scholarly journals Categorization in ASD: The Role of Typicality and Development

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly Zajac Gastgeb ◽  
Mark S. Strauss
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Object Category ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Category Labels ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Typical Object ◽  
And Control ◽  
Adults With Asd

There is a growing amount of evidence suggesting that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) differ in the way in which they cognitively process information. A critical aspect of cognitive processing that is receiving more attention in studies of ASD is categorization. The studies presented here examined the effect of typicality on categorization of objects and gender in high-functioning children, adolescents, and adults with ASD and matched controls. The ASD and control groups showed improved categorization throughout the lifespan for typical and somewhat typical object category members and typical gender faces. However, individuals with ASD took more time to categorize atypical object category members and were less accurate in categorizing atypical gender faces from age 8–12 years through adulthood. We will discuss the implications of these results for teaching categories and category labels to individuals with ASD.

scholarly journals Modified CBT for social anxiety and social functioning in young adults with autism spectrum disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily R. Bemmer ◽  
Kelsie A. Boulton ◽  
Emma E. Thomas ◽  
Ben Larke ◽  
Suncica Lah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Adults With Asd ◽  
Young Adults With Asd

Abstract Background There is a strong research imperative to investigate effective treatment options for adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Elevated social anxiety, difficulties with social functioning and poor mental health have all been identified as core treatment targets for this group. While theoretical models posit a strong bidirectionality between social anxiety and ASD social functioning deficits, few interventions have targeted both domains concurrently. Of the two group interventions previously conducted with adolescents and adults with ASD, significant results have only been observed in either social anxiety or social functioning, and have not generalised to changes in overall mood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential benefit, tolerability and acceptability of a group cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) intervention in young adults with ASD. Primary treatment outcomes were social anxiety symptoms and social functioning difficulties; secondary outcomes were self-reported mood and overall distress. Method Ten groups of participants completed an eight-week, modified group CBT intervention targeting both social anxiety and social functioning, that included social skills training, exposure tasks and behavioural experiment components. Seventy-eight adolescents and young adults with ASD, without intellectual impairment, aged between 16 and 38 (M = 22.77; SD = 5.31), were recruited from the community, Headspace centres and the Autism Clinic for Translational Research at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney. Outcomes (social anxiety, social functioning and mood) were measured pre- and post-intervention via self-report questionnaires (administered either online or through the return of hard-copy booklets), and participants were invited to provide anonymous feedback on the intervention (at the mid-point and end of the intervention). Results Participants demonstrated statistically significant improvements on all outcome measures in response to the intervention. Specifically, social anxiety symptoms decreased (p < .001), and specific subdomains of social functioning improved post-intervention, particularly in social motivation (p = .032) and restricted interests and repetitive behaviours (p = .025). Self-reported symptom improvements also generalised to mood (depression, anxiety and stress; p < .05). All improvements demonstrated small effect sizes. Participant feedback was positive and indicated strong satisfaction with the program. Limitations The absence of a control group and follow-up measures, reliance on self-report instruments as outcome measures and the exclusion of those with intellectual disability represent significant limitations to this study. Conclusions These findings indicate that a group CBT intervention appears to be a beneficial intervention for self-reported social anxiety, social functioning and overall mental health in adolescents and young adults with ASD. The stand-alone nature of the intervention combined with positive participant feedback indicates it was well tolerated, has potential clinical utility and warrants further study in a randomised-controlled, follow-up design.

scholarly journals An Exploratory Study of Imagining Sounds and “Hearing” Music in Autism

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1123-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Bacon ◽  
C. Philip Beaman ◽  
Fang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Auditory Imagery ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
And Control ◽  
Adults With Asd

AbstractIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reportedly possess preserved or superior music-processing skills compared to their typically developing counterparts. We examined auditory imagery and earworms (tunes that get “stuck” in the head) in adults with ASD and controls. Both groups completed a short earworm questionnaire together with the Bucknell Auditory Imagery Scale. Results showed poorer auditory imagery in the ASD group for all types of auditory imagery. However, the ASD group did not report fewer earworms than matched controls. These data suggest a possible basis in poor auditory imagery for poor prosody in ASD, but also highlight a separability between auditory imagery and control of musical memories. The separability is present in the ASD group but not in typically developing individuals.

scholarly journals Social Interaction Improved by Oxytocin in the Subclass of Autism with Comorbid Intellectual Disabilities

Diseases ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haruhiro Higashida ◽  
Toshio Munesue ◽  
Hirotaka Kosaka ◽  
Hidenori Yamasue ◽  
Shigeru Yokoyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
History Of ◽  
History Of Epilepsy ◽  
Adults With Asd

Approximately half of all autism spectrum disorder (ASD) individuals suffer from comorbid intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, the prevalence of epilepsy has been estimated to be 46% of patients with low intelligence quotient. It is important to investigate the therapeutic benefits and adverse effects of any recently developed drugs for this proportion of individuals with the so-called Kanner type of ASD. Therefore, we investigated the therapeutic and/or adverse effects of intranasal oxytocin (OT) administration, especially in adolescents and adults with ASD and comorbid intellectual disability and epilepsy, with regard to core symptoms of social deficits. We have already reported three randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs). However, we revisit results in our pilot studies from the view of comorbidity. Most of the intellectually disabled participants were found to be feasible participants of the RCT. We observed significantly more events regarded as reciprocal social interaction in the OT group compared with the placebo group. In the trial, no or little differences in adverse events were found between the OT and placebo arms, as found in some other reports. However, seizures were induced in three participants with medical history of epilepsy during or after OT treatment. In conclusion, we stress that behavioral changes in ASD patients with intellectual disabilities could be recognized not by the conventional measurements of ASD symptoms but by detailed evaluation of social interactions arising in daily-life situations.

scholarly journals Pathological demand avoidance: What and who are being pathologised and in whose interests?

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-52
Author(s):  
Allison Moore
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Extreme Caution ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Communication Difficulties ◽  
Spectrum Condition ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Control

The term ‘pathological demand avoidance’ was first coined in 1983. In recent years, diagnostic tools have emerged to enable practitioners to identify, name and treat pathological demand avoidance and, at least in the United Kingdom, there is an increasing number of children who attract this label. In addition to what are defined as the core ‘deficits’ of autism, including assumed difficulties in social communication, difficulties in social interaction and restrictive interests, children with pathological demand avoidance are thought to have an extreme anxiety-driven need to control their environment and control the demands and expectations of others. This article will argue that we must exercise extreme caution in accepting the validity of pathological demand avoidance and will suggest that it can be seen as an attempt to psychiatarise autistic children’s resistance, which, in so doing, restricts their agency. First, it will draw on the arguments put forward by some autistic scholars who have claimed that pathological demand avoidance is better understood as rational demand avoidance – an understandable and rational response to the circumstances that one finds oneself in. Second, it will consider the intersection between autism and childhood. When one of the defining characteristics of pathological demand avoidance is an inability to recognise and, presumably, respect social hierarchy, children’s competencies as social actors and active meaning makers of their world can easily become pathologised as defiance. Finally, the article will address the intersections of autism, childhood and gender. Girls are much less likely to be diagnosed as having an autism spectrum condition than boys are, with a ratio traditionally estimated at approximately 1:4. However, pathological demand avoidance diagnoses are fairly evenly spread between boys and girls. It will be argued that it is girls’ resistance to the ordinary and everyday demands of her as a girl and her subsequent rejection or transgression of those expectations that is being pathologised.

Characteristic Deviations of Auditory Evoked Potentials in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (06) ◽  
pp. 379-385
Author(s):  
Kamakshi V. Gopal ◽  
Erin C. Schafer ◽  
Rajesh Nandy ◽  
Ashley Brown ◽  
Joshua Caldwell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Evoked Potentials ◽  
Auditory Evoked Potentials ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Auditory Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
And Control ◽  
Adults With Asd

Abstract Background Neurological, structural, and behavioral abnormalities are widely reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); yet there are no objective markers to date. We postulated that by using dominant and nondominant ear data, underlying differences in auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) between ASD and control groups can be recognized. Purpose The primary purpose was to identify if significant differences exist in AEPs recorded from dominant and nondominant ear stimulation in (1) children with ASD and their matched controls, (2) adults with ASD and their matched controls, and (3) a combined child and adult ASD group and control group. The secondary purpose was to explore the association between the significant findings of this study with those obtained in our previous study that evaluated the effects of auditory training on AEPs in individuals with ASD. Research Design Factorial analysis of variance with interaction was performed. Study Sample Forty subjects with normal hearing between the ages of 9 and 25 years were included. Eleven children and 9 adults with ASD were age- and gender-matched with neurotypical peers. Data Collection and Analysis Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and auditory late responses (ALRs) were recorded. Adult and child ASD subjects were compared with non-ASD adult and child control subjects, respectively. The combined child and adult ASD group was compared with the combined child and adult control group. Results No significant differences in ABR latency or amplitude were observed between ASD and control groups. ALR N1 amplitude in the dominant ear was significantly smaller for the ASD adult group compared with their control group. Combined child and adult data showed significantly smaller amplitude for ALR N1 and longer ALR P2 latency in the dominant ear for the ASD group compared with the control group. In our earlier study, the top predictor of behavioral improvement following auditory training was ALR N1 amplitude in the dominant ear. Correspondingly, the ALR N1 amplitude in the dominant ear yielded group differences in the current study. Conclusions ALR peak N1 amplitude is proposed as the most feasible AEP marker in the evaluation of ASD.

Addressing the Psychosexual Development of Teenagers on the Autism Spectrum Using the Tackling Teenage Training Program

2020 ◽  
pp. 115-127
Author(s):  
Kirsten Visser
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Current Case ◽  
Health Service Providers ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Adults With Asd

People believe the combination of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and gender dysphoria (GD) is a complicated one. In addition, clinicians can be reluctant to diagnose and treat this combination of problems. In scientific research, several researchers are currently debating the existence of a link between ASD and GD. Nevertheless, everyone agrees that there is more gender diversity among adolescents with ASD than previously thought. The current case study illustrates an example of a gender journey for an adolescent with ASD and the challenges faced by mental health service providers in guiding adolescents or young adults with ASD in this gender quest.

scholarly journals Editorial: Interdisciplinary approach to corporate governance

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3, special issue) ◽  
pp. 220-222
Author(s):  
Andrea Rey
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Research Trend ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Corporate Ownership ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Control ◽  
A Company

To date, future research trends will certainly concern sustainability and entrepreneurship due to the post-COVID-19 crisis. Studies will focus on the determinants related to corporate governance, such as corporate ownership, or the role of institutional investors, or a company that aims to get public by an IPO as a possible answer to the crisis. A future research trend will surely concern environmental and economic sustainability. Another line of research will concern the protection of biodiversity and gender equality. With the regard to the content of this issue of the Corporate Ownership and Control journal, ownership structure is the most popular issue considered by the authors of the papers.

scholarly journals Expression Analysis of Ermin and Listerin E3 Ubiquitin Protein Ligase 1 Genes in Autistic Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadi Shiva ◽  
Jalal Gharesouran ◽  
Hani Sabaie ◽  
Mohammad Reza Asadi ◽  
Shahram Arsang-Jang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Translational Regulation ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Verbal Interactions ◽  
Ubiquitin Protein Ligase ◽  
Genes Expression ◽  
Exact Etiology ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Study Participants

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder that involves social interaction defects, impairment of non-verbal and verbal interactions, and limited interests along with stereotypic activities. Its incidence has been increasing rapidly in recent decades. Despite numerous attempts to understand the pathophysiology of ASD, its exact etiology is still unclear. Recent data shows the role of accurate myelination and translational regulation in ASD’s pathogenesis. In this study, we assessed Ermin (ERMN) and Listerin E3 Ubiquitin Protein Ligase 1 (LTN1) genes expression in Iranian ASD patients and age- and gender-matched healthy subjects’ peripheral blood using quantitative real-time PCR to recognize any probable dysregulation in the expression of these genes and propose this disorder’s mechanisms. Analysis of the expression demonstrated a significant ERMN downregulation in total ASD patients compared to the healthy individuals (posterior beta = −0.794, adjusted P-value = 0.025). LTN1 expression was suggestively higher in ASD patients in comparison with the corresponding control individuals. Considering the gender of study participants, the analysis showed that the mentioned genes’ different expression levels were significant only in male subjects. Besides, a significant correlation was found between expression of the mentioned genes (r = −0.49, P &lt; 0.0001). The present study provides further supports for the contribution of ERMN and LTN1 in ASD’s pathogenesis.

Anxiety in Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2017 ◽  
pp. 91-116
Author(s):  
Micah O. Mazurek
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Assessment Approach ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
No Gold Standard ◽  
Adults With Asd

Adolescents and adults with ASD are at high risk for clinically significant symptoms of anxiety. Accurate symptom identification and differential diagnosis can be challenging due to the similarity of presentation of many anxiety and ASD symptoms. Although there are no gold-standard tools for assessment of anxiety in individuals with ASD, clinicians are encouraged to use a comprehensive multi-informant, multi-modal assessment approach. Research supports the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for treatment of anxiety in ASD, particularly in high-functioning adolescents. ASD-specific treatment modifications may be helpful for achieving optimal treatment response. There is limited available evidence regarding the effectiveness or potential adverse effects of pharmacological treatments for anxiety in this population. Future research is needed to understand the etiology and mechanisms of anxiety in individuals with ASD and to examine short- and long-term efficacy and effectiveness of a range of treatments.

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