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

Theory of mind skills and a range of social behaviour in everyday life were assessed in a sample of 21 children with pervasive developmental disorders and 22 normally-developing preschoolers. Parents, teachers and therapists were interviewed using the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales and a new supplementary scale, the "Echelle d'Adaptation Sociale pour Enfants" (EASE). Teachers and therapists were able to differentiate subtle forms of social problems in everyday life between subgroups of children diagnosed later to have either autism (n = 13) or PDDNOS (n = 8), according to DSM-III-R (1) criteria. This study offers a (small) cross-cultural replication of recent work suggesting that differences in the mentalising skills of children with autism are reflected in the everyday social behaviour of this group. A significant effect of informant was found for the PDD group, and this effect was particularly pronounced when children with autism were considered separately. The implications of informant differences are discussed.
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PMID:Social behaviour in pervasive developmental disorders: effects of informant, group and "theory-of-mind". 944 97

This study evaluated the impact of intensive behavioral treatment on the development of young autistic children. The treatment reported in this study was home based and was implemented by parents of autistic children with the assistance of community-based clinicians. Although treatment was unable to be observed directly, parents reported that therapy was based on methods developed by Lovaas et al. (1981). Treatment differed from that described in previous reports of intensive behavior therapy for this population in that it was implemented outside an academic setting and for a shorter period. In addition, children received fewer hours per week of therapy than in previous reports. Children in the experimental treatment group were pairwise matched to children in a control group (who received conventional school-based and brief one-on-one interventions) on the basis of pretreatment chronological and mental age, diagnosis (autism vs. PDD), and length of treatment. The groups did not differ on pretreatment IQ. Children receiving the experimental treatment had significantly higher posttreatment IQ scores. Smaller, but still statistically significant effects on symptom severity were also found, though experimental subjects still met diagnostic criteria for autism or PDD.
J Autism Dev Disord 1998 Feb
PMID:Home-based behavioral treatment of young children with autism. 1103 63

Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales Special Population norms are presented for four groups of individuals with autism: (a) mute children under 10 years of age; (b) children with at least some verbal skills under 10 years of age; (c) mute individuals who are 10 years of age or older; and (d) individuals with at least some verbal skills who are 10 years of age or older. The sample included 684 autistic individuals ascertained from cases referred for the DSM-IV autism/PDD field trial collaborative study and five university sites with expertise in autism. Young children had higher standard scores than older individuals across all Vineland domains. In the Communication domain, younger verbal children were least impaired, older mute individuals most impaired, and younger mute and older verbal individuals in the midrange. Verbal individuals achieved higher scores in Daily Living Skills than mute individuals. The expected profile of a relative weakness in Socialization and relative strength in Daily Living Skills was obtained with age-equivalent but not standard scores. Results high-light the importance of employing Vineland special population norms as well as national norms when evaluating individuals with autism.
J Autism Dev Disord 1998 Aug
PMID:The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales: supplementary norms for individuals with autism. 971 85

The validity of Asperger syndrome (i.e., apart from high-functioning autism) continues to be the topic of considerable debate. Consistent with Asperger's original description of the condition there appear to be some important potential differences from autism if both conditions are strictly defined. Although the importance of genetic factors in the transmission of autism is increasingly clear it also appears that genetic factors may play an even more important role in Asperger syndrome (AS). The nosological validity of this condition and its relation to the various PDD spectrum disorder remains an important topic for future research. Well-designed and carefully controlled studies are needed in which patterns of comorbidity and associated problems in family members can be carefully assessed. Such studies will contribute to our understanding of the relationship of AS and autism and may clarify important genetic mechanisms of relevance to autism.
J Autism Dev Disord 1998 Oct
PMID:Nosological and genetic aspects of Asperger syndrome. 981 81

Clinicians are faced with the challenge of making informed decisions amidst heated debates over the most effective treatment approaches for young children with autism. This article provides a more specific focus to this debate by considering the practice of enhancing spontaneous language and related social-communicative abilities of young children with autism/pervasive developmental disorder (PPD). First, a historical perspective of the evolution of different approaches for enhancing communication and related abilities is presented, followed by a description of characteristics of the approaches. The approaches are described along a continuum from massed discrete trial, traditional behavioral to social-pragmatic, developmental. The current state of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of early services for children with autism/PDD is examined and conclusions are presented with consideration of the need for more meaningful outcome measures than are currently used for the next generation of outcome research.
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PMID:Understanding the continuum of discrete-trial traditional behavioral to social-pragmatic developmental approaches in communication enhancement for young children with autism/PDD. 985 91

DSM-IV states that Asperger Disorder may be distinguished from Autistic Disorder by a lack of a delay in early language development. The aim of this study was to establish whether the presence or absence of early language delay would predict autistic symptomatology in children diagnosed with a PDD/autism spectrum disorder. Forty-six language-delayed and 62 normal language onset individuals (M age 11 years) were compared on ICD-10 research criteria and DSM-IV criteria, receptive language, and developmental history variables. Retrospective data were also obtained to determine whether language onset predicted autism symptomatology when young (< 6 years). We found that early language delay predicts more autistic symptomatology when young, but not at an older age. Early language delay is also associated with developmental motor milestone delays and lower receptive language abilities. The results question the use of early language delay as a valid discriminating variable between PDD subgroups.
J Autism Dev Disord 1998 Dec
PMID:Delayed language onset as a predictor of clinical symptoms in pervasive developmental disorders. 993 39

This study aimed to explore the boundaries between PDD and related disorders and to develop classificatory algorithms for what is currently called Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS). Data collected by means of a standard coding system for the DSM-IV field trial for autistic disorder were used. Information on diagnostic criteria for autistic disorder as listed in ICD-10 and DSM-IV was compared between subjects functioning at least in the mildly retarded range and clinically classified as autistic disorder (n = 205), PDDNOS (n = 80) and other non-PDD disorders (n = 174). Only a limited number of items from the ICD-10 and DSM-IV systems for autistic disorder significantly discriminated the PDDNOS group from other disorders. A scoring rule based on a short set of 7 ICD-10/DSM-IV criteria with a cutoff of 3 items and 1 social interaction item set as mandatory had the best balance between high sensitivity and high specificity in discriminating PDDNOS from non-PDD disorders. These rules yielded a somewhat better prediction than most effective rules based on the full set of 12 criteria for autistic disorder with a cutoff of 4 items and 1 social item as mandatory. Generally accepted and well-validated criteria to identify individuals with PDDNOS should facilitate both research and clinical services.
J Autism Dev Disord 1999 Feb
PMID:Exploring the boundaries of pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified: analyses of data from the DSM-IV Autistic Disorder Field Trial. 1009 93

This study investigated the reliability and stability of an autism diagnosis in children under 3 years of age who received independent diagnostic evaluations from two clinicians during two consecutive yearly evaluations. Strong evidence for the reliability and stability of the diagnosis was obtained. Diagnostic agreement between clinicians was higher for the broader discrimination of autism spectrum vs. no autism spectrum than for the more specific discrimination of autism vs. PDD-NOS. The diagnosis of autism at age 2 was more stable than the diagnosis of PDD-NOS at the same age. Social deficits and delays in spoken language were the most prominent DSM-IV characteristics evidenced by very young children with autism.
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PMID:Can autism be diagnosed accurately in children under 3 years? 1018 4

The hypothesis was tested that weak theory of mind (ToM) and/or emotion recognition (ER) abilities are specific to subjects with autism. Differences in ToM and ER performance were examined between autistic (n = 20), pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) (n = 20), psychiatric control (n = 20), and normal children (n = 20). The clinical groups were matched person-to-person on age and verbal IQ. We used tasks for the matching and the context recognition of emotional expressions, and a set of first- and second-order ToM tasks. Autistic and PDD-NOS children could not be significantly differentiated from each other, nor could they be differentiated from the psychiatric controls with a diagnosis of ADHD (n = 9). The psychiatric controls with conduct disorder or dysthymia performed about as well as normal children. The variance in second-order ToM performance contributed most to differences between diagnostic groups.
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PMID:Theory of mind and emotion-recognition functioning in autistic spectrum disorders and in psychiatric control and normal children. 1020 55

Children with autism and the related PDDs may benefit from serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as clomipramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, and sertraline for targeting repetitive thoughts and behaviors, anxiety, and depressed mood. To date, however, there are few controlled studies of these agents in children with PDD, so definitive evidence is lacking. Despite preliminary results in favor of naltrexone, neuroleptic medication appears to be effective for reducing aggression, self-injurious behavior, agitation, and stereotypies. The primary drawback with traditional neuroleptics is risk of short- and long-term side effects. The newer atypical neuroleptics have the potential for benefit with fewer extrapyramidal side effects, but more study is needed to establish their efficacy and safety. Children on neuroleptic medications should be started at the lowest possible dose, with gradual increases until clinical benefit is observed. The likelihood of untoward side effects is increased if the medication dose is increased rapidly. Baseline measurement of target behaviors can be aided by using standardized scales. The presence of abnormal movements should be assessed before initiating treatment and at regular intervals during the course of treatment--including after medication withdrawal. Weight gain is emerging as a recurrent side effect with the atypical neuroleptics. Thus, weight should be monitored, and the family should be advised about a diet baseline. As with all treatments of children with severe behavioral difficulties, pharmacotherapy should be instituted in the context of an integrated treatment plan.
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PMID:Pharmacotherapy in children and adolescents with pervasive developmental disorders. 1034 30


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