PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that occurs within the first 3 years of life, which is characterised by poor social skills, communication problems and stereotyped patterns of behaviour. Autism is a life-long disorder that has a substantial effect on the individual, their family, and society. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview about the psychosocial aspects of autism spectrum disorders. Methods: An analysis of relevant literature, sources from the internet and published literature, personal experience and observations of the author. Findings: Despite widespread research and greater public awareness, ASD has an unclear etiology and no known cure, making it difficult to acquire an accurate and timely diagnosis. Psychologic functions such as attention, executive function, academic functioning, memory, emotions, and sensory processing are described. There is a need for continuous psycho-social support for people with ASD and their relatives during the diagnostics and early intervention period, as well as resources that better represent the diversity of experiences and symptoms associated with ASD across the lifespan. Conclusion: It is clear that more special education services are needed, together with timely and ongoing psychosocial support to parents of children with ASD

Parent education in autism spectrum disorder – a review of the literature

Families living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face many challenges, affecting not only the child with ASD and development but also family functioning and quality of life. Parent education (PE) in ASD has been identified as a priority intervention for this group both internationally and nationally. However, though there is a large body of literature regarding parent training (PT) in specific therapeutic approaches, a narrative literature review of databases found only 12 papers reporting on research into PE. Overall, PE is shown to be a positive intervention which can lead to reductions in stress and anxiety, improved coping, improved parent-child interaction and communication, improved understanding of ASD, efficacy and confidence and improved parental quality of life. Four key themes – impact, delivery, content and local/cultural issues – are discussed, weaknesses and problems within the literature are acknowledged, and the need is identified for further research into such interventions

ATTITUDES AND OPINIONS OF EMPLOYERS, EMPLOYEES AND PARENTS ABOUT THE EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH AUTISM IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

The right to work is one of the fundamental human rights in all developed countries around the world. The employment, actually the right to work of persons with disability is the final phase of the long and complex process of their rehabilitation that affects the possibility of their integration in the community.The main objective of this research is to investigate the possibility of employment of people with autism, based on the attitudes and opinions of employers, employees and parents of the children with autism.The basic tasks of this research are: to determine whether the employers would employ a person with autism; weather employers and the employees know what autism is; weather according to employers and employees people with autism are able to perform their job duties in complete and weather the parents of children with autism would like their child to be employed.We conducted this research in a period of 3 months and included 130 respondents. Obtained data were collected, grouped, tabled and processed with standard statistical program Microsoft Office Excel 2003, applying χ2 tests and Fisher's Exact test. Statistical important difference was at the level of p<0.05.From the analysis and the interpretation of the results, we concluded that in the Republic of Macedonia do not exist positive atmosphere, for employment of the persons with autism, the employers do not want to employ a person with autism. The professionals must engage more deeply in this problematic in order to achieve a complete integration of the people with autism in the society

Association between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Cancer - a Review from the Literature

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is neurodevelopmental polygenic disorder with strong genetic component. In adult period, it is associated with many chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. The aim of this article is to show possible connection between autism spectrum disorder and some kinds of cancers, and to show possible pathways for prevention and treatment. Methodology: The PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched using the keywords: autism spectrum disorder, genetics, cancer, prevention and treatment. Results: Autism spectrum disorder is associated with high rates of genomic aberrations, including chromosomal rearrangements and de novo copy-number variations. Autism and cancer share 43 risk genes, suggesting that common mechanisms underlying the functions of some of these genes could conceivably be leveraged to develop therapies not just for cancer but for autism as well. Pleiotropy, whereby gene variants exert effects on multiple phenotypes, has been the source of increasing research attention with ASD and cancer. Germline loss-of-function PTEN mutations increase the rate of benign and malignant tumors and also manifest as ASD and macrocephaly. Mutations in TSC1 and TSC2 genes cause tuberous sclerosis complex which is characterized by cortical tubers, and neurocognitive phenotypes including epilepsy, ASD, and intellectual disability (ID). Conclusion: There is may be an association between autism and specific forms of cancer. Further epidemiologic research in large populations is needed to elucidate the association between autism and cancer and identify explanatory factors. Approved drugs targeting oncogenic pathways might also have therapeutic value for treating autism spectrum disorder

ETIOLOGY OF AUTISM

Although there is good evidence that autism is a multifactorial disorder, an adequate understanding of the genetic and nongenetic causes has yet to be achieved. With empirical research findings review is made to evidence on possible causal influences. Much the strongest evidence concerns the importance of susceptibility genes, but such genes have yet to be identified. Specific somatic conditions (tuberous sclerosis and the fragile X syndrome) account for a small proportion of cases. Over recent decades there has been a major rise in the rate of diagnosed autism. The main explanation for this rise is to be found in better ascertainment and a broadening of the diagnostic concept. Progress on the elucidation of the causes of autism will be crucially dependent on the combination of epidemiology with more basic science laboratory studies

A COMPARISON BETWEEN ELECTRONIC AND PRINTED JOURNALS

The number of journals is rapidly rising worldwide. There is public debate about published articles comparing the costs, benefits, and various pros and cons of printed versus electronic full-text journals. The advancement of online journals during recent years has given librarians a powerful new resource to support learning and research. This article explores issues relating to the print publication process and the electronic publication process in order to clarify the unique advantages and disadvantages of each media. Most commercial sites are subscription-based, or allow pay-per-view access. Many universities subscribe to electronic journals to provide access to their students and faculty, and it is generally also possible for individuals to subscribe. An increasing number of journals are now available with open access, requiring no subscription. This is the case with the Journal for ReAttach Therapy and Developmental Diversities. Most working paper archives and articles on personal homepages are free; as are collections in institutional repositories and subject repositories. One of the great advantages of electronic journals is the possibility of acquiring article-level metrics. Printed journals are portable and convenient, don’t require a device to read, have a high graphical resolution (easier to read) and are self-archiving. Printed journals should continue to survive, but only with a decrease in production and changes in content to suit more restricted niches left in the wake of the electronic journals

Epidemiological aspects of developmental disorders in school aged children

Multiple factors infl uence the discrepancy between the prevalence rates of developmental disorders worldwide. In addition to different prevalence rates of developmental disorders, there are differences in terminology and their classifi cation. The purpose of the research was to estimate the prevalence and gender distribution of developmental disorders and to calculate the number of children with developmental disorders and special educational needs in a convenience sample of school-age children. We also calculated the number of children with congenital malformations and diseases that affect vision and hearing. We processed the data from medical records of 1750 children (835 males and 915 females) who were examined in the Pediatric Dispensary, Military Hospital, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia during the period of June 30 1992 to June 30 2011. A descriptive method was used. For statistical data analysis we used Chi-square test and Fisher exact test with level of signifi cance p<0.05. A total of 153 out of 1750 (8.7%) children had developmental disorders and special educational needs. Gender distribution shows that 97 children (11.6%) were males and 56 children (6.1%) were females. Specifi c developmental disorders of speech and language were most frequent (82.3%) from all developmental disorders. Prevalence rates of some diseases and developmental disorders were lower in comparison to other studies, e.g., specific developmental disorders of scholastic skills, hyperkinetic disorders, refractive errors and conductive hearing loss. Low prevalence rate of certain disorders could indicate their underdetection

ETIOLOGY OF SPEECH DISORDERS IN “INSTITUTE FOR REHABILITATION OF HEARING, SPEECH AND VOICE” – SKOPJE

Significant number of the world population is faced with speech disorder problem. Speech disorders can be caused by numerous factors, which can be genetic, congenital or obtained. The knowledge of the etiology of speech disorders is of a great importance, because the early detection and diagnosis are of invaluable significance for successful rehabilitation of people with speech disorders. On the other hand, the establishment of etiology would mean early intervention with appropriate treatments, which can alleviate or prevent consequences of speech disorders. In other words it would mean successful prevention.This work is a contribution to the research of the etiology of speech disorders

SEQUELAE OF ACUTE BACTERIAL MENINGITIS IN PATIENTS TREATED AT THE CLINIC FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND FEBRILE CONDITIONS IN SKOPJE

Objective- The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and type of consequences, as well as their presence and distribution in patients with a history of acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) in relation to gender, age, etiology and duration of symptoms prior to admittance to hospital.Methods-The study includes 89 patients with ABM hospitalized at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Conditions in Skopje. Data were collected from the medical charts of the patients. According to their outcome, the patients were divided into three groups: patients with full recovery (without sequelae), patients recovered with sequelae, and patients with lethal outcome.Results-A total of 89 patients, 69.6% had full recovery, 14.7% had sequelae and 15.7% lethal outcome. Audio-logical and focal sequelae were most frequently observed.Conclusion-Risk factors for consequences occurrence are: patient age, causal agent and postponing of antimicrobial therapy

Functional Status of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Introduction: Austism spectrum disorder (ASD) heterogeneity requires these individuals to have functional heterogeneity. Compared to the general population, numerous studies have shown that people with ASD have a lower functional status in performing daily activities and most of them require assistive technology. Methodology: We performed a comparative analysis of the collected data from 72 subjects with ASD and 75 neurotypical controls aged 3-24 years using the Rochester Health Status Survey IV (RHSS-IV) by conducting a structured individual interview to provide a comparative item for functional status and use of assistive technology in Macedonia. Results: Children with ASD have a lower functional status in performing daily activities required for eating, dressing, showering and using the toilet (p = 0.000), as well as acquiring academic knowledge and skills (p = 0.000). Children with ASD use more assistive technology (p = 0.032) as opposed to neurotypical children and the most commonly used are alternative and aumentative devices (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Most children with ASD have a lower functional status in performing the daily activities required for eating, dressing, showering and using the toilet, as well as acquiring academic knowledge and skills unlike their peers with neurotypical development. Also, children with ASD use alternative and augmentative devices, which is not the case with children in the control group. Accurate quantification is crucial for the progress and positive outcome of children with ASD