OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to describe the demographic profile, intervention sessions, goal attainment scaling (GAS), and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of autistic children receiving speech and language therapy (SLT) in a higher educational institution in the Philippines.

Deidentified data from 18 autistic children aged 4–16 years (mean=8.2; SD=2.9) who received SLT for two months were analyzed. Their demographic profile, intervention sessions, GAS scores, and generic HRQOL scores were documented.

Most participants were school-age children (n=12; 66%) and were boys (n=14; 78%). After two months, the GAS scores of 11 participants (61%) increased by 1–2 points, whereas the scores of the remaining participants decreased (n=6; 33%) or did not change (n=1; 6%). Their mean generic HRQOL scores before and after SLT were 65.6 (SD=15.2) and 61.2 (SD=17.4), respectively.

While the GAS scores increased for most participants, their generic HRQOL scores did not show clinically significant changes after two months of SLT. This can be attributed to the few therapy sessions and short follow-up period. The findings highlight the need to provide long-term support to SLT services of autistic children in the Philippines to document more desirable quality of life outcomes.

: This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with problematic mealtime behaviors in Filipino children aged 3-11 years diagnosed with ASD and to validate the Filipino-translated Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI) for clinical use. The study examined demographics, socioeconomic status, and clinical characteristics of children with ASD in relation to feeding difficulties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 166 caregivers of Filipino children with ASD at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center. The BAMBI questionnaire, translated and validated into Filipino, was administered among patients evaluated under the Section of Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics. Content validity was established through neurodevelopmental pediatric experts, while face validity was achieved with feedback from 17 caregivers during the pilot test. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were performed to identify the factors. RESULTS: The Filipino-translated BAMBI demonstrated good content and face va- lidity based on reviews and pilot testing. The tool showed acceptable internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.75, indicating good reliability. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of participants scored above the threshold for problematic mealtime behaviors, with multivariate analysis revealing a significant association between these behaviors and sensory sensitivities (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.2 to 7.3, p = 0.0150). Additional factors, such as dietary habits and family structure, also showed trends toward significance but did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This study validates the Filipino BAMBI as a reliable tool for assessing mealtime behaviors in children with ASD, highlighting the high prevalence of feeding problems in this population. Sensory sensitivities emerged as a significant factor contributing to problematic mealtime behaviors, underscoring the importance of incorporating sensory processing strategies in interventions. Further research should explore other contributing factors, such as dietary habits and family dynamics, to develop more comprehensive, tailored interventions for children with ASD and their families.
Autism spectrum disorder ; mealtime behaviors ; feeding difficulties ; BAMBI ; parent questionnaire ; risk factors

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the demographic profile, intervention sessions, goal attainment scaling (GAS), and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of autistic children receiving speech and language therapy (SLT) in a higher educational institution in the Philippines. Methods: Deidentified data from 18 autistic children aged 4–16 years (mean=8.2; SD=2.9) who received SLT for two months were analyzed. Their demographic profile, intervention sessions, GAS scores, and generic HRQOL scores were documented. Results: Most participants were school-age children (n=12; 66%) and were boys (n=14; 78%). After two months, the GAS scores of 11 participants (61%) increased by 1–2 points, whereas the scores of the remaining participants decreased (n=6; 33%) or did not change (n=1; 6%). Their mean generic HRQOL scores before and after SLT were 65.6 (SD=15.2) and 61.2 (SD=17.4), respectively. Conclusions While the GAS scores increased for most participants, their generic HRQOL scores did not show clinically significant changes after two months of SLT. This can be attributed to the few therapy sessions and short follow-up period. The findings highlight the need to provide long-term support to SLT services of autistic children in the Philippines to document more desirable quality of life outcomes.
Quality of Life ; Autistic Disorder ; Child

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the well-being of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families. The core deficits of the condition and increased parental stress during this time made them more vulnerable. Objectives: This study aims to explore how the pandemic has affected these families by identifying their needs and capabilities in order to provide support. Methods: A total of 227 parents of children with ASD completed an online survey consisting of items on sociodemographic, family needs, and coping strategies. Descriptive statistics were used and t-test and ANOVA/Kruskal Wallis were used to determine the relationship between parent and child factors with needs and coping. Results: Needs for Information, Community Services, and Finances are the top categories while the greatest identified need during this pandemic was for financial assistance. Religiosity, Problem-Solving, and Cognitive Reappraisal were the widely used coping strategies by the parents. Fathers, younger children, daughters with ASD, and having more than one child with ASD showed significant association with needs. Parents with primary and tertiary education were associated with use of the cognitive reappraisal strategy and those with jobs were associated with substance use. Conclusion Families of children with ASD have multiple needs during this pandemic, from autism-specific information and services, to more generic concerns such as financial assistance. Despite these challenges, these families have positive strategies in place to facilitate coping mechanisms.
Autistic Disorder ; COVID-19 ; Needs Assessment ; Coping Skills

Objective: To describe patterns of feeding difficulties and behaviors of Filipino children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: An electronic mealtime survey was administered to caregivers of 3- to 9-year-old children diagnosed with ASD in a Philippine tertiary government hospital. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses between feeding difficulties measured as Mealtime Survey Score, sociodemographic data, and early feeding history were performed. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to these was analyzed through a binomial test. Results: All of the 115 study subjects reported at least one problematic feeding behavior, with picky eating being the most frequent (61.74%). Significantly, more feeding difficulties were observed among the children with reported early feeding difficulties during their 2nd and 3rd year of life. There were no documented statistically significant changes in feeding behaviors during the past six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion There is a high prevalence of feeding difficulties and problematic feeding behavior among Filipino children with ASD, however no significant changes to these during the past six months of the COVID-19 pandemic were documented. Present feeding difficulties and behaviors were associated with history of early feeding difficulties, highlighting the need to include feeding difficulties in screening tools, and early training programs and interventions for children with ASD.
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Child ; Feeding Behavior ; COVID-19

Traditional medications used for treating autoimmune diseases often come with a wide range of adverse effects. Current treatments focus mainly on symptom management, resulting in significant health issues and financial burdens for patients. Recently, clinical research has demonstrated the potential of helminths and their derivatives as effective therapies for autoimmune disorders. Helminths, being a near-natural immunomodulator, exhibit milder effects than broad-spectrum immunosuppressants and corticosteroids, thereby presenting a promising alternative for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. However, different helminths' therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms and their derivatives in treating autoimmune diseases may vary. Therefore, we aim to review recent clinical advancements in the use of helminths and their derivatives for treating inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, and autism spectrum disorder, with a view to offering novel clinical treatment approaches.
Animals ; Humans ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Autoimmune Diseases/drug therapy* ; Helminths ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) exposure and the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted, recruiting 221 children with ASD and 400 healthy children as controls. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect information on general characteristics of the children, socio-economic characteristics of the family, maternal pregnancy history, and maternal disease exposure during pregnancy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between maternal GDM exposure and the development of ASD in offspring. The potential interaction between offspring gender and maternal GDM exposure on the development of ASD in offspring was explored. RESULTS: The proportion of maternal GDM was significantly higher in the ASD group compared to the control group (16.3% vs 9.4%, P=0.014). After adjusting for variables such as gender, gestational age, mode of delivery, parity, and maternal education level, maternal GDM exposure was a risk factor for ASD in offspring (OR=2.18, 95%CI: 1.04-4.54, P=0.038). On the basis of adjusting the above variables, after further adjusting the variables including prenatal intake of multivitamins, folic acid intake in the first three months of pregnancy, and assisted reproduction the result trend did not change, but no statistical significance was observed (OR=1.94, 95%CI: 0.74-5.11, P=0.183). There was an interaction between maternal GDM exposure and offspring gender on the development of ASD in offspring (P<0.001). Gender stratified analysis showed that only in male offspring of mothers with GDM, the risk of ASD was significantly increased (OR=3.67, 95%CI: 1.16-11.65, P=0.027). CONCLUSIONS Maternal GDM exposure might increase the risk of ASD in offspring. There is an interaction between GDM exposure and offspring gender in the development of ASD in offspring.
Child ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Humans ; Male ; Diabetes, Gestational/etiology* ; Autism Spectrum Disorder/etiology* ; Case-Control Studies ; Gestational Age ; Mothers

Since December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been rapidly spreading worldwide and affecting the physical and mental health of the general population. It may have even more serious potential harm to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This paper provides a literature review on the psychological and behavioral problems experienced by children with ASD during the COVID-19 epidemic, as well as the factors influencing these issues. The findings of this review can serve as a basis for clinical research on ASD children.
Humans ; Child ; Problem Behavior ; COVID-19 ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Epidemics

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy and required indicators of Children Neuropsychological and Behavioral Scale-Revision 2016 (CNBS-R2016) in the differential diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and global developmental delay (GDD). METHODS: A total of 277 children with ASD and 415 children with GDD, aged 18-48 months, were enrolled as subjects. CNBS-R2016 was used to assess the developmental levels of six domains, i.e., gross motor, fine motor, adaptive ability, language, social behavior, and warning behavior, and a total of 13 indicators on intelligence age and developmental quotient (DQ) were obtained as the input features. Five commonly used machine learning classifiers were used for training to calculate the classification accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of each classifier. RESULTS: DQ of warning behavior was selected as the first feature in all five classifiers, and the use of this indicator alone had a classification accuracy of 78.90%. When the DQ of warning behavior was used in combination with the intelligence age of warning behavior, gross motor, and language, it had the highest classification accuracy of 86.71%. CONCLUSIONS Machine learning combined with CNBS-R2016 can effectively distinguish children with ASD from those with GDD. The DQ of warning behavior plays an important role in machine learning, and its combination with other features can improve classification accuracy, providing a basis for the efficient and accurate differential diagnosis of ASD and GDD in clinical practice.
Child ; Humans ; Autism Spectrum Disorder/psychology* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Machine Learning ; Social Behavior

With the increase in the survival rate of very preterm infants, the long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of such infants have attracted more and more attention. Very preterm infants tend to develop movement disorders and psychological and behavioral problems, including cerebral palsy, developmental coordination disorders, autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, specific learning disorders, and intellectual developmental disorders. It is of vital importance to improve the long-term prognosis of very preterm infants, and early comprehensive intervention measures can minimize disability and achieve optimal parenting outcomes. This article provides a review of the research progress on the long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely preterm infants.
Infant ; Female ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Intellectual Disability ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Fetal Growth Retardation