Special Issue "Autism and Children"

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Child Neurology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Antonio Narzisi
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Child Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, 56018 Pisa, Italy
Interests: autism; neurodevelopmental disorders; psychology; psychoterapy; neurosciences; precision medicine
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have significantly increased. According to the DSM-V, ASD are a heterogeneous set of neurodevelopmental disorders characterised by deficits in social communications and interactions plus the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviours.

This Special Issue of Children aims to present a collection of studies detailing the most recent advancements in the field of autism research in school-aged children. Authors are invited to submit cutting-edge research and reviews that address a broad range of topics related to ASD including the following: school intervention; treatment; sport; motor development; sensory profile; ICT; biomarkers; biological and/or behaviour outcome predictors; parental stress; and psychotherapy.

In particular, we aim to present advances in autism research and best practices that may have a significant translational effect to the field of clinical services.

Dr. Antonio Narzisi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Autism
  • Children
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders
  • School
  • Parents.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Article
Parents’ Experience in Children’s Friendship Training Programme for Their Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Inquiry
Children 2021, 8(9), 763; https://doi.org/10.3390/children8090763 - 31 Aug 2021
Abstract
Background: Children’s Friendship Training (CFT) is a parent-assisted intervention programme that introduces children to basic sets of social rules to help them understand social contexts with specific guidance from their parents. It has been reported in several empirical studies that the friendship skills [...] Read more.
Background: Children’s Friendship Training (CFT) is a parent-assisted intervention programme that introduces children to basic sets of social rules to help them understand social contexts with specific guidance from their parents. It has been reported in several empirical studies that the friendship skills of children with autism spectrum disorder were enhanced after participating in CFT. However, previous studies only focused on the effectiveness of the training without exploring it from the parent’s perspective. As such, the objective of this study is to highlight the parents’ experience in assisting in the implementation of CFT. Purpose: To explore the parents’ experiences with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in CFT and examine the experiences using the CFT as a theoretical framework. Methodology: In this study, eight parents and their school-aged children with ASD participated in 12 CFT sessions. Upon completing the CFT, the parents participated in a focus group interview. The interview session was video recorded and transcribed with the parents’ consent. Thematic analysis was employed in analysing the collected data as outlined in six different phases. Results: The generated data revealed the similarities and differences in parents’ experiences in the CFT. The current study has identified four main themes: (1) fear and resistance; (2) awareness, learning, and adjustment; (3) change is hard; and (4) identifying support. Conclusions: The findings highlighted the processes that these parents experienced and encountered while attending the CFT programme, it is important to consider these processes based on how they might impact the effectiveness of the programme. The programme’s effectiveness is reliant on the ability to work closely with parents to understand their challenges and explore the type of support they need. This study has analysed the crucial factors that provide an overview of parents’ encounters in their participation in CFT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Autism and Children)
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Article
Dysregulation of Ki-67 Expression in T Cells of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Children 2021, 8(2), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/children8020116 - 06 Feb 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 584
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by behavioral abnormalities such as impairments in social function and deficits in communication. The etiology of autism is unknown in most cases, but many studies have pointed towards the immune system as a causative [...] Read more.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by behavioral abnormalities such as impairments in social function and deficits in communication. The etiology of autism is unknown in most cases, but many studies have pointed towards the immune system as a causative agent in autism. Specific studies implicated lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, monocytes, cytokines, and specific transcription factors in the development of ASD. The protein Ki-67 is n expressed in the proliferating cells and is used as a tool in several disorders. Ki-67 plays a crucial role in many neurological diseases. However, Ki-67 role in ASD is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the possible role of Ki-67 expression in autistic children. We compared Ki-67 production in CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CXCR4+, CXCR7+, CD45R+, HLA-DR+, GATA3+, Helios+, and FOXP3+ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in autistic children to typically developing (TD) controls using immunofluorescence staining. We also determined Ki-67 mRNA levels in PBMCs using RT–PCR. The results revealed that autistic children had significantly increased numbers of CD3+Ki-67+, CD4+Ki-67+, CD8+Ki-67+, CXCR4+Ki-67+, CXCR7+Ki-67+, CD45R+Ki-67+, HLA-DR+Ki-67+, CXCR4+GATA3+, GATA3+Ki-67+ cells and decreased Helios+Ki-67+ and FOXP3+Ki-67+ cells compared with TD controls. In addition, the autistic children showed upregulation of Ki-67 mRNA levels compared with TD controls. Further studies need to be carried out to assess the exact role of Ki-67 and its therapeutic potential in ASD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Autism and Children)
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