Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC) in a Low-Income Spanish-Speaking Population in Guayaquil (Ecuador).

Unlabelled: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) must be present early in development, but may not fully manifest until social demands exceed capacities. In the absence of adequate biological or brain imaging markers to detect and diagnose autism, diagnosis relies on clinical judgment based on observation of symptoms. Many tools have been developed in English-speaking countries (questionnaires for parents, symptom checklists for professionals, observation systems, etc.

Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function in Preschool (BRIEF-P) and Attention-Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Floor and Ceiling Effects.

Background: ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is accompanied by executive challenges.

Objectives: To obtain evidence of the usefulness of the BRIEF-P and to analyze the possible ceiling and floor effect of its scores in the assessment of executive function in preschoolers with signs compatible with a possible diagnosis of ADHD.

Method: A search was performed in Science Direct, NCBI (PubMed), and ProQuest Education Journals during the period 2012-2022.

Mindfulness Parenting and Childish Play: A Clinical Trial With Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Background: Problems of behaviour, communication, and social interaction associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders can overwhelm parents. Disturbances in parents' psychological well-being (anxiety, depression) affect adherence to treatment, making it less effective. There is a need to investigate how to increase psychological wellbeing in parents of children with autism.

Do Savant Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders Share Sex Differences? A Comprehensive Review.

Savant syndrome was described before autism. However, they soon became closely associated, as many of their symptoms (intellectual disability, repetitive behaviors, alterations in social communication, and islets of abilities) overlap. Only a few women with autism have been diagnosed with savant syndrome.

Autism and Children: Diagnosis, Functional Profiles and Intervention.

In the last forty years, approaches to and the social perception of autism have changed significantly [...

Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders: The SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Implications.

The Special Issue (SI) "Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders: The SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Implications" is an interesting project that adopted a scientific point of view with important implications in clinical and practical fields [...

Parental Stress Assessment with the Parenting Stress Index (PSI): A Systematic Review of Its Psychometric Properties.

Unlabelled: Parental stress is a construct related to people's perception of difficulties and feelings of not being able to cope with the demands of parenting. This construct is often experienced as a negative or aversive response to parental obligations, and the available evidence also suggests that excessive parenting stress reduces the use of positive parenting behaviors and are related to dysfunctional parenting. Different instruments exist to assess parental stress.

Research-Based Intervention (RBI) for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Looking beyond Traditional Models and Outcome Measures for Clinical Trials.

The rising prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) has led to a quickly increasing need for effective interventions. Several criteria and measures have been developed to critically assess these interventions with particular focus on the evaluation of the efficacy. Given the huge diversity of ASD symptoms and the different levels of severity across individuals, identifying a one size fits all intervention approach is challenging, and the question What works and for whom? Remains still unanswered.

Screening, Diagnosis and Early Intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The increment of prevalence is among the most important changes that have taken place in recent years with regard to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); in the 1970s and 1980s of the 20th century, the prevalence of ASD was estimated to be 4/10,000 [...

Assessment of Anxiety in Cognitive-Behavior Therapy in Young University Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review.

The university provides academic support to disabled students, however, few institutions provide academic, extra-academic or preventive support to students with Autism Spectrum Disorders High-Functioning (ASD-HF). Among the most commonly requested needs is support for coping with anxiety arising from academic and social activity itself. When planning an intervention program, it is necessary to screen those who have problems and are likely to benefit from such a program.

A Systematic Review on the Impact of the Social Confinement on People with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Unlabelled: The COVID-19 pandemic had imposed a variety of containment measures on the general population for prolonged periods. Confinement has had, and still has, social, economic, educational, health, and psychological consequences on the entire population.

Objective: In this article, a systematic search has been performed based on studies carried out since the beginning of the pandemic, regarding the impact of these containment measures on the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population and their caregivers.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Self Compassion (SC) Training for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Trial in Community Services in Spain.

Unlabelled: This study aims to develop a clinical trial to test the efficacy of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and self-compassion (SC) program on self-reported values of anxiety, depression, and stress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in primary school, in order to assess their integration into the framework of community intervention programs in Spain.

Methods: A brief 8-week training program using mindfulness-based intervention (MBSR) and self-compassion (SC) has been applied to twelve Valencian ASD parents, ten of whom completed the program. Participants were assigned to two groups; both groups received the same treatment but at two different measurement moments.

Diagnostic Tools for Autism Spectrum Disorders by Gender: Analysis of Current Status and Future Lines.

Studies on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders have shown gender disproportion. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in this investigation area. There are two main research lines; the first is focused mostly on gender-related biological reasons that could account for low ASD prevalence in women (i.

Psychometrics of the Spanish Version of the Screen for Adult Anxiety Related Disorders (SCAARED).

To translate and validate the Screen for Adult Anxiety Related Disorders (SCAARED) questionnaire into Spanish. The original SCAARED was translated into Spanish and administered to a non-clinical sample of 131 university students (92.4% women, mean age 22 years) in Valencia, Spain.

Early Intervention with Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of Programs.

The aim of this article was to analyze the evidence regarding the effectiveness of intervention programs for children with autism based on the participation of their parents. To obtain the data, a systematic search was carried out in four databases (PsycARTICLES (ProQuest), ERIC (ProQuest), PubMed (ProQuest), and Scopus). The retrieved documents were refined under the inclusion/exclusion criteria, and a total of 51 empirical studies were selected.

Screening instruments for early detection of autism spectrum disorder in Spanish speaking communities.

Background: Since autism detection protocols rely primarily on parental accounts of early symptoms, the use by Spanish-speaking populations of screening tools developed in a different language and socio-cultural context (usually English) might hamper the success of early detection programs.

Method: A systematic search in four databases was completed, identifying 59 tools used for ASD detection. Of these, only nine tools had been applied in Spanish-speaking populations, and of those, only five can be considered specific tools for the early detection of autism.