Publications by authors named "Ann S Le Couteur"

Objective: We explored what constitutes successful commissioning for transition and what challenges are associated with this. We aimed: (1) to identify explicit and implicit organisational structures, processes and relationships that drive commissioning around transition; (2) to identify challenges faced by commissioners; and (3) to develop a conceptual model.

Design: A qualitative interview study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Young people 'at risk' for developing Bipolar Disorder have been shown to have deficits in facial emotion labeling across emotions with some studies reporting deficits for one or more particular emotions. However, these have included a heterogeneous group of young people (siblings of adolescents and offspring of adults with bipolar disorder), who have themselves diagnosed psychopathology (mood disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD).

Methods: 24 offspring of adults with bipolar I disorder and 34 offspring of healthy controls were administered the Diagnostic Analysis of Non Verbal Accuracy 2 (DANVA 2) to investigate the ability of participants to correctly label 4 emotions: happy, sad, fear and anger using both child and adult faces as stimuli at low and high intensity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are complex and this is reflected in the number and diversity of outcomes assessed and measurement tools used to collect evidence about children's progress. Relevant outcomes include improvement in core ASD impairments, such as communication, social awareness, sensory sensitivities and repetitiveness; skills such as social functioning and play; participation outcomes such as social inclusion; and parent and family impact.

Objectives: To examine the measurement properties of tools used to measure progress and outcomes in children with ASD up to the age of 6 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clinical genetic studies confirm the broader autism phenotype (BAP) in some relatives of individuals with autism, but there are few standardized assessment measures. We developed three BAP measures (informant interview, self-report interview, and impression of interviewee observational scale) and describe the development strategy and findings from the interviews. International Molecular Genetic Study of Autism Consortium data were collected from families containing at least two individuals with autism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Rare copy-number variation (CNV) is a significant risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), as shown by the analysis of 2,446 ASD-affected families, revealing higher rates of genic deletions and duplications in affected individuals compared to controls.
  • Affected individuals showed a notable increase in pathogenic CNVs linked to specific ASD and intellectual disability loci, with implications for various neurodevelopmental genes, including CHD2 and SETD5.
  • Additionally, females with ASD had a higher prevalence of potent CNVs and were overrepresented in categories associated with fragile X syndrome, highlighting potential gender-specific factors in CNV that influence ASD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of the study was to examine predictors of eating disorder symptoms in a population based sample at the earliest age at which they can be measured using the Children's Eating Attitudes Test. Data were collected from the longitudinal Gateshead Millennium Study cohort; 609 children participated in the 7 year data sweep (and their mothers and teachers), and 589 children participated in the 9 year data sweep. Eating disorder symptoms at 9 years were higher in boys, and in children from more deprived families.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This is the first UK study to report the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) in a general population sample. Parents of 500 children (aged 5-8 years) in North East England completed the SRS. Profiles of scores were similar to USA norms, and a single factor structure was identified.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In a longitudinal birth cohort maternal ratings of children's appetite made at 6 weeks, 12 months and 5-6 years were correlated with one another and with subscales from the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) at 5-6 years, and body mass index (BMI) at 6-8 years. Statistically significant correlations were found between the children's appetite ratings. Appetite ratings in infancy were also correlated with the CEBQ subscale scores at 5-6 years to a limited extent, but not with the BMI at 6-8 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Repetitive behaviours are a relatively neglected area of study in autism. Previous research has concluded that repetitive behaviour is inversely related to ability and that it tends to increase over the preschool years. One-hundred and four children ages 24-48 months, with autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other disorders, were followed for 13 months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF