MSI and autism symptoms in individuals with ASD and ( c ) study level factors that may moderate findings ( i.e. , explain differential effects ) observed across studies .