Publications by authors named "R A Bernier"

Purpose: Dynamic eye-tracking paradigms are an engaging and increasingly used method to study social attention in autism. While prior research has focused primarily on younger populations, there is a need for developmentally appropriate tasks for older children.

Methods: This study introduces a novel eye-tracking task designed to assess school-aged children's attention to speakers involved in conversation.

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Article Synopsis
  • Loss-of-function mutations in the CHD8 gene are linked to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), leading to significant molecular and cellular changes relevant for developing new therapies.
  • Synthetic SINEUP-CHD8, a type of long non-coding RNA, can increase the production of the CHD8 protein in cells lacking it, and reverse associated negative effects in cells from patients with CHD8 mutations.
  • In zebrafish models, SINEUP-CHD8 not only alleviated symptoms caused by CHD8 suppression, like macrocephaly and excessive neuron production, but also suggests potential for RNA-based treatments for various neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Objective: To assess whether training provided to an inexperienced clinician just before performing a high stakes procedure can improve procedural care quality, measuring the first attempt success rate of trainees performing infant orotracheal intubation.

Design: Randomized clinical trial.

Setting: Single center, quaternary children's hospital in Boston, MA, USA.

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Background: Considering the significant volume of non-English speakers seeking medical care in the United States and the challenges they may encounter within the hospital environment, it is necessary to assess the satisfaction of non-English-speaking families during their hospital stays and to determine potential areas of improvement in order to optimize care.

Aims: We aimed to evaluate and describe the satisfaction of Arabic-, Spanish-, and English-speaking families at a quaternary pediatric hospital. From the measures assessed, we sought to identify perceived strengths and weaknesses of the inpatient experience for families who spoke different languages.

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In some cases, a clinician's perceptions of a child's autism-related behaviors are not the same as the child's caregiver's perceptions. Identifying how these discrepancies relate to the characteristics of the child is critical for ensuring that diagnosis procedures are unbiased and suitable for all children. This study examined whether discrepancies between clinician and caregiver reports of autism features related to the child's sex at birth.

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