Decision-making difficulties experienced by adults with autism spectrum conditions.

Autobiographical and clinical accounts, as well as a limited neuropsychological research literature, suggest that, in some situations, men and women with autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) may have difficulty making decisions. Little is known, however, about how people with ASCs experience decision-making or how they might best be supported to make decisions for themselves. In this study, we compared the decision-making experiences of adults with and without ASCs (n=38 and n=40, respectively) using a novel questionnaire and the General Decision Making Style inventory (GDMS, Scott & Bruce, 1995).

An fMRI investigation of detection of semantic incongruities in autistic spectrum conditions.

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in the brain's haemodynamic response to semantically incongruent and congruent sentences in adults with an autistic spectrum condition (ASC) and a typically developing Control group. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure regional variations in neural activity during detection of semantic incongruities within written sentences. Whilst the 12 controls showed a pattern of activity extending from posterior cingulate cortices bilaterally and the left occipitotemporal region to the left superior and inferior temporal lobes, right anterior cingulate and right inferior frontal gyrus, the 12 participants with an ASC presented a more spatially restricted activation pattern, including the left inferior frontal gyrus, left anterior cingulate cortex and right middle frontal gyrus.

Respecting patient autonomy: understanding the impact on NHS hospital in-patients of legislation and guidance relating to patient capacity and consent.

Objectives: to determine the extent and nature of the decisions individuals are asked to make as in-patients, and whether doctors, nurses, other health care practitioners, and housekeepers engaged in routine (non-emergency) medical assessments, investigations and treatments, or acts of personal care observe the Reference Guide to Consent for Examination or Treatment, the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (England and Wales) 2005, and the guidance from the Dignity in Care Campaign.

Methods: hospital staff working on a general medical ward and a ward for older people in a large teaching hospital in England were observed for over 50 hours carrying out acts of medical and personal care. The observations were recorded using a semi-structured record sheet, complemented by unstructured field notes.

Hospital clinicians' attitudes towards a statutory advocacy service for patients lacking mental capacity: implications for implementation.

Objectives: To examine attitudes to the Mental Capacity Act's new statutory Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) service in England and Wales and consider the implications for its delivery.

Methods: Quantitative data describing all referrals to the seven pilot IMCA services (January 2006-March 2007) and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 18 doctors, 21 senior nurses and one discharge planning manager in four general hospitals in England.

Results: Of 127 hospital-based referrals to the seven pilot IMCA services, 29 (23%) were for patients facing serious medical treatments, 52% of whom were judged to lack decision-making capacity due to a learning disability; ninety-eight (77%) were for patients facing a change of accommodation upon hospital discharge, 62% of whom were elderly and lacked capacity due to dementia.