Children With Autism Can Identify Misbehavior but Have Trouble Putting It in Words, Study Finds

ScienceDaily — Children with autism have difficulty identifying inappropriate social behavior, and even when successful, they are often unable to justify why the behavior seemed inappropriate. New brain imaging studies show that children with autism may recognize socially inappropriate behavior, but have difficulty using spoken language to explain why the behavior is considered inappropriate, according to research published Oct. 17 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Elizabeth Carter from Carnegie Mellon University and colleagues.

The authors say the results of their functional MRI studies support previous behavioral studies that reached similar conclusions about language impairment in children with autism. In the current study, the researchers asked children with autism and children with typical development to identify in which of two pictures a boy was being bad (social judgment), or which of two pictures was outdoors (physical judgment). Both groups successfully performed the task, but the children with autism showed activity in fewer brain regions involving social and language networks while performing the task. Even though language was not required for the task, the children with typical development recruited language areas of the brain while making their decisions.

According to the authors, their results support the hypothesis that children with autism may recognize socially inappropriate behavior, but have difficulty using spoken language to explain why the behavior is considered wrong. They suggest that this decreased use of language may also make generalization of the knowledge more difficult.

"These results indicate that it is important to work with these children on translating their knowledge into language," says Carter.

Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Public Library of Science.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:
Carter EJ, Williams DL, Minshew NJ, Lehman JF. Is He Being Bad? Social and Language Brain Networks during Social Judgment in Children with Autism. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (10): e47241 DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0047241

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Autism diagnosis change questioned by York University study

Kate Allen  |  Science & Technology Reporter 

In the clinics, classrooms, and conference halls where autism is front of mind, there are few topics that carry more urgency than the DSM-5.

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the tome doctors use to diagnose mental disorders, is set to change the way doctors diagnose autism, a spectrum of developmental delays that affect 1 in 88 children. Since a draft of the changes was first revealed, controversy has bubbled over whether some children will no longer qualify and, as a result, be stripped of access to social services.

Still, when Dr. Adrienne Perry helped a York University undergraduate student, Azin Taheri, design a study to look at how the new DSM-5 criteria mapped out onto kids who already had autism, “I didn’t think it was going to be particularly controversial,” she says.

Perry, an associate professor in York’s Department of Psychology, expected most children to fit the new diagnosis. “But that was not the way it turned out.”

When it is published in May 2013, the DSM-5 will substantially recast autism, doing away with sub-categories like Asperger’s syndrome to make way for one broad label called autism spectrum disorder. It also tweaks how the disorder is described, adding new traits and changing the number and nature of characteristics kids and adults need in order to qualify. The changes were made, in part, with the hope of diagnosing more accurately.

The York study looked at case histories of 131 children aged 2 to 12. All had either autism or pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), two of the current subcategories. None had Asperger’s. READ MORE >>

5 Facts Autism Families Want President Obama to Know

Hannah Brown  |  Huffingtonpost.com

President Obama,

Congratulations on your reelection! I was one of the millions who voted for you, and as the mother of a teenage boy with autism, I am grateful that you did so much in your first term to help families coping with autism. When you signed the Combating Autism Act legislation on September 30, 2011, which assured continued federal support for autism research, services and treatment for another three years, many parents of children with autism cheered. Declaring World Autism Awareness Day on April 2 was another important step. READ MORE >>


1. We are a fast-growing constituency.

2. We don't have much cash.

3. We don't have much patience.

4. We are a diverse group.

5. We're in it for the long haul.

Autism in the News

1. 
   
   

   Parkview Huntington Hospital Autism Center to open in 2013 News Sentinel Autism is diagnosed in one out of 88 children in Indiana, and one out of 54 of those children are boys. In response to those numbers, and due ...

   Parkview Huntington to create autism center
   

   Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

2. Science Codex

   Autism intervention "normalizes" kids' brain function in study CBS News An early intervention therapy for children with autism has been shown in a study to show unprecedented benefits in the brains of young ... + Show more

3. Changing Minds: Advocates Reshape How We Think About Autism SF Weekly The protesters call themselves "autistic people." Members of the organization they're protesting call them "people with autism." While this may ...

4. Minn. autism advocate, Rohde, critcizes GOP's Cravaack Monte News Chip Cravaack on Monday of revealing his son's autism to get sympathy ... Wayne Rohde of theAutism Advocacy Coalition of Minnesota said ... + Show more

5. Mahaiwe screening to shed new light on autism Berkshire Eagle "This was the book that made me realize I was autistic," said Wilcox, who was ... "There are a lot of reasons to be interested in autism aside from ...

6. Zee News

   Autism Tough to Spot Before 6 Months of Age, Study Suggests U.S. News & World Report TUESDAY, Oct. 30 (HealthDay News) -- The development of 6-month-old babies who are diagnosed with autism in toddlerhood is very similar ... + Show more

7. November 1st Solari Update: Neurofeedback & Autism Scoop.co.nz This Thursday on The Solari Report I will be speaking with autism expert and author Lynette Louise about her experiences working with ...

8. Autism: A “small” thing that was “huge” that your child has ... San Francisco Chronicle (blog) Matthew and I went to lunch the other day, and he ordered water to go with his meal. When he stepped up to the water/soda machine, ...

9. Autism-friendly film screening in Grantham hailed 'a great success' This is Lincolnshire An autism-friendly showing of a new children's film at Grantham's ... the second organised by Grantham Autistic Information Network (GAIN). ​ ...

10. Computer Vision System Helps Diagnose Autism in Infants Technology Review (blog) Diagnosing autism in children is an important task. Various studies show that early intervention can significantly improve the outcome for... Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Using touch screens and apps to treat autism

M. Alforja, 3, who suffers from autism, successfully completing a word on FW Deluxe… (LiPo Ching/San Jose Mercury…)

San Jose Mercury News (MCT)
SAN JOSE, Calif. - As a commercial software expert for the financial services industry, Ted Conley was frustrated with the technology that a speech therapist recommended to help his developmentally disabled son. So he decided to build his own application.

In place of an unwieldy and expensive device with buttons that his son struggled to press, Conley developed a series of apps that allow the now 3-year-old Pierce to signal words and sentences by lightly touching a series of familiar pictures on an iPad screen, which prompts an audio program to play the words out loud.


SEE OUR 'APPS' SECTION: A comprehensive list of Apps for Autism available for iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, Nook and more. CLICK HERE 

Conley's line of "TapSpeak" programs are among scores of new apps available to help children with autism or other conditions that interfere with their ability to speak, learn or socialize.

Most of the early apps have been associated with Apple's iPad, but some are available for a variety of touch-screen gadgets, including those running Google's Android. Hewlett-Packard recently announced plans for a volunteer "hackathon" to create a series of touch-screen apps in conjunction with a national advocacy group, Autism Speaks.

Parents and educators say the ease of use, visual impact and intuitive nature of a touch screen... READ MORE >>

Over half of children with autism bullied

>> View CBS42 video

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT)- Two-thirds of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders are or have been bullied.  That's the findings of a recent Interactive Autism Network study.  Children with varying forms of Autism were three times more likely to have been bullied in the past month.  One reason, is that children with Autism share the inability to read social situations, cues, or the facial exressions of other children.  "With any kid, if you're different you're going to get picked on.  That's just a given, but with kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder are different in a way they can't control.  They have no idea that they're different.  They see themselves as any other typical kid," says Anjanette Robinson, an Out-Patient Therapist at the Glenwood Autism & Behavioral Health Center.

Autism now affects 1 in every 88 newborns. To see the extended interview with Anjanette Robinson, please click on the video below.

Sensory Integration Dysfunction

by ADMIN | Autism United

One of the most currently researched afflictions today is Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Sensory Integration Dysfunction is a neurological disorder which was discovered a little over 40 years ago by Dr. A. Jean Ayres. Sensory Integration Dysfunction is a prime example of just what can alter the brain to alter the daily functions we perform each day whether it is social, academic, or just a daily chore. This commonly misdiagnosed condition proves to have quite the toll emotionally, mentally, and physically on all those who find themselves afflicted with this unfortunate condition. Sensory Integration Dysfunction provides a myriad of challenges for those who do have it, but there are many ways to work through this condition as well.

The types of Sensory Integration Dysfunction seem to fall into three main categories: under processing, over processing, and processing with interference. Due to the fact that there are three main “types” of Sensory Integration Dysfunction, a thorough investigation of each individual is necessary in order to determine which particular types of treatments would be most effective in way of solving as much issue as possible. Each of these types of Sensory Integration Dysfunction can prove to be detrimental to the daily lives of those who are afflicted.

There are a wide variety of signs that come along with Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Children who exhibit the signs below run a high risk of possessing Sensory Integration Dysfunction or Difficulties: READ MORE >>

  

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Autism Spectrum Disorder And Sensory Integration

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by DR. JESSICA GUIRE | Autism United

A neurotypical (an individual not on the autism spectrum) person hears, sees, smells, and feels. A person with autism also hears, sees, smells, and feels. However, many individuals on the autism spectrum have trouble hearing, seeing, smelling and feeling independently of the other senses because of their inability to discriminate between the senses. Imagine being cold, listening to loud sounds, seeing bright flashing lights, and smelling a pungent odor…all at the same time. How would you know you are cold or that the lights are too bright or the smell is stinging your nose? A individual with autism often deals with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Most children (90%) with Autism Spectrum Disorders have some sensory issue (Tomchek and Dunn, 2007). According to the SPD Foundation, “Sensory processing (sometimes called “sensory integration” or SI) is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Whether you are biting into a hamburger, riding a bicycle, or reading a book, your successful completion of the activity requires processing sensation or sensory integration.”

There is often a clear misunderstanding about what Sensory Processing Disorder/Sensory Integration Disorder is and this constitutes a great opportunity for the autism community to highlight this disorder. READ MORE >>

Autism in the News

Thousands support Edmonton autism community at annual walk ‎ CTV News Thousands of Edmontonians came together to walk in support of autism research Sunday. More than 2,000 Edmontonians laced up and ... Walk for Autism Speaks‎ KTVQ Billings News Walk Now for Autism‎ KULR-TV Edmonton's 5th annual Walk Now for Autism Speaks‎ iNews880.com all 5 news articles »

iPods as the Next-Generation Autism Aid ‎ The Atlantic But a case study published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation describes how, as a 21-year-old with autism, he required the ... iPod Touch apps help workers with autism‎ Los Angeles Times Apple devices gain scientific backing for autism assistance‎ Examiner.com Research: iPod touch benefits workers with autism‎ tuaw.com Disability Scoop all 69 news articles »

The Atlantic

Secure future sought for the autistic ‎ Reading Eagle At the Help Solve the Puzzle Walk for Autism Awareness on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium are Scott and Luci Schaeffer of Sinking Spring with ...

Temperament gives 'red flags' for autism ‎ ABC Online Early warning Lack of cuddliness and a fixation with textures, sounds and smells in children under two years of age could be signs of autism, ...

ABC Online

Chase is more than just a pet for boy with autism ‎ San Antonio Express Adrian Chavez, 8, left, and his brother, Christian Chavez, 11, play with their new hamster, Sparky, with Adrian's autism service dog, Chase, ...

Autism & Ability

Eric Chessen

For children with autism, learning new skills is often made more difficult because of sensory processing issues. There may be too much noise in the next room for Jill to concentrate on the directions, or Marcos may not be able to look at numbers on a computer screen and relate them to those on a page of homework. It all has to do with contingencies. Success in anything doesn’t just happen.

Contingencies are “if-then” relationships. All individuals with autism have some level of difficulty with contingencies. The most obvious are social contingencies, but cognitive “if-then’s” are just as important to consider. Does Ricky make the connection between Mom saying “Press down on the pedal” and the action of his foot applying pressure downward? If not, his mom can say it over and over again, and both can grow frustrated in the process.

Some of my athletes are nonverbal, but understand just about everything that is said. Others are verbal to an extent, but have enormous difficulty attending to or following verbal instructions.

It is absolutely critical to ask the following questions:

1. Is the individual a more auditory or a more visual learner?
2. Has he/she had prior experience with the words I am using right now?
3. Is he/she motivated to perform this particular activity? (Does he/she like it?)
4. If not, what would be motivating?

I call these the “PAC” abilities and they are the foundation of my assessment and programming method, the PAC Profile (www.PACProfile.com). If Rachel is having difficulty riding her bike, is it because she cannot do it, won’t do it, or some other reason?

How do we assess what is going on without drawing incorrect or unproductive conclusions? Saying she is “lazy” does not give us much help. How do you “un-lazy” somebody? Do you snap your fingers and all of a sudden they decide that they will do something? Not the kids I’ve worked with, and probably not yours either. That’s why it is so important to assess abilities first.

Alex was 11 and his mother contacted me specifically to work on bike riding skills. Dad had attempted several times to teach him, but wound up screaming at Alex instead because Alex was not learning quickly enough. If you are reading this now, stand up quick and learn to ride a unicycle while juggling. In the event that you do not master this in a week I will personally call up to berate you. Oh, and you need to be having FUN While you do it. Doesn’t sound to reinforcing, does it? Alex wanted to ride his bike; he just didn’t want to be yelled at while learning. I thought that was reasonable enough.

Signs Your Child Could Have Autism

The CDC says that one in 88 children has autism. Could your child be one of them?

By MIRIAM WEINER |  USnews.com

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that one in every 88 children has autism—up from one in 156 in 2002—you might be wondering how to recognize the signs and symptoms of the developmental disorder.

While it's not clear what's driving the uptick in prevalence, and the precise causes of autism are still unknown, experts are calling for earlier diagnosis. "We have to get this down to 18 months of age to truly have the greatest impact," says Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC. Doctors have gotten better at identifying autism symptoms in younger children—four is the average age of diagnosis—but "four years old is still too late," he says. Frieden stresses that the earlier a child is identified with autism, the more likely it is that behavioral intervention will make the disability more manageable. Parents may be able to spot symptoms of autism before a child's first birthday, says Coleen Boyle, who heads up the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. "Parents know their child best, but if they do have concerns, the important thing is not to wait [to seek help]," she says. Susan Hyman, who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics subcommittee on autism, strongly recommends having children screened by a child development specialist at 18, 24, and 30 months.

Global Autism Awareness:

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So how can you tell? If your little boy or girl isn't hitting developmental milestones laid out by the CDC, don't hesitate to talk to your paediatrician.

At Nine Months to One Year
At this age, your child should be moving up in his ability to communicate. Simple "oohs" and "ahhs" are typically replaced by a wider variety of sounds, and maybe even words like "mama." Slower speech development isn't necessarily cause for concern, though. As your child nears his first birthday, his eyes are the most notable red flag. At nine months your baby should be able to make eye contact, and even recognize familiar faces and emotive expressions. Children with autism struggle to maintain eye contact and often cannot mimic facial expressions like smiles or frowns.

At 18 Months >>

At Two Years >>

At Four Years >>


To learn more about picking up signs of autism, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.

UCSB autism researchers find that focusing on strengths improves social skills of adolescents

IMAGE: Robert and Lynn Koegel. Click here for more information.

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– The junior high and high school years are emotionally challenging even under the best of circumstances, but for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), that time can be particularly painful. Lacking the social skills that enable them to interact successfully with their peers, these students are often ostracized and even bullied by their classmates.

However, a new study conducted by researchers at the Koegel Autism Center at UC Santa Barbara has found that by playing on their strengths –– high intelligence and very specific interests –– these adolescents are as capable as anyone else of forging strong friendships. In addition, the research findings demonstrate that the area of the brain that controls such social behavior is not as damaged in adolescents with ASD as was previously believed. The findings appear in a recent issue of the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions.

"The problem is that their restricted interests can dominate their lives and further push away people they'd like to get to know," said Robert Koegel, director of the Koegel Autism Center and the study's lead author. He is also a professor of counseling, clinical, and school psychology and of education in UCSB's Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. "They're so highly focused on that interest, people think they're weird. But by involving themselves in an activity around the interest, they not only make friends but also become valued members of the group. Their specialized skill becomes a strength." READ MORE >>

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Questionnaire Completed by Parents May Help Identify One-Year-Olds at Risk for Autism

ScienceDaily — A new study by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers found that 31 percent of children identified as at risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) at 12 months received a confirmed diagnosis of ASD by age 3 years.


In addition, 85 percent of the children found to be at risk for ASD based on results from the First Year Inventory (FYI), a 63-item questionnaire filled out by their parents, had some other developmental disability or concern by age three, said Grace Baranek, PhD, senior author of the study and an autism researcher with the Program for Early Autism, Research, Leadership and Service (PEARLS) in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the UNC School of Medicine.

“Identification of children at risk for ASD at 12 months could provide a substantial number of children and their families with access to intervention services months or years before they would otherwise receive a traditional diagnosis.”

"These results indicate that an overwhelming majority of children who screen positive on the FYI indeed experience some delay in development by age three that may warrant early intervention," she

Lead author of the study, Lauren Turner-Brown, PhD, also a researcher with PEARLS and the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities said,

The First Year Inventory was developed by Grace Baranek, PhD, Linda Watson, EdD, Elizabeth Crais, PhD and J. Steven Reznick, PhD, who are all researchers with PEARLS. All are also co-authors of the study with Turner-Brown, published online ahead of print on July 10, 2012 by Autism: The International Journal of Research & Practice.

In the study, parents of 699 children who had completed the FYI when their child was 12 months old completed additional screening questionnaires when their child reached age 3. In addition, children who were found to be at risk for ASD based on these measures were invited for in-person diagnostic evaluations.

“These findings are encouraging and suggest promise in the approach of using parent report of infant behaviors as a tool for identifying 12-month-olds who are at risk for an eventual diagnosis of ASD,” Turner-Brown said.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

L. M. Turner-Brown, G. T. Baranek, J. S. Reznick, L. R. Watson, E. R. Crais. The First Year Inventory: a longitudinal follow-up of 12-month-old to 3-year-old children. Autism, 2012; DOI: 10.1177/1362361312439633

The FYI is currently only available for research purposes; however, the UNC School of Medicine is in the process of field testing its clinical utility. It has also been translated into several languages including Spanish, Hebrew, Dutch-Flemish, Italian, & Chinese) for use in research studies internationally.

The UNC School of Medicine is currently using research funds from Autism Speaks to develop a new version of the FYI that spans a broader age range and taps additional behaviors indicated by recent research.  Scoring for the new FYI will be based on longitudinal data from an extensive cohort of infants whose families participate in the ongoing North Carolina Child Development Survey.

Recent findings published here:  Questionnaire completed by parents may help identify 1-year-olds at risk for autism