Pilot study for subgroup classification for autism spectrum disorder based on dysmorphology and physical measurements in Chinese children

Poster Sessions: 157 - Comorbid Medical Conditions: abstract 157.058 58BACKGROUND: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder affecting individuals along a continuum of severity in communication, social interaction and behaviour. The impact of ASD significantly varies amongst individuals, and the cause of ASD can originate broadly between genetic and environmental factors. Objectives: Previous ASD researches indicate that early identification combined with a targeted treatment plan involving behavioural interventions and multidisciplinary therapies can provide substantial improvement for ASD patients. Currently there is no cure for ASD, and the clinical variability and uncertainty of the disorder still remains. Hence, the search to unravel heterogeneity within ASD by subgroup classification may provide clinicians with a better understanding of ASD and to work towards a more definitive course of action. METHODS: In this study, a norm of physical measurements including height, weight, head circumference, ear length, outer and inner canthi, interpupillary distance, philtrum, hand and foot length was collected from 658 Typical Developing (TD) Chinese children aged 1 to 7 years (mean age of 4.19 years). The norm collected was compared against 80 ASD Chinese children aged 1 to 12 years (mean age of 4.36 years). We then further attempted to find subgroups within ASD based on identifying physical abnormalities; individuals were classified as (non) dysmorphic with the Autism Dysmorphology Measure (ADM) from physical examinations of 12 body regions. RESULTS: Our results show that there were significant differences between ASD and TD children for measurements in: head circumference (p=0.009), outer (p=0.021) and inner (p=0.021) canthus, philtrum length (p=0.003), right (p=0.023) and left (p=0.20) foot length. Within the 80 ASD patients, 37(46%) were classified as dysmorphic (p=0.00). CONCLUSIONS: This study attempts to identify subgroups within ASD based on physical measurements and dysmorphology examinations. The information from this study seeks to benefit ASD community by identifying possible subtypes of ASD in Chinese population; in seek for a more definitive diagnosis, referral and treatment plan.published_or_final_versio

Environmental influences on communication development: Implications for children with neurodevelopmental communication impairments

At the intersection of clinical neuroscience and communication sciences and disorders, this dissertation provides a compilation of studies aimed at examining contextual influences on children's communication development and the implications of this work for children with neurodevelopmental communication impairments. As discussed in Chapter 1, the present work is grounded in dynamic systems theory of development and a distributed model of communication, which together emphasize development as a context-dependent dynamic multilevel system that unfolds over time and is shaped by a multitude of factors. Neurodevelopmental communication impairments such as speech sound disorder, language disorder, and autism spectrum disorder affect approximately 1.5 - 16% of children, and are associated with academic, socioemotional, and behavioral difficulties. The work in Chapter 2 directly examines a common form of environmental support for children with neurodevelopmental communication impairments, speech-language therapy. More specifically, it assesses the effectiveness of a multimodal, integrated speech-language intervention in facilitating multisyllabic productions in six children 2-4 years of age with various neurodevelopmental disabilities. It uses single-case and within-subject experimental designs to understand individual trajectories and shape clinical practice. As a complement to the behavioral intervention, Chapter 3 of this thesis explores the novel use of noninvasive biosensors to measure electrical conductance across the skin during speech-language and occupational therapy as a potential support for communication in eight children, ages 2-11, with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Skin conductance is mediated by sympathetic cholinergic sudomotor nerve fibers and has been used extensively in the study of psychological states and processes. However, traditionally its use has been limited to highly controlled laboratory settings, whereas the use of such technology within the context of daily activities remains a major challenge. Next, as a means to examine a broader range of environmental influences, Chapter 4 uses a longitudinal monozygotic (MZ) twin difference method, a genetically sensitive design, to examine four candidate nonshared environmental influences on children's language development: birthweight, breastfeeding, and home reading exposure and parenting (M age = 7). This study aims to identify nonshared environmental effects on later language development, at mean ages 10 (n = 115 pairs) and 12 years (n = 108 pairs), across two assessment contexts: standardized testing and narrative language sampling. Finally, Chapter 5 concludes this dissertation by highlighting the need to study a broader range of contextual factors influencing communication development and its associated mechanisms, incorporate diverse and complementary methodologies, and develop effective communication supports for children with neurodevelopmental communication impairments

Lessons learned from a pilot study quantifying face contact and skin conductance in teens with asperger syndrome

This paper presents lessons learned from a preliminary study quantifying face contact and corresponding physiological reactivity in teenagers with Asperger syndrome. In order to detect face contact and physiological arousability, we created a wearable system that combines a camera with OpenCV face detection and skin conductance sensors. In this paper, we discuss issues involved in setting up experimental environments for wearable platforms to detect face contact and skin conductance levels simultaneously, and address technological, statistical, and ethical considerations for future technological interventions

Identification and Characterization of Genetic Components in Autism Spectrum Disorders 2020

The Identification of the Genetic Components of Autism Spectrum Disorders 2020 will be a useful resource for laboratory and clinical scientists, translational-based researchers, primary healthcare providers and physicians, psychologists/psychiatrists, neurologists, developmental pediatricians, clinical geneticists, teachers, special educators, and caregivers involved with individuals who have autism spectrum disorders (ASD), with the goal to translate information directly to the clinical, education and home settings. Other professionals, students at all levels, and families who are interested in this important neurodevelopmental disorder will find this textbook of value by obtaining a better awareness of the causes, testing, and understanding of genetic components leading to autism, and research that may open avenues for treatment with new approaches. This textbook includes nine chapters divided into three sections (clinical, genetics, other) written by experts in the field dedicated to genetics research and clinical care, description, and treatment by generating reviews for ASD and related disorders. These chapters include information on discoveries, risk factors, causation, diagnosis, treatment, and phenotyping with characterization of genomic or genetic factors and the environment, as genetics play an important role in up to 90% of individuals with autism via over 800 currently recognized genes

Exploring parenting self-efficacy among parents of children In residential treatment: evaluating a combined online psychoeducational intervention

When children return home from residential treatment for behavioral challenges, continuity of care is clinically advised and empirically supported. If parents lack the skills to support this transition, a child’s treatment gains may be at risk. Parenting difficulties can initiate oppositional and avoidant behaviors in children, and if sustained, damage the parent-child relationship, leading to poor child outcomes. Offering parent training during a child’s residential treatment may increase parent self-efficacy and use of the training in support of a child’s transition home. A Northeastern US Residential Treatment Program (RTP) annually provides short-term residential treatment for children (ages 6-18), and therapeutic supports to the parents of these children during their milieu care. RTP’s new online parenting program was evaluated across three separate but related studies, exploring in Phase 1) perceived barriers to online program usability, Phase 2) how video dosage was associated with changes in parenting self-efficacy and parenting stress, and Phase 3) through the lens of family routines, what were the longer-term effects of the online program. Results from Phase 1 suggested that parents with lower technology familiarity may need ongoing support to successfully complete online training; adding digital prompts helped parents to autonomously navigate the online program. Phase 2 results indicated that parenting self-efficacy increased minimally while children were away, and decreased when children returned home; an inverse effect was found for parenting stress. Phase 3 revealed limited application of the online parent training in post-residential family routines; parent training was shared internationally within parenting social networks, though virtually no videos were watched once children had transitioned home. Similar parenting programs using the Fogg Behavior Model may consider nudging parents during natural surges in parent motivation to prolong recently initiated therapeutic benefits during post-residential home aftercare

Psychology

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.https://commons.erau.edu/oer-textbook/1000/thumbnail.jp

Handbook of Life Course Health Development

Health development science; Developmental origins of chronic illnesses; Community; Diabetes; Autism; Obesity; Nutrition; Health disparities across the lifespan; Fetal programmin

Effects of Diversity and Neuropsychological Performance in an NFL Cohort

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of ethnicity on neuropsychological test performance by comparing scores of white and black former NFL athletes on each subtest of the WMS. Participants and Methods: Data was derived from a de-identified database in South Florida consisting of 63 former NFL white (n=28, 44.4%) and black (n=35, 55.6%) athletes (Mage= 50.38; SD= 11.57). Participants completed the following subtests of the WMS: Logical Memory I and II, Verbal Paired Associates I and II, and Visual Reproduction I and II. Results: A One-Way ANOVA yielded significant effect between ethnicity and performance on several subtests from the WMS-IV. Black athletes had significantly lower scores compared to white athletes on Logical Memory II: F(1,61) = 4.667, p= .035, Verbal Paired Associates I: F(1,61) = 4.536, p = .037, Verbal Paired Associates: II F(1,61) = 4.677, p = .034, and Visual Reproduction I: F(1,61) = 6.562, p = .013. Conclusions: Results suggest significant differences exist between white and black athletes on neuropsychological test performance, necessitating the need for proper normative samples for each ethnic group. It is possible the differences found can be explained by the psychometric properties of the assessment and possibility of a non-representative sample for minorities, or simply individual differences. Previous literature has found white individuals to outperform African-Americans on verbal and non-verbal cognitive tasks after controlling for socioeconomic and other demographic variables (Manly & Jacobs, 2002). This highlights the need for future investigators to identify cultural factors and evaluate how ethnicity specifically plays a role on neuropsychological test performance. Notably, differences between ethnic groups can have significant implications when evaluating a sample of former athletes for cognitive impairment, as these results suggest retired NFL minorities may be more impaired compared to retired NFL white athletes

Distinguishing Performance on Tests of Executive Functions Between Those with Depression and Anxiety

Objective: To see if there are differences in executive functions between those diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and those with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).Participants and Methods: The data were chosen from a de-identified database at a neuropsychological clinic in South Florida. The sample used was adults diagnosed with MDD (n=75) and GAD (n=71) and who had taken the Halstead Category Test, Trail Making Test, Stroop Test, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Age (M=32.97, SD=11.75), gender (56.7% female), and race (52.7% White) did not differ between groups. IQ did not differ but education did (MDD=13.41 years, SD=2.45; GAD=15.11 years, SD=2.40), so it was ran as a covariate in the analyses. Six ANCOVAs were run separately with diagnosis being held as the fixed factor and executive function test scores held as dependent variables. Results: The MDD group only performed worse on the Category Test than the GAD group ([1,132]=4.022, p\u3c .05). Even though both WCST scores used were significantly different between the two groups, both analyses failed Levene’s test of Equality of Error Variances, so the data were not interpreted. Conclusions: Due to previous findings that those diagnosed with MDD perform worse on tests of executive function than normal controls (Veiel, 1997), this study wanted to compare executive function performance between those diagnosed with MDD and those with another common psychological disorder. The fact that these two groups only differed on the Category Test shows that there may not be much of a difference in executive function deficits between those with MDD and GAD. That being said, not being able to interpret the scores on the WCST test due to a lack of homogeneity of variance indicates that a larger sample size is needed to compare these two types of patients, as significant differences may be found. The results of this specific study, however, could mean that the Category Test could be used in assisting the diagnosis of a MDD patient