OBJECTIVEThere are many factors affecting the sensory integration training (SIT) effects in children with autism. This study explored the influential factors for SIT effects in the aspect of the model of sensory processing.

METHODSNinety-three autistic children aged 1.8-8.3 years were evaluated by the autism behavior checklist (ABC) and the Dunn's model of sensory processing. The SIT effects were evaluated by the sensory integrative schedule. The effects of sex, age, ABC scores and the Dunn's model of sensory processing were investigated by logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSLogistic regression analysis showed that ABC scores (Wald=6.768, <0.01) and the Dunn's model of sensory processing (Wald=13.549, <0.01) were influential factors for the SIT effects. The Dunn's model of sensory processing was shown as a more important influential factor. Sex (Wald=1.549, >0.05) and age (Wald=0.010, >0.05) were not related to the STT effects.

CONCLUSIONSThe Dunn's model of sensory processing is a major influential factor for the SIT effects in children with autism.

Autistic Disorder ; psychology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Sensation

OBJECTIVETo verify the efficacy on autism treated with scalp acupuncture for regaining the consciousness and opening the orifice in children.

METHODSSeventy cases of child autism were divided into an observation group (30 cases) and a control group (40 cases). In observation group, the cases were treated with scalp acupuncture for regaining the consciousness and opening the orifice, in combination with music therapy and structure education method. Scalp acupuncture was applied to intelligent nine needles (frontal five needles, Sishencong (EX-HN 1)), affection area, heart and liver area, once a day, at the interval once every one week. Totally, 60 treatments made one session. In control group, music therapy and structure education method were applied simply. Clancy Autism Behavior Scale, Childhood Autism Behavior Scale (CARS), Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and Gesell Developmental Scale (social adaptive behaviors and language development) were adopted to assess the scores before treatment and after 1 session of treatment.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the scores in Clancy Autism Behavior Scale, CARS and ABC were lower apparently in observation group as compared with those before treatment (all P < 0.01), and the scores in Clancy Autism Behavior Scale and ABC were lower than those in control group (both P < 0.01). In observation group, the scores of social adaptive behavior scale and language development scale were improved obviously after treatment (both P < 0.01), which were all higher than those in control group (both P < 0.01). In observation, between the group aged from 4 to 6 years and the group aged from 2 to 3 years, the value differences in Clancy Autism Behavior Scale, ABC and social adaptive development scale did not present statistical significance in group comparison before and after treatment (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONScalp acupuncture for regaining the consciousness and opening the orifice can significantly improve the efficacy on autism, effectively relieve child autism symptoms and enhance the intelligence, language ability and social adaptive ability. Moreover, the efficacy cannot be impacted by child's age.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Autistic Disorder ; psychology ; therapy ; Child Behavior ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Scalp

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect difference of behavior training with head needling retention and behavior training after acupuncture for autism children.

METHODSSixty qualified autism children were divided randomly into simultaneous head needling retention and behavior training group (trial group) and behavior training after acupuncture treatment group (control group) with 30 case in each group. Retention needles on the head with simultaneous behavior training was applied for the trial group. The main acupoints included Sishen Xue, Dingshen Sanxue (3 points for mental tranquilization), Nao Sanxue (3 points for the function of brain), Shou Zhisanxue (3 points for mental activities on hand) and Zozhi Sonxue (3 points for mental activities on foot). Other points were combined according to conditions of patients. Needles on the 4 extremities were withdrawn first after 30 minutes, needles on head were remained during behavior training. While behavior training was applied to the control group when acupuncture treatment was completely accomplished. Treatments were applied once a day to both groups. And 3 months was taken as one observation cycle. Estimation was made on therapeutic effect and developing level of autism children with CARS and PEP.

RESULTSThe total effective rate of the trial group was 83.3% (25/30), better than 66.7% (20/30) of the control group (P < 0.05). The CARS scores of both groups declined after the treatment. And the score of trail group was lower than the control group (all P < 0.05). While the PEP scores of both groups increased, and the score of trail group was higher than the control group (all P < 0.05). The increasing level of scores of cognitive understanding and cognitive expression were all better than the control group (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe effect of behavior training with head needle retention on autism children is better than behavior training after acupuncture treatment, especially in enhancing cognition understanding and cognition expression.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Autistic Disorder ; psychology ; therapy ; Behavior Therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male

OBJECTIVETo study the mental health state of parents of children with autism.

METHODSThe mental health state was evaluated by conducting the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90) on parents of 34 children with autism and of 35 healthy children.

RESULTSThe SCL-90 total scores in the fathers (162.5±34.0) and mothers of autistic children (175.1±51.0) were significantly higher than those in healthy children's parents (142.4±42.8 and 152.3±40.6, respectively) (P<0.05). The SCL-90 scores of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depression, anxiety and paranoia in the fathers of autistic children were significantly higher than those in the fathers of healthy children (P<0.05). The SCL-90 scores of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, paranoia, psychotic symptoms, hostility and sleep/diet were significantly higher in the mothers of autistic children than those in the mothers of healthy children (P<0.05). The mothers of autistic children presented higher SCL-90 factor scores in interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety and psychotic symptoms than the fathers (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSWe should pay more attention to the mental health of parents of autistic children.

Autistic Disorder ; diagnosis ; Child ; Fathers ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Mothers ; Parents ; psychology

OBJECTIVEAbout 30% of autistic cases experience developmental regression around 2 years of age. The clinical course and manifestations of autistic children with regression remain unclear. This study investigated the clinical features of a group of autistic children with regression.

METHODSOne hundred and fifty-two children at ages of 2.5-6.5 years confirmed with autism based on DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were enrolled. They were grouped according to language development: normal or regression. The perinatal history, developmental history and characteristics of regression were investigated. The symptoms were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSRegressions were observed in 33 children (21.7%) at age of between 16 and 21 months, with loss both in communicative skills and social engagement. The regressive group was scored significantly higher on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) (P<0.05) and had a relatively higher proportion of severely ill children (66.7% vs 45.4%; P<0.05)compared with the non-regressive group.

CONCLUSIONSRegression as a characteristic symptom occurs in some autistic children and is of value for diagnosis of autism. The autistic children with regression display more severe social and language impairments than those without regression. Regressive autism may be a special subtype.

Autistic Disorder ; diagnosis ; psychology ; Child ; Child Development ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Language Development ; Male ; Social Behavior

OBJECTIVEThe present study investigated the behavioral patterns of autistic children during infancy to provide clues for early identification of childhood autism.

METHODSThe abnormal behaviors of 30 children with autism and 26 children with other developmental disorders in infancy were investigated.

RESULTSThe children with autism presented a series of abnormal behaviors, including no social smile, no eye contact and no respond to own name, and joint attention deficiency, which were distinguished from the children with other developmental disorders. The imitation and attachment behaviors were significantly different between the two groups. Repetitive motor actions and interest peculiarity were only seen in children with autism.

CONCLUSIONSThe children with autism may present a series of abnormal behaviors as early as in infancy. The abnormal behaviors facilitate early diagnosis of autism.

Autistic Disorder ; diagnosis ; psychology ; Child Behavior Disorders ; etiology ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Male

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the differences in the facial emotion recognition and discrimination ability between children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: Fifty-three children aged 7 to 11 years participated in this study. Among them, 43 were diagnosed with ADHD and 10 with ASD. The parents of the participants completed the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist, ADHD Rating Scale and Conner's scale. The participants completed the Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-fourth edition and Advanced Test of Attention (ATA), Penn Emotion Recognition Task and Penn Emotion Discrimination Task. The group differences in the facial emotion recognition and discrimination ability were analyzed by using analysis of covariance for the purpose of controlling the visual omission error index of ATA. RESULTS: The children with ADHD showed better recognition of happy and sad faces and less false positive neutral responses than those with ASD. Also, the children with ADHD recognized emotions better than those with ASD on female faces and in extreme facial expressions, but not on male faces or in mild facial expressions. We found no differences in the facial emotion discrimination between the children with ADHD and ASD. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that children with ADHD recognize facial emotions better than children with ASD, but they still have deficits. Interventions which consider their different emotion recognition and discrimination abilities are needed.
Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Autistic Disorder* ; Checklist ; Child Behavior ; Child* ; Discrimination (Psychology)* ; Facial Expression ; Female ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Male ; Parents

Autistic Disorder ; complications ; psychology ; Child ; Child Development ; Communication ; Down Syndrome ; complications ; physiopathology ; psychology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Male ; Play and Playthings ; Singapore ; Social Behavior ; Stress, Psychological ; psychology

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by persistent deficits within two core symptom domains: social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Although numerous studies have reported psychopharmacological treatment outcomes for the core symptom domains of ASD, there are not enough studies on fundamental treatments based on the etiological pathology of ASD. Studies on candidate medications related to the pathogenesis of ASD, such as naltrexone and secretin, were conducted, but the results were inconclusive. Oxytocin has been identified as having an important role in maternal behavior and attachment, and it has been recognized as a key factor in the social developmental deficit seen in ASD. Genetic studies have also identified associations between ASD and the oxytocin pathway. As ASD has its onset in infancy, parents are willing to try even experimental or unapproved treatments in an effort to avoid missing the critical period for diagnosis and treatment, which can place their child in an irreversible state. While therapeutic application of oxytocin for ASD is in its early stages, we have concluded that oxytocin would be a promising therapeutic substance via a thorough literature review focusing on the following: the relationship between oxytocin and sociality; single nucleotide polymorphisms as a biological marker of ASD; and validity verification of oxytocin treatment in humans. We also reviewed materials related to the mechanism of oxytocin action that may support its potential application in treating ASD.
Autistic Disorder* ; Child ; Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Critical Period (Psychology) ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Maternal Behavior ; Naltrexone ; Oxytocin* ; Parents ; Pathology ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Secretin ; Social Change ; Biomarkers

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effect of social skills training (SST) on facial emotion recognition and discrimination in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: Twenty-three children aged 7 to 10 years participated in our SST. They included 15 children diagnosed with ADHD and 8 with ASD. The participants' parents completed the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL), the ADHD Rating Scale, and Conner's Scale at baseline and post-treatment. The participants completed the Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (K-WISC-IV) and the Advanced Test of Attention at baseline and the Penn Emotion Recognition and Discrimination Task at baseline and post-treatment. RESULTS: No significant changes in facial emotion recognition and discrimination occurred in either group before and after SST. However, when controlling for the processing speed of K-WISC and the social subscale of K-CBCL, the ADHD group showed more improvement in total (p=0.049), female (p=0.039), sad (p=0.002), mild (p=0.015), female extreme (p=0.005), male mild (p=0.038), and Caucasian (p=0.004) facial expressions than did the ASD group. CONCLUSION: SST improved facial expression recognition for children with ADHD more effectively than it did for children with ASD, in whom additional training to help emotion recognition and discrimination is needed.
Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Autistic Disorder* ; Checklist ; Child Behavior ; Child* ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Facial Expression ; Facial Recognition ; Female ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Male ; Parents ; Social Skills*