Efficacy of a Remote Play-Based Intervention for Children With Prader-Willi Syndrome.

The current study examines the efficacy of an 8-week pretend play intervention targeting social-cognitive abilities in children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), ages 6-9. PWS is a rare disorder associated with various social, emotional, and cognitive challenges linked to pretend play impairments, and for which interventions are sparse. Nineteen children were quasi-randomized to receive the intervention or be part of a waitlist control group.

"A win-win for all of us": COVID-19 sheds light on the essentialness of child care as key infrastructure.

Child care centers in the United States allow many parents and caregivers to work in and outside of the home and support the growth and development of children. Child care closures and COVID-19 mitigation measures at the onset of the pandemic heightened the need for and awareness of the role of child care as core infrastructure. The purpose of our study was to examine the perceived role and benefits of child care based on the lived experiences of parents/caregivers and staff navigating child care during the pandemic.

Intervention Response by Genetic Subtype: PRETEND-Preschool Program for Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome via Remote Parent Training.

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder associated with social cognitive challenges, and pretend play has been demonstrated as a tool to achieve developmental goals. Following previous report on feasibility and acceptability of a remote, play-based parent-training program (Zyga, Russ, & Dimitropoulos, 2018), we now report on preliminary efficacy of this program to enhance pretend play skills and social cognitive skills in preschoolers with PWS. Results across two studies demonstrated efficacy when live-coaching play sessions incorporated children into the intervention.

Challenges in assessing change in autistic adults: scale limitations and discrepancies in reporting in clinical trials.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder marked by deficits in social communication and social interaction, together with restricted and/or repetitive patterns of behaviours, activities or interests. As more adults are being diagnosed with ASD, and more diagnosed children are aging into adulthood, the need for effective treatments and support services for autistic adults is quickly growing. As such, clinical research targeting autistic adults has emerged in recent years.

Show me what happens next: Preliminary efficacy of a remote play-based intervention for children with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is characterized by decreased social and emotional functioning. Due to the low base-rate of children with PWS, developing behavioral interventions for individuals with PWS is faced with the challenge of enrolling enough local participants for adequate study of behavioral intervention efficacy. However, these types of studies are greatly needed in PWS and telehealth methodology may be useful in addressing this challenge.

Intranasal oxytocin versus placebo for hyperphagia and repetitive behaviors in children with Prader-Willi Syndrome: A randomized controlled pilot trial.

Objective: The effects of intranasal oxytocin and placebo on hyperphagia and repetitive behaviors were compared in children and adolescents with Prader Willi Syndrome (PWS).

Methods: Children and adolescents with PWS were enrolled in an 8-week double-blind placebo-controlled intranasal oxytocin randomized trial. Twenty-three (23) subjects were assigned to oxytocin (N = 11) or placebo (N = 12).

Believing in Make-Believe: Efficacy of a Pretend Play Intervention for School-Aged Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder marked by socio-emotional deficits, and difficulties with pretend play skills. Play skills are related to processes of adaptive functioning and emotion understanding. The present pilot study implemented an in-person pretend play intervention to school-aged children (ages 6 to 9 years, intervention group = 18, control group = 7) diagnosed with high-functioning ASD (HF-ASD), to increase children's cognitive and affective play skills, and emotional understanding abilities.

Eye tracking as an objective measure of hyperphagia in children with Prader-Willi syndrome.

This study examined sensitivity of eye tracking measures to hyperphagia severity in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Gaze data were collected in 57 children with PWS, age 3-11 years, and 47 typically developing peers at two study sites during free visual exploration of complex stimulus arrays that included images of food, animals, and household objects. Analysis of the number and duration of fixations as well as gaze perseverations revealed that food items are not exceptionally salient for children with PWS.

Randomized crossover feasibility trial of helminthic ova versus placebo for repetitive behaviors in adult autism spectrum disorder.

Inflammatory mechanisms are implicated in the aetiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and use of the immunomodulator Ova (TSO) is a novel treatment approach. This pilot study determined the effect sizes for TSO versus placebo on repetitive behaviours, irritability and global functioning in adults with ASD. A 28-week double-blind, randomised two-period crossover study of TSO versus placebo in ten ASD adults, aged 17-35, was completed, with a 4-week washout between each 12-week period at Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Behavioral phenotype in a child with Prader-Willi syndrome and comorbid 47, XYY.

We report a 12-year-old male with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and 47, XYY syndrome. Genetic work up revealed 47, XYY karyotype. PWS diagnosis was made by polymerase chain reaction methylation and maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD) was determined to be the etiology.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ASD and ADHD): DSM-5, ICD-10, and ICD-11.

Neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have undergone considerable diagnostic evolution in the past decade. In the United States, the current system in place is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), whereas worldwide, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) serves as a general medical system. This review will examine the differences in neurodevelopmental disorders between these two systems.

The cost and impact of compulsivity: A research perspective.

Compulsivity is the defining feature of various psychiatric disorders including Obsessive Compulsive Related Disorders (OCRDs), and other compulsive, impulsive, and addictive disorders. These disorders are disabling, chronic conditions with an early onset and high rates of comorbidity, misdiagnoses, and delay in treatment onset. Disorders of compulsivity are responsible for considerable socioeconomic burden to society.

White matter maturation profiles through early childhood predict general cognitive ability.

Infancy and early childhood are periods of rapid brain development, during which brain structure and function mature alongside evolving cognitive ability. An important neurodevelopmental process during this postnatal period is the maturation of the myelinated white matter, which facilitates rapid communication across neural systems and networks. Though prior brain imaging studies in children (4 years of age and above), adolescents, and adults have consistently linked white matter development with cognitive maturation and intelligence, few studies have examined how these processes are related throughout early development (birth to 4 years of age).

Characterizing longitudinal white matter development during early childhood.

Post-mortem studies have shown the maturation of the brain's myelinated white matter, crucial for efficient and coordinated brain communication, follows a nonlinear spatio-temporal pattern that corresponds with the onset and refinement of cognitive functions and behaviors. Unfortunately, investigation of myelination in vivo is challenging and, thus, little is known about the normative pattern of myelination, or its association with functional development. Using a novel quantitative magnetic resonance imaging technique sensitive to myelin we examined longitudinal white matter development in 108 typically developing children ranging in age from 2.