How young adults with autism spectrum disorder watch and interpret pragmatically complex scenes

The aim of the current study was to investigate subtle characteristics of social perception and interpretation in high-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), and to study the relation between watching and interpreting. As a novelty, we used an approach that combined moment-by-moment eye tracking and verbal assessment. Sixteen young adults with ASD and 16 neurotypical control participants watched a video depicting a complex communication situation while their eye movements were tracked. The participants also completed a verbal task with questions related to the pragmatic content of the video. We compared verbal task scores and eye movements between groups, and assessed correlations between task performance and eye movements. Individuals with ASD had more difficulty than the controls in interpreting the video, and during two short moments there were significant group differences in eye movements. Additionally, we found significant correlations between verbal task scores and moment-level eye movement in the ASD group, but not among the controls. We concluded that participants with ASD had slight difficulties in understanding the pragmatic content of the video stimulus and attending to social cues, and that the connection between pragmatic understanding and eye movements was more pronounced for participants with ASD than for neurotypical participants.     

EVALUATING PROGRESS IN BEHAVIORAL PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS VIA CONTINUOUS AND DISCONTINUOUS MEASUREMENT

We evaluated the influence of two different frequencies of data collection on skill acquisition and maintenance within behavioral treatment programs for children with autism spectrum disorders. Six children were taught multiple skills in up to four different behavioral programs. Half of the skills were measured continuously (i.e., trial by trial), and the other half were measured discontinuously (i.e., first trial only). When differences were detected, quicker acquisition was typically associated with discontinuous measurement, and stronger maintenance was typically associated with continuous measurement.     

Developmental path between language and autistic‐like impairments: a twin study

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are diagnosed when individuals show impairments in three behavioural domains: communication, social interactions, and repetitive, restrictive behaviours and interests (RRBIs). Recent data suggest that these three sets of behaviours are genetically heterogeneous. Early language delay is strongly associated with ASD, but the basis for this association and the relationship with individual sub‐domains of ASD has not been systematically investigated. In the present study, data came from a population‐based twin sample with language development data at 2–4 years, measured by the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (MCDI), and data at 8 years using the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test (CAST). For the total CAST and the three subscales at 8 years, approximately 300 same‐sex twin pairs were selected as showing extreme autistic‐like traits (ALTs), defined here as pairs in which at least one member of the twin pair scored in the highest 5% of the distribution. Phenotypic analyses indicated that children showing extreme social and communication ALTs (but not the RRBI subscale) at 8 years were below average in language development at 2–4 years. A regression model for selected twin data suggested that genetic influences account for this overlap, but that these effects are only in part mediated by genes that are shared between language and extreme autistic traits. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The ‘Fractionable Autism Triad’: A Review of Evidence from Behavioural,Genetic, Cognitive and Neural Research

Autism is diagnosed on the basis of a triad of impairments in social interaction, communication, and flexible imaginative functions (with restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests; RRBIs). There has been a strong presumption that these different features of the syndrome are strongly intertwined and proceed from a common cause at the genetic, cognitive and neural levels. In this review we examine evidence for an alternative approach, considering the triad as largely ‘fractionable’. We present evidence from our own twin studies, and review relevant literature on autism and autistic-like traits in other groups. We suggest that largely independent genes may operate on social skills/impairments, communication abilities, and RRBIs, requiring a change in molecular-genetic research approaches. At the cognitive level, we suggest that satisfactory accounts exist for each of the triad domains, but no single unitary account can explain both social and nonsocial features of autism. We discuss the implications of the fractionable-triad approach for both diagnosis and future research directions.     

运用沙箱游戏区分自闭症谱系障碍儿童功能的可行性探索

摘 要： 通过沙箱作品来解读研究对象的内心世界是为常见,然根据其作品来区分自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童功能的研究尚少,本研究力图为此进行探索。通过对126名已有医院诊断书的3.2~14岁ASD儿童的沙箱游戏行为、微缩玩具摆放过程观察及作品分析发现,ASD儿童功能越高,其沙箱游戏总分和沙箱游戏各观察维度的得分也越高,差异显著性均达到p<.001。ASD儿童功能越高,其沙箱作品的整合性、空间布局和想象力水平也越高。运用沙箱游戏或可区分ASD儿童的功能。     

The effectiveness of function‐based interventions to treat sleep problems,including unwanted co‐sleeping,in children with autism

This study investigated the effectiveness of functional behavioral assessment (FBA)—informed interventions for sleep problems, particularly co‐sleeping, in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Seven children, who exhibited multiple sleep problems including unwanted co‐sleeping, participated. FBA, based on information derived from interviews and parent‐recorded sleep diaries, was used to develop individualized case formulations upon which multicomponent, parent‐implemented interventions were based. These were evaluated using a single‐case, non‐concurrent multiple‐baseline‐across‐participants design. Improvements were observed across all sleep problems, including the elimination of co‐sleeping. Gains were maintained at follow‐up for five out of seven children, though two children did not complete intervention. Parents reported high levels of satisfaction with the program. FBA‐based interventions for sleep problems in children with ASD and their clinical implications are further discussed.     

自闭症谱系障碍个体的焦虑：发生机制、评估与治疗

自闭症谱系障碍是一种神经发育性障碍, 主要表现为社会交往互动障碍和重复刻板性行为。焦虑或焦虑障碍常被认为是自闭症个体最普遍的共病之一。焦虑与自闭症之间的关系尚不明确, 自闭症个体的焦虑与无法忍受不确定性、杏仁核功能和体积、情绪调节策略、消极思维存在一定关联; 目前已经开发出专门用于自闭症个体焦虑的评估工具; 修订版认知行为疗法对自闭症个体焦虑的治疗取得了良好效果。未来的研究应着重探索自闭症个体焦虑的认知与神经机制, 检验专用评估工具的有效性, 继续关注现代技术(如虚拟现实技术)对自闭症个体焦虑的治疗效果。     

Cognitive empathy moderates the relationship between affective empathy and wellbeing in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Background: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reportedly have reduced cognitive empathy (CE), yet intact levels of affective empathy (AE) when compared to typically developing individuals. To date, no research has examined the implications of this empathic imbalance on personal wellbeing (PWB). Method: Twenty four high-functioning adolescents with ASD (M _age = 13.21, SD = 2.83, 14 males) and 24 non-clinical control adolescents (M _age = 13.10, SD = 2.73, 15 males) took part in the present study. CE and AE were measured using the interpersonal reactivity index, while PWB was assessed via the personal wellbeing index-school children. Results: Participants in the ASD group scored significantly lower than the control group on measures of CE and AE. Moderated regression analyses revealed that for the ASD group only, CE appeared to moderate the relationship between AE and PWB. Specifically, when CE was low, the relationship between AE and PWB was significant and negative. However, when CE was high, the relationship between AE and PWB was significant and positive. Conclusions: CE appears central to the PWB of those with ASD. Only when CE is high were participants able to experience the positive relationship between AE and PWB. Interventions that target the cognitive dimensions of empathy may improve PWB.     

The cross-cultural and transdiagnostic nature of unwanted mental intrusions

Background/ObjectiveUnwanted mental intrusions (UMIs), typically discussed in relation to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), are highly prevalent, regardless of the specific nationality, religion, and/or cultural context. Studies have also shown that UMIs related to Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Illness anxiety/Hypochondriasis (IA-H), and Eating Disorders (EDs) are commonly experienced. However, the influence of culture on these UMIs and their transdiagnostic nature has not been investigated.MethodParticipants were 1,473 non-clinical individuals from seven countries in Europe, the Middle-East, and South America. All the subjects completed the Questionnaire of Unpleasant Intrusive Thoughts, which assesses the occurrence and discomfort of four UMI contents related to OCD, BDD, IA-H, and EDs, and symptom questionnaires on the four disorders.ResultsOverall, 64% of the total sample reported having experienced the four UMIs. The EDs intrusions were the most frequently experienced, whereas hypochondriacal intrusions were the least frequent but the most disturbing. All the UMIs were significantly related to each other in frequency and disturbance, and all of them were associated with clinical measures of OCD, BDD, IA-H, and EDs.ConclusionsUMIs are a common phenomenon across different cultural contexts and operate transdiagnostically across clinically different disorders.     

Establishing initial auditory‐visual conditional discriminations and emergence of initial tacts in young children with autism spectrum disorder

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often display impaired listener skills, and few studies have evaluated procedures for establishing initial auditory‐visual conditional discrimination skills. We developed and evaluated a treatment package for training initial auditory‐visual conditional discriminations based on the extant research on training such discriminations in children with ASD with at least some preexisting skills in this area. The treatment package included (a) conditional‐only training, (b) prompting the participant to echo the sample stimulus as a differential observing response, (c) prompting correct selection responses using an identity‐match prompt, (d) using progressively delayed prompts, and (e) repeating trials until the participant emitted an independent correct response. Results indicated all participants mastered all listener targets, and the two participants for whom we tested the emergence of corresponding tacts showed mastery of most tacts without direct training. We discuss these results relative to prior research on listener skills and tacts.