Toward a cumulative science of vocal markers of autism: A cross‐linguistic meta‐analysis‐based investigation of acoustic markers in American and Danish autistic children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Fusaroli ◽  
Ruth Grossman ◽  
Niels Bilenberg ◽  
Cathriona Cantio ◽  
Jens Richardt Møllegaard Jepsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Autistic Children

The effectiveness of physical activity interventions on communication and social functioning in autistic children and adolescents: A meta-analysis of controlled trials

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 136236132097764
Author(s):  
John SY Chan ◽  
Kanfeng Deng ◽  
Jin H Yan
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Physical Activity Interventions

Difficulty with communication and social functioning are two outstanding core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, and physical activity has long been suggested to improve autism spectrum disorder symptoms. In this meta-analysis of controlled trials, we examined the effects of physical activity interventions compared to controls on communication and social functioning in autistic children and adolescents. Included studies are published articles in English with autism spectrum disorder participants younger than 18 years. Literature search was conducted on MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and related databases through 6 May 2020. Quality of study was assessed with the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool regarding randomization, allocation concealment, blinding, attrition, and selective reporting. We included 12 controlled trials ( N = 350) with communication outcomes ( k = 8) and/or social functioning outcomes ( k = 11). Results show small to moderate intervention benefits on communication (standardized mean change = 0.27, 95% confidence interval (0.06, 0.48)) and social functioning (standardized mean change = 0.39, 95% confidence interval (0.15, 0.63)), but the result for social functioning may be susceptible to publication bias. Better intervention outcomes are observed in younger participants, suggesting the importance of early participation. This study shows the benefits of physical activity interventions, and they could be considered a cost-effective means for autism spectrum disorder management in the future. Lay abstract Difficulty with communication and social functioning are two outstanding core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, while there is no efficacious pharmacologic treatment available to deal with them. Traditional behavioral therapies usually require specialist therapist and be conducted in specific settings, increasing burdens on families and individuals with autism. Physical activity has long been found to promote physical and mental well-beings, and it is more affordable and versatile than traditional therapies. There is preliminary support for the use of physical activity interventions to improve communication and social functioning in individuals with autism. In this study, we quantitatively aggregate data from existing controlled trials to provide an up-to-date inquiry into the effectiveness of physical activity interventions on communication and social functioning in autistic children and adolescents. We included 12 trials involving 350 participants (8 trials reported communication outcomes and 11 trials reported social functioning outcomes) and found small to moderate benefits on communication and social functioning. Further analyses showed that the benefit of physical activity interventions is greater in younger participants. Results of this study suggest that physical activity interventions are effective to improve communication and social functioning in autistic children and adolescents, and early participation in the interventions can be more beneficial. Given their affordability, versatility, and efficacy, physical activity interventions could be considered a cost-effective option for autism spectrum disorder management in the future.

scholarly journals Meta-Analysis on Intervention Effects of Physical Activities on Children and Adolescents with Autism

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinfeng Huang ◽  
Chunjie Du ◽  
Jianjin Liu ◽  
Guangxin Tan
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
China National Knowledge Infrastructure ◽  
Intervention Effects ◽  
Adolescents With Autism

This paper aimed to discuss the intervention effects of physical activities on children and adolescents with autism with a meta-analysis so as to serve as a reference to further relevant research on the same topic. As for research methods, by searching in CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), WanFang data, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and other databases, this study collected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the intervention of physical activities on children and adolescents with autism and used Review Manager 5.3 software to process and analyze the outcome indicators of the literature. As for the result, a total of 12 papers and 492 research targets were selected. The results of the meta-analysis show that physical activity had a significant positive impact on social interaction ability, communication ability, motor skills, and autism degree of autistic children as well as the social skills and communication skills of autistic adolescents. On the other hand, physical activity had no significant effect on the stereotyped behavior of autistic children and adolescents. In conclusion, physical activity intervention is beneficial to children and adolescents with autism, and continuous physical activity intervention can produce greater intervention effect.

scholarly journals Emotional self-awareness in autism: A meta-analysis of group differences and developmental effects

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 136236132096430
Author(s):  
Charlotte F Huggins ◽  
Gemma Donnan ◽  
Isobel M Cameron ◽  
Justin HG Williams
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Autistic Adults

Emotional self-awareness is increasingly suggested to be an area of difficulty in autism that may predict socioemotional outcomes for this population. However, whether emotional self-awareness is consistently diminished in autism across age and methodology remains unclear. We systematically reviewed 47 papers measuring emotional self-awareness in autistic ( n = 1387) and non-autistic ( n = 1433) participants. Most studies relied on self-report. Of studies testing for group differences, the majority (32/41) found significantly poorer emotional self-awareness in autism. Meta-analyses of self-report measures found that emotional self-awareness was significantly poorer in autism ( d = 1.16). However, when examining age groups individually, autistic children of age 12 years and under were not significantly different from their peers ( d = 0.03). Instead, difficulties emerged during adolescence ( d = 0.63) and increased with age ( d = 1.16 – 1.58). The pattern of emotional self-awareness difficulties being more common in autism, and worsening with age is similar to the development of mental health difficulties in autism. However, findings rely on self-perception and so may reflect poor self-beliefs of socioemotional competence. We propose that negative self-beliefs in autistic populations may account for findings of low emotional self-awareness. Lay abstract Autistic people are thought to have difficulties with identifying and understanding their own emotions. This is referred to as emotional self-awareness. It is important to study emotional self-awareness as people who are more able to understand their own emotions, whether they are autistic or not, are more able to respond to them appropriately, as well as to identify them in other people. It has not yet been confirmed whether autistic people have difficulties with emotional self-awareness, or if any reported difficulties are actually due to the way in which emotional self-awareness is measured in autistic people. If these difficulties do exist, it is also not known when these difficulties emerge. In this research, we reviewed 47 existing studies that measured emotional self-awareness in autistic and non-autistic adults and children. We also compared studies that measured emotional self-awareness in different ways. We found that autistic adults did seem to have poorer emotional self-awareness compared to their neurotypical peers. However, this was not the case with autistic children of age 12 years and below. Instead, differences in emotional self-awareness only seemed to emerge during adolescence. Moreover, these difficulties seemed to increase with age. These results suggest that difficulties with emotional self-awareness may not be inherent in autism. Instead, they may emerge alongside the greater social and mental health difficulties that are experienced by many autistic people during adolescence. We therefore suggest that it is important to find out more about, and subsequently support, the emotional self-awareness difficulties that autistic adolescents may encounter.

A Meta-Analysis of Oral Health Status of Children with Autism

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqin Pi ◽  
Chang Liu ◽  
Zhen Li ◽  
Haiying Guo ◽  
Han Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weighted Mean Difference ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Continuous Variables ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
China National Knowledge Infrastructure ◽  
Salivary Ph ◽  
Dmft Index ◽  
The Difference

Purpose: To present a meta-analysis whether the risks of caries and periodontal problems in autistic children are higher than those in healthy children. Study design: A literature search that included PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan fang, and Chinese Scientific and Technological Journal (VIP) databases was conducted. The primary outcomes of interest included the DMFT index, Plaque index (PI), Gingival index (GI), and Salivary pH. Quality assessment was performed in accordance with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Dichotomous variables are presented as relative risk (RR), and continuous variables are presented as weighted mean difference (WMD). Results: Eight studies were included in this meta-analysis. Among these 8 studies, six studies compared the DMFT index, three studies compared PI, three studies compared GI, and three studies compared salivary pH. Meta-analysis showed that the mean DMFT index in autistic children was higher than that in healthy children, and the difference was statistically significant {MD = 0.50, 95% CI [0.04–0.96], P<0.00001}. Similarly, PI and GI in autistic children were higher than those in healthy children, and the difference between PI was statistically significant {MD = 0.59, 95%CI [0.36–0.82], P=0.02}, while the difference between GI was not statistically significant {MD = 0.52, 95%CI [0.30–0.75], P=0.08}. But the salivary pH in autistic children was lower than that in healthy children {MD = −0.28, 95%CI [−0.54–−0.02], P = 0.02}, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: The present analysis suggests that children with autism have poorer oral hygiene, higher risk of caries, and a lower salivary pH than healthy children.

Dental Caries Status in Autistic Children: A Meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1249-1257
Author(s):  
Yujian Zhang ◽  
Ling Lin ◽  
Jianbo Liu ◽  
Ling Shi ◽  
Jianping Lu
Keyword(s):  
Dental Caries ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Autistic Children

scholarly journals Towards a cumulative science of prosody in autism: a cross-linguistic meta-analysis-based investigation of acoustic markers in American and Danish autistic children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Fusaroli ◽  
Ruth Grossman ◽  
Niels Bilenberg ◽  
Cathriona Cantio ◽  
Jens Richardt Moellegaard Jepsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Rate ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Clinical Feature ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Acoustic Measures ◽  
Acoustic Profile ◽  
Meta Analyses

Acoustic atypicalities in speech production are widely documented in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and argued to be both a potential factor in atypical social development and potential markers of clinical features. A recent meta-analysis highlighted shortcomings in the field, in particular small sample sizes and study heterogeneity (Fusaroli, Lambrechts, Bang, Bowler, & Gaigg, 2017). We showcase a cumulative yet self-correcting approach to prosody in ASD to overcome these issues. We analyze a cross-linguistic corpus of multiple speech productions in 77 autistic children and adolescents and 72 TD ones (>1000 recordings in Danish and US English). We replicate findings of a minimal cross-linguistically reliable distinctive acoustic profile for ASD (higher pitch and longer pauses) with moderate effect sizes. We identified novel general reliable differences between the two groups for normalized amplitude quotient, maxima dispersion quotient and creakiness. However, all these relations are small, and there is likely no one general extensive acoustic profile characterizing all autistic individuals. We identified reliable and consistent relations of acoustic features with individual differences (age, gender), and clinical feature: speech rate and ADOS sub-scores (Communication, Social, Stereotyped). Besides cumulatively building our understanding of acoustic atypicalities in ASD, the study concretely shows how to use systematic reviews and meta-analyses to guide follow-up studies, both in their design and their statistical inferences. We indicate future directions: larger and more diverse cross-linguistic datasets, use of previous findings as statistical priors, understanding of covariance between acoustic measures, reliance on machine learning procedures, and open science.

scholarly journals Anxiety and intellectual functioning in autistic children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 136236132095325
Author(s):  
Jessica E Mingins ◽  
Joanne Tarver ◽  
Jane Waite ◽  
Chris Jones ◽  
Andrew DR Surtees
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Intelligence Quotient ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Systematic Search ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Lower Intelligence

Autistic children experience higher levels of anxiety than their peers. Making appropriate diagnoses of anxiety disorders and providing effective treatment for these children is particularly difficult. Inconsistent evidence suggests that levels of anxiety in autistic children are related to intellectual functioning. We provide the first meta-analysis of this evidence. A systematic search identified 49 papers for review. These papers included measures of anxiety and intelligence quotient in 18,430 autistic children. Studies employing correlations showed evidence of a significant relationship between intelligence quotient and anxiety in autistic children: children with higher intelligence quotient scored higher on measures of anxiety. Studies directly comparing groups of autistic children with and without intellectual disability also supported this conclusion. Most studies employing other designs also supported this finding. Employing a quality assessment framework identified common threats to validity. Many studies used measures of anxiety that were not validated across the samples they measure. This was most notable for those autistic children with an intellectual disability. It is vital that future research determines whether the identified relationship between intelligence quotient and anxiety reflects something important in the mechanism for anxiety in autistic children, or quantifies the lack of sensitivity of our measures of anxiety across different groups. Lay abstract Autistic children often experience higher levels of anxiety than their peers. It can be difficult to diagnose and treat anxiety disorders in autistic children, in part because of the high degree of variability in their underlying abilities and presentations. Some evidence suggests that autistic children with higher intelligence (as measured by intelligence quotient) experience higher levels of anxiety than autistic children with lower intelligence. However, the evidence is inconsistent, with other papers not finding a difference or finding higher levels of anxiety in autistic children with lower intelligence. In this article, we review existing literature to see whether autistic children with higher intelligence quotients have higher anxiety than autistic children with lower intelligence quotients. A systematic search of the literature was conducted which identified 49 papers on the topic. The methods of all the papers were reviewed using an objective quality assessment framework. When combining the data statistically, there was evidence that autistic children with higher intelligence quotients are more anxious than autistic children with lower intelligence quotients. The quality review raised common weaknesses across studies. Most importantly, few studies used measures of anxiety that have been shown to be valid for children with very low intelligence quotients. Similarly, many studies used measures of anxiety that have not been shown to be valid for autistic children. These factors are important because autistic children and those with low intelligence quotient may experience or understand anxiety differently. Future research should use fully validated measures to test whether high intelligence quotient is associated with high levels of anxiety in autistic children.

The effects of low-ratio n-6/n-3 PUFA on biomarkers of inflammation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yali Wei ◽  
Yan Meng ◽  
Na Li ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
Liyong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid ◽  
Inflammation Markers ◽  
Pufa Supplementation ◽  
Long Chain

The purpose of the systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine if low-ratio n-6/n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation affects serum inflammation markers based on current studies.

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