Fatta LM, De Peppo L. Psicoeducazione nel disturbo dello spettro autistico. In Mazzone L, Giovagnoli G. Parent Training e sostegno alla genitorialità per bambini e adolescenti con disturbo dello spettro autistico: Sostenere i genitori per aiutare i figli. Trento, Italia: Centro Studi Erickson.

Quando si riceve una diagnosi di disturbo dello spettro autistico (ASD), è necessario fornire un supporto specialistico al bambino, ma non solo: tutti i componenti del nucleo familiare necessitano di ricevere un sostegno e hanno bisogno di uno specialista che gli indichi cosa fare e a chi rivolgersi. In questo capitolo ci concentreremo prevalentemente su un modello specifico di intervento, ovvero la psicoeducazione genitoriale. Vedremo come i confini tra questo intervento ed altri affini (es. interventi mediati dai genitori) siano spesso molto sfumati e come, nella pratica clinica, sia fondamentale, aldilà delle etichette scientifiche attribuite ad uno o all’altro protocollo, condurre la famiglia in difficoltà ad una presa in carico corretta e funzionale al loro momento di vita. Uno degli aspetti più importanti per i genitori è conoscere gli elementi essenziali della diagnosi del proprio figlio e ricevere delle risposte alle molteplici domande che si pongono. Il primo passo della psicoeducazione è fornire informazioni circa le cause, la manifestazione clinica delle condizioni associate che possono subentrare, le strategie che permettono di comprendere i segni clinici. Il clinico, inoltre, è tenuto a spiegare e rendere consapevole i genitori circa le modalità con cui leggere le valutazioni diagnostiche effettuate e fornire indicazioni sul trattamento più adeguato, allineandosi con le linee guida nazionali ed internazionali e proporre modelli di intervento, basati sulle evidenze scientifiche. In questo capitolo saranno fornite indicazioni circa lo sviluppo del costrutto della psicoeducazione, attraverso il supporto di più cornici epistemiche di riferimento. Successivamente, si procederà con le indicazioni cliniche e gli strumenti di valutazione, le evidenze scientifiche disponibili sul tema, tenendo presenti le differenze, nelle modalità e nei contenuti, con cui proporre una psicoeducazione, a seconda delle diverse tappe di sviluppo. Infine, si descriveranno delle esperienze pratiche occorse nella pratica clinica, affinché siano da esempio per sviluppare dei percorsi individualizzati sulla base del funzionamento e della condizione della persona con ASD

Sport e disturbi del neurosviluppo Campus: l'organizzazione del lavoro Che cosa non fare e consigli per situazioni frequenti: tabelle per soluzioni pratiche APPENDICE A Scheda osservazionale

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Mood symptoms in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Asperger Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA) are psychiatric conditions belonging to the Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), characterized by social dysfunction and focused interest, in the absence of mental retardation. Previous reports suggest that AS/HFA may be associated with important psychiatric comorbidities. Among the psychiatric internalizing disorders, depression and anxiety are probably the most common disorders. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of mood disorders and identifying peculiar clinical features in subjects suffering from AS and HFA. 30 male patients with AS/HFA, 30 male patients affected by Major Depression (MD) and 35 male Typically Developing (TD) comparison were assessed with the CDI and the CDRS-R. Participants' parents were invited to complete the CBCL and the P-YMRS. Moreover, the CGAS was rated by the clinicians. The evaluation of depressive symptoms showed that AS/HFA group reported higher depressive symptoms, as showed by CDI total, CBCL internalizing and CDRS-R total, compared to the TD group. No significant difference of depressive symptoms was found between the AS/HFA and the MD group, with the exception of CDRS-R total score. Moreover, linear regression analysis in the AS/HFA group between CGAS and depressive symptoms revealed that a higher level of depressive symptoms increased the risk of poorer global functioning. These results suggest that the depressive symptoms in AS/HFA patients may be associated with poorer global functioning, with a consequent impairment in their psychological profile and social adjustment, and should alert clinicians to the importance of assessing mood disorders in order to choose the appropriate treatment

Longitudinal comparison between male and female preschool children with autism spectrum disorder

Epidemiological studies have highlighted a strong male bias in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), however few studies have examined gender differences in autism symptoms, and available findings are inconsistent. The aim of the present study is to investigate the longitudinal gender differences in developmental profiles of 30 female and 30 male age-matched preschool children with ASD. All the children underwent a comprehensive evaluation at T0 and at T1. Our results have shown no significant interaction between time and gender for predicting autism symptoms, developmental quotient, parental stress, children's adaptive skills and behavior problems. Shedding light on the developmental trajectories in ASD could help clinicians to recognize children with ASD at an earlier age and contribute to the development of appropriate treatments

Clinical differences in children with autism spectrum disorder with and without food selectivity

Several studies have described the atypical eating behaviors frequently occurring in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and food selectivity is the most frequent of these problems. The everyday management of mealtime behaviors among children with ASD can have a negative impact on family routines and become a significant stressor for families. However, much remains unknown about why food selectivity is so prevalent among individuals with ASD. The objective of this study was to investigate clinical and behavioral features in individuals with ASD with the aim of identifying distinctive clinical profiles in children with and without food selectivity. A total of 158 children with ASD were enrolled in this study: 79 participants with food selectivity (FS) were age and sex matched with 79 participants without food selectivity (No FS). All participants and their parents completed a battery of psychological tests for a comprehensive evaluation of ASD symptoms, cognitive abilities, adaptive skills, behavioral problems and parental stress level. No statistically significant difference on gastrointestinal symptoms and growth adequacy was found between the FS group and the No FS group. Overall, the FS group showed significantly higher rates of ASD symptoms as compared to the No FS group in the questionnaires completed by parents. Furthermore, parents of the FS group reported significantly higher levels of parental stress and a larger degree of their children's behavioral problems as compared to the No FS group. Finally, there were no differences between the FS and the No FS group on any adaptive skill domain. Our findings suggest that the identification of distinctive clinical and behavioral patterns in children with ASD and food selectivity is a crucial issue for parents and therapists in the daily management

Longitudinal Neuropsychological Profile in a Patient with Triple A Syndrome

Triple A syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by the triad of adrenocorticotropic hormone resistant adrenal insufficiency, achalasia, and alacrima. Our aim was to describe the neuropsychological characteristics and the cooccurring psychopathological and neurological disorders in an Italian male child suffering from Triple A syndrome at the time of admission (T0) and after one year of follow-up (T1). Many difficulties were observed in the motor domain, as well as in manual dexterity and static/dynamic balance domains of the motor task over time. In sharp contrast with previous literature reports on frequent mild cognitive dysfunction in patients with Triple A syndrome, our child did not show any mental retardation. By contrast, he showed an average IQ at T0 with a slight improvement at T1. To our knowledge, this report is the first describing neuropsychological profile and co-occurring psychopathological problems in a child with Triple A syndrome. Considering that the Triple A syndrome is a progressive disorder which can take years to develop the full-blown clinical picture, these patients require periodical medical controls. Moreover, assessment of neuropsychological and psychopathological features should be performed in patients with this disease, in order to underline the variability of this syndrome