A Review of Current Technology-Based Intervention for School Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the use of Computer technology to provide intervention in learning is promising. This review focuses on research that has used technology to improve the performance for school aged (10-16) children with ASD. This paper reviews technologies that enhanced intervention, which target three cognitive domains: (1) languages and literacy, (2) social skills, and (3) emotion recognition. A review of the literature from 2005 to the end of 2015 identified 19 studies that documented efficacy in order to determine whether empirical findings support technology as an evidence-based practice. The conclusion reports that it is important to support development, evaluation, and clinical usage of technology-based intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Future directions for research and practice with each technology are discussed

Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in ASD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by core symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. ADHD has been considered for a long time as a childhood condition, fading as children grew up. Instead, ADHD changes its clinical presentation over the lifespan, but persists in most cases in adulthood with its associated impairment. It is only since 2013, with the release of DSM-5, that it is possible to diagnose ADHD in the presence of ASD. This change was based on studies performed in children, adolescents, and adults that found high comorbidity rates between ASD and ADHD. Studies investigating the co-occurrence of such disorders at a genetic, at structural and functional neuroimaging levels indicate that they share common genetic risk factors, involve similar biological mechanisms, and affect the same brain regions. The co-existence of both disorders causes a significant burden. Individuals with ASD presenting ADHD symptomatology exhibit a more severe phenotype, with more autistic traits, greater impairment in adaptive behavior, and increased risk for developing additional psychiatric conditions. Pharmacotherapeutic treatments for ADHD, such as methylphenidate and atomoxetine, have been studied in individuals with ADHD+ASD, demonstrating efficacy in decreasing the severity of ADHD symptoms, although with lower effect sizes than in people with only ADHD. The diagnosis of ADHD is established clinically and requires the use of rating scales as well as clinical interviews for avoiding the risk of misdiagnosis. The stigma surrounding individuals with ADHD is huge, therefore it is necessary to increase awareness about this disorder among both the public and healthcare professionals, in order to reduce the barriers that patients face to get access to proper diagnosis and treatment

Overview and introduction to autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder generally manifesting in the first few years of life and tending to persist into adolescence and adulthood. It is characterized by deficits in communication and social interaction and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. It is a disorder with multifactorial etiology. In this chapter, we will focus on the most important and common epidemiological studies, pathogenesis, screening, and diagnostic tools along with an explication of genetic testing in ASD