Assessment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Post-Assessment Meeting with Parents: Some Issues of Planning and Professional Attitude

The authors, child psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, conducting team assessment of children with developmental disabilities (including autism spectrum disorder) for more than two decades, present some important in their view issues and recommendations concerning planning and proceeding of assessment and post-assessment meetings with parents. It is essential to ensure not only an accurate assessment protocol and diagnosis, but also to "attune" to parents in order to facilitate their understanding and more positive use of assessment outcome results. Parents need further support to "survive" psychically the post - assessment period and to provide for adequate interventions for their child

Asperger’s Syndrome in a Clinical Sample: Reasons for Referral and Comorbidity

Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) is an autism spectrum disorder without mental retardation and language delay. AS often remains unrecognized until these children fail to adapt to school or kindergarten. The comorbid psychiatric disorders, achieving clinical significance, were considered as another pathway to diagnosis. This study is aimed to elucidate the reasons for referral, the frequency and the kinds of comorbidities in a clinical sample of consecutive cases of children and adolescents with AS. To this objective, clinical records of children and adolescents, who have received a DSM-IV diagnosis of AS after multidisciplinary assessment in a given time period were reviewed. After excluding 3 cases due to insufficient information, 24 cases of children and adolescents with Asperger’s Syndrome (23 boys and one girl) were identified. The mean age at the time of assessment and receiving diagnosis was 9.6 yrs. (age range 4 to 17 years). In twenty-one (87%) of the cases the reason for referral was an episode of disorganized behavior following an attempt to enrollthe child at school or kindergarten, and more rare referral occurred within the significant school transition period. In the remaining 3 cases, the reason for referral was a comorbid condition. Comorbid conditions identified at the moment of assessment include: ADHD documented in 4 cases, tics in 3 cases, obsessive-compulsive behaviors in 4 cases, Stereotypic Movement Disorder or Trichotilomania in 4 of the cases. Within the clinical sample, a priori expected to include relatively severe cases, a higher frequency of comorbidity was found as compared to the rates in the general population. Adjustment reactions and comorbidities occasioned the refer

Early Assessment of Mental Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other Neurodevelopmental Disorders - Sharing of Clinical Experience

The authors present a synthesised review of the methods for assessing mental development and autism, with an emphasis on the general tendency to reduce the age of diagnosis. Based on clinical experience, a number of particularities are described in terms of: testing, working with parents, observing and reflecting on the nature and meaning of autistic behaviours. On focus is a toolkit for detailed assessment of mental development that was elaborated within the inter-university cooperation between Sofia Medical University and Universite catholique de Louvain (UCL) - Belgium. Illustrated and discussed are typical profiles of cognitive and socio-communicative functioning of children with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, which help a differential diagnosis to be made by the multidisciplinary clinical team. Further described are the advantages of early assessment of mental development as a basis for future educational and therapeutic programs

Sequence of Potentials Lying Between the U(5) and X(5) Symmetries

Starting from the original collective Hamiltonian of Bohr and separating the beta and gamma variables as in the X(5) model of Iachello, an exactly soluble model corresponding to a harmonic oscillator potential in the beta-variable (to be called X(5)-$\beta^2$) is constructed. Furthermore, it is proved that the potentials of the form $\beta^{2n}$ (with n being integer) provide a ``bridge'' between this new X(5)-$\beta^2$ model (occuring for n=1) and the X(5) model (corresponding to an infinite well potential in the beta-variable, materialized for n going to infinity. Parameter-free (up to overall scale factors) predictions for spectra and B(E2) transition rates are given for the potentials $\beta^2$, $\beta^4$, $\beta^6$, $\beta^8$, corresponding to E(4)/E(2) ratios of 2.646, 2.769, 2.824, and 2.852 respectively, compared to the E(4)/E(2) ratios of 2.000 for U(5) and 2.904 for X(5). Hints about nuclei showing this behaviour, as well as about potentials ``bridging'' the X(5) symmetry with SU(3) are briefly discussed.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX, 5 postscript figure

Axes and fluidity of oppression in the workplace: intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality

Our research explores how the historically institutionalized and authoritarian discriminatory South African context continues to affect the experiences of LGBT mid-level managers in the workplace. South Africa provides a rich environment to explore ‘axes of oppression’ (heteronormativity/homophobia, race/racism, gender/sexism), and how these manifest and impact on participants’ work experience. Bringing together intersectionality as an analytical strategy with identity work allows us to examine the interaction between identities and the institutionalized processes by which they are shaped. Our findings show a multifaceted fluidity of oppression where individuals can move between continuums of advantage and disadvantage. We demonstrate the importance of historically embedded modes of oppression within the theory of intersectionality and how this manifests in institutional and organizational practices. As a result, organizations, institutions, and individuals play a role in reproducing inequality through intricate systems of oppression at micro, meso, and macro levels. This affects how individuals draw on their intersecting identities to respond to and decipher encounters with others

Sequence of Potentials Interpolating between the U(5) and E(5) Symmetries

It is proved that the potentials of the form $\beta^{2n}$ (with $n$ being integer) provide a ``bridge'' between the U(5) symmetry of the Bohr Hamiltonian with a harmonic oscillator potential (occuring for $n=1$) and the E(5) model of Iachello (Bohr Hamiltonian with an infinite well potential, materialized for infinite $n$). Parameter-free (up to overall scale factors) predictions for spectra and B(E2) transition rates are given for the potentials $\beta^4$, $\beta^6$, $\beta^8$, corresponding to $R_4=E(4)/E(2)$ ratios of 2.093, 2.135, 2.157 respectively, compared to the $R_4$ ratios 2.000 of U(5) and 2.199 of E(5). Hints about nuclei showing this behaviour, as well as about potentials ``bridging'' the E(5) symmetry with O(6) are briefly discussed. A note about the appearance of Bessel functions in the framework of E(n) symmetries is given as a by-product.Comment: LaTeX, 17 pages, 9 postscript figure

Deformed Harmonic Oscillators for Metal Clusters: Analytic Properties and Supershells

The analytic properties of Nilsson's Modified Oscillator (MO), which was first introduced in nuclear structure, and of the recently introduced, based on quantum algebraic techniques, 3-dimensional q-deformed harmonic oscillator (3-dim q-HO) with Uq(3) > SOq(3) symmetry, which is known to reproduce correctly in terms of only one parameter the magic numbers of alkali clusters up to 1500 (the expected limit of validity for theories based on the filling of electronic shells), are considered. Exact expressions for the total energy of closed shells are determined and compared among them. Furthermore, the systematics of the appearance of supershells in the spectra of the two oscillators is considered, showing that the 3-dim q-HO correctly predicts the first supershell closure in alkali clusters without use of any extra parameter.Comment: 25 pages LaTeX plus 21 postscript figure

Remarcs on the shape transition from spherical to deformed gamma unstable nuclei

Energies and transition probabilities for low lying states in $^{134}$Ba and ^{104Ru were calculated within a hybrid model.The ground and the first $2^+$ states are described alternatively as a harmonic and anharmonic vibrator states while the remaining states as states with E(5) symmetry. One concludes that a gradual setting of the 'critical' potential yields a better agreement with the experimental data. Very good agreement with the data is obtained for $^{104}$Ru. Comparing the present results with those of E(5) symmetry, it is conspicuous that the present formalism add corrections to the E(5) formalism by bringing the predictions closer to the experimental data. Analytical relationship between the states with U(5) symmetry and those given by the E(5) description is established.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, submitted for publicatio

Rotationally Invariant Hamiltonians for Nuclear Spectra Based on Quantum Algebras

The rotational invariance under the usual physical angular momentum of the SUq(2) Hamiltonian for the description of rotational nuclear spectra is explicitly proved and a connection of this Hamiltonian to the formalisms of Amal'sky and Harris is provided. In addition, a new Hamiltonian for rotational spectra is introduced, based on the construction of irreducible tensor operators (ITO) under SUq(2) and use of q-deformed tensor products and q-deformed Clebsch-Gordan coefficients. The rotational invariance of this SUq(2) ITO Hamiltonian under the usual physical angular momentum is explicitly proved, a simple closed expression for its energy spectrum (the ``hyperbolic tangent formula'') is introduced, and its connection to the Harris formalism is established. Numerical tests in a series of Th isotopes are provided.Comment: 34 pages, LaTe

Cumulative incidence and risk factors for radiation induced leukoencephalopathy in high grade glioma long term survivors

The incidence and risk factors associated with radiation-induced leukoencephalopathy (RIL) in long-term survivors of high-grade glioma (HGG) are still poorly investigated. We performed a retrospective research in our institutional database for patients with supratentorial HGG treated with focal radiotherapy, having a progression-free overall survival > 30 months and available germline DNA. We reviewed MRI scans for signs of leukoencephalopathy on T2/FLAIR sequences, and medical records for information on cerebrovascular risk factors and neurological symptoms. We investigated a panel of candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to assess genetic risk. Eighty-one HGG patients (18 grade IV and 63 grade III, 50M/31F) were included in the study. The median age at the time of radiotherapy was 48 years old (range 18–69). The median follow-up after the completion of radiotherapy was 79 months. A total of 44 patients (44/81, 54.3%) developed RIL during follow-up. Twenty-nine of the 44 patients developed consistent symptoms such as subcortical dementia (n = 28), gait disturbances (n = 12), and urinary incontinence (n = 9). The cumulative incidence of RIL was 21% at 12 months, 42% at 36 months, and 48% at 60 months. Age > 60 years, smoking, and the germline SNP rs2120825 (PPARg locus) were associated with an increased risk of RIL. Our study identified potential risk factors for the development of RIL (age, smoking, and the germline SNP rs2120825) and established the rationale for testing PPARg agonists in the prevention and management of late-delayed radiation-induced neurotoxicity