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Query: UMLS:C0004352 (autism)
 32,579 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Evaluation for sensory impairment is a routine part of autism diagnosis. Sensory impairment of hearing, vision, or touch results in developmental delay and must be addressed before delay can resolve. Recent studies confirm that tactile impairment is present in autism and can be effectively treated with a tactile stimulation protocol. The research suggests a change in management at the time of autism diagnosis to include evaluation and treatment of tactile impairment. Here we validate screening and management tool for tactile impairment, the Autism Touch and Self-Regulation Checklist, in 404 typical and autistic preschool children. The tool assesses tactile impairment by location and severity. Autistic children were distinguished by mixed pain and numbness on multiple areas including the face and mouth (F = 412.1 (1,402);p < .000). Oral-facial tactile impairment interferes with the tactile stimulus to orienting. We hypothesized that oral-facial tactile impairment and difficulty orienting are predictive of ASD and that severity of tactile impairment is predictive of severity of ASD. Questions evaluating oral-facial and orienting responses correctly predicted 91% of the autism group. Severity of tactile impairment correctly predicted 81% of mild versus severe ASD. Results underscore the importance of evaluating and treating tactile impairment at the time of autism diagnosis.
Autism Res Treat 2015
PMID:About Face: Evaluating and Managing Tactile Impairment at the Time of Autism Diagnosis. 2660 86

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is a syndrome characterized by intestinal and extraintestinal symptoms related to the ingestion of gluten-containing food in subjects who are not affected by either celiac disease (CD) or wheat allergy (WA). The prevalence of NCGS is not clearly defined yet. Indirect evidence suggests that NCGS is slightly more common than CD, the latter affecting around 1% of the general population. NCGS has been mostly described in adults, particularly in females in the age group of 30-50 years; however, pediatric case series have also been reported. Since NCGS may be transient, gluten tolerance needs to be reassessed over time in patients with NCGS. NCGS is characterized by symptoms that usually occur soon after gluten ingestion, disappear with gluten withdrawal, and relapse following gluten challenge within hours/days. The 'classical' presentation of NCGS is a combination of irritable bowel syndrome-like symptoms, including abdominal pain, bloating, bowel habit abnormalities (either diarrhea or constipation), and systemic manifestations such as 'foggy mind', headache, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, leg or arm numbness, dermatitis (eczema or skin rash), depression, and anemia. In recent years, several studies explored the relationship between the ingestion of gluten-containing food and the appearance of neurological and psychiatric disorders/symptoms like ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, schizophrenia, autism, depression, anxiety, and hallucinations (so-called gluten psychosis). The diagnosis of NCGS should be considered in patients with persistent intestinal and/or extraintestinal complaints showing a normal result of the CD and WA serological markers on a gluten-containing diet, usually reporting worsening of symptoms after eating gluten-rich food. NCGS should not be an exclusion diagnosis only. Unfortunately, no biomarker is sensitive and specific enough for diagnostic purposes; therefore, the diagnosis of NCGS is currently based on establishing a clear-cut cause-effect relationship between the ingestion of gluten and the appearance of symptoms by a standardized double-blind, placebo-controlled gluten challenge.
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PMID:Gluten Sensitivity. 2660 37

A strong male prevalence has been observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) since its definition, but the behavioral manifestations of sex disparity have yet to be clarified. Here, we investigate sex differences in the perception of the Numbness Illusion (NI), a procedure based on a tactile conflict, in adults with ASD and with typical development. We aim to assess if women and men with ASD perceive NI-dependent body ownership differently and whether sex differences emerge in individuals with typical development. To elicit the NI, participants pressed their right-hand palm against the confederate's hand and stroked with the thumb and the index finger of their left hand the joined index fingers in a synchronous or asynchronous way. Results reveal that women with ASD present a reversed and atypical pattern for the NI compared to men with ASD and a group of matched controls. In particular, women with ASD report a stronger illusion than men with ASD, that is more evident in the asynchronous conditions. In the asynchronous condition, women in the ASD group report stronger NI as compared to women and men in the Control group, whereas men with ASD only to men in the Control group. In the typical sample, the NI emerges only in the synchronous condition and no sex difference is observed. We discuss our results in terms of potential advantage of women in sociality and sensory information processing that might lead women with ASD to use different modalities to solve the illusion compared to men with ASD. In sum, these outcomes describe sex differences in individuals with ASD in the domain of illusory perception. This may be used in the future to support the characterization of the female phenotype of autism.
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PMID:Sex Differences in Body Ownership in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder. 3077 21