Impact of chronic intranasal oxytocin administration on face expression processing in autistic children: a randomized controlled trial using fMRI.

Background: Difficulties with (non-verbal) social communication, including facial expression processing, constitute a hallmark of autism. Intranasal administration of oxytocin has been considered a potential therapeutic option for improving social difficulties in autism, either by enhancing the salience of social cues or by reducing the social stress and anxiety experienced in social encounters.

Methods: We recorded fMRI brain activity while presenting neutral, fearful and scrambled faces, to compare the neural face processing signature of autistic children (n = 58) with that of matched non-autistic controls (n = 38).

International workshop: what is needed to ensure outcome measures for Rett syndrome are fit-for-purpose for clinical trials? June 7, 2023, Nashville, USA.

Introduction: The clinical, research and advocacy communities for Rett syndrome are striving to achieve clinical trial readiness, including having fit-for-purpose clinical outcome assessments. This study aimed to (1) describe psychometric properties of clinical outcome assessment for Rett syndrome and (2) identify what is needed to ensure that fit-for-purpose clinical outcome assessments are available for clinical trials.

Methods: Clinical outcome assessments for the top 10 priority domains identified in the Voice of the Patient Report for Rett syndrome were compiled and available psychometric data were extracted.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Persian Version of the Children's Voice Handicap Index-10 for Parents.

Objectives: This study aimed to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Children's Voice Handicap Index-10 for Parents (CVHI-10-P) in Persian for assessing voice-related quality of life in Persian-speaking children.

Methods: The CVHI-10-P was translated into Persian and assessed for face and content validity by a panel of speech-language pathologists. The questionnaire was administered to 141 children aged 6-11 years, including 35 with voice disorders and 106 without.

CHD3-related Snijders Blok-Campeau syndrome with Spastic Paraplegia, Ataxia, and Situs Inversus.

The Chromodomain Helicase DNA-binding (CHD) protein family is ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling proteins that utilize energy produced by ATP hydrolysis to regulate chromatin structure and thereby modulate gene expression. The earliest report of a CHD3 gene mutation was by O'Roak, who found it during whole exome sequencing of 189 autism families in 2012. In 2018, Snijders Blok systematically assessed the autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorder caused by CHD3 gene damage, known as Snijders Blok-Campeau syndrome (SNIBCPS, OMIM 618205).

Effects of immune modulatory treatment on language and psychiatric profile in patients with electrical status epilepticus in sleep (ESES).

Electrical status epilepticus in sleep (ESES) is an electrographic pattern associated with cognitive impairment. Our study aimed to prospectively evaluate the psychiatric findings and language skills in patients diagnosed with ESES and to determine the immune modulatory treatment-responsive subgroups. We assessed the patients for psychiatric features and language skills at the baseline and 12 months after.

Gamma oscillations and auditory perception: A cluster-based statistic investigation in infants at higher likelihood of autism and developmental language disorder.

The ability to process auditory information is one of the foundations of the ability to appropriately acquire language. Moreover, early difficulties in basic auditory abilities have cascading effects on the appropriate wiring of brain networks underlying higher-order linguistic processes. Language impairments represent core difficulties in two different but partially overlapping disorders: developmental language disorder (DLD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Conducting ethical, co-produced research with autistic individuals with an eating disorder: best practice guidelines.

There is a notable overlap between autism and eating disorders (EDs), and autistic individuals may experience poorer ED treatment outcomes than non-autistic peers. To make meaningful change in this field, it is imperative that we actively engage in co-production of research, however there are currently no guidelines to support co-production with autistic people with eating disorders. This paper reports on best practice guidelines that were co-produced across a series of workshops bringing together autistic people with EDs, researchers, clinicians, third-sector organisations, and parents/carers.

The Knowledge and Preferences of Parents/Carers of Autistic Children and Young People about Technology Devices.

This study explored parents'/carers' knowledge, interest, and preferences towards technology devices as support mediums for autistic children, the reasoning behind any choice and the factors associated with the most preferred technology device. Technology devices were conceptualised as smartphones, iPods, tablets, virtual reality, robots, and 'other' for participants to list their own further interpretations of technology devices. Survey data were collected from 267 parents/carers of autistic children aged 2-18 years internationally between May to October 2020.

Peer Problems and Prosocial Behavior Among Icelandic Children and Adolescents with ADHD and/or Autism: Gender and Age Differences.

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders tend to have more social difficulties than typically developing children. The aim of the current study was to examine parent and teacher-reported effects of age and gender on social functioning in a large clinical sample of children and adolescents with ADHD, autism, or co-occurring ADHD and autism using a cross-sectional study design. This nationwide clinical sample included 2132 Icelandic children and adolescents (35% girls, 65% boys) aged 5-18 years referred for a neurodevelopmental diagnostic assessment (ADHD and/or autism) in Iceland.

Views on Augmented Reality and Neurodevelopmental Communication Disability: Survey of Parents, Educators, and Health Professionals.

Purpose: The use of Augmented Reality (AR) in the field of neurodevelopmental communication disability is emergent and under-researched. The views of supporters on the use of AR by children with neurodevelopmental communication disability will help in the design of applications suited to their educational, learning, social, and communication needs.

Aims: To determine the views of supporters of children with neurodevelopmental communication disability on the use of AR, and facilitators or barriers to its use.

The Persian Version of the Emotion Regulation and Social Skills Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties for Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Emotion Regulation and Social Skills Questionnaire (ERSSQ) among young Farsi-speaking individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 108 children and teenagers (aged 7 to 14 years; mean age = 10.55 years, 91% male) with ASD, along with an equal number of neurotypical children, their families, and teachers.

Racial Disproportionality in Autism Over 20 Years: What It Means for Special Education Disability Classifications.

Purpose: This study examines racial and ethnic disparities in autism prevalence using data from three National Longitudinal Transition Studies (NLTS) spanning two decades. This inquiry intends to explore: (1) changes in the educational labels assigned to students with a medical diagnosis of autism over time and (2) the disparities in these changes across different racial and ethnic groups.

Methods: A secondary data analysis of the NLTS was conducted using the SPSS Complex Samples module.

Screening for Depression in Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

Introduction: Screening for depression in caregivers of children with developmental disabilities is not routine, representing missed opportunities for support.

Method: A quality improvement project was initiated in our pediatric clinic. Root causes of limited screening included unclear guidelines for support, caregiver perception that help is unavailable, and lack of a quick screening tool.

Structure of subcortico-cortical tracts in middle-aged and older adults with autism spectrum disorder.

Middle-aged and older adults with autism spectrum disorder may be susceptible to accelerated neurobiological changes in striato- and thalamo-cortical tracts due to combined effects of typical aging and existing disparities present from early neurodevelopment. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we employed diffusion-weighted imaging and automated tract-segmentation to explore striato- and thalamo-cortical tract microstructure and volume differences between autistic (n = 29) and typical comparison (n = 33) adults (40 to 70 years old). Fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and tract volumes were measured for 14 striato-cortical and 12 thalamo-cortical tract bundles.

Design, methodology, and early findings of an autism registry program: ABBILAR project.

The autism spectrum disorder (ASD) registry program presents a unique opportunity to facilitate advanced research in various aspects of ASD, particularly in low-resource countries like Iran. Given the international significance of autism research, registry programs play a critical role in data sharing. ASD registry programs have been effectively established in high-income countries over a few decades; however, there are limited examples from low- and middle-income countries.

The challenge and promise of disentangling neurodevelopmental conditions a commentary on Davis et al. (2024).

This commentary evaluates the study by Davis et al. on the early behavioural manifestations of autism spectrum condition (ASC) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschool children. Davis et al.

Novel Digital Anomalies, Hippocampal Atrophy, and Mutations Expand the Genotypic and Phenotypic Spectra of CNKSR2 in the Houge Type of X-Linked Syndromic Intellectual Development Disorder (MRXSHG).

The Houge type of X-linked syndromic intellectual developmental disorder (MRXSHG) encompasses a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by intellectual disability (ID), language/speech delay, attention issues, and epilepsy. These conditions arise from hemizygous or heterozygous deletions, along with point mutations, affecting CNKSR2, a gene located at Xp22.12.

Autism spectrum condition: an update for dental practitioners - Part 2.

The second part of this series guides dental care professionals in addressing the specific needs of individuals with autism. The paper explores risk factors, including trauma and oral disease, and offers an overview of strategies for prevention and management, with an appreciation that children and adult services use different resources and approaches to care may vary. We describe a tailored approach to accommodate sensory sensitivities and communication difficulties, and the importance of capacity assessment and best interest considerations.

EXPRESS: The Enduring Importance of the 'Fine Cuts' Approach to Psychology - EPS Mid-Career Award Lecture 2024.

In this paper I take a selective review of work undertaken by my colleagues and me in an attempt to show the enduring importance of the 'fine cuts' approach to psychology. This approach highlights the importance of causal, specific, and falsifiable psychological models, and the rigorous experimental designs needed to test them. I hope the review shows that it is still necessary to consider cognition, despite the exciting advances in Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and computational modelling characterising our field.

Systemic heterogeneity in autism spectrum disorder revealed by individualized structural covariance network analysis.

Background And Purpose: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is clinically heterogeneous, and resent neuroimaging studies have shown the presence of brain structural heterogeneity in ASD. However, there is currently a lack of evidence for systemic level brain structural heterogeneity. This study aimed to reveal the heterogeneity of brain structural changes at the systemic level in ASD patients through individual differential structural covariance network (IDSCN) analysis.

Chromosome X-wide common variant association study in autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) displays a notable male bias in prevalence. Research into rare (<0.1) genetic variants on the X chromosome has implicated over 20 genes in ASD pathogenesis, such as MECP2, DDX3X, and DMD.

Genetic variants in DDX53 contribute to autism spectrum disorder associated with the Xp22.11 locus.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibits an ∼4:1 male-to-female sex bias and is characterized by early-onset impairment of social/communication skills, restricted interests, and stereotyped behaviors. Disruption of the Xp22.11 locus has been associated with ASD in males.

The mediating role of social support on the link between adverse childhood experiences and adult mental health.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with adult mental health, especially anxiety and depression. We aimed to explain these relationships by investigating perceived social support as a mediating factor. In this model, it is proposed that individuals who experience more ACEs will have less perceived social support in adulthood, which in turn will increase reported anxiety and depression symptoms.

Environmental exposure to common pesticide induces synaptic deficit and social memory impairment driven by neurodevelopmental vulnerability of hippocampal parvalbumin interneurons.

Environmental exposure to pesticides at levels deemed safe by regulatory agencies has been linked to increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Yet, the mechanisms linking exposure to these disorders remain unclear. Here, we show that maternal exposure to the pesticide deltamethrin (DM) at the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) disrupts long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus of adult male offspring three months after exposure, a phenotype absent in female offspring.

"I felt belittled and ridiculed for being in pain": An online survey of Autistic people's experience of care for pregnancy loss (perinatal loss) in the United Kingdom.

Background: Around 3 % of people are Autistic; women may be under-diagnosed. Autistic people report lack of staff understanding, stigma and environmental barriers to using midwifery services. It is not known if these issues are present in perinatal loss services.