"The PIT Experience": A Young Adult with Autism Spectrum Disorder's Opinion of how a Wellness Program Changed her Life.

Piece it Together (PIT) is a comprehensive wellness program designed for transitional age youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder and mild neurodevelopmental disabilities that focuses on exercise, nutrition, socialization, and stress-reduction. The PIT Summer Program is a 6-week program, consisting of 90-min classes, twice a week. Each class incorporates 45-min of exercise and health and wellness lessons in goal setting, nutrition, bones and muscle anatomy, and stress management.

Pharmacotherapy of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Results from the Randomized BAART Clinical Trial.

The objective of this trial, Biomarkers in Autism of Aripiprazole and Risperidone Treatment (BAART), was to provide support and guidance for an evidence-based approach for the selection and monitoring of initial pharmacotherapy in patients with autism by assessing predictors of efficacy, tolerability, and safety. This randomized double-blind parallel-group study was conducted in three academic medical centers and a single private pediatric practice. Eighty children or adolescents (aged 6-17 yrs) with autistic disorder were enrolled, and 61 patients were randomized to the study drug.

Translating benefits of exercise on depression for youth with autism spectrum disorder and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are at increased risk of poor health and depressive symptoms due to difficulty with communication, limited interests, sensory deficits, and sedentary lifestyles. The Piece It Together program was developed to provide socialization and wellness goals for teens and young adults with ASD and other mild neurocognitive deficits. The curriculum includes strength and endurance training, nutrition education, and stress reduction techniques to promote healthy lifestyle choices.

Biologic effects of stress and bonding in mother-infant pairs.

Objective: Maternal stress in humans influences behavior of children and can be assessed using biological markers. Mothers and their one-month-old infants were recruited from an existing study to examine baseline maternal serum oxytocin and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to infant blood heel stick stress as measured by salivary cortisol in the dyads. Objectives were to explore (1) relationships between mother and infant cortisol levels, (2) gender differences in infant biologic cortisol response, and (3) the association of cortisol levels in the dyads and maternal oxytocin levels

Methods: Forty-two mother-infant dyads provided biologic samples and self-report data.

Pilot Study and Review: Physiological Differences in BDNF, a Potential Biomarker in Males and Females with Autistic Disorder.

Aims: There is a need for more biologic research in autistic disorder (AD) to determine if biomarkers exist that would be useful for correlating to symptom severity and/or clinical improvement during treatment. Given the fact that AD is 4 times more common in males than females, gender differences in physiological biomarkers may be present. One potential biomarker that has begun to be studied is brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), a peptide involved in the regulation of neuronal cell survival, differentiation, and plasticity, and possessing an ability to influence neurotransmitter systems by modulating gene expression.

Growth failure associated with early neglect: pilot comparison of neglected US children and international adoptees.

The long-lasting impact of different neglectful environments on growth in children is not well studied. Three groups of children, 3-10 years old, were recruited (n=60): previously institutionalized international adoptees living in stable home environments for at least 2 years (IA; n=15), children with a history of neglect born in the USA (USN; n=17), and controls (n=28). Children underwent physical examination, anthropometry, and collection of serum for growth parameters.

The Effects of Early Neglect on Cognitive, Language, and Behavioral Functioning in Childhood.

Objectives: Few studies have explored the impact of different types of neglect on children's development. Measures of cognition, language, behavior, and parenting stress were used to explore differences between children experiencing various forms of neglect, as well as to compare children with and without a history of early neglect.

Methods: Children, ages 3 to 10 years with a history of familial neglect (USN), were compared to children with a history of institutional rearing (IA) and children without a history of neglect using the Differential Abilities Scale, Test of Early Language Development, Child Behavior Checklist, and Parenting Stress Index.

Neurodevelopmental biology associated with childhood sexual abuse.

Child maltreatment appears to be the single most preventable cause of mental illness and behavioral dysfunction in the United States. Few published studies examine the developmental and the psychobiological consequences of sexual abuse. There are multiple mechanisms through which sexual abuse can cause post-traumatic stress disorder, activate biological stress response systems, and contribute to adverse brain development.

Enhanced cortisol response to stress in children in autism.

Children with Autism often show difficulties in adapting to change. Previous studies of cortisol, a neurobiologic stress hormone reflecting hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, in children with autism have demonstrated variable results. This study measured cortisol levels in children with and without Autism: (1) at rest; (2) in a novel environment; and (3) in response to a blood draw stressor.

Gender differences in the effect of early life trauma on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning.

Background: The objective of this study was to examine the modifying effect of gender on the association between early life trauma and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to a pharmacologic challenge and a social stress task in men and women. Participants (16 men, 23 women) were the control sample of a larger study examining HPA axis function. Individuals with major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, or psychotic or eating disorders were excluded.

Crecemos juntos: understanding and alleviating parental stress among lowcountry migrant workers.

The focus of this study was to determine challenges and needs faced by families of migrant farm workers served by Rural Mission Migrant Head Start in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Data on common problems was collected via surveys, and results were analyzed. The Crecemos Juntos (We Grow Together) program was developed with the support of a Helping Hands Grant from the American Psychiatric Foundation, which funds service initiatives by medical students.

Influence of cocaine dependence and early life stress on pituitary-adrenal axis responses to CRH and the Trier social stressor.

Long-term changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as a result of early life stress could be related to the development of substance use disorders during adulthood. In this study, the neuroendocrine, physiologic (HR), and subjective responses to corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) and the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST) in individuals with cocaine dependence, with (n=21)/without early life stress (n=21), non-dependent individuals with early life stress (n=22), and a control group were examined (n=21). CRH increased cortisol and ACTH levels in all groups.

Bullying and ostracism experiences in children with special health care needs.

Objective: Bullying experiences are becoming increasingly common in children and can have devastating consequences. Ostracism threatens a child's need for self-esteem, sense of belonging, sense of control, and meaningful existence. Recent literature suggests that children with special health care needs may be at risk for these negative events and consequences.

Community-dwelling cocaine-dependent men and women respond differently to social stressors versus cocaine cues.

Unlabelled: There are likely to be gender differences in determinants of relapse to drug use following abstinence in cocaine-dependent individuals. Cocaine-dependent women are more likely to attribute relapse to negative emotional states and interpersonal conflict. Cocaine dependence has also been linked to dysregulation of stress response and the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis which may differ between genders.

Reactivity to laboratory stress provocation predicts relapse to cocaine.

Background: Cocaine dependence is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by periods of abstinence and high rates of return to drug using behavior. Elevated levels of stress have been associated with relapse to cocaine; however, the nature of this association is not well understood.

Methods: The relationship between reactivity to three human laboratory provocations and relapse to cocaine was investigated.

Neuropsychological findings in childhood neglect and their relationships to pediatric PTSD.

Although child neglect is the most prevalent form of child maltreatment, the neurocognitive effects of neglect are understudied. We examined IQ, reading, mathematics, and neurocognitive domains of fine-motor skills, language, visual-spatial, memory/learning, and attention/executive functions in two groups of nonsexually abused medically healthy neglected children, one with DSM-IV posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and one without, and a demographically similar healthy nonmaltreated control group. Significantly lower IQ, reading, mathematics, and selected differences in complex visual attention, visual memory, language, verbal memory and learning, planning, problem solving, and speeded naming were seen in Neglect Groups.

Relationship between child abuse and adult smoking.

Objective: A strong association between a history of child abuse and subsequent psychiatric disorders including substance use has been demonstrated. However, few studies have examined the relationship between child abuse and cigarette smoking in individuals without co-occurring psychiatric disorders. In this study, the relationship between severe childhood abuse and smoking were examined in a group of adults without significant psychopathology.

Pediatric case study and review: is it a conversion disorder?

Objective: It is common in health care settings for adolescent patients to report physical symptoms that are unexplained by physical disease or pathophysiologic processes. The diagnosis of conversion disorder is difficult to make as many of these patients present to primary care with complex, difficult-to-understand medical symptoms. Patients can present with a medical dilemma and a symptom model consistent with a conversion disorder, but there is a danger of misdiagnosis without a thorough medical work up.

Early life trauma and sensitivity to current life stressors in individuals with and without cocaine dependence.

This study investigated the link between exposure to early life trauma, sensitivity to current daily stressors, and cocaine dependence. Individuals with (n = 105) or without (n = 53) cocaine dependence completed the Early Trauma Inventory and the Daily Hassles Scale. In comparison to controls, cocaine-dependent individuals reported almost twice as many daily hassles and perceived those hassles more negatively (p < .

Effects of gender and cigarette smoking on reactivity to psychological and pharmacological stress provocation.

We examined the influence of gender and smoking status on reactivity in two human laboratory stress paradigms. Participants were 46 (21 men, 25 women) healthy individuals who completed the Trier Social Stress Task (i.e.

Prevalence and characteristics of children with autism-spectrum disorders.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and associated characteristics among 8-year-old children.

Methods: This is an ongoing active, population-based surveillance program conducted in South Carolina as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Cases from the state's first two study years (2000 and 2002) have been combined for analysis, resulting in surveillance of 47,726 children who are 8 years of age.

PTSD and the HPA axis: differences in response to the cold pressor task among individuals with child vs. adult trauma.

Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and subjective stress response to a cold-water immersion task, the cold pressor task (CPT), in individuals (N=89) with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were examined. All tests were conducted at 08:00h after an overnight hospital stay. Plasma adrenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH), cortisol, and subjective stress were examined at baseline and five post-task time points in controls (n=31), subjects with PTSD as a result of an index trauma during childhood (i.