Nonverbal communication and play correlates of language development in autistic children.

The aim of this study was to determine the social and cognitive correlates of language acquisition in autistic children. Functional and symbolic play skills were shown to be associated with language abilities in a sample of young autistic children (mean CA 54.5 months), thereby replicating previous findings.

Medical treatment of idiopathic infertility.

We conclude that, although many therapies have been advocated, no regimen has proved to be consistently effective in the treatment of idiopathic male infertility. Couples in which the husband is identified as having idiopathic infertility should be advised of the inconsistent and often low conception rates obtained with medical therapy. This should be weighed against the possibility of greater success with in vitro fertilization and the likelihood of success with artificial insemination by donor.

Categorization skills and receptive language development in autistic children.

The category knowledge and receptive language skills of 16 autistic, mentally retarded, and normal children were assessed. The autistic children's knowledge of function, form, and color categories was comparable to that of the mental-age-matched mentally retarded and normal comparison groups. Category knowledge and receptive language were more closely associated for mentally retarded and normal children than for autistic children.

Characterization of a monoclonal antibody to a conserved epitope on human seminal vesicle-specific peptides: a novel probe/marker system for semen identification.

A novel sperm-coating antigen from the human seminal vesicles was discovered. We identified a monoclonal antibody MHS-5, recognizing an epitope with characteristics of a forensic semen marker: conservation in all vasectomized or normal semen samples tested (421); absence in all human tissues or biological fluids other than semen; and immunolocalization on the surface of ejaculated sperm. Western blots of ejaculates allowed to liquefy for 5 min demonstrated the MHS-5 epitope to be located on peptides of a wide range of molecular masses from 69 to 8 kDa.

Defining the social deficits of autism: the contribution of non-verbal communication measures.

Young autistic children were compared to normal and control samples on measures of non-verbal communication skills and object play skills. Deficits in non-verbal indicating behaviors best discriminated the children diagnosed as autistic from the other groups. Although the autistic children also exhibited deficits in object play behavior, these deficits did not add appreciably to the discriminant function based on the non-verbal communication behaviors.

Social interactions of autistic, mentally retarded and normal children and their caregivers.

The social interactions of young autistic children and their caregivers were contrasted to interactions involving normal and mentally retarded controls. The autistic children displayed a much lower frequency of attention sharing behaviors, such as pointing to or showing objects. Alternatively, the autistic children directed as much looking, vocalizing and proximity behaviors toward their caregivers as did the other groups.

Alcohol use in primiparous women older than 30 years of age: relation to infant development.

The effects of maternal alcohol use on mental development, growth, and dysmorphogenesis was studied in a sample of 1-year-old infants born to elderly primiparous mothers. Alcohol intake was measured using Jessor's AA score and a simple count of maximum number of drinks consumed in one day. Infant cognition was assessed using the Bayley Scale of Mental Development.

Continuity in mental development from infancy.

In this essay we document moderate continuity in mental development beginning in infancy and extending into childhood. Psychological opinion in the past has tended to favor discontinuity theories of cognitive development from infancy. In recent years, however, the foundations on which discontinuity positions were originally established have themselves come under question and new findings grounded in new assessment procedures have appeared, necessitating revision of opinion on this significant psychological and developmental issue.

Cognitive development in preterm infants: birth to 8 years.

This report summarizes the outcome at age 8 of a group of preterm infants followed intensively from birth. The study was designed primarily to follow the processes of interaction between biological and environmental factors in determining the childhood outcome of infants born preterm rather than to report the incidence of particular types of outcomes for special subgroups of infants. A high percentage of the children were performing within the normal range.

Human antisperm monoclonal antibodies constructed postvasectomy.

Sperm and spermatogenic cell antigens, escaping the blood-testis/blood-epididymal barrier, elicit an autoimmune response in patients following vasectomy. In this study, antisperm antibody-positive sera and peripheral blood lymphocytes were obtained 6-9 mo following vasectomy. Serum antisperm antibody levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence.

Attachment behaviors in autistic children.

The social behaviors of 14 autistic children and 14 normal children of equivalent mental age were observed during a free-play situation as well as during separation from and reunion with their mothers and a stranger. As a group, the autistic children showed evidence of attachment to their mothers, directing more social behaviors and more physical contact to their caregivers than to the stranger during the reunion episodes. Within the autistic group, the children who showed an increase in attachment behaviors in response to separation and reunion demonstrated more advanced symbolic play skills than those autistic children who showed no change in attachment behaviors.

The relation of play and sensorimotor behavior to language in the second year.

The concurrent and predictive relations of sensorimotor behavior and play to language in the second year were assessed. 19 preterm and 20 full-term infants were tested at 13 1/2 and 22 months of age. Functional play directed toward dolls and other persons and meaningfully related sequences of functional and symbolic acts at 13 1/2 months were associated with language measured at 13 1/2 months and 9 months later.

Moral judgment in relation to behavioral and cognitive disorders in adolescents.

The capacity for formulating moral judgments shown by 20 emotionally disturbed, cognitively delayed adolescents was related to their social behaviors as observed in a classroom situation. Adolescents reported by their teachers to be shy and submissive were less capable of reasoning about moral issues than were adolescents who were seen as more assertive and socially engaged. The level of moral judgment was not a function of intelligence or ability to understand concrete operations.

Developmental lags in preterm infants from one to three years of age.

Assessments of play, sensorimotor, language, and general developmental skills were administered to 20 preterm and 20 full-term infants at comparable corrected and postnatal ages in 5 sessions during the second and third years of life. Clear effects of biological maturity on play and sensorimotor skills were demonstrated at 13 1/2 months, and less pervasive effects remained at 22 months. Furthermore, the preterm infants were significantly delayed in sensorimotor, personal-social, and gross motor abilities at 13 1/2 months and in language abilities at 22 months beyond that predicted by biological maturity alone.

Sleep behavior of preterm children at three years of age.

Caregivers of 50 preterm children completed a questionnaire relating to their child's sleep behavior at three years of age. Assessments of the children's EEGs at term and three months, medical status at birth and at four, nine and 24 months, caregiver-child interaction at one, eight and 24 months, the Bayley Scales at 25 months and the Stanford-Binet at five years of age were also obtained. Sleep disturbances were frequently noted at three years of age.

Cognitive inhibition of human gastric acid output--studies using telemetric measurements.

In study I subjects had two sessions--one to examine the effects of reading and another to study the effects of relaxation exercises. An incomplete crossover design was used. Subjects (N = 13) decreased mean acid output by 32.

Neonatal risk factors in preterm infants.

This paper highlights the research literature on neonatal risk factors and explores the paradox that these factors present. Clinical and retrospective studies indicate that children who have developmental problems have had birth complications. On the other hand, birth complications do not predict developmental problems.

Sensorimotor skills and language comprehension in autistic children.

The objectives of this study were to examine the level of sensorimotor concepts of young autistic children and to relate these concepts to language comprehension. A sample of 16 autistic children with a mean mental age of 24.8 months was administered a standardized scale of sensorimotor intelligence and of receptive language.