Search Results (172)

Background: Understanding the origin and natural organization of early infant vocalizations is important for predicting communication and language abilities in later years. The very frequent production of speech-like vocalizations (hereafter “protophones”), occurring largely independently of interaction, is part of this developmental process. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the gap durations (time intervals) between protophones, comparing typically developing (TD) infants and infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a naturalistic setting where endogenous protophones occur frequently. Additionally, we explore potential age-related variations and sex differences in gap durations. Methods: We analyzed ~1500 five min recording segments from longitudinal all-day home recordings of 147 infants (103 TD infants and 44 autistic infants) during their first year of life. The data included over 90,000 infant protophones. Human coding was employed to ensure maximally accurate timing data. This method included the human judgment of gap durations specified based on time-domain and spectrographic displays. Results and Conclusions: Short gap durations occurred between protophones produced by infants, with a mode between 301 and 400 ms, roughly the length of an infant syllable, across all diagnoses, sex, and age groups. However, we found significant differences in the gap duration distributions between ASD and TD groups when infant-directed speech (IDS) was relatively frequent, as well as across age groups and sexes. The Generalized Linear Modeling (GLM) results confirmed these findings and revealed longer gap durations associated with higher IDS, female sex, older age, and TD diagnosis. Age-related differences and sex differences were highly significant for both diagnosis groups. Full article

Background/Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder distinguished by an extensive range of symptoms, including reduced social interaction, communication difficulties and tiresome behaviors. Early detection of ASD is important because it allows for timely intervention, which significantly improves developmental, behavioral, and communicative outcomes in children. However, traditional diagnostic procedures for identifying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) typically involve lengthy clinical examinations, which can be both time-consuming and costly. This research proposes leveraging automated machine learning (AUTOML) to streamline the diagnostic process and enhance its accuracy. Methods: In this study, by collecting data from various rehabilitation centers across Pakistan, we applied a specific AUTOML tool known as Tree-based Pipeline Optimization Tool (TPOT) for ASD detection. Notably, this study marks one of the initial explorations into utilizing AUTOML for ASD detection. The experimentations indicate that the TPOT provided the best pipeline for the dataset, which was verified using a manual machine learning method. Results: The study contributes to the field of ASD diagnosis by using AUTOML to determine the likelihood of ASD in children at prompt stages of evolution. The study also provides an evaluation of precision, recall, and F1-score metrics to confirm the correctness of the diagnosis. The propose TPOT-based AUTOML framework attained an overall accuracy 78%, with a precision of 83%, a recall of 90%, and an F1-score of 86% for the autistic class. Conclusions: In summary, this research offers an encouraging approach to improve the detection of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children, which could lead to better results for affected individuals and their families. Full article

Despite high rates of emotional dysregulation among autistic children, few studies have explored interventions addressing dysregulation. Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs) are a class of interventions focused on supporting social communication. As social communication and emotion regulation skills emerge from similar developmental processes, NDBIs may be one approach for addressing dysregulation among autistic children. The present study sought to characterize change in dysregulation among one-hundred and eleven caregiver–child dyads completing Project ImPACT, a caregiver-mediated NDBI. Caregivers reported on child communication and social engagement using the Social Communication Checklist and emotion regulation using the Emotional Dysregulation Inventory-Young Child at the beginning and end of services. Clinicians reported on caregiver fidelity at each intervention session. Children showed reductions in emotional dysregulation throughout Project ImPACT, though reductions were specific to children who began the program with elevated dysregulation. Child social engagement at baseline and caregivers’ fidelity to specific strategies within Project ImPACT were associated with reductions in emotional dysregulation. Very few studies have tested interventions aimed at supporting emotion regulation among young autistic children. These findings demonstrate that NDBIs may support emotion regulation as well as social communication skills. Further incorporating support for emotion regulation in NDBI may address this critical gap without increasing service coordination for families. Full article

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by restricted social communication and repetitive behaviors. Prenatal stress is critical in neurodevelopment and increases risk for ASD, particularly in those with greater genetic susceptibility to stress. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is one of the most abundant ω-3 fatty acids in the membrane phospholipids of the mammalian brain, and dietary DHA plays an important role in brain development and maintenance of brain structure. In this study, we investigated whether peri-natal supplementation of DHA can alleviate autistic-like behaviors in a genetic risk/stress mouse model and how it alters lipid peroxidation activity and GABAergic system gene expression in the forebrain. Pregnant heterozygous serotonin transporter knockout (SERT-KO) and wild-type (WT) dams were placed in either non-stressed control conditions or chronic variable stress (CVS) conditions and fed either a control diet or a DHA-rich (1% by weight) diet. Offspring of each group were assessed for anxiety and autism-associated behavior at post-natal day 60 using an open field test, elevated plus maze test, repetitive behavior, and the 3-chamber social approach test. A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based method was used to follow changes in levels of lipid peroxidation products in the cerebral cortex. Male offspring of prenatally stressed SERT-het KO dams exhibited decreased social preference behaviors and increased repetitive grooming behaviors compared to WT control offspring. Moreover, DHA supplementation in male SERT-het mice decreased frequency of grooming behaviors albeit showing no associated effects on social behaviors. Regardless of stress conditions, supplementation of DHA to the WT mice did not result in alterations in grooming nor social interaction in the offspring. Furthermore, no apparent changes were observed in the lipid peroxidation products comparing the stressed and non-stressed brains. Gad2 was downregulated in the cortex of female offspring of prenatally stressed SERT-KO dams, and this change appeared to be rescued by DHA supplementation in offspring. Gad2 was upregulated in the striatum of male offspring of prenatally stressed SERT-KO dams, but DHA did not significantly alter the expression compared to the control diet condition. Full article

Autistic traits—such as social communication deficits, cognitive rigidity, and repetitive behaviors—are increasingly recognized in individuals with schizophrenia, particularly in early-onset cases and subtypes with predominant negative symptoms. This overlap has prompted investigations into shared pathophysiological mechanisms. One emerging area of focus is the role of neuroinflammation in schizophrenia, which may contribute to the manifestation of autistic features. Immunological research indicates the presence of chronic low-grade inflammation, microglial activation, and disruption of the blood–brain barrier in schizophrenia. In particular, an imbalance in T-helper (Th) cell responses—specifically a shift toward Th2 dominance or concurrent Th1/Th2 activation—may lead to dysregulated cytokine production and disturbances in neural function. These findings highlight the importance of exploring immunological pathways as a basis for specific symptom profiles. Additionally, current efforts aim to identify reliable inflammatory biomarkers in schizophrenia that could support diagnosis, predict disease course, and guide treatment. Evaluating neuroinflammatory markers in patients with autistic features may provide novel insight into schizophrenia subtypes and help tailor immunomodulatory therapies. This review explores the expression of autistic traits in schizophrenia and examines the role of neuroinflammation and Th1/Th2 imbalance as potential mechanisms and biomarkers. Full article

This paper explores the experiences of parents of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) who have participated in parenting programmes in the UK. The parents attended generic programmes before they were able to access more specific programmes geared towards the needs of children with ASD. The parents found that the generic programmes were detrimental to the needs of their children and disruptive of family life, resulting in parental relationship breakdown in some instances. Whilst the ASD-specific programmes did provide some level of support, the most decisive factor was the sharing of experiences amongst those parents as well as the ongoing support that this fostered. The conclusion of this study is that the neoliberal responsibilisation of parents via parenting programmes is undermining the support networks of parents of children with ASD, and an asset-based community development approach would be more beneficial. Full article

High unemployment rates, inaccessible housing markets, and funding challenges create barriers to finding suitable housing for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who have less obvious support needs, also known as autistic adults. While public and community housing services in Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ) may be an option, a lack of accessible designs leaves families uncertain about future care options. This paper, part of the MBIE-funded Public Housing and Urban Regeneration: Maximising Wellbeing research programme in partnership with registered Community Housing Provider, Te Toi Mahana (TTM), takes an exploratory approach to ask how public and community housing can support and help enable semi-independent living for autistic adults. It investigates how design elements—such as dwelling layouts, material choices, colour schemes, lighting, acoustics, shared and community spaces, and external environments—impact the wellbeing of autistic adults. By extension, insights may also inform private housing design. The study focuses on autistic adults who may be considered ‘mid-to-high’ functioning or those who have been previously diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, whose housing needs are often overlooked. It develops guiding principles and detailed guidance points for public and community housing, informed by the literature, case studies, and data from a photo elicitation study and interviews undertaken with autistic adults in AoNZ. These guiding principles are tested through the speculative redesign of a large TTM site in Newtown, Wellington, AoNZ. Findings should be of interest to government agencies, housing providers, architects, stakeholders, and others involved in shaping the built environment, as well as autistic adults and their supporters, both in AoNZ and internationally. Full article

Background: Autistic children experience social communication challenges that are often linked to reduced social motivation and attention. However, there is currently no effective intervention to improve social attention in autistic children. Objective: This study compared the effects of rope therapy (RT), a novel intervention, with traditional sensory integration therapy (SIT) on social attention and temperament traits in autistic children. Methods: A two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted in which participants were randomly assigned to RT (n = 14) and SIT (n = 12) groups. Social attention was assessed using eye-tracking parameters, and temperament trait changes were measured using the Taylor–Johnson Temperament Analysis (T-JTA) scale. Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in social attention over time (p < 0.05). Although the RT group demonstrated numerically greater improvements in social attention compared to the transitional SIT group, most of the between-group differences were not statistically significant. Additionally, the RT group showed significant reductions in anxiety and emotional repression temperament traits (p < 0.05). Conclusions: RT exhibits promise as an effective intervention for improving social attention and temperament trait patterns in autistic children. Further research is required to confirm the findings of this study and explore the long-term effects of RT. Full article

Although prosodic differences in autistic individuals have been widely documented, little is known about their ability to perceive and interpret specific prosodic features, such as contrastive pitch accent—a prosodic signal that places emphasis and helps listeners distinguish between competing referents in discourse. This study addresses that gap by investigating the extent to which autistic children can (1) perceive contrastive pitch accent (i.e., discriminate contrastive pitch accent differences in speech); (2) interpret contrastive pitch accent (i.e., use prosodic cues to guide real-time language comprehension); and (3) the extent to which their ability to interpret contrastive pitch accent is associated with broader language and social communication skills, including receptive prosody, pragmatic language, social communication, and autism severity. Twenty-four autistic children and 24 neurotypical children aged 8 to 14 completed an AX same–different task and a visual-world paradigm task to assess their ability to perceive and interpret contrastive pitch accent. Autistic children demonstrated the ability to perceive and interpret contrastive pitch accent, as evidenced by comparable discrimination ability to neurotypical peers on the AX task and real-time revision of visual attention based on prosodic cues in the visual-world paradigm. However, autistic children showed significantly slower reaction time during the AX task, and a subgroup of autistic children with language impairment showed significantly slower processing of contrastive pitch accent during the visual-world paradigm task. Additionally, speed of contrastive pitch accent processing was significantly associated with pragmatic language skills and autism symptom severity in autistic children. Overall, these findings suggest that while autistic children as a group are able to discriminate prosodic forms and interpret the pragmatic function of contrastive pitch accent during spoken language comprehension, differences in prosody processing in autistic children may be reflected not in accuracy, but in speed of processing measures and in specific subgroups defined by language ability. Full article

There is a need for more attention to the importance of substantial parent involvement in programming for autistic children in community-based care. More encouragement is needed to ensure that practitioners prioritize parental training and involvement throughout interventions, including practitioner-led in-home applied behavioral analysis (ABA) interventions. There has been little to no research on the feasibility and efficacy of adding parental training to in-home practitioner-led ABA interventions. This study is intended to begin the consideration of efficacy by reporting on a series of focus groups involving parents of autistic children and the Board Certified Behavioral Analysts (BCBAs) and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) who work with them. Method: Focus group meetings were conducted with a total of 18 participants: 7 family members, 5 RBTs, and 6 BCBAs drawn from two provider sites. Transcripts were generated, and data was analyzed using Braun & Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, a method for analyzing and interpreting qualitative data that involves systematically generating codes in order to develop themes. Findings: The findings are described using three main themes: (1) barriers to family involvement in applied behavioral analysis programming, (2) facilitators of family involvement in applied behavioral analysis programming, and (3) recommendations for improving family involvement in applied behavioral analysis programming. Conclusions: There are logistical challenges in involving parents in in-home interventions when they occur in evening hours when the family has multiple other responsibilities. However, being in-home also presents opportunities not available in school or clinic settings. The recommendations provided offer an initial road map to advancing parent training components. Full article

Background/Objectives: Minimally verbal autistic children face significant communication challenges, often unmet by traditional therapies. Social robots, like NAO, offer predictable, structured interactions that may improve engagement and language skills. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of NAO-assisted therapy in improving communication and social interaction in minimally verbal autistic children compared to standard therapeutic approaches. Methods: In a single-blind, randomized, controlled study, 37 autistic children aged 4–12 years were assigned to either NAO-assisted therapy or standard speech therapy. Participants were assigned to either an NAO-assisted therapy group or a standard speech therapy control group. The intervention included 12 weekly 45 min sessions. Communication outcomes were measured using the Language Development Level Test (TVL) and mand request observations. Results: All 37 participants completed the 12 sessions without adverse events, highlighting the intervention’s feasibility and safety. Children in the NAO-assisted therapy group showed greater improvements in verbal communication (on average, 159 ± 49% more children exhibited improvement across verbal aspects (range: 107–284%; p < 0.001)) particularly in spontaneous communication, compared to the control group. The therapy also increased mand production (from 6.8 ± 4.3 in session 1 to 16.7 ± 7.7 in session 12; p < 0.001; average gain: 0.9 per session), demonstrating steady growth in communicative initiative. These findings underscore the structured and engaging nature of NAO-assisted therapy in supporting consistent progress in communication skills. Conclusions: NAO-assisted therapy is a promising, safe, and effective intervention for enhancing communication in minimally verbal autistic children, offering unique benefits in promoting spontaneous and consistent verbal engagement. Full article

Background: Griffiths III is a child-friendly and play-oriented direct gold-standard measure of a 0–6-year-old child’s developmental profile. It is a measure that helps practitioners in detecting the weaknesses in children who have an increased likelihood or a diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders, e.g., autism. Objectives: Following the PICO protocol, two research questions addressed the current systematic search and review (Prospero registration: CRD42024554286): What is(are) the main developmental domain(s) evaluated by Griffiths III impaired in autism? (RQ1); Using Griffiths III, what is(are) the main developmental domain(s) improved after an autism-specific early intervention? (RQ2). Methods: Six studies have been reviewed: three case–control studies, a case report study, and two studies examining the effectiveness of early autism-specific interventions. According to the study design, the methodological quality was evaluated using three standardised protocols: STROBE; JBI; CEC. Results: The results highlighted that the Language and Communication and Personal–Social–Emotional domains are the most impaired in autistic children and in those with an increased likelihood (RQ1). The results outlined that early target intervention enhanced the same domains (RQ2). Conclusions: In conclusion, the findings highlight the importance of screening not only for autism traits but also for impairments in language, communication, and socio-emotional skills. The future direction of the results is discussed. Full article

Background/Objectives: Autistic individuals with eating disorders (ED) face socio-emotional, sensory, and communication difficulties that influence engagement and treatment outcomes. We examined how the PEACE Pathway—an autism-informed approach to ED treatment—addresses these challenges through tailored adaptations in clinical care. Methods: A qualitative multiple case studies design was employed, drawing data from clinical documentation, stakeholder feedback, and service evaluations. Results: We identified eight core domains essential for implementation: pathway knowledge, assessment and planning, psychological interventions, sensory management, nutritional care, lived-experience feedback, family/community engagement, and staff training. These domains informed the development of the PEACE Self-Assessment Checklist to support the wider adoption of the pathway. Conclusions: The PEACE Pathway offers a structured approach to adapting ED treatment for autistic individuals. The checklist provides practical guidance for implementing autism-friendly adaptions. Full article

Background: This work explores the current use of technologies and the perception of their impact on people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other comorbidities—Chronic Anxiety (CA) and Chronic Depression (CD). Autistic people often experience anxiety and/or depression. These mental health issues are exacerbated by social stigma, affecting their quality of life (QoL) and well-being. Aims: The study aims to analyze how emerging technologies can reduce communication difficulties, as well as stress, anxiety, and depression, and thus improve QoL for individuals with ASD and comorbidities like CA and CD. Methods: This study analyzes data from the secondary questionnaire ‘Encuesta de Discapacidad, Autonomía Personal y situaciones de Dependencia (EDAD)’ developed in 2020–2021 by the ‘Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)’ for people with ASD (n = 241), ASD and CA (n = 61), and ASD and CD (n = 29). The analysis includes Pearson correlation tests to examine the relationship between various factors affecting QoL. Results: The results highlight differences in difficulties affecting the QoL of ASD persons. Pearson correlation analysis showed significant negative correlations in communication and learning for ASD patients, with similar patterns in the separate analyses of CA and CD. More significant variables were found in the ‘Learning’ and ‘Communication’ indices for ASD, while CA and CD represented more significant variables in ‘Mobility’ index. Conclusions: This work suggests that technological interventions, such as the integration of advanced technologies, could enhance emotional regulation and social skills in individuals with ASD. In this sense, the quantum computing approach could help in the emerging technologies impact evaluation, analyzing devices adapted to the user to optimize their QoL and well-being. Full article

Sexual health is a vital aspect of overall well-being, yet individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face significant stigma and discrimination, affecting self-esteem, relationships, and sexual expression. This review examined the recent literature (2020–January 2024) on intimacy and sexuality among adolescents and young adults with ASD, incorporating 32 studies. Findings highlight poorer sexual health among autistic individuals compared to the general population, with difficulties in forming romantic relationships and navigating sexual interactions due to hypersensitivity. Autism is also linked to non-conforming gender identities and asexuality, exposing individuals to dual stigma within the LGBTQ+ community. Autism-related traits hinder sexual health knowledge, increasing risks of victimisation, abuse, and sexually transmitted infections. Comprehensive sexual education and inclusive support are crucial to address these challenges and promote sexual well-being for autistic individuals. Full article