Methylation of the Glucocorticoid Receptor (NR3C1) in Placenta is Associated with Infant Cry Acoustics

Epigenetic mechanisms regulating expression of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) promoter may influence behavioral and biological aspects of stress response in human infants. Acoustic features of infant crying are an indicator of neurobehavioral and neurological status not yet investigated in relation to epigenetic mechanisms. We examined NR3C1 methylation in placental tissue from a series of 120 healthy newborn infants in relation to a detailed set of acoustic features extracted from newborn infant cries. We identified significant associations of NR3C1 methylation with energy variation in infants\u27 cries as well as with the presence of very high fundamental frequency in cry utterances. The presence of high fundamental frequency in cry (above 1 kHz) has been linked to poor vocal tract control, poor regulation of stress response, and may be an indicator or poor neurobehavioral integrity. Thus, these results add to evidence linking epigenetic alteration of the NR3C1 gene in the placenta to neurodevelopmental features in infants

Biobehavioral Indices of Emotion Regulation Relate to School Attitudes, Motivation, and Behavior Problems in a Low-Income Preschool Sample

Effective emotion regulation may promote resilience and preschool classroom adjustment by supporting adaptive peer interactions and engagement in learning activities. We investigated how hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) regulation, cardiac reactivity, and classroom emotion displays related to adjustment among low-income preschoolers attending Head Start. A total of 62 four-year-olds completed a laboratory session including a baseline soothing video; emotion-eliciting slides/video clips, and recovery. Salivary cortisol, heart rate, and vagal tone were measured throughout. Independent coders used handheld computers to observe classroom emotion expression/regulation. Teachers rated child motivation, persistence/attention, learning attitudes, and internalizing/externalizing symptoms. Results reveal associations between biobehavioral markers of regulatory capacity and early school adjustment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73847/1/annals.1376.043.pd

Parasympathetic Response Profiles Related to Social Functioning in Young Children with Autistic Disorder

Psychophysiology studies of heart rate and heart rate variability can be employed to study regulatory processes in children with autism. The objective of this study was to test for differences in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA; a measure of heart rate variability) and to examine the relationship between physiologic responses and measures of social behavior. Participants included 2-to 6-year-old children with Autistic Disorder and children without autism. Heart rate and RSA were derived from ECG recordings made during a baseline period and then a stranger approach paradigm. Social and adaptive behavior was assessed by parent report. Groups did not differ in mean heart rate or RSA at baseline or in response to social challenge. However, children with autism were more likely to show a physiologic response to intrusive portions of the stranger approach than to less intrusive portions of this procedure. Nonautistic children were equally likely to respond to intrusive and less intrusive social events. Within the autistic group, physiologic response to the intrusive stranger approach corresponded to higher ratings of social adaptive behaviors. These results suggest that physiologic responses to social challenge may help understand differences in social behavioral outcomes in children with autism

Understanding profound autism: implications for stigma and supports

IntroductionSocietal perceptions and lack of understanding of autism spectrum disorder can be stigmatizing for autistic individuals and their families. This may be particularly the case for individuals who meet criteria for profound autism. Despite the considerable service needs of this marginalized group, there is little data on the prevalence of profound autism, nor on the experiences of those with profound autism and their families.MethodsThe current study leveraged a mixed-methods approach to address these gaps. First, the prevalence of profound autism was examined in six samples—three from the United States and three from Western Europe. Second, inductive thematic analysis was used to code interviews from 20 caregivers of profoundly autistic adults.ResultsThe prevalence of profound autism varied widely across the six samples—from 11% to 48%. There were also notable differences between samples in prevalence by gender, race, and ethnicity. Two overarching themes were identified via inductive thematic analysis: Community Perceptions of Autism and Family Support Needs and Advocacy Challenges. Though caregivers were not directly asked about stigmatization during interviews, 85% of caregivers reported at least one instance of perceived stigma.DiscussionFuture research should continue to examine the unique needs and stigmatization experiences of profoundly autistic individuals and their families across the life course

Vocal atypicalities of preverbal autistic children

This study was designed to evaluate the nature of early vocal behaviors in young children with autism. Recent methodological and conceptual advances in the study of infant preverbal vocalizations were used to provide a detailed examination of the vocal behavior of young preverbal children with autism and comparison children with developmental delays. Results revealed that children with autism did not have difficulty with the expression of well-formed syllables (i.e., canonical babbling). However, children with autism did display significant impairments in vocal quality (i.e., atypical phonation). Specifically, autistic children produced a greater proportion of syllables with atypical phonation than did comparison children. Consistent with prior reports, the children with autism also displayed a deficit in joint attention behaviors. Furthermore, the atypicalities in the vocal behavior of children with autism appeared to be independent of individual differences in joint attention skill, suggesting that a multiple process model may be needed to describe early social-communication impairments in children with autism. Data are discussed in terms of their implications for future theoretical and applied research, including efforts to enhance the specificity of early diagnostic procedures

Predictors of inpatient psychiatric hospitalization for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is associated with significant healthcare expenditures and a greater utilization of psychiatric health services. High utilization may not be evenly distributed across individuals with ASD. The objective of this study was to identify individual and family characteristics that increase the risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Naturalistic study of two age- and gender-matched ASD cohorts, inpatients enrolled in the Autism Inpatient Collection (AIC) and outpatients enrolled in the Rhode Island Consortium of Autism Research and Treatment (RI-CART), revealed a number of factors associated with hospitalization. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that adaptive functioning, ASD symptom severity, primary caregiver\u27s marital status, the presence of mood disorders, and the presence of sleep problems independently increased the risk of psychiatric hospitalization

Assessing gender differences in autism spectrum disorder using the Gendered Autism Behavioral Scale (GABS):An exploratory study

Introduction Gendered differences in autism spectrum disorder (hereafter, ‘autism’) symptomatology, may contribute to delayed diagnoses for autistic females. The aim of this study was to develop a coding system, the Gendered Autism Behavioral Scale (GABS), to identify and measure hypothesized components of non-traditional autism phenotypes. Methods Two independent cohorts of autistic individuals completed modules 3 and 4 of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS, 2nd edition). Video-recorded ADOS administrations were coded using the GABS, and separate coding teams analyzed each cohort. Cohort 1 from the United Kingdom consisted of 22 males and 22 females, aged 9–15 years. Cohort 2 from the United States consisted of 40 males and 20 females, aged 4–59 years. Results The coders achieved acceptable inter-rater reliability both within and across coding teams. In exploratory analyses, gender differences between codes were assessed within cohorts. Within Cohort 1, there were significant gender differences, of a moderate size, on several individual items as well as the Managing Emotions subscale and the Total GABS score. Within Cohort 2, significant gender differences were found for two individual items. Conclusions This study demonstrated the feasibility of the GABS across different sites. Validity tests resulted in partial replication of gender differences on the GABS. Preliminary evidence from the GABS suggests that valuable data on hypothesized non-traditional autism phenotypes could be extracted from widely employed assessments such as the ADOS. Future work could capitalize on the GABS’ utility for secondary data analysis to study gender differences in ASD in larger, adequately powered samples

Understanding profound autism: implications for stigma and supports

IntroductionSocietal perceptions and lack of understanding of autism spectrum disorder can be stigmatizing for autistic individuals and their families. This may be particularly the case for individuals who meet criteria for profound autism. Despite the considerable service needs of this marginalized group, there is little data on the prevalence of profound autism, nor on the experiences of those with profound autism and their families.MethodsThe current study leveraged a mixed-methods approach to address these gaps. First, the prevalence of profound autism was examined in six samples-three from the United States and three from Western Europe. Second, inductive thematic analysis was used to code interviews from 20 caregivers of profoundly autistic adults.ResultsThe prevalence of profound autism varied widely across the six samples-from 11% to 48%. There were also notable differences between samples in prevalence by gender, race, and ethnicity. Two overarching themes were identified via inductive thematic analysis: Community Perceptions of Autism and Family Support Needs and Advocacy Challenges. Though caregivers were not directly asked about stigmatization during interviews, 85% of caregivers reported at least one instance of perceived stigma.DiscussionFuture research should continue to examine the unique needs and stigmatization experiences of profoundly autistic individuals and their families across the life course